GarageBand drums, from their choices accessed in the library, sound brilliant. I know how to access the drum kit, once chosen, and alter the dynamics required to produce individual sections for the songs. I say ‘know how to’, but that doesn’t mean ‘I am able to do so’.

When layering a song, I have found the way to do this, for my own comfort, is to first upload a drum track. It just trundles or thunders through with the same beat from beginning to end. It can be tweaked, but I have no skill to get it sounding like a real drummer’s dynamics. But, even in this basic format, it gives a foundation to layer acoustic or electric guitar bits on top of the basic beat. I can add the AKAI MIDI keyboard for other instrumental sounds like brass, strings, keyboards, etc. afterwards too. Finally, I like to finish off with my bass guitar and vocals.

Vocals, I will admit, aren’t sung by myself with any passion, because this project is a simple one of specific intent. Just get the song on to the system. Even in short example form. Also, GarageBand doesn’t emulate the real vocal sound. Opening up the ‘voice’ for recording option, it then accesses vocal sound choices like compressed, bright, dance, narration, telephone, etc. The warmth and nuance you attempt to create goes AWOL.

So. This project up to now? Yes, I have a few songs done. But they are simply to create basic templates of my songwriting ideas so that each can be listened to by other musicians. They can then understand what is going on and then add their own melody, style, dynamism, warmth, individual skills, etc. Once captured, similar tracks of individual instrumental recordings I have played can be deleted. First example, my guitar flicks and small riffs are naive. My brother would take them at face value and create a whole new story by forming the ‘full on’ human body attached too.

With the drums in mind, it was an ‘out of the blue’ eBay purchase because I saw the Yamaha DD65 electronic drum kit at a decent price. A quick YouTube visit to listen to what it sounded like convinced me to go straight back and buy it. It’s arriving here next week. After purchasing and internet reading the accessories required, a kick bass drum accessory, a bass drum pedal and a hi-hat pedal, which can open up the hi-hat cymbals, seemed to be good additions. You hit the drum pad hi-hat option and use the pedal in conjunction (placed on the ground like a normal hi-hat pedal) to create the open/close sound. So I bought two extras, but as yet, no drum pedal.

I’m no drummer of any skill. But at least I can change a bit of the dynamics to a song I write by playing drums, albeit naively. I hear a song’s totality in my head to a large degree so can drop out drum beats and add different rhythms in specific places.

My brother, the guitarist, said the same thing on listening to a few tracks he was playing over after I sent them by email/Messenger. He said it was a ‘chug’ all the way through of similar beat pattern. Difficult to create little sparks of joy and intent. Musicians, and you who are musicians and who read this, know that internal dynamics are vital in a song. Highs and lows, quiet and loud, frenzied or calm. I actually agreed with him so much that I recorded a real ‘chug along’ this morning. Out of irony. It is the equivalent of throwing my toys out of the pram. A melancholy pout at the ridiculous. This song chug below now serves as a ‘this is what you get if you don’t start changing the ball game’ example. My nod to the phrase “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.

This is my morning example of Insanity:

VOCALS, GUITARS, KEYBOARDS by Gray Summers. That’ll be me then. Percussion off GarageBand library choices.

Once upon a Time. The Punk Drunk Ironical Dirge……

So the story goes

To where? No one knows.

Borne out of promises.

Not worn out wishes……….

WITHOUT THE VOICE : Two slightly different ones. The longer one messed up on email sends. Blipped out and changed the format because it was too long for email compatibility. Low quality too. So another lesson learned for the future. Downloads in future have to be thought out differently. Maybe MP3 format. May just be my rural situation though. Weak signal.

As an aside……….insomnia can be helped with these……😊

As said. This morning I was recording a trundle vibe. Just experimenting with sounds too really. Resulting in now having something to confirm that this has to change! The future songs awaiting to be recorded have to have a new dynamic. I can’t commit presently in doing the same thing over and over and feel motivated. So, hopefully, I can begin again with having more control over what I envisage. And when Steve and John get to play their guitar and drums, reality of the dreamed for songs will be realised.

I bought a new audio interface too. The other keeps breaking down and causing 3 to 5 second latency issues. This is: The instruments being recorded are out of synchrony with the other recorded parts. They are playing catch up timing wise. Imagine an echo coming back at you. The first echo is what becomes the sound recorded. I am absolutely thrilled with the clarity of guitar sounds with this new audio interface too. Game changer!