Members LeonardScaper Posted September 4, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 4, 2012 Originally Posted by LCK The similarities are deeper than the number of beats per minute. LCK Absolutely. I wanted that. Now I am not so sure. So, anyway.......I have cobbled all of it together into a progress track to see how it sounds as such. Anybody who has 8:18 to spend on a totally unfinished work..... http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1 I am not convinced either way just yet. I am pleased with the way I have managed the story line thus far and I like the two songs that are relatively complete. I also like the interlude and am very excited about how the third movement is shaping up........envisioning strings and such there. I hoped all along to establish something strong and steady with those first two movements and then change it drastically just in time. Perhaps I took it too far. I need to have him at the bottom before the third piece because there he is surrounded by the primal sea which represents all of what he has run from and that has hurt and shaped him. That means that 'Bottom' needs to be where it is. Perhaps I will finish the third movement and then look at another piece to put between the interlude and 'Bottom'. That would give me a further opportunity to develop the story. I want to thank you all for this detailed stuff. I'm hoping that by putting all of this out in such raw and progressive form we can all gain a little. I knew this would be a challenge and it is proving to be so. But I am loving it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Lenny - The reason that I posted the traditional tempo descriptions, was because I think the breaking up of a long musical piece into different movements has withstood the test of time through the Early, Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras of orchestral music. A good template therefore to use for Lenny's Opus. Without change in tempo, Lenny's Opus may end up more like Lenny's 'Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands' or similar long ballad. So....WIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Hey, I like Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands! lolCheck this, by the real Grace Slick. It's called Theme From the Movie Manhole. It goes on forever but it has many different segments...I used to put this on while on the bus going to work in the morning and get lost in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Alright...You know what Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 5, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Oh no......that piece will be longer and a bit more....instrumentally dynamic. I'm glad you listened to the whole thing and got the intended feeling of drastic change. I appreciate you taking the time to do that. Originally Posted by oldgitplayer the breaking up of a long musical piece into different movements has withstood the test of time Oh yes......and this is my goal with this piece as well. I am strongly considering making the first interlude into a short movement that is tacked on to 'Blind' and then shortening 'Bottom'. My thought has always been that shorter pieces would better hold the listener's attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper I'm glad you listened to the whole thing...I appreciate you taking the time to do that. Any time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oswlek Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 8 Minutes well spent. Do whatever you feel you must, but I'll kick your ass if you cut even one second off "Blind".You should also open up a pay pall "Fund Len's Classical Guitar" account. The more I listen, the more convince I become that that simple of a change would make a huge difference in providing the contrast Lee and I are looking for.Oh, and I should say that whatever you did to the drums on "Bottom" is a big improvement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LCK Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Originally Posted by Oswlek I'll kick your ass if you cut even one second off "Blind". Agreed, though I think we'd find it hard to kick anyone's ass in cyberspace. I agree that the off-beat drumming pattern takes away some of the sameness I'd heard previously. That said, I wouldn't keep repeating "until my eyes have opened." The melody line can't sustain the repetition and retain the listener's interest. It gets old fast. The one line I keep wanting to hear over and over again is that first "I want to dive ... to the bottom." Now to the piano part. It's beautiful, but there are a few places where you slip out of the new, half-note type intervals and fall back into similar melodic patterns to what's going on before. This... It's all around me now everything I've been ...is great, but then this... All I've ever done ... has some of the same flavor of the other tunes. I think that line should go up as if you're yearning for something out of reach. and all I've never seen. (that line is about disappointment, so it should go down if it doesn't already) I feel like I'm flying (should go up at the end) A weight has been lifted (there you're back to the same or similar melodic patterns of the 1st 2 songs) This whole song is quite beautiful, but not fully realized yet, I don't think. And I think this line: "I think they have found me now..." should be sung 4 times, with the downward piano part coming between each time its sung. I think that's how you should end this section of the piece, on that line repeated 4X. It's a heart breaker. The piece is taking shape very nicely. Amazing work so far. LCK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 5, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Great stuff again, guys.No way I'm touching 'Blind'. No way. And thanks for the help, Justin, with the drums on the other.As far as the new one goes....thank you, Lee for those ideas. I really need vocal coaching. I know that when I apply myself I can sing better. I'll be having that post up when the time comes.Now....today (all day) was spent on the interlude, which has taken on a life of it's own. I retracked all of it to a slower pace. Put another verse in and some strings. Just tweaking it a bit now...still want to do some BVox.I have yet to line it all back up with the other two tracks but here is a rough version....http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members stickboymusic Posted September 5, 2012 Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper I have yet to line it all back up with the other two tracks but here is a rough version.... http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1 Damn Lenny.... this song is going to be EPIC! Love this section as well. Can't wait to spend a day with the whole thing on loop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 5, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 5, 2012 Smile. Having so much fun with it. I do still wonder about the format. I'm tagging these first three songs together...that includes the interlude.....but somehow I need to engineer them so they can be separated for individual listening. If anybody has any experience in that I'm all ears. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted September 5, 2012 Moderators Share Posted September 5, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper Smile. Having so much fun with it. I do still wonder about the format. I'm tagging these first three songs together...that includes the interlude.....but somehow I need to engineer them so they can be separated for individual listening. If anybody has any experience in that I'm all ears. I did that for an album. It's tricky but there are a few cool sleight of hand techniques you can use. BTW, this latest "movement" is very cool. Actually, if you listen to side one of the 1st Cars album, they do it all (or most?) as one continuous piece. And those songs were used as is, as singles. One trick is to come down to a pad for your outro, but as an intro to the next tune, you have a kick accent with a guitar chord for instance. Then when sequencing the whole piece, you make track "2" on your burn software right at that downbeat. So when you choose track two... Boom!... on into the tune proper. But when listened to as a continuous piece, it sounds just like a little accent in the pad. So use a sound from the next tune. Even just a sharp chord, muted or big, can hide the splice. All the while the pad is underneath. If listened as just track 2, that chord or kick just happens to start with a pad. Any variation of that trick can take you far. Of course, it depends how tricky you want to get. What about the last bit of track 1? Well... you could do a mild reversed cymbal that might make sense as an ending of just track 1. ssssSSSSHHHHWHOOP!Boom!... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Lee Knight Posted September 5, 2012 Moderators Share Posted September 5, 2012 Listen to this and how the synth has a bump at the attack right at the top of the tune as the transition from the previous. And at 4:37 you can hear the edit into the next tune if you're looking for it. That are better examples on the album but I forget where. Many other albums as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2012 I'll definitely check that out Lee...and thanks. Right now, though, my ears need a serious break. I have bounced a progress track that times out at 9:34 in four movements. If anybody has the time to listen through I would love any observations about continuity or anything that sticks out. Next up for serious work is the fourth movement...but I will be in the field tomorrow doing honest work. Thanks so much to anyone who is following this escapade. Journey To Cliff's Edge (Progress 9/5) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 6, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2012 Tough day...... All I have managed on the Opus is a very expressive guitar accompaniment for the fourth movement. Used the ancient Kalamazoo but boy would that nylon string that Justin suggested have been perfect. I'll have that piece up for review late tomorrow . I have nailed down the lyrics, subject to review, and added a short section to it. It is very strong and it seems to be ....affecting me...so much so that I would rather wait to sing it until I get up as usual in the middle of the night. Just seems...right to wait until the quiet of the night for this one. Lots of great material on the forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Oswlek Posted September 6, 2012 Members Share Posted September 6, 2012 Originally Posted by LeonardScaper Tough day...... All I have managed on the Opus is a very expressive guitar accompaniment for the fourth movement. Used the ancient Kalamazoo but boy would that nylon string that Justin suggested have been perfect. I'll have that piece up for review late tomorrow . I have nailed down the lyrics, subject to review, and added a short section to it. It is very strong and it seems to be ....affecting me...so much so that I would rather wait to sing it until I get up as usual in the middle of the night. Just seems...right to wait until the quiet of the night for this one. Lots of great material on the forum. Heading home any time soon? You could borrow mine... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 7, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 7, 2012 How about I swing by a little later? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 11, 2012 Wow. I have been busy. The Opus is now up to five movements....over 14 minutes. I need help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 11, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 11, 2012 OK......looks like we're back in business, so..... The fourth movement was started before the hiatus and I have brought it to a good place. Just would like to hear some input on the lyrics as they are now. I brought things down quite a bit.......and at the end I changed to a major key and finished playing to a click track to try to establish some forward momentum. I am prepared to make lyric adjustments to this piece upon your most excellent observations. I'm calling it...'Immersion'. http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1 It's all around me now All I've ever been Everything I've done And everything I've seen It's all around me now And I feel like I'm flying It's like a weight has been lifted And I wonder what I'll find I see now why I've been blind I feel them around me now Those whom I have sinned Always could I run But never could I win I think I've been crying But perhaps I've been gifted Will there be peace of mind When I'm no longer blind The next movement is called 'Rise' and I decided to change to the perspective of the person who seems to be the one who he is searching for.......but we'll get to that later. Oh, and the piece is now timing out at 14:17. For those of you with time on your hands.... http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...&q=hi&newref=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted September 11, 2012 Members Share Posted September 11, 2012 I listened to this, but it seems to cut out right when the 5th movement starts. There's some really nice harmonies going on there in the "Rise" bit, but it abruptly ends mid-word!! Maybe it's my Soundclick being weird. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members oldgitplayer Posted September 12, 2012 Members Share Posted September 12, 2012 This is a beautiful piece Lenny. I really like it a lot.Two comments :1. Because there already is keyboard arpeggiation backing the lyric, I found that when the guitar riffing entered the soundstage, it distracted me from the the lyric and also broke the poignant musical mood by introducing 'busyness' - too many notes. 2. I struggle with the line, Those whom I have sinned. The rest of the song is not in colloquial language, so this stands out as soooo grammatically incorrect. IMO it could be reconsidered.Otherwise, just in case I missed saying it - This is a beautiful piece Lenny. I really like it a lot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rodney_wrinkles Posted September 12, 2012 Members Share Posted September 12, 2012 I just listened to the whole song and found myself very relaxed by the music by the end. This is a real accomplishment, to have done this opus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members grace_slick Posted September 12, 2012 Members Share Posted September 12, 2012 I noticed Those whom I have sinned as well, but didn't think it was an issue for me personally.Hey Oldgit, did it cut off right at the end for you too? Maybe my computer's broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LeonardScaper Posted September 12, 2012 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2012 Thanks for that OGP......that lyric has been bothering me as well. Have not yet found a good alternative. My dear departed mother would kick my butt for that usage....not to mention Sister Mary Joseph from grammar school. And thank you, Grace, for that heads up. I have been hosting this project on a separate SC page where I did not pay the 'Premium'. Seems as though I can't upload such a large file. I have hosted the file for the WIP on my main page. http://www.soundclick.com/player/sin...=11885716&q=hi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bee3 Posted September 12, 2012 Members Share Posted September 12, 2012 Just dropping in to say... this is very cool. I've been listening for about 10 minutes... and it feels like I'm listening to an album. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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