Hi Michee,

You've done it again! I really like your song.

Not knowing much about Caledonian history, I'm not sure which person(s) you're talking about. Because of this, my initial thought was that it would be good to have a name in the lyrics but then I read that you wrote this with an anthem in mind. In that case, names are not necessarily needed because the people who will be singing it, know who the song is about.

It's really good to hear your arrangement build. It definitely pulls the listener into the mix. If this was my song, something I'd experiment with would be to build up verses 1 and 2 like you have done and then throttle back for verse 3 and build up through verses 4 and 5 culminating with a spectacular and "proud" final verse. The kind of "teasing" that happens by building up an arrangement and then coming back down and building up again adds a good emotional contour to a song.

If you're interested in hearing what I'm trying to say about emotional contours, have a listen to the below Westlife song (Josh Groban also does a spectacular version of this song). It has anthem-like qualities. By riding the crest of an emotional wave created by the arranger, hear how the listener is lifted up and down as the song progresses. To me, this song is a very satisfying musical journey. What makes it all the more surprising is that this song is only one verse and one chorus yet the arranger manages to engage the listener for 4 consecutive repetitions of the chorus (a total of 4 minutes!). To my way of thinking, that's an amazing accomplishment.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4DJHOzIxvs
lyrics

One approach that I find handy, is physically to draw the emotional contour as the song develops. It's like drawing a graph. As the song plays, I draw slowly from left to right on some paper. When the intensity of the mix increases (or decreases) I draw up (or down) the paper while still moving left to right. The steepness of my gradients indicates how quick the intensity change occurred. (This was a tip that I picked up from Stephen Webber (grammy award winning producer). I find this approach very helpful when listening to songs I like because it helps me understand how I might develop my own arrangements.)

The above are just thoughts. Please feel free to take them or leave them as you wish. I just love listening to each of your new songs. Keep up the excellent work. I must say, I really enjoy hearing where the muse takes you. You're a talented man.

All the best,
Noel

Last edited by Noel96; 03/14/10 04:19 AM.
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