Acoustic Guitar Instrumental, NEW VERSION!

[wta]

I've taken some new found direction and have produced my first acoustic instrumental work with a co writer and would LOVE some feedback from those who produce the same kind of tracks for music library listings. It's only a minute. No holds bar, I'm heavely medicated so your critiques will not provoke my bad heart to hemerage nor invoke any sucicidal tendencies whatsoever, I hope... ... "Hit me with your best shot, Fire Away" Pat Benatar (What a BABE). da link... www.williamthomasanderson.com/w2/w2_1.mp3 or for 24 bit high quality www.williamthomasanderson.com/w2/w2_1.wav

[billg]

Nice work. man, I wish I could get an acoustic guitar sound like that, I've given up (maybe if I could play better???). Anyway I think this is a great direction. There are from time to time listings for acoustic guitar pieces. I would think tracks like this would be perfect for film/tv listings. I really like it -

[jazzstan]

Since I've not placed anything with a music libray, I'm not qualified to answer, but I agree with Bill, that that's a great sounding recording. The only other point is that (to my ears) the slow-down at the ending seem to conflict with the up-beat mood of the rest of it. Thinking in terms of a TV commercial, I'd have gone for some ascending lick at the end to create the feeling of a positive conclusion. ~That's my 2 cents - and worth every penny!

[flood]

Will,I like it very much. Great recording work, and nice feel.To add to other comments, my opinion would put the slowdown in the middle, if this is intended for commercial purposes. Many commercials employ a sort of "slow-down" at the point they get to the thrust of their main message. Then the music cranks back in at the original energy and tempo. Just a thought, but I think this will find a home on its own regardless. Having a second version with the slowdown in the middle and an uptempo ending would be a good option, too.

[wta]

thanks billg and jazzstan, thanks for that great tip with having a happy ending, never thought of that. flood, another great thought with the dip in the middle. We will have many versions of the work. I'll be adding a Irish whistle track and a perc track that can go with the bed track if the licencer may what to use them. We plan to use this mold for many other acoustic works as well. I think it would be good idea to have at least a discs worth of works, maybe twenty or more with the same overall feel but in difference keys and tempos. Is that smart or just wasting time? Thoughts? '-) wta

[orest]

It is a wonderful piece, nice played and nice production! But I have to agree with the others about the end. Some listings asks for "little dynamics", but maybe you could do a version with more dynamics as well? Play softer and harder in different places?

[davewalton]

I echo what everyone else says... very nice but change that little slowdown at the end.I'll throw out food for thought in general. Before you compose, pick a specific emotion... happy, sad, reflective, mysterious, inspirational... that kind of thing. The songs, the lyrics are what many time creates the mood of the song (along with the music of course) but instrumentals have nothing but the music to create the mood.For film/tv, it's all about mood. If they need a sad instrumental and yours drips with sadness... it's a strong candidate automatically. A brilliantly composed track that's "sort of" sad won't get much consideration.As a mood I'd tag this as "reflective", not strongly so but enough to be useful in a wide variety of situations.The "Secret Sauce To Getting More Forwards" isn't quantifiable like the formula for figuring out the area of a circle or whatever, but I think that for the most part, if you really read the listings closely, try to pick the mood the listing is looking for, and then create that mood within whatever parameters the listing gives... that's a good start.BTW, the guitar sounds great. As I mentioned in another thread, adding other instruments only helps if they're the same quality as the guitar. Use your guitar sound as the baseline for "broadcast quality" for any other instruments you might add. If they don't meet the standard you've set for yourself with your guitar... leave them out until your own standard can be met (through your own efforts or though co-writes or whatever). Brindabella here on the forum is an excellent example of the "keep it simple" mindset... not musically but instrumentally. She now has a super-quality piano sound and uses that in a very effective way. Good stuff... Dave

[wta]

orest and Dave, Guys the more input the better and easier it will be to get my tracks up to snuff and your input is priceless, thanks you. Wrting the ending was funny as I didn't have a clue what might be right or wrong! So we just slowed to stop. Reflective is what we were aiming for so I feel a bit of victory with your insight Dave. We can easily fix up the end to continue the reflextive feel. Great thing is I'll be able to take these principles and apply them to all the future tracks so guys, big thanks for your time. I hope to one day know what I'm talking about and pass on the favor... wta

[flood]

I would think your time would be better spent on new compositions rather than 20 slightly different versions of the same tune.I may be wrong, easily, but I would limit the versions to 4-5 at most, and then only if you have the time and it is easy to make them all sound as good as the original track.In my real life I produce radio and tv promos with my voiceover on top.Quite simply, the song either works or doesn't, and the addition of a ride cymbal or a backing piano doesn't change that. The initial impression, over the first 5-8 seconds really determines whether the song will work or not.I have seen library discs that have upwards of 10 versions of the same song. I don't think I have ever listened past the 3rd track. Not once.Given that, my advice would be, IF you make a submission with that many variations, the first 3-4 should be the best. I am perhaps not representative of all promo producers, but m practice is to listen closely to those first few seconds and make a decision quickly.When producing promos, speed is essential, and I roll through library tracks very fast. After all, I may have another 10-15 things to produce that DAY.Hope that offers some insight to at least one perspective, from an actual producer of some types of broadcast work.Best wishes!

[wta]

Flood, this is priceless insight, any advice you wish to share will not fall on deaf ears I promise. My variations would be relating to key change, instrument additions and emotional overtone differences such as a happy cut, sad cut, reflective cut and so on. Would you say that might be overkill? I definatly don't want to waste anytime and want to produce just what a music supervisor/producer will find usefull...