Its been quite a while since I last posted a piece here. Spent the last three months mixing, re-mixing, screaming at and tearing my hair out at my annual free CD I give to long-suffering friends on my little Isle. Amazingly, I actually ran out of copies and two people actually admitted to playing it! Wonders will never cease!
 
Anyway, I just thought I would post this new piece here. OK, it's Vocaloid singers! But now the lovely Miriam is joined by the new 'Engloid' (!) called Avanna (supposedly a Celtic singer!) - after all the pre-sales hype, I find her voice a bit weak and lacking in richness but her word clarity isn't bad - but of course to get the richness I overlaid her voice with Miriam and lost the word clarity - Oh well, that's life!
 
Just as I finished writing this song about life's journey, a dear friend died and so I dedicated it to her. May she soar.
 
http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=12178217
 
Sweet River Flow
Once was the time I could see so clearly
Knowing the way that my life would be
Living my dreams, no cares for tomorrow
Time passing by meant nothing to me

(Chorus)
Oh Sweet River Flow and carry me
Down from the Mountains and on to the Sea

Love passed me by and I didn’t notice
A whisper of promise just not meant to be
I danced alone to the song of the Sunrise
Each golden day a blessing to me

(Chorus)

Years come and go and my days grow weary
Moments forgotten return in my dreams
Warm summer days that went on for ever
Places and people in my life I’ve seen

(Chorus)
Best Regards
Malcolm
 

Hi Malcolm,
     Very nice song.  I actually listened before reading your message and was going to suggest decreasing the fx on the vocals cause I thought they sounded a little synthy, then read your message about Vocaloid.  Pretty cool.  My only critique might be to shorten the intro a bit.  Otherwise, very nice.

Best,
guitardood

Hi guitardood - Sincere thanks. I do take your point about the intro. I write all my music by notation with VSTs and I find writing acoustic guitar parts probably the most difficult of all instruments - trying to get some realism into the sound. So on the rare occasion when I actually manage to write something that sounds almost real (almost!), I tend to get a bit mesmerised by it! I suspect the problem with the song is that it really needs a fourth verse and I left the intro long to keep the length of the piece reasonable while I racked my addled brain trying to think of one. Problem is, there is only so much melancholy I can take without heading for the nearest cliff top! Very many thanks for listening.

This seems like a very interesting production.

It seems like a lovely song.

It is a touching gesture for your friend.

I think its wonderful.


Thanks for sharing.


best regards,
mike

mike used used 4 words that i think described this sing to a tee.
intresting,lovely,wonderful and touching.
i could'nt have said it better myself.
just a really great song,took me a few lines to get used to the vocal effect but after that it sounded like it belonged.

your photo for this song (sweet river flow)on your soundclick page is also a perfect match for the feelings i felt while listening to this song.
the little wooden bridge with the small stream flowing below seem to take me where ever it was you where when you wrote this song.had these feelings.
thats what good music is all about,talking the user to a place.
that place for me..it was when i was young.
thank you for that feeling.

Hi Mike - sincere thanks and so pleased you like this piece. At 90 years of age, my friend was a very rare gem with a heart of pure gold - she touched the hearts of everyone in our community and will be deeply missed. Her life had meaning - there can be no greater tribute than that. 

Hi chuckebaby - Sincere thanks and so pleased you like this song. I do very much agree about that photo. I remember as a kid leaning against a bridge like that watching the water go by - thinking those thoughts that kids think. I do the same today - perhaps a little wiser but still wondering where the water is going and what has it seen. The photo just seemed to me to be the perfect simile for life's journey and all that was in my mind as I wrote the song. I do plan to visit that bridge just a few more times yet!

That is some fine songwriting Malcomb...
sounds quite lovely to me...

Wonderful song! The vocaloid are sounding better and better. Really love the arrangement and the peaceful sound. It really matches the theme of the river

I really like the song.... 

I think that the vocaloid singer is OK, a bit muffled and synthy sounding,  but I would simply use it as a reference track for a real singer to learn the melody. 

shorten the intro to about 15 secs and get a real singer on this and you have a cool song.