UltimateMusicSnob
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Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
https://soundcloud.com/jeraldhughes/rockingthebaby Acoustic guitar and solo voice. Typical song with verses, this is nothing experimental, no synths involved. Don't be fooled by the title, this is also not a happy piece.
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speedtom
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/03 04:20:42
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cool song! I really like the voice, reminding me a bit of Ian Curtis. Not a happy piece, but not as heavy as the spoken word performance piece!
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UltimateMusicSnob
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/03 10:39:17
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Thank you! I owe the voice in no small part to the Neumann's, which make me (and everything) sound better than I actually am. My wife likes this song--for the music, of course, but also because it's a very important topic to her.
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speedtom
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/04 16:47:41
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wow! maybe I should get a Neumann, too...my equipment is all so lo-fi, I definately need upgrades in many aspects. The topic wud also be important to my mother, but that is another story...
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UltimateMusicSnob
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/04 23:10:42
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These are TLM 103's, cardioid pattern only. I'd get U87's if I could, but these are already spectacular. Basics of recording says that the quality of the signal chain is everything. Probably the one thing that produces quality more than anything else I can think of is 1) getting the best microphone for who/what you're recording, and 2) putting it in the right place. OK, two things. Can't recommend Neumann highly enough.
post edited by UltimateMusicSnob - 2013/06/04 23:14:50
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THE NIGHT FOX
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/04 23:30:22
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Sounds good for a accoustic guitar song , your vocals sound nice and your guitar playing but the song structure I don't favor as much .
James
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UltimateMusicSnob
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/05 00:04:09
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@Night Fox: Thanks for listening and commenting! What do you think it is about the structure? Something missing, or something too much added--or some other feature?
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foxwolfen
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/05 00:26:48
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Outstanding dynamics. That is the right way to express passion. For that alone I give this song my two thumbs up. Please do not take offence, but I am not too keen on the vocal performance. You are on key, but sadly your voice is lacking natural harmonics, resonance and timbre. I would sincerely love to hear this piece with vocals by Robby. Great song. Thanks for sharing.
A scientist knows more & more about less & less till he knows everything about nothing, while a philosopher knows less & less about more & more till he knows nothing about everything. Composers Forum
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UltimateMusicSnob
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/05 00:44:38
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By all means, no offence taken at all, I appreciate the criticism. I conceived of this song in a woman's voice--just don't have a singer for it at present. I practically whispered this one into the mic's, perhaps a completely different setup and vocal approach would help address what you're talking about. I went back and listened to Springsteen's 'Nebraska' recently, and he sure does howl when the moment calls for it. What might you suggest, if you don't mind following up?
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foxwolfen
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/05 02:20:13
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OK.
Well, you got me thinking about two things
1. male/female (philosophical)
2. key (technical)
Here are my thoughts on male/female... A female singing this would seem appropriate, but... would not a male singing this song be more meaningful? Would it not show male understanding and compassion (perhaps this is one reason your wife likes it)? It is an "issue" that seems to be prevalent today among feminists... male "ignorance" (which we are not).
As for key, when I was listening, I thought that if you sung in a lower key, you might release the same dynamics in your voice that was so expressively played on the guitar. It might also allow you to dance a little with the range as it will be more in your comfort zone.
What I found mostly about the vocal performance was you had no room to go up, and could not always go down (for musical reasons) which forced a "flattening" of the range. Does that makes sense?
A scientist knows more & more about less & less till he knows everything about nothing, while a philosopher knows less & less about more & more till he knows nothing about everything. Composers Forum
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UltimateMusicSnob
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Re:Singer/Songwriter Style Song, "Rocking the Baby"
2013/06/05 09:55:15
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@foxwolfen: Thanks for the follow-up, it's much appreciated. I was thinking about the female voice because of the same issue you point out technically, in order to get a vocal that was emotionally expressive. Of course, male voices can be expressive, but I had that sound in my ear, imagining the performance. Your point about 'dynamics' seems on-target to me. The vocal as it is too emotionally distant from the material--as you say, needs more up/down, less flat expressively. I'm no crooner (used to sing opera professionally), so I don't have any of those pop vocal technique tools to draw on--but I should develop more than I have, in non-opera style, in order to do this piece.
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