Here's a piece I wrote on my guitar. I transferred the notes into the Sonar 8.5 piano roll and added an arrangement.
This one really needs a vocal.
NOTE: Just for fun I also posted a stripped down version here with just guitar, bass, drums, and the sound fx at the end.
another routine day-guitar-bass-drums-sound fx.mp3
Enjoy!
-Rick
Replies
Rick, this is really an amazing composition, and I enjoyed it a ton! It's obviously very original, and yet, in my mind's ear I was kind of hearing elements that harkened just a tiny wee bit to both the Beatles circa Maxwell's Silver Hammer/All You Need Is Love, especially when the trumpet part kicked in at about the 5' mark; and 70s era Genesis, probably because of that delicate texture that's provided by the combo of acoustic guitar and flute, but against a pretty solid bass/drums part (also, I'm assuming your string synth patch was maybe something other than a Mellotron, but it could have been, which would just make the connection to both bands that much more complete). Your sound, overall, is much brighter and more 'open' than Genesis, but there was just a wee something there to remind me.
If you were to overlay a lead vocal, I think you would have a very complete, ready-for-radio song on your hands. Super well done!
Frank Paul,
WOW! Thanks for those very kind words.
The arrangement is still a little rough around the edges so I'll probably work on it some more and then update the mp3 every now and then without anyone knowing.
I'm a HUGE Beatles guy. I'm happy you could tell.
As for Genesis, I've heard some of their songs on the radio but could not tell you any of their song names.
BTW, the guitar part on this one is very difficult for me to play. Virtual instruments make the fingering easy but at the cost of accurate realism.
I say HURRAY for virtual instruments!
Thanks again! :)
Rick, I argree with you re: virtual instruments! I used to be a total skeptic bordering on Luddite when it came to the realm of sequencers and MIDI instruments, but since commencing an immersion into the whole iOS music making realm, which is just utterly replete with really cool sequencer apps and virtual instruments (that are maybe not 100% the real thing but certainly 80% or so), plus a boatload of amazing and very imginative effects tools, I've totally overcome that skepticism and started embracing it all as well. I really liked your guitar part; I thought it sounded great. Cheers!
Rick,
Your music here is not new to me and this is up to the usual superb standard although the guitar part sounds as if it would be difficult. It has all your hallmarks: excellent instrumentation, balance and harmonic progression. A definite familiarity with your VIs and their articulation.
Yes, it needs a vocal. Even so, it stands in its own right. Your harmonic progressions have sufficient twists and weave through modulations with enough ease to carry a tune into extended territory. Its duration is barely enough.
Great,
Cheers, Dane.
It's nice, I like it.
I think that the melody is too quiet and the accompaniment is too loud specially at the beggining.
Hi Rick - nice job. With me liking Paul McCartney and Jeff Lynne this was an easy listen. Now the real work begins... devising a lyric to match the length and quality of this fine track. And there's room for a short piano solo or something like that. At this length your lyric could present a complete story (beginning/middle/end), describe a journey, a relationship...how it started, the ups/downs, the sad end. You've created the space and modal variations for that. How are you planning to approach the lyric? The title "Another Routine Day"... does that suggest what you or you lyricist is going to present?
I ask because in my own output of songs, it's the lyric that's always the most challenging. I've thrown away lots of potential tracks because I failed to conjure a plausible lyric. Thank heaven for instrumentals.
Good work! --Ray