Thank you to everyone who posted a reply. I would like to respond to each one of you, but I might prefer to keep this shorter. I have learned from each one of you posts. To be honest, I didn’t think I would fare as well which makes me believe I’m on the right track with what I’m learning. But even with the encouraging remarks, I know there’s still a long way to go.
The best thing about this Songs forum is having access to fresh ears to hear a piece for the first time. I know I lose perspective after spending weeks on one project.
I mentioned in my original post that I know what I think should change, but I wanted to hear from others first. I’ll just touch on one aspect. I know that what everyone is listening for is more technical oriented. After all, this is a Cakewalk forum. What I want to mention concerns the arrangement. I need to hear more tonal colors change throughout the song. Verse one is static. And after the harmonies come in on verse two, that remains static as well. Something, even very small needs to appear in the middle of each verse. I am very much aware that a song needs to be captivating from beginning to end. Just listen to classical music. The colors are frequently changing.
What I hope I didn’t experience here with this first song is beginner’s luck. The real test will be with my second posting, sometime this summer. Then we’ll see if the sophomore jinx hits.
Thanks again for all of your comments.