#Frail Autumn,, #GarageBand,, #Lyrics, #meanderings, #music, #Retirement Projects, #songwriting, #Team 23

Move into the Rhythm of Love.

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Taken from the WordPress photograph library.

Here below on the audio bar is a little excursion into trying out a song I wrote back in 1981. I needed to change it to suit my current voice.

This morning’s quick vocal trial of Moving to the Rhythm….or Move into the Rhythm.

THE ORIGINAL SONG IS ON YOUTUBE. UPLOADED BY OUR TEAM 23 DRUMMER JOHN HEWITT. YOU CAN LISTEN BELOW.

The original Team 23 version of the song. Nice to three of the band members, John, Jim and Lynn, as they are now. The other photographs are us as youngsters. There is a black and white photograph of the band in the video.
Left to Right: John, Lynn, Ade, Roy, Jerome, Jim and Me, Gray.

This morning it was pootling about time again. After the last 18 months of learning how to record my songs and all the difficulties of getting them over the finished line ….. it has been a steep learning curve to find some success. Nowhere near the level I would really love. But, I realise the aim for my music captures now is simply steeped in one word. Therapy.

The ‘Move into the Rhythm’ lyric I wrote way back in the 1982 song was revisited in a different song I wrote last year. I suppose it could well have been a subliminal calling to past times that felt good. When it was a good time to feel alive I suppose. Don’t worry….I still love life. 😊

Therapy? It is all I want nowadays. To pick up the guitar, plink plonk note melodies on the AKAI MIDI keyboard and treat music as I would an interesting hobby.

Gone are the promises that held your hand…..leading you into the fight.
‘What once was’ is ‘now has been’. So drag yourself into the light.
A lyric from a song I wrote a year or so ago called ‘18 Years was 50 Years ago’.

What is nice is that starting up a few new ideas with improved knowledge of the technical aspects of the Mac M2 little home studio equipment is that it is just switched on now and immediately the ability to record has become a very simple capture exercise.

What used to be a singing into the iPad microphone to capture songs, is now a case of switch on the Mac M2, open up a microphone audio track for acoustic guitar and capture ideas. I have deliberately chosen the very echo laden Echo Strum acoustic guitar choice because it can capture vocals at the same time as playing. I can easily begin to both sing and strum guitar into my old vintage Shure SM58 dynamic microphone without contorting my posture to get close proximity with both head height voice singing and waist height guitar playing. Echo volume is in order to keep it simple. Also with the beauty of the echo? It is like singing in the shower. Provides a very happy state to start the day with.

The 45 rpm. Love vinyl.

I spoke in the very first audio above about creating a more Latin or Coffee Shop vibe on the song Move into the Rhythm and mentioned ‘Eddie just loves to dance’ as a song with a Latin vibe. Here below is the Eddie song for an idea.

Eddie just loves to dance.

On all recordings it is basically myself, Gray Summers, playing all the guitar and keyboard instruments and singing the vocals. I do use drumming tracks from the GarageBand library of drumming choices. However, from now on the future choices will be not to use GarageBand drum tracks at all.

14 thoughts on “Move into the Rhythm of Love.”

    1. Cheers Danny. The GarageBand drum library has a million and one opportunities to be honest. You can choose the general genre styles like rock, pop, heavy, etc.. Then choose the drum kit sound like punk, heavy metal, Manchester, Liverpool, Motown, etc.. Then you add or take out various parts of the kit, change rhythms, tempos, etc. With percussive beats like coffee shop, Latin, etc., you can add a plethora of instruments like ethnic inclusions, tambourines, shakers, etc. you muck about endlessly to be honest Danny. So, yes, could change the vibe to any style. It is like Deep Forest and the multiple remixes that they do on just one song. But, I’m not that capable technically. Too technophobe by nature.

      However, I made a massive decision today to play all percussive and drum beats myself. I have an electronic Yamaha kit. Also various drums and percussive instruments like djembes, tambourines, egg shakers, and much more. Basically I want the music more ‘honest’. So will be taking out the drum tracks on the past songs that have been recorded over the last 18 to 20 months and bring them into a new vibe. Some I may even start from scratch. If I can get a collective of about two dozen songs that are of all my own playing, I will then get a CD together and send it out to friends and family.

      That would be a nice project for this year.

      Cheers Danny. Oh! By the way. Just chatted with John, the Team 23 drummer, and he said I could put his YouTube upload of the original Move into the Rhythm onto the blog. So it is there now. Very different!

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      1. Dropping the GarageBand drums, that is a big move. I’m confident you will add significantly more to the songs than an electronic drum loop. Please advise once Move into the Rhythm is updated and available. All the best.

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      2. Will do Danny. When we released that single, it was all done in a rush really. I would love a new rendition of some old songs now. I have been listening to various new artists which are very ethereal sounding. So am trying to focus on that type of sound currently. Move into the Rhythm will be a different vibe.

        Talking of Drums, my late brother was a great drummer. I have nowhere near his skills from back then. But can get by with rhythm if using drums. Like my African djembe, etc. The difficulty is in playing a drum kit and using all four limbs and with separate movements. But, with recording it is more simple. You build drum sound. I can play patterns separately on individual tracks. So a bass drum rhythm is on one. High hat cymbals on another. Snare drum on another. Etc., etc..

        All the best Danny.

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      4. That’s a good idea. I want to release a CD format of the songs later this year with two CD’s for consideration. Give them away to family and friends. Why two? I have lots of little (and long) instrumentals. Then there are the normal vocalised songs. Having the two genres can support two CDs. Now you have mentioned this, I could do a 3rd CD of older songs written. I have about 10 that I truly loved and could easily be reborn into a new vibe. More gentle and steeped in acoustic basics with simple instrumental additions. It sounds ambitious, but I do have lots of my new songs recorded and completed already .

        I have recently been listening to artists like Devendra Banhart, Mazzy Star, Cigarettes after Sex, which are really hitting home musically currently. Have been listening to Devendra’s album Mala today. So good. Also, the Paul McCartney recordings when he began living the quiet life in Scotland immediately after leaving The Beatles and before his Wings days. Again, really gentle vibes.

        So there are ideas floating around Danny. Cheers for this idea.

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    1. Thank you Destiny. I think it will be a good vibe to record it properly, keep it in a shuffle type rhythm and try to put a huge amount of party atmosphere on it. May include a few background party atmosphere type sounds in a Middle 8 part that is slightly different from the main verses and chorus. Fun times and positivity basically.

      Your feedback is much appreciated Destiny. I shall soon have the courage again to provide a few comments on your amazing poetry. It seems your followers all say the thoughts that I too bring to mind on reading your work. All the best. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      1. fun times and positivity…best combination 🙃

        thank you, Gray … your time to read and hit that like button means lots already …
        lol …its mostly laughs and jokes there…🤭

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      2. I do like your name link to the moon Destiny. I wrote a lyric that said ‘We saw Moonbeams as the Midnight Sun’. So see things in that both dark and light exist in harmony alongside each other. Very general really. Your comment on the ‘switch’ of belonging existing between your Father and the Moon was more awesome as it is a personal view.

        Cheers Destiny. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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      3. I’ve watched him, Gray … writing poetry , writing his songs, playing his
        harmonium late into the nights….it went later after mum but i perhaps was young to understand then – until i walked his path …

        Lol, i think he named me well…🤭

        Your “Moonbeams as the Midnight Sun” … I’m trying to recall if i read it here but its not coming to me… did you share it here before…

        Thank you, Gray…🤍

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      4. Family is full of insightful background Destiny. I found written down stories of my Mum’s childhood experiences during World War 2. So impactful when reading. And of course genetic connections to the arts is fantastic for continuation. Like actors and musicians who have children that carry on in their footsteps.

        Stars above the Dunes has that line. I did include it in a recent blog. So you probably have read it Destiny.

        You have wonderful comments regarding your poetry though. So much positivity.

        All the best. 🙏🏽🍁🍂

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