An instrumental pop ballad. Dug out my ebow for this one after James reminded me that I had one somewhere.
 
https://dancumpian.bandcamp.com/track/after-the-long-dark-winter
 
or
 
http://www.soundclick.com/player/single_player.cfm?songid=13098171&q=hi&newref=1

or

https://soundcloud.com/dcumpian/after-the-long-dark-winter


Any comments or suggestions are always appreciated. Enjoy!
 
Regards,
Dan
 

Hi Dan,
As you offered a choice of Bandcamp or Soundclick, I listened to both, and in my opinion the Soundclick was presented in much lower quality, probably 128? I noticed downsampled phasing artifacts in the cymbals right away, and the piano sounded thin.
 
So very glad I listened to the Bandcamp version! A much better experience, and your song is a mellow sonic thrill! Bass is perfectly placed in the mix for me - acoustic nylon guitar is featured, and supported by all kinds of cool chorals and pads and . . . just great.
 
I think this is a perfect combination of the natural acoustic with touches of the electronic. Compositionally, you have a nice development arc. I think the ending is like a gymnast nailing the landing. Well done!
 
 
cheers,
-Tom
 
 
 
 

Very nice, Dan I went straight for the Bandcamp listen, gave me pictures of flying over wide open plains, swooping low to view what is below, then rising high.  Good stuff,  

This is a beautifully produced piece that evokes much imagery in my mind.  As far as I'm concerned, this is a final product.  I have to say that you and Tom have the golden ears because I listened to the bandcamp and soundclick versions, and I couldn't hear much difference between the two.  I may be revealing too much, thus, that is why I come to this site because my ears are obviously deficient in certain areas.  Anyway, great job, Dan, and keep it up!

Very nice! Sounds real good as usual. I like it , enjoyed listening to it. Thanks for sharing it with us.
 

 
 

emeraldsoul
Hi Dan,
As you offered a choice of Bandcamp or Soundclick, I listened to both, and in my opinion the Soundclick was presented in much lower quality, probably 128? I noticed downsampled phasing artifacts in the cymbals right away, and the piano sounded thin.
 
So very glad I listened to the Bandcamp version! A much better experience, and your song is a mellow sonic thrill! Bass is perfectly placed in the mix for me - acoustic nylon guitar is featured, and supported by all kinds of cool chorals and pads and . . . just great.
 
I think this is a perfect combination of the natural acoustic with touches of the electronic. Compositionally, you have a nice development arc. I think the ending is like a gymnast nailing the landing. Well done!
 
 
cheers,
-Tom

Thanks Tom for the very kind comments! I appreciate the comment about Bandcamp vs Soundclick. Soundclick is @ 160, so it is very poor. However, some people don't like going to Bandcamp, so I always have alternatives.
 
This one came together from an intro I came up with about a year ago. It's the first song in a very long time that I wrote entirely on piano all the way to the end before adding anything more than a simple placeholder bass part and drum track. It almost wrote itself, lol.
 
Regards,
Dan
 
 

Wookiee
Very nice, Dan I went straight for the Bandcamp listen, gave me pictures of flying over wide open plains, swooping low to view what is below, then rising high.  Good stuff,  

Thank you Wookiee! I appreciate the visuals! Glad you enjoyed this.
 
Regards,
Dan
 

What a difference out the three sites; both SoundClick and SoundCloud sounded awful by comparison to Bandcamp.  IMO, I think SoundCloud is the worse of the three. Anyway, I don't use both those SC sites anymore (also the reason why I don't comment on those sites)!
 
The piano (intro), I can subtly hear the hammers, impressive sound. The synth sound that comes in the build-up 'intro' sounded a bit lack-luster by comparison to the piano, though not too bad -- The attack parameters on the lead synth is very nice.
 
Overall outstanding in all respects; strong melodies, sound, performances and arrangements are all excellent.  And just when you think nothing more, oh yes there is more - This is an epic composition worthy of music placement in a blockbuster movie. Classic, timeless, endearing, captivating. Its a winner.  Well done
 
 
 

Lynn
This is a beautifully produced piece that evokes much imagery in my mind.  As far as I'm concerned, this is a final product.  I have to say that you and Tom have the golden ears because I listened to the bandcamp and soundclick versions, and I couldn't hear much difference between the two.  I may be revealing too much, thus, that is why I come to this site because my ears are obviously deficient in certain areas.  Anyway, great job, Dan, and keep it up!

Thanks Lynn! Maybe not as deficient as you think. Once you learn to hear the difference, it can be somewhat of a curse, lol. I'm so sensitive to it now that when I heard a Journey song off of a CD, and the cymbals were run through a flanger, all I could think was why was the bit rate so low.
 
Regards,
Dan

teego
Very nice! Sounds real good as usual. I like it , enjoyed listening to it. Thanks for sharing it with us.
 

Thank you Monty! I am glad you enjoyed the listen!
 
Regards,
Dan