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Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709

Here's my march submission.
http://soundclick.com/share?songid=6326647
I didn't step out of my comfort zone for this one, I just started fooling around with the chords, and ended up with this. My wife really likes it.
I hope you all do too.
Smile

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Stephen
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=1514031
http://www.soundclick.com/jsf
http://cdbaby.com/all/jstephenfoster

Location Central U.S.A.

Pecca · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 8:13 pm Post subject:

I´m a big fan of yours Smile

Love the guitars you implement into the catchy beats.
I hear some delicately implemented organs there aswell.
Nice organ solo there btw (2:05)... "kicks some lamas ass" (if u know winamp)
Drums are great... (if critique/hat could be toned down in intro before the guitar kicks in, and...perhaps some kick vol+ for my own taste)

Thanks for sharing... very good !!!

Edit: meant the open hat... in intro
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JonSolo · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 9:01 pm Post subject:

One thing I can always count on from Stephen's guitar playing: smooth and melodic. Ok...that is TWO things. But they are always present and this track falls nothing short of that. Well written and a very nice structure. Unexpected organ solo was fit to order! All of the tones felt made for each other. I agree with Pecca on the organ sound. Just nicely tucked where it should be!

If I could produce this track, I would add a guitar harmony with the lead melody at the 1:30 mark. Walk the two together till the organ takes over, and then back to the one guitar. And I would take the drums a hair back, and then bring them forward a little with my EQ (such as 7k on HH, 1K on snare, and 280 on kick).

And one small issue I have: why did you fade out? It seemed deliberate and unnatural. I almost expected a well wrapped ending with the guitar sustaining on that third or fourth note in your melody.

But other than that I agree with your wife!

Very Happy

georgeinar · Posted: Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:07 pm Post subject:

Good Lord, Stephen. You can just whip these out of your pocket. And my songs take forever, usually. I like the chords in this. Oh, yes that organ. I like what you did with that. It's a good simple effective break from the guitar, one of those less is more things. I think the 'problem' with the fading is it's not expected, so maybe you need to just get into an obvious repeating loop where the listener can relax and go that must be it, as it fades. Jonsolo's idea sounds good too, it's your call. I can hear a big difference in these chord progressions and mine that you've been playing around with. Here the chords change slowly and give you time to play around with the notes, mine changes up every 2 measures or something like that. Makes it much harder to improvise. I see now why you construct your songs the way you do. You are a master at putting the right guitar sound on tracks, I'll say that much.
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Lorenzo · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:04 am Post subject:

I just wonder how did you record the drums cos it seems to be a little out of time in some beats. The song is really interesting and the organ solo gives a good break to the melody of the guitar, another great tune! The EQ of the drum is strange but except for the snare I would say that you can leave it in this way.
Regards, Lorenzo
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Diego · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:26 am Post subject:

Hi Stephen!

I liked it a lot, very good guitar playing, great sense of melody, interesting chord progression!!
I'm listening it through iPod earphones, at a quite decent high volume, and I think drums have a little too much high frequencies.

To be honest, I'm earing some issues starting at the chord progression at 0:36, you have A- going to A-maj7 than to A-7; so in the chord you've a G# but on the solo you play a natural G. It happen some other times, and for a very short time the chord "fight" with the melody.
BTW, I like a lot the way you use to go back to E- (G, A, B7), interesting!

The organ solo is great!!!
But, as Lorenzo saied, under that drums seems to be quantized in a "swingie" way, give a look if it need some fixing.

Finally, I agree with your wife: GREAT WORK!

PS: I'm not in front of the piano but at the office, so maybe I spelled some chords not in the right way...excuse me if I wrote in a hurry, too.
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Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709

Hi Pecca,
I'ts an honor to have you as a fan, I'm glad you enjoyed this.

Good suggestions Jon, ok, I dub you the producer, and I'm gonna do exactly what you suggest.
This drum track is a stereo loop, but I'll see what I can do with it, maybe I'll try recreating it with EZ Drummer, we'll see.
As for the fade, I deliberately didn't finish this one because I wanted to hear the comments here first, and I promise to NOT fade it out. Smile

Hi George, didn't really just whip this out, I started it 2 weeks ago, and made a few changes along the way.
I'm not completely literate musically speaking, I know the notes in the chords from learning keyboards, and a bit beyond that, but I don't know scales, and can't read music, although I often wonder why!
Anyway, if sometimes a note, seems to stray from what would be technically correct, it's because I like the way it sounds, or resolves, or whatever. I'm known to have weird taste in that regard, but since I learned from listening to other musicians, I didn't invent anything. Smile

Btw, I plan to work on the other thing this afternoon.

Hi Lorenzo, I'll give the drums another listen, and maybe make some changes.
I didn't catch any timing issues, and since it's a loop, the issue might be me playing something incorrectly, as I mentioned, I left this unfinished, and while I can't remember now, there may be a track or two that was originally a scratch track that I intended to replace.

Hi Diego,
I will look at the drums.
I appreciate the comments very much, and I'll be looking at this when I revisit this song.
Thanks very much all of you, this helps a lot.
Regards,
_________________
Stephen
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=1514031
http://www.soundclick.com/jsf
http://cdbaby.com/all/jstephenfoster

Location Central U.S.A.

DrWho · Posted: Tue Mar 04, 2008 1:27 pm Post subject:

Alright! - Man I love your tunes. This one has a similar feeling of one your tunes from Sweet Summer (sorry I don't have it near me right now to say which one). Good choice for the organ sound - I should try using the organ in one of my tunes.

I am glad you posted it early to get feedback Smile

1) The drum loop definitely has something wrong with it - its like it pauses at certain points.

2) I agree w/Pecca - the hihat is too much in front.

2) The background voice behind the guitar is a too low in volume as compared to the guitar and drums - in my opinion. I would bring the background voice up.

Please repost Cool

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Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709

I've remixed this one.
No luck on the harmony part Jon, sorry, just couldn't get it to sound anything but Chinese.
I did change the ending, but I'm not sold on it.
After many listens to the drum track, I've decided it's exactly what I wanted, sorry Art, we can agree to dissagree on that one.
Smile

The drums were EQd according to Jon's suggestion except for the 7K, which made the HH stick out even further.
Confused

Don't quite remember everything I did, but maybe it's more to the liking of those who've made suggestions.
My ears started to fatigue, so I had to stop.
Sad

Same link as above.
Smile

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Stephen
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=1514031
http://www.soundclick.com/jsf
http://cdbaby.com/all/jstephenfoster

Location Central U.S.A.

chordial · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:35 am Post subject:

I missed the first one, but am enjoying this remix now.

Drums, I still need to get that sorted on my Feb song, I don't like the dry hi hat sound, and I hear a little bit of that here too. I should have recorded on separate tracks and then added some reverb maybe, pushed it back or whatever.

Overall it sounds great, a lovely flowing vibe. Great organ solo, something we don't hear too often which is a shame. I've always liked your guitar solos, and I'm also listening to them in another way now, although I'm struggling to listen and analyse at the same time Smile

I had to srcape the frost off the car this morning, but now I feel like I'm cruising in the summer sun.
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Chordial

JonSolo · Posted: Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:40 am Post subject:

I was able to hear the song at a low volume this morning, which can be a real test of the the mix and EQ, and everything seems firmly seated.

NOW the song ends! YAH! That is what it deserved Stephen.

As for the song itself, I would have still liked to have seen a harmony 3rd over the lead in the second half, but I do know what it is like to wrestle with a song once your idea is nearly complete and have nothing work for you.

Chinese would NOT have sounded good on this track. Laughing

Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709

Thanks Chordial,
I struggled with the drums, Hi Hat in particular, but because it's just a loop, if I put extra verb on it, then it pushed them back in the mix too far.
Believe it or not, there's 2 instances of reverb on them now.
Confused

Again Jon, thanks for the suggestions, they're always good, and the ones I was able to use did in fact help.
I have absolutely nothing against Chinese music, it just didn't fit here.
Now a Banyan tree....nah!
Very Happy

_________________
Stephen
https://www.soundclick.com/artist/default.cfm?bandID=1514031
http://www.soundclick.com/jsf
http://cdbaby.com/all/jstephenfoster

Location Central U.S.A.

chordial · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 12:03 am Post subject:

I forgot to mention, I can see exactly what you mean about the lead needing to be played less hard - you're an inspiration Stephen!

(Edit- listening now at home, the HHs sound much better)
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Chordial

jazlover · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 1:41 am Post subject:

Stephen, if you, George and Jon keep spitting out songs so easily we may have to graduate you guys to the TSAM (Two songs a month) club. The organ and the guitar sounds complement each other so nicely. I don't believe any other keyboard sound would have work so nice with this song and the songs whole feel. I missed the 1st mix. It certainly sounds great as it is now.

You are quite the smoothy.

Thanx bro.
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Stephen · Platinum Member Joined: 28 Aug 2002 Posts: 4709