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Share Your Music (it probably sucks but that’s not why we do it)


NoRagrets

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13 hours ago, G650 said:

We could get all fucked up like the Foo Fighters and do 7/4 such as Times Like These, one measure 4/4, one measure 3/4.

Eh, that's just the intro and its repeated parts.  I'm pretty sure it's just a tip of the cap to Rush.  I think all the vocal parts are 4/4.

EDIT:  although now that I listen, the choruses are essentially 12/4 -- 3 bars of 4/4, which is unusual.

Edited by jimmyjazz
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7 minutes ago, ohchaucer said:


Come on now, shoot for the moon! I believe in you, Sidis, baby!! (But, also take it slow)

Won’t be able to do anything musical for the rest of the week but I did slide in some paradiddles, seven strokes, and Swiss army triplets for about 20 mins tonight. No Morello or Art Blakey.

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Also if we want a fun time signature prompt, this one is a great start. If you go to the 3:00 mark, it’s a crazy example of something that sounds very polyrhythmic but really it’s just 7/8 pattern with the melody lagging to almost feel 3/4 and 2/3. But it’s not! It’s straight 7/8 through to the outro.



And PS affinity for his music or not or his personality or not, Sting was a fucking songwriting monster. Copeland would have done well to keep his wagon hitched. But I digress.
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8 hours ago, jimmyjazz said:

Eh, that's just the intro and its repeated parts.  I'm pretty sure it's just a tip of the cap to Rush.  I think all the vocal parts are 4/4.

EDIT:  although now that I listen, the choruses are essentially 12/4 -- 3 bars of 4/4, which is unusual.

Oh it's no hat tip, it's just the Foos have the weirdest sense of timing ever.

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  • 2 weeks later...

People in the songwriting group:  If you all are so inclined, I'd love to hear what you are coming up with.  I think you all signed an NDA or something, but if you personally wouldn't mind sharing your stuff here, it'd be cool to check out!

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I'm moderately comfortable doing that. This was recorded by writing down the final arrangement on a sheet of paper and then singing/playing into an iPad running garageband in the attic (except a second take on the bridge vocals to fix a vocal melody which was in my office and may have been airpods), one take guitar one take vocal and then a second vocal take to change the bridge part. Anyways what I'm trying to say is that the singing has some pitchiness, I'd probably still change the melody a bit, and there are some little parts that I'd do differently (fuckin "yand I'm falling behind" sounds like a Less Than Jake vocal).

The exercise and feedback is actually really fun and helpful, I haven't written anything in like 10 years. The bridge was the first part and was supposed to be the chorus. I hated it but have come around on it a bit, I think I need a third final verse and some trailing vocals into the guitar riff part for each (or maybe not each) section, and then the kinda "high verse/trailing vocal" part would serve as the chorus throughout the song. Feedback I got from the group was helpful in coming to that idea.

The idea of the song is thinking about Mathias Rust as a kid stepping into adulthood and his version of... being somebody or doing something meaningful as an adult is to fly a cessna into Red Square. That's juxtaposed with verse 1 about me graduating from college and being paralyzed on the couch all day looking at job ads and playing fallout 3, having a mini-crisis as I realize I don't have a plan and may have fucked up.

 

 

haven't started the second thing at all yet and I jammed the middle finger of my fretting hand installing a fucking piece of shit car seat. It's all purple and swollen but feels better than it did yesterday so I'll run out of excuses soon.

Edited by Celery Man
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47 minutes ago, Goredho said:

People in the songwriting group:  If you all are so inclined, I'd love to hear what you are coming up with.  I think you all signed an NDA or something, but if you personally wouldn't mind sharing your stuff here, it'd be cool to check out!

 

I'm currently working with my drummer to lay down an actual part on the song to replace the EZDrummer stand in, but I definitely plan on uploading to the wider world once it gets to a more finished state.

 

To echo @Celery Man a bit, I found it a super helpful exercise, and I'm actually pretty excited to be a part. I've spent a lot of the past year feeling like a calcified old dinosaur and been frustrated in my attempts to break out of past habits, and the interaction with the group has definitely freed up that logjam in my mind.

 

 

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I'll echo Celery and 650.  It's been a fun exercise so far.  Songwriting, alone at least, has never been something I've spent time with and it's always been a frustration.  This challenge and the group and the feedback has nudged me to say "fuck it" and just make SOMETHING. 

My entry for last month is about how everyone assumed Rust's stunt was some big statement to save the world... but, nah, he just did the whole thing for a girl.

In hindsight (and planning ahead for this month's song) I'll probably just stick to guitar and vocals without fooling around (poorly) with GarageBand too much. As I've caveated to the group, my musical experience has overwhelmingly been behind a drumkit, so this is giving me the opportunity to stretch and learn.  Better late than never!

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1 hour ago, Celery Man said:

I'm moderately comfortable doing that. This was recorded by writing down the final arrangement on a sheet of paper and then singing/playing into an iPad running garageband in the attic (except a second take on the bridge vocals to fix a vocal melody which was in my office and may have been airpods), one take guitar one take vocal and then a second vocal take to change the bridge part. Anyways what I'm trying to say is that the singing has some pitchiness, I'd probably still change the melody a bit, and there are some little parts that I'd do differently (fuckin "yand I'm falling behind" sounds like a Less Than Jake vocal).

The exercise and feedback is actually really fun and helpful, I haven't written anything in like 10 years. The bridge was the first part and was supposed to be the chorus. I hated it but have come around on it a bit, I think I need a third final verse and some trailing vocals into the guitar riff part for each (or maybe not each) section, and then the kinda "high verse/trailing vocal" part would serve as the chorus throughout the song. Feedback I got from the group was helpful in coming to that idea.

The idea of the song is thinking about Mathias Rust as a kid stepping into adulthood and his version of... being somebody or doing something meaningful as an adult is to fly a cessna into Red Square. That's juxtaposed with verse 1 about me graduating from college and being paralyzed on the couch all day looking at job ads and playing fallout 3, having a mini-crisis as I realize I don't have a plan and may have fucked up.

 

 

haven't started the second thing at all yet and I jammed the middle finger of my fretting hand installing a fucking piece of shit car seat. It's all purple and swollen but feels better than it did yesterday so I'll run out of excuses soon.

I really dig this, and that's some great guitar playing!  For basically a single take, that's super good.  I get what you are saying about "pitchiness", but your vocal performance has a Kurt Vile vibe  and I don't think you want it to be too refined.  I love the raw performance and simple production.  Don't make it too slick!

18 minutes ago, ohchaucer said:

I'll echo Celery and 650.  It's been a fun exercise so far.  Songwriting, alone at least, has never been something I've spent time with and it's always been a frustration.  This challenge and the group and the feedback has nudged me to say "fuck it" and just make SOMETHING. 

My entry for last month is about how everyone assumed Rust's stunt was some big statement to save the world... but, nah, he just did the whole thing for a girl.

In hindsight (and planning ahead for this month's song) I'll probably just stick to guitar and vocals without fooling around (poorly) with GarageBand too much. As I've caveated to the group, my musical experience has overwhelmingly been behind a drumkit, so this is giving me the opportunity to stretch and learn.  Better late than never!

This is very cool.  I like like your lyrics and your take on Rust's perspective. The instrumentation is cool, and I really like the sequenced pads providing some rhythm throughout.  Great job!

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1 hour ago, Goredho said:

I really dig this, and that's some great guitar playing!  For basically a single take, that's super good.  I get what you are saying about "pitchiness", but your vocal performance has a Kurt Vile vibe  and I don't think you want it to be too refined.  I love the raw performance and simple production.  Don't make it too slick!

oh that's cool - I was actually trying to put myself into a Mountain Goats headspace a bit with the vocals, but largely because my instincts are different and i'm not going to in a million years sound like John Darnielle. I still only have about one foot into Kurt Vile's discography but I like that comparison or at least being accused of having some of his vibe. Appreciate the feedback.

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  • 2 weeks later...

This isn't my music.  But a buddy and I had a few drinks one night and recorded ourselves playing an old Soulhat tune back in 2001.  The live bit wasn't terrible, and I tracked it.  My friend is on the drums and I played guitar and sang on the live cut, and tracked everything else.  Be gentle.

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I've been absent from this thread as I've kind of put composing/recording aside as I've gotten more involved playing live again this year.  I've concentrated on two things

  1. Being able to recognize chords and key to quickly contribute and sit in with some established gigging bands in the area; I've had 4-5 gigs like that this summer
  2. A looper-powered one man band performance where I can play faux drums, bass, acoustic and rhythm guitar to lay backing tracks live, then provide an instrumental improvisation over it

This video is an example of #2 from an art show gig I did a month or so ago.

One of the things I'm experimenting with in the one man band setting are some covers, where I play a fair amount of the vocal melody with guitar.  This is from a practice session, but you'll get the idea...

 

The live music scene here is very seasonal, Memorial Day through Halloween.  I'll likely spend the offseason working on composing and recording, and in season playing live either in open jams, sitting in with some of the bands I've gotten connected to, or doing one-man jam band things like the above in settings where it makes sense.

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for songwriter group, we did a robert johnson prompt with the option of doing 5/4 time per my request.

never again on 5/4. what a pain in the ass.  but i am doing two tracks on this one.  

the first one is my robert johnson track...i went with r&b this month.  the final version will have some soulful "rapping" on top of it but not comfortable sharing that here so here is the version without the lyrics.  careful with the subwoofers on this one.

 

i did write a 5/4 track.  i'm obviously not happy with it but i did it.  it is more of a rock song...u2 style and will also have some lyrics on the final version but here is the instrumentation.  even though it wasn't my intention, when i step back from it, it kind of reminds me of "exit" from joshua tree if exit hit you over the head with bass and sucked. 

 

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