Chris, I absolutely loved that. Wow! It's one of my favorite Moody songs too. A Question of Balance is my Favorite Moody Blues Album. It got me through many, many days at sea under the ocean in my submariner days. Thanks for that wonderful trip down memory lane. You really nailed it.
Steve
Busking Moody Blues
Chris,
What a great job all the way around. Very well done. Congratulations to you and your band! :laugh: I have to laugh when I think that it was only a year ago when the first video uploads were people with no heads strumming guitars...look how far the TG community has come in a short period of time. Congratulations to you Chris, and all of the rest of you out there that are putting together incredible productions!
Craig
What a great job all the way around. Very well done. Congratulations to you and your band! :laugh: I have to laugh when I think that it was only a year ago when the first video uploads were people with no heads strumming guitars...look how far the TG community has come in a short period of time. Congratulations to you Chris, and all of the rest of you out there that are putting together incredible productions!
Craig
Chris,what happens when there is time on the hands,,well we could hear and see it and i agree with you that this a bit more then busking but see what it brings to us,,i can say you did a great job and think it was a big job too,,there is alot to figure out i think with that multitracking but is fun to do..keep working,thanks.
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neverfoundthetime
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
- Status: Offline
Thanks so much folks... it's a real boost reading your posts today!
Working on this has been quite a ride. First, the absorption in the song (I mentioned before that a song seems to get it's hooks in me and not leave me alone), second looking up the chords ( C#m / F#m / G#) and finding the best way to get the sound (capo 4th fret and play Am / Dm7 / E, I like Am fingering) compensating for my guitar being tuned down a half step (so, Capo 5). Then being happy to find an arpeggio picking which worked so I could sing along. Great. But what about all the things going on in the song with all the vocals? I needed a second guitar player / singer. No one available: ok, let's use Audacity.
I've described the technical process I went through to make the song, but there's an emotional process going on too. Is this any good? Am I in time here? How to fill the cavernous hole which seemed to open up as soon as I started recording: wooha, such a long slow song with not much going on in my version (it wasn't there just playing it live)! Ok, vocals. Hmmm, this sounds ok, what does someone else think? Where can I find a Moodies fan? Bill? What would Daryl suggest? Ah, yeah, it needs some kind of bass to underline it... and there's that solo. Oh, they like it?! Okay, I see the finishing line here. Video. Oh shoot, video conversion takes so long... ok go make pizza and feed Ale and her girlfriend in the meanwhile. Oh, need some pips. Ah, stuff that, just one pip, it's the sound that counts. Oh, put the pip in the middle of the vid to hide the fact I stopped playing and wanted to sing the chorus at the wrong time as I don't want to record the main part again! Endless playing back to balance the tracks. 3 minute upload to TG (man that's fast!). Wait and wonder. Is it any good?
Daryl thanks for the feedback and support. You da man when it comes to making perfect productions with Audacity. You and Al have been the forerunners here.
Thanks Matt! I'd like to see how Neil plays that intro and how he'd teach this. I wonder what he thought when you suggested this song?
Stuart you would have been right on the money with a Hayward song if Mike Pinder hadn't gotten in the way! This is his best song and he sings it so well (less strenuous on the voice than a Hayward song). I'd always sung along with this song but had never tried to play it before.
Thanks for listening in Takhak! I'm assuming we play the same make of guitar.
Many thanks Suzi, Vanessa and Marc. I do have a keyboard but I don't really play it. I use it to help me understand songs or find a melody. By now, I can find the melody better on the fretboard, so I must be improving!
Thanks Michele! Yeah, I think we are in for an interesting 2011... just look at your last video! Great stuff! And I have been asking holes in Al over the past year and a half... you know helpful Al!
Thanks Pierre, I always enjoy your entertaining comments - you feel like a child of the 70's - so I reckon you know your Moody Blues. Must be lamb today 'cos beef was last week!
Steve, It blows my mind at the idea of listening to Question of Balance hundreds of meters below the waves! Way to go! Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks for the kind comments (as always) Craig, Willem and Rick... I'll pass on your compliments to the "band"
!
Oh, and that Story I owe you. I was listening to Desert Island Discs on BBC radio many years ago when Uri Geller was on. They asked him what his favourite song was and I said out loud, without any hesitation, Melancholy Man! And it was. An odd moment as I had no doubt at all. Yeah, I know Uri is a trickster and bending spoons is about as important as what I had for breakfast in 1972 but the odds of nailing his favourite song were very long. Ok he's a child of the 60's & 70's too and the Moodies were top ... but so were the Beatles, the Stones, Simon & Garfunkel and and and. There again, I wouldn't even have remembered the incident if he'd have said Yellow Submarine (or something from the Lovin Spoonfull)! We live in an endless and random universe, all things are possible.
Working on this has been quite a ride. First, the absorption in the song (I mentioned before that a song seems to get it's hooks in me and not leave me alone), second looking up the chords ( C#m / F#m / G#) and finding the best way to get the sound (capo 4th fret and play Am / Dm7 / E, I like Am fingering) compensating for my guitar being tuned down a half step (so, Capo 5). Then being happy to find an arpeggio picking which worked so I could sing along. Great. But what about all the things going on in the song with all the vocals? I needed a second guitar player / singer. No one available: ok, let's use Audacity.
I've described the technical process I went through to make the song, but there's an emotional process going on too. Is this any good? Am I in time here? How to fill the cavernous hole which seemed to open up as soon as I started recording: wooha, such a long slow song with not much going on in my version (it wasn't there just playing it live)! Ok, vocals. Hmmm, this sounds ok, what does someone else think? Where can I find a Moodies fan? Bill? What would Daryl suggest? Ah, yeah, it needs some kind of bass to underline it... and there's that solo. Oh, they like it?! Okay, I see the finishing line here. Video. Oh shoot, video conversion takes so long... ok go make pizza and feed Ale and her girlfriend in the meanwhile. Oh, need some pips. Ah, stuff that, just one pip, it's the sound that counts. Oh, put the pip in the middle of the vid to hide the fact I stopped playing and wanted to sing the chorus at the wrong time as I don't want to record the main part again! Endless playing back to balance the tracks. 3 minute upload to TG (man that's fast!). Wait and wonder. Is it any good?
Daryl thanks for the feedback and support. You da man when it comes to making perfect productions with Audacity. You and Al have been the forerunners here.
Thanks Matt! I'd like to see how Neil plays that intro and how he'd teach this. I wonder what he thought when you suggested this song?
Stuart you would have been right on the money with a Hayward song if Mike Pinder hadn't gotten in the way! This is his best song and he sings it so well (less strenuous on the voice than a Hayward song). I'd always sung along with this song but had never tried to play it before.
Thanks for listening in Takhak! I'm assuming we play the same make of guitar.
Many thanks Suzi, Vanessa and Marc. I do have a keyboard but I don't really play it. I use it to help me understand songs or find a melody. By now, I can find the melody better on the fretboard, so I must be improving!
Thanks Michele! Yeah, I think we are in for an interesting 2011... just look at your last video! Great stuff! And I have been asking holes in Al over the past year and a half... you know helpful Al!
Thanks Pierre, I always enjoy your entertaining comments - you feel like a child of the 70's - so I reckon you know your Moody Blues. Must be lamb today 'cos beef was last week!
Steve, It blows my mind at the idea of listening to Question of Balance hundreds of meters below the waves! Way to go! Thanks for tuning in.
Thanks for the kind comments (as always) Craig, Willem and Rick... I'll pass on your compliments to the "band"
!Oh, and that Story I owe you. I was listening to Desert Island Discs on BBC radio many years ago when Uri Geller was on. They asked him what his favourite song was and I said out loud, without any hesitation, Melancholy Man! And it was. An odd moment as I had no doubt at all. Yeah, I know Uri is a trickster and bending spoons is about as important as what I had for breakfast in 1972 but the odds of nailing his favourite song were very long. Ok he's a child of the 60's & 70's too and the Moodies were top ... but so were the Beatles, the Stones, Simon & Garfunkel and and and. There again, I wouldn't even have remembered the incident if he'd have said Yellow Submarine (or something from the Lovin Spoonfull)! We live in an endless and random universe, all things are possible.
Chris I know and love alot of Moody Blues songs but wasn't familiar with this one until now. Thanks for bringing this one to my attention. I must say I was fascinated watching this and seeing/hearing how you layered all the seperate tracks. I've only done a single overdub once and was really impressed with what you did on this one. As always your voice was just great. Great playing on that big 12 string as well!!! Thanks for putting this one out. I really enjoyed this. So what's next for you? Got any more big collaborations or productions you're thinking of tinkering with?
MarkM
MarkM
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neverfoundthetime
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:14 pm
- Status: Offline
Thanks for listening in Jay and Mark.
If any of you don't own it, you HAVE to beg, borrow or steel the Question of Balance album and spend some time listening to the whole thing. It's proably their best and there isn't a bad song on it. really recommend it.
Not sure what's next, this song just grabbed me and would not be resisted.
Maybe a rest and then let's see what grabs me next!
If any of you don't own it, you HAVE to beg, borrow or steel the Question of Balance album and spend some time listening to the whole thing. It's proably their best and there isn't a bad song on it. really recommend it.
Not sure what's next, this song just grabbed me and would not be resisted
.Maybe a rest and then let's see what grabs me next!
Not a massive Moody Blues fan as you well know Chris but really thought this was superb. I agree with the other mere mortals who have commented on the exceptional standard of recent videos. A huge leap in sound quality and overall professionalism. Thanks for the look. Perhaps I could have a go at a MB tune? Perhaps not as well.