Here we go……Hello, hello, hello.

Actually. I’ve added a couple more experimental instrumentals below to try to get to grips with this recording my songs malarkey. 6 little takes on 3 different songs.

First:

A raw/rough unmixed base to a song recorded this afternoon on the Apple home recording system. No ‘mixing’ at all to level or change each added instrument. Just saved into a GarageBand file first with intentions of mucking about with the song later. Then sent to my email to load into files in the iPad at the lowest quality possible. That way it just does its job and arrives in the email box with no fuss.

Still experimenting at present. Wrote the chords an age ago now. First choosing a drum track, followed by playing over the song’s chord riff. Then wrote the bass lines’ melody listening to drums and guitar. Added another little guitar making ‘flick’ fillers.

I have said the phrase ‘warts and all’ over the last couple of blogs. Basically presenting the journey of this music project and not awaiting the final destination before unleashing it on your ear drums.

Who knows where these trial songs go. I just feel now that I should be actively writing songs whilst learning the technical adventure. The project is a fascinating, yet difficult one. Great fun though.

Drums are ‘Heavy’ from the GarageBand library of choices.

I played Fender Jazz Bass guitar, Falcon Tanglewood Stratocaster 6 string electric guitar twice. Once with dirty chords and one with more mellow fit in flicks.

Secondly:

Vibes on guitars are through the GarageBand amplifiers within their library. As with ordinary amplifiers, you can change the way each amplifier sounds by using all the twiddly knobs, graphic equaliser choices, etc. For example. A quick guitars based piece, written on the hoof the other day, is far softer in my approach to the guitar playing on the Stars and Dunes. A more Be-Bop sound.

Intended lyrics to the base model of Stars and Dunes above.

I remember stars above the dunes,

That September rain when we got soaked through

All those summer days and the lazy, hazy, crazy, afternoons.

We were so in tune.

Chorus:

We believed

Yes we believed

It was freedom

Or nothing at all

We believed

Yes we believed

In the gift of it all

We saw moonbeams as the midnight sun,

Threw terracotta ash keys and chased each one.

Living in a dream world, we watched it unfurl

In the palms of our hands.

Chorus repeat.

Thirdly:

What has been useful in learning about specific elements of moving files around, check out loads of various recording opportunities, etc. is to shove them all on one file. ‘Today’ , the build on build of the same phrase over and over again (2 tracks below) is a total aural/listening mess. But having all these different instrumental sounds on individual tracks , I can switch off the headphones of how many I want, and then tweak the instruments and compare against other instruments.

Creating a 16 bar ‘loop’ allows listening to a single track over and over whilst tweaking the specific instrument’s sound. Like the middle drums on their own section, beats can be tweaked to create a more unique drum pattern. I played Fender Bass guitar and 3 six string electric guitar parts (a Falcon Tanglewood Stratocaster) in amongst my naive playing some simple four/five note tunes on the Midi Keyboard. Adding layers of about 8 different synthesiser sounds. Also hand claps and finger clicks are added. It can get very mesmerising and produces a chill out factor on a repetitive loop.