Tag Archives: song

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Song-a-day #3

Song-a-Day #3*:   This took ages to write. In fact, it’s not even the first song I wrote today. I had a really nice chord progression and melody going first thing this morning, then had my breakfast, by which time I couldn’t remember the tune. So I had to start again, fresh chords changes and tune. I think the first one was in 4/4, this is in 6/4.

Although the singing is quite lugubrious in places, it’s a fairly upbeat song lyrically. I have no idea why. I’ll probably be back to my normal dirges by the end of the week, don’t you worry.

 

*I’m trying to write a song every day this week (I’ve got the week off) and record it and upload it. I’ve done this before with Ok results, and I seriously need to kick-start my songwriting mojo before it atrophies completely.

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Song-a-day 2014

It’s that time of year (most years, anyway) where I decide to try to write and record a song in a day, every day for a week.  Sometimes I’ll keep going for the next week to.  I usually take the weekends off (but not this time). The quality is variable, to say the least, but there are normally a couple of songs that come out ok.

I didn’t do this at all last year, I had writer’s block for 14 months, and it wasn’t fun. Good job I don’t do this for a living.

It’s an unusual feeling, when after a musical drought, you have the feeling, you know that all you have to do is pick up your guitar and open your notebook and songs will appear. It seems to work, though.

Here are songs #1 and #2 from this week: (I started on Saturday this time, just because).

‘Unbroken’ is uncharacteristically upbeat and positive for me, I thought I’d try for ‘not miserable’ and surprisingly, it worked!

You can tell I’ve got a cold, can’t you?

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Song #24 ‘Insomnia’

I started this song yesterday – the music, at least – and was so tired I had to go to bed at 8PM.  It originally sounded a bit like Calexico, but I’ve lost most of that vibe now, sadly.

The string thing at the end was a right pain, something in the mix is out of tune – I suspect the guitar – which means that everything sounds slightly wrong. I almost had English horn on it, but I was getting tired and a bit bad tempered and thought it was probably a bad idea. I did piano, though.

 

You haven’t missed #23, I have just been unable to finish it.  I suppose it is now disqualified from the Song-a-day club. *sad face*.

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#17 – Too Late

Here is song number 17  in a never-ending series of songs and things I’m making at a rate of one a day.  I need to re-do the singing, I was running out of time and didn’t get chance to rehearse properly. Might be proper harmonies next time.

 

This is one of the best ‘band’ recordings I’ve made/faked so far, I think having real bass helps the sound (and I think my playing is coming along, slowly).  I wrote this on the Wurli electric piano, which is unusual, I normally write on the acoustic guitar, which I didn’t even touch for this song).

 

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Song #15 :Sweetly

Here is song #15 in the song a day project. This was supposed to be my day off, too. No idea where this song came from, I just picked up the guitar… and there it was.

(No, I am not really in frame, the top of my head is cut off, the video is only a thing so I can upload it to Youtube and save my Soundcloud account from being overfilled…)

 

I wouldn’t usually use the word ‘baby’ in a song, no idea where that came from

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no.14 ‘Tiny Pieces’ (demo version)

#14 in my make some music every day project. I had one half of the groove, and nothing more, for about two hours, wondering what to do with it. It seemed another chord might be a good idea. There was a much better melody to start with, but by the time I came to record it, I couldn’t quite remember it.

This is first time in ages I’ve played my bass guitar, should do it more often. Maybe this needs electric guitars, not acoustic. Too much piano.  Otherwise, I’m quite happy with this, a good combination of song and groove.

This is one I think I’ll go back to next week, and re-do the vocals. And the mix.

(When I do the vocals properly, I might try making a proper video to go with it. Maybe. you know, one that’s in sync and everything).