songwriters

New Toys

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Since the last time we got together:

The New Coursera Cafe Karaoke Project, which will be “You’ve Got A Friend, has been postponed until September.

The Coursera Blues Jam follow-up to “Be True” seems to have been postponed indefinitely due to lack of interest/participants.

“Baby Bought A Pistol” is still a back-burner issue, no doubt to be abandoned.

I have started working on a new original song that’s inspired by a dream my ex had, but that’s a story for another time. The lyrics are close to being finished, and I’ve mapped out the production.

But first…

Being a gadgethead and a sucker for deals, I’ve recently acquired two pieces of hardware that I’m anxious to try out.

The first is the Line 6 Mobile In

.

I have been using an iRig for a long time, but since the input goes through the headphone jack, quite a bit of electrical noise can be picked up. I tried different cords and settings, but the crackling noise is still maddeningly noticeable.

They can be had online ranging from $24.99 to $49.95, but in mid-July Musician’s Friend offered it as their “Stupid Deal Of The Day” for $9.99. Couldn’t pass that up! I’ve played around with it a bit, and it seems fantastic, but haven’t tried recording yet.

The second is a Blue Mikey Digital, which I read about in an article by Dan Cross.

I’m too cheap to spend $99.99 on something like this, but a little research helped me find a refurbished one at Rakuten.com for $40.97 (with free shipping, even). It just arrived yesterday, so I haven’t had a chance to test it yet.

My next project will be something simple to put my new toys through their paces.

[Coda]

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The saga of “Baby Bought A Pistol” is at an end. At least for now, at least in this form.

I tried doing some vocals over the backing track, and discovered the song is just not going to work in it’s current state. I’m just not feeling it. The lead tones are too shrill, the lyrics are boring, the story cliche. I’ve grown disinterested in trying to finish it. I may try to rework it at another time, but for now it’s a dead project.

In the meantime, I’ll be working on contributions to new Coursera Cafe Group Karaoke and Coursera Blues Jam projects.

Maybe walking away and coming back will be the shot in the arm I need to finish the late “Baby Bought A Pistol”.

[Baby Bought A Pistol]

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The song has a title and tentative verse lyrics. The subject was suggested by the latest rash of school/university shootings. But it’s not a serious protest song, or anything like that. A little sardonic is the most I’ll attribute to it. Lyrics were finished mostly during my five minute ride to work.

The rhythm track was added. Tried adding an organ stab to accompany it, but I didn’t like the sound. Made the executive decision to stick to just guitar.

Started doodling around with a lead guitar track; eventually hit the Record button to capture some improvisation, and, as these things are wont to happen, my high E string snapped. I’m going to attempt using one of my other axes, but if I can’t get what I was getting out of my Casino, I’ll have to man up and change strings. It’s about time, anyway, I suppose.

[bass]

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Completed the bass track.

As previously mentioned, I built it with the GarageBand Smart Bass feature, and I nicked the “Taxman” riff.

Next up will be the rhythm guitar track. When that’s complete, I’ll try to post a few bars of this work-in-progress.

[riff]

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Back to work, at least temporarily. The Coursera Blues Jam is starting work on another track, and that may distract me a bit.

But not for too long, I think. I find it takes me forever to get a new project rolling, but usually, once it does, I become consumed with it.

I recorded the riff with my Strat through iRig into GarageBand, pretty much the same way it was played in the video. Not “pretty much” the same way; the same way. Not straight through the entire song, though. Modern technology allows me to do a lot of cut-and-paste. I recorded the riff for 12 measures, then copied it throughout. I did a little edit of the main riff to serve as the bridge, and that was that. A little time spent fooling with the guitar tone, and I was done.

I started working on the bass track, and decided to build it with GarageBand’s Smart Bass feature. I can’t get the tone I want playing through a regular guitar, like I did with “Closing The Door”.

[drum track 1]

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Now that “Be True” is in the can, I can return to my own project.

I’ve begun the actual “recording” process by settling on a tempo (120 bpm) and choosing a stock Apple drum loop to use as a click track. Once the rest of the instrumentation is added, I’ll construct some drum fills and flourishes in GarageBand so the percussion track isn’t too bland.

Progress:

Drum track

Time Out

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The songwriting project I’ve written about is on hold for at least another week.

I’m finishing up another Berklee class offered through Coursera, “Developing Your Musicianship”. Our final assignment is to record a minor pentatonic blues riff over a prerecorded backing track. That’s due Friday.

The Facebook group dedicated to the course is also working on a project similar to the Cafe karaoke project. Several of us are submitting tracks that will allegedly blend into a collaborative blues tune. I’ve committed to submitting a rhythm riff and a lead line, which may or may not be used in the final project. That, too is due Friday, to coincide with the end of the course.

Once those two projects are wrapped up, I should be able to return to my [untitled song].

[the list]

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After meditating on the matter, I’ve decided to use the riff as is for now, but, like I said, anything can change during the writing/recording process. I’m planning simple instrumentation, a couple of guitars, bass and programmed drum tracks.

I’ve decided to start out nicking the bass line from the Beatles’ “Taxman’; modified a little bit, it could fit in. At least it seems that way in my mind’s ear. We’ll see when I hear the two together. (What? Paul McCartney on his bass riff in “I Saw Her Standing There”: “Here’s one example of a riff I pinched from someone: I used the bass riff from ‘Talkin’ Bout You’ by Chuck Berry in ‘I Saw Her Standing There’. I played exactly the same notes as he did and it fitted our number perfectly. Even now, when I tell people, I find few of them believe me. Therefore, I maintain that a bass riff hasn’t got to be original.”

But I digress. One of the things I like to do when I start a project like this is pretend I’m organized. So I make a preliminary list of the order in which I plan to build the various tracks. This one looks like this:

Drum & Percussion Track
Riff
Rhythm Guitar
Lead Guitar
Write lyrics
Vocal
Process and mix

Of course, best laid plans, etc. But it’s a starting point.

On to the GarageBand drum machine!

[untitled song]

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For several years – stretching back to my college days, actually – I’ve been writing these little songs. Some are pretty good, some are just OK, some will never see the ears of day. Ever since technology allowed anyone to turn their computer into a recording studio, I’ve been recording some of these gems with varying results (you can check out my SoundCloud page for examples).

My interest lay dormant for a few years until a took I few online courses through Coursera; specifically, Berklee College of Music courses in Songwriting and Music Production.

Since then, my passion for music-making has been renewed, and I’ve been working more in my “studio”, which lately has been my iPhone, set up with Garageband iOS, Audiobus, AmpliTube, AmpKit, and various other apps. Readers of this blog (the three of you) will already be familiar with my arsenal of axes.

It’s been a couple of months since I’ve completed a song, and I’m ready to begin work on another project. I’ve decided to take the reader along with me on this journey, which may take a couple of months, or the rest of the year. It might yield something I’m happy with, or I may scratch the whole thing. We’ll see.

At the moment, the only thing I’m starting with is a guitar riff, which is demonstrated in this video:

(The instructor, by the way, is Griff Hamlin, my guitar “teacher”. I’ve been working with a couple of of his DVD courses, and they’re really excellent. Check out Blues Guitar Unleashed.)

The riff is my starting point; it’s likely that exact riff will be different by the time the song is finished. Or maybe not. I may play around with the riff a bit, then set it aside and write some lyrics. I never know where I’m going to end up once I’ve started, or how I’m going to get there; that’s part of the fun, the excitement, and the self-discovery.

I’ll be back when I have something for you.

NPR’s 100 Most Important American Musical Works of the 20th Century

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The NPR 100
The most important American musical works of the 20th century

* ADAGIO FOR STRINGS, SAMUEL BARBER (prem. 1938 )
* AIN’T THAT A SHAME, words/music FATS DOMINO (1955); as performed by FATS DOMINO
* ALEXANDER’S RAGTIME BAND, words/music IRVING BERLIN (1911); as performed by IRVING BERLIN
* ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL, words/music JACK LAWRENCE/ARTHUR ALTMAN (1940), as performed by FRANK SINATRA and HARRY JAMES & HIS ORCHESTRA (1943)
* APPALACHIAN SPRING, AARON COPLAND (1944)
* AS TIME GOES BY, words/music HERMAN HUPFELD (1931)
* BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN, words/music RAYWHITLEY/GENE AUTRY (1939); as performed by GENE AUTRY
* BLOWIN’ IN THE WIND, words/music BOB DYLAN (1962)
* BLUE MOON OF KENTUCKY, BILL MONROE (1947)
* BLUE SUEDE SHOES, CARL PERKINS (1956)
* BODY & SOUL, instrumental version by COLEMAN HAWKINS (1939)
* BORN TO RUN (LP), BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN (1975)
* CHORUS LINE (musical), music MARVIN HAMLISCH/words EDWARD KLEBAN (1975)
* COAL MINER’S DAUGHTER, LORETTA LYNN (1971)
* CRAZY, words/music by WILLIE NELSON, performed by PATSY CLINE (1961)
* DJANGO, music JOHN LEWIS; performed by MODERN JAZZ QUARTET (1955)
* DREAM A LITTLE DREAM OF ME, GUS KAHN/WILBER SCHWANDT/FABIAN ANDRE performed by Kate Smith (1931); revived by Mama Cass Elliot (1963)
* DRUMMING, STEVE REICH (1971)
* FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (musical), SHELDON HARNICK/JERRY BOCK (1964)
* FINE & MELLOW, words/music BILLIE HOLIDAY (1940)
* FIRE AND RAIN, words/music JAMES TAYLOR; as performed by JAMES TAYLOR (1970)
* FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN, music EARL SCRUGGS, performed by EARLE FLATT/ LESTER SCRUGGS and THE FOGGY MOUNTAIN BOYS (1949)
* 4:33, JOHN CAGE (1952)
* GIVE MY REGARDS TO BROADWAY, GEORGE M. COHAN (1904)
* GONE WITH THE WIND (film score), MAX STEINER (1939)
* GOOD VIBRATIONS, THE BEACH BOYS (1966)
* GRACELAND (LP), PAUL SIMON (1986)
* GRAND CANYON SUITE, FERDE GROFE (1931)
* GREAT BALLS OF FIRE, JERRY LEE LEWIS (1957)
* THE GREAT PRETENDER, THE PLATTERS (1955)
* GUYS & DOLLS (musical), FRANK LOESSER (prem. 1950)
* HELLHOUND ON MY TRAIL, ROBERT JOHNSON (1937)
* HELLO DOLLY (tune), words/music JERRY HERMAN; as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG (1964)
* HIS EYE IS ON THE SPARROW, words/music C.D. MARTIN/C.H. GABRIEL; as performed by MAHALIA JACKSON (1958 )
* HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN, words/music WILLIE DIXON; as performed by MUDDY WATERS (1954)
* HOUND DOG/DON’T BE CRUEL, words/music JERRY LEIBER/MIKE STOLLER; OTIS BLACKWELL/ELVIS PRESLEY; as performed by ELVIS PRESLEY (1956)
* I GOT RHYTHM, GEORGE & IRA GERSHWIN (1930)
* I WALK THE LINE, words/music JOHNNY CASH; as performed by JOHNNY CASH (1956)
* I WANNA BE SEDATED, THE RAMONES (1977)
* I’M SO LONESOME I COULD CRY, words/music HANK WILLIAMS; as performed by HANK WILLIAMS (1949)
* IN THE MOOD, words ANDY RAZAF, music JOE GARLAND (1939), performed/recorded GLENN MILLER & HIS ORCHESTRA (1940)
* (GOODNIGHT) IRENE, words/music HUDDIE LEDBETTER (LEAD BELLY) and JOHN LOMAX (1950), as performed by THE WEAVERS
* KIND OF BLUE (LP), MILES DAVIS (1959)
* KING PORTER STOMP, JELLY ROLL MORTON (1924)
* KO KO, CHARLIE PARKER (rec. 1945)
* LA BAMBA, words/music WILLIAM CLAUSON; as performed by RITCHIE VALENS (1958 )
* LET’S STAY TOGETHER, words/music AL GREEN/WILLIE MITCHELL/AL JACKSON; as performed by AL GREEN (1971)
* LIGHT MY FIRE, THE DOORS (1967)
* LIKE A ROLLING STONE, BOB DYLAN (1965)
* A LOVE SUPREME (LP), JOHN COLTRANE (1964)
* MACK THE KNIFE, words MARC BLITZSTEIN (after BERTOLT BRECHT)/music KURT WEILL; as performed by ELLA FITZGERALD (1960)
* MAYBELLENE, words/music by CHUCK BERRY, RUSS FRATTO, and ALAN FREED; performed by CHUCK BERRY (1955)
* MOOD INDIGO, DUKE ELLINGTON (1931)
* MY FAIR LADY (musical), LERNER & LOWE (1956)
* MY FUNNY VALENTINE, music RICHARD RODGERS/words LORENZ HART (1937)
* MY GIRL, words/music by WILLIAM ROBINSON and RONALD WHITE; as performed by THE TEMPTATIONS (1965)
* NIGHT & DAY, COLE PORTER (1932)
* A NIGHT IN TUNISIA, DIZZY GILLESPIE (1946)
* OKLAHOMA! (musical), RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN (1943)
* ONCE IN A LIFETIME, THE TALKING HEADS (1983)
* ONE O’CLOCK JUMP, COUNT BASIE (1938 )
* OYE COMO VA, words/music TITO PUENTE (1963); recorded by SANTANA (1971)
* PAPA’S GOT A BRAND NEW BAG, JAMES BROWN (1965)
* PEGGY SUE, words/music JERRY ALLISON/BUDDY HOLLY/NORMAN PETTY; as recorded by BUDDY HOLLY (1957)
* PORGY AND BESS, music GEORGE GERSHWIN/words IRA GERSHWIN/DUBOSE HEYWARD (1935)
* PSYCHO (film score), BERNARD HERMANN (1960)
* PURPLE HAZE, JIMI HENDRIX (1967)
* RAPPER’S DELIGHT, SUGARHILL GANG (1979)
* RESPECT, words/music OTIS REDDING (1965); as performed by ARETHA FRANKLIN (1967)
* RHAPSODY IN BLUE, GEORGE GERSHWIN (1924); orchestrated FERDE GROFE (1926)
* ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK, words/music MAX FREEDMAN and JIMMY DE KNIGHT (1953); first recorded by BILL HALEY (1955)
* ROUND MIDNIGHT, music THELONIUS MONK (1946)
* (GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66, words/music BOB TROUP (1946); performed by NAT KING COLE
* ST. LOUIS BLUES, words/music W.C. HANDY (1914); as performed by BESSIE SMITH
* SHAFT (single), ISAAC HAYES (1971)
* SHOWBOAT (musical), HAMMERSTEIN/KERN (1927)
* SING, SING, SING, words/music LOUIS PRIMA (1936), as performed by BENNY GOODMAN & HIS ORCHESTRA at Carnegie Hall 1938
* SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (film musical), words/music ARTHUR FREED/NACIO HERB BROWN (1952)
* SITTIN’ ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY, words/music OTIS REDDING and STEVE CROPPER (1968 ); recorded by OTIS REDDING
* SMELLS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT, NIRVANA (1991)
* STAND BY YOUR MAN, words/music TAMMY WYNNETTE and BILLY SHERRILL (1968 ); as performed by TAMMY WYNNETTE
* STARDUST, words MITCHELL PARISH/music HOAGY CARMICHAEL (1929)
* SYMPHONY OF PSALMS, IGOR STRAVINSKY (1948 )
* TAKE FIVE, music PAUL DESMOND (1960); recorded by DAVE BRUBECK
* TAKE MY HAND, PRECIOUS LORD, words/music THOMAS A. DORSEY (1932)
* TAKE THE A TRAIN, BILLY STRAYHORN (1941), performed by DUKE ELLINGTON ORCHESTRA
* TALKING BOOK (LP), STEVIE WONDER (1972)
* TAPESTRY (LP), CAROLE KING (1971)
* THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND, WOODY GUTHRIE (1956)
* TOM DOOLEY (traditional), arranged by DAVE GUARD (1958 ); as performed by THE KINGSTON TRIO
* THE VELVET UNDERGROUND & NICO (LP), THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (1967)
* WARNER BROS. CARTOONS, music CARL STALLINGS (1940s & 1950s)
* WE SHALL OVERCOME, words/music ZILPHIA HORTON, FRANK HAMILTON, GUY CARAWAN, PETE SEEGER (1960); believed to have originated from C. ALBERT TINDLEY’S 1901 Baptist hymn I’LL OVERCOME SOME DAY
* WEST END BLUES, words by CLARENCE WILLIAMS/music by JOE OLIVER (1928 ); as performed by LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND HIS HOT FIVE
* WEST SIDE STORY (musical), LEONARD BERNSTEIN/STEPHEN SONDHEIM (1957)
* WHAT’D I SAY, RAY CHARLES (1959)
* WHAT’S GOING ON, words/music by AL CLEVELAND, MARVIN GAYE, and RENAULDO BENSON (1970); recorded by MARVIN GAYE
* WHITE CHRISTMAS, IRVING BERLIN (1942); as performed by BING CROSBY
* WILDWOOD FLOWER, CARTER FAMILY (1927)
* WIZARD OF OZ (film musical), words E.Y. HARBURG/music HAROLD ARLEN (1939)

Just as an aside to aspiring songwriters: All of these songwriters/performers wrote timeless music and made their points without once using the word “fuck”. Just sayin’.