up-fiddler's reviews

[up-fiddler]

First off, thanks to all for participating in the challenge. We ended up with five dramatically different tunes and they are each great in their own way. I feel like low man on the totem with my entry and that is meant as kudos to each of you. Now that I have taken my hat off for you guys I must say that I have gained a bit of skill from each of the challenges over the last year and a half. It has been the participants of the challenges that have pushed, pleaded, advised, and counselled me and for that I am in their debt. Thanks gals and guys, sooner or later I may actually get good at this stuff with your help. On to the reviews.....

Geck’s - This is a ballad that shows what can be done with rewrites and attention to detail. I think that your voice is perfect for this genre and this song shows it off with a flair. I absolutely love the song. In particular, the bongos below the trap set keep the song fresh from beginning to end without giving the listener any of that ‘mail it in’ drum machine sound. The trap set is well done also. I like the mixture of instruments and the addition of harmonica……an instrument that I don’t usually care to hear. The video is amazing to me but I have to admit that is well outside my area of expertise. I don’t know if what you did is difficult or not (Again with the lack of experience!) but it is darn sure artistic. It makes a statement that follows the song rather than being ‘out there’ and showing unrelated collages and snippets. Nice work this……I wish I had done it.

Whatmysay’s – I like the 80’s feel this one has! The claptrack wasn’t overused and is effective. The lyrics are heartfelt and sincere. That’s the kind of emotion that is impossible to hide and why we, as writers, are often told to write ‘what we know’. That shines through the entire song in a good way. There does seem to be a lot of high end in the mix but that is easily fixed once you are on decent monitors again. My only issue with the recording is the acoustic guitar. It sounds like one of two things is happening. Either the levels are a bit high and are beginning to clip or, more likely to my ears, there are some phase issues. Perhaps that is what you were going for but for me it is a distraction which leads my ears away from the powerful vox track. All in all, I like this song and with a tweak of the knobs it probably will sound great.

Icystorm’s – This is what I like to hear in a rhythm guitars’ sound. The problem with Jamstudio is that there is no variation throughout the song so it seems longer than it actually is. I also love the understated backbeat chords used for a simple lead. Please consider cutting the ending and finishing with the ultra high vox part. It grabs the listener by the ears and says HEY! LISTEN TO THIS!. I absolutely love it and think it is a perfect ending. The repeated chorus ending of the song almost seems anticlimactic in comparison. The other thing I notice is that your vox seem to be a bit further away from the Gibbs’ Beegee sound and now it sounds more like Joseph. I think this is a very good thing. I can still hear their influence but now I hear you and your style coming to the front. I don’t know what is different or how to explain it but I like it better for some reason.

Frankie’s – This is a musically whimsical look at a very serious matter. I love the counterplay of the sparse musical backing with rough doubled vox against the serious tone of the lyrics. I hear this with even more GIANT REVERB and perhaps hit the ‘hold’ button on the bass to let it rumble through the vox lines and provide a bit of musical continuity. (Holding one low note on the organ would have the same effect.) I would like to hear the vox tightened up a bit but not too much. I think they add to the mystery of the tune. I look forward to hearing you do more with this if that is your intent. It fits well in an alternative genre for my ear.

[Whatmysay]

Cheers Dave

Definitely going to give acoustic another go.

It is actually my new Guitar through a Fishman Acoustic imaging pedal.

I think any phase issue and Gecko note 'buzzing' have their origins in that. I think it is time I got out my 'Fat Head tube' (no boasting now!) did some serious damping of the spare room and recorded some real guitar.

Thanks for being such a positive driving force on the forum and for all your challenges - all are enriching and engaging

Burt

[up-fiddler]

Originally Posted by Whatmysay

Cheers Dave

Definitely going to give acoustic another go.

It is actually my new Guitar through a Fishman Acoustic imaging pedal.

I think any phase issue and Gecko note 'buzzing' have their origins in that. I think it is time I got out my 'Fat Head tube' (no boasting now!) did some serious damping of the spare room and recorded some real guitar.

Thanks for being such a positive driving force on the forum and for all your challenges - all are enriching and engaging

Burt

I have THE SAME GUITAR with a cedar top but it's a cutaway. I bought it used a couple of years ago and cut a hole in it to install a Fishman. I used it on My First Car in the chorus section and as one of the riff guitars. It is also the only guitar on Sometime Special which can be found here.

[Whatmysay]

Spooky Dave very Spooky!

[icystorm]

Originally Posted by up-fiddler

Icystorm’s – This is what I like to hear in a rhythm guitars’ sound. The problem with Jamstudio is that there is no variation throughout the song so it seems longer than it actually is. I also love the understated backbeat chords used for a simple lead. Please consider cutting the ending and finishing with the ultra high vox part. It grabs the listener by the ears and says HEY! LISTEN TO THIS!. I absolutely love it and think it is a perfect ending. The repeated chorus ending of the song almost seems anticlimactic in comparison. The other thing I notice is that your vox seem to be a bit further away from the Gibbs’ Beegee sound and now it sounds more like Joseph. I think this is a very good thing. I can still hear their influence but now I hear you and your style coming to the front. I don’t know what is different or how to explain it but I like it better for some reason.

First, thank you for issuing and coordinating the Challenge, Dave! It was a lot of fun.

Second, thanks for listening, the good feedback, and the encouragement!

I definitely agree with you about the chorus becoming anti-climactic after the bridge. To counter that, I had strongly considered placing the falsetto vox at the end, or, perhaps, taking the chorus up a key immediately after the bridge and adding some ad-libs during the final run-through. If I dabble with the song in the future, I will probably heed your advice.

Regarding Jamstudio, I think you're right. It's a good tool for creating a modest demo, but for a finished product with good variability, musicians should be used. Since my own guitar playing is not good enough (yet!) to include on my own songs, I like using Jamstudio for the practicality it offers for making simple demos. For me, the process involves working out the chords, and then putting it all together in Jamstudio, Mixcraft, and Audacity. Mixcraft accomodates most VSTs, by the way.

Thanks again, Dave!

Cheers,
Joseph

[gecko zzed]

I echo Joseph's remarks . . . I am extremely grateful and appreciative of the time and energy you devote to the challenges. I have written very little in recent times, and the challenge provides a huge incentive, as well as the germ of an idea, to get up and do something.

I also appreciate your comments. They are flattering (for which I am a sucker), but I am pleased that the song achieved some kind of resonace with a few listeners.

I do hope you continue to issue the challenges . . . because I enjoy having to respond to them.

[thestuckup]

Is there a february challenge posted yet? I would like to be part of this.