• Songs
  • Voce E Muito Doce - What is the style?
2016/02/19 11:18:04
rbecker
Hello all-
 
I am re-posting my lightly remixed Portuguese/English tune Voce E Muito Doce, and would appreciate any comments you may wish to make regarding it, but of special interest to me is something very basic: What style is it closest to? A variety of Latin, perhaps Spanish...do you hear a little Flamenco?
 
Might sound like sort of an odd question, but the song developed organically, without a style in mind. Just my subconscious feel for a "Latin" sound. 
 
Any insights as to style, composition or mix welcome!
2016/02/19 12:11:18
Wookiee
To be honest I have no idea, it does have what I would call a European feel, the opening had a somewhat classic sound, there are some elements of Spain/Italy but other than that.

It did sound nice here.
2016/02/19 12:35:05
jkoseattle
Very nice. To answer your question about what ethnic style it evokes, I would say that from a purely technical standpoint, there's very little inherent to any specific foreign style - it's a pretty straightforward minor key tune that could come from anywhere. The"ethnicity" for me comes in the choice of the guitar and the style it's played, which sounds Spanish, but play this song on some other instrument and the ethnicity would be pretty much gone.
 
I like the classical beginning a lot, and I like how you used the same idea at the end like bookends. But I'm not crazy about the tempo change for the coda, seems arbitrary and not organic to the rest of it. I jumped back and forth between the opening and the coda a few times, and they don't seem to be blood relations. I might try to make more clear thematic connections between the two bookends. It sort of feels like you had those bits lying around and just wanted to use them in something.
 
Actually, you know what was evoked for me more than any ethnic music? The Beatles' "And I Love Her". During the actual song, when the guitars are just backup, I hear a ton of that early acoustic Beatles sound. Plus the sticks play in almost the exact rhythm that they are in that song. Funny!
 
Speaking to the recording, I hear an abrupt gating on the guitar in the opening part, though once the song gets going there's nowhere else where the gate would kick in so I didn't notice it anywhere else.
 
It took me to the third time through before I even noticed there were bongos in there. EQ those and bring them up, they're cool. The mix seems heavy on the low end in general, so maybe taking that down a bit would help things feel "airier".
 
I wanted it to be maybe a minute shorter, but I think a clearer structure and some more "air" in the mix might fix that.
 
Is that a harpsichord starting at 2:32, or another guitar? It just made me think a harpsichord would be lovely in there.
 
Great job.
2016/02/19 14:08:25
rbecker
I have previously thought about the Intro and Coda not matching. I don't know if I will ever 'fix' that. Depends If I want to take this tune up again other than the mix.
 
 
The Beatles tune "And I Love Her" is done in a Latin style, so you might say both tunes sound like some previously created song(s) of that style. For example, the clave rhythm is almost a given in many Latin styles. Latin American music styles makes for an interesting study. Much of it is well codified in regard to instrumentation, rhythms and chord progressions - as much as any classical style.
 
That is a guitar - not harpsichord. Harpsichord would be out of place in this type of tune, although the two can at times sound similar. Fun fact: The harpsichord actually evolved from a lute or harp-like instrument back about 1400.
 
I will take a listen to the percussion levels and mix in general again.
2016/02/19 14:17:33
daryl1968
First off, nice job on recording and mixing.
The intro sounds Baroque? It then goes into something more modern when the vocal kicks in. Quite a dichotomy.
Interestingly the word Baroque is derived from a Portuguese word.
2016/02/19 14:20:08
jkoseattle
daryl1968
First off, nice job on recording and mixing.
The intro sounds Baroque? It then goes into something more modern when the vocal kicks in. Quite a dichotomy.
Interestingly the word Baroque is derived from a Portuguese word.


Yeah, it's also anachronistic.
2016/02/19 15:58:41
bapu
jkoseattle
daryl1968
First off, nice job on recording and mixing.
The intro sounds Baroque? It then goes into something more modern when the vocal kicks in. Quite a dichotomy.
Interestingly the word Baroque is derived from a Portuguese word.


Yeah, it's also anachronistic.


No no's.
 
Two the boaf uv youse.
2016/02/19 18:37:08
twisted6s
I'm not sure what style it is but it's definitely got sweetness in it :-) Nice Job!
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