save-able song?

[vicky]

hey there....thanks so much for all the help in the last year....What a journey Taxi has been for me....last year at this time I had only recorded one song here at home by myself.....I ended up with 12 unfinished or unforward-able pieces last year....I thought I'd go back and see if there is anything to salvage...so many issues...from not remembering how and where files were saved...to what I played that day.....to how i got that sound....and on and on computer stuff.....anyway much of that has been worked out in newer material....any words of wisdom on this piece "Zoom-y"?www.taxi.com/vickythebassplayer song: Zoom-ymix, genre?I thank you all so much!!!!!vtbp

[billg]

hey Vicky, I can't comment on the sounds etc. because it's not my genre & I'm not qualified.The biggest thing that jumped right out at me was that the drums lacked focus. I think the first thing you should do is see if you can get a solid defining drum/percussion thing going that can glue this piece together, it sounds very disjointed (to me ) as it is now.

[jonathanm]

Wow, Vicky! That's a REALLY unique bit of music! Very hard to classify. I like the blend of the almost-fiddlesque violins (which then turn a bit more classical) with the techno environment.You know, if you were to keep the beat driving throughout the tune in a techno-dance fashion with a few breaks in there, it might work as a dance tune. You could put the 5/4 in the tune against a driving 4/4, and then occassionally let the drums slip into the 5/4 to go with the musical phrases. But I think the key here would be having a regular, driving beat to glue it together. Just my $0.01 (yeah, the bad economy has even devalued my opinions )Jonathan

[jonathanm]

LOL! just noticed Bill replied before I could hit the submit button and used the same word "glue" in reference to the drums. Scary!

[billg]

I was reading your mind . . . NOW THAT'S SCARY !!!

[mazz]

I'd love to hear this without the drums, with the eight note strings driving the rhythm instead and the electric guitar over the top of it. Percussion would be cool but coloristic, not groove. Check out Bang on a Can Allstars, this reminds me of some of their music. Modern "classical", kind of like the NY scene that Bang on a Can comes from.

[jonathanm]

Jan 11, 2009, 12:36pm, billg wrote:I was reading your mind . . . NOW THAT'S SCARY !!!Now I know who had the other $0.01.

[vicky]

thanks for the listen.....I really appreciate it.....Jonathan and Billg....I had thought putting it in 4/4 underneath would be too much....but i was just at it and it sounds better....Mazz...I'll check out Bang on a Can (I think I'm familliar with one track that was used for a TV show I watch)......thanks......the drum tracks are a complete mess, which I'm discovering usually happens when they're not quite right....trying too many things to fix and experiment....so getting rid of them and starting again is seems a good possibility....thanks again....Vicky

[ideascapes]

Vicky,You already have some great advice above. Enjoyed the adventuresome nature of this recording. As a bass player, it must have been fun to use your instrument to underpin what else is going on above. Don't have anything to add; just wanted to let you know I listened too. Good luck!Vince

[vicky]

Thanks again for the input..........Since this is a learning atmosphere, i thought I'd post the comments from my custom critique......I knew there were intonation problems in my violin parts (had just gone back to the instrument at the point this was recorded).....8 months ago......I knew that could be the death of me for this piece, but i was in denial over wanting to re-record the parts....I was impressed the screener heard the 4 hi-hat tracks.....Here's the screener's comments:Quote:Vicky -Hi there and thanks for sending in Zoom-y. I'll do my best to answer your Qs and provide an overview on the song & production.This piece had its moments and fun aspects, though certain elements worked against it. Specifically, the violin is out of tune right from the beginning of the track, which kinda shoots the production in the foot. The faster fiddling that follows is more effective (and has better intonation) and could be a tool in your sonic arsenal. The solo violin, however, must be in tune, especially at the front of a track, to be useful and usable. As this stands now, you'd lose most listeners in the intro. Blunt, but true! The strings are also unusable around the 1:45 mark, again for pitch.You show lots of inventiveness in other places with your sound choices and hybrid of approaches.As to your 1st question about designation/genre, this would loosely be considered as Electronica. The violins alone wouldn't give it the Orchestral stamp.If you're going for "high octane" Electronica, I'd advise simplifying the drum programming a bit and paying more attention to how the key elements - kick and snare, especially - pop out and if they have plenty of impact. You want a kick that hits that pleasure zone somewhere in the chest area whether you're in 4/4, 5/4 or whatever. It IS true that almost all Dance-based music is in 4/4 (unless you're in Bulgaria or India Better to have one kick that lands in a satisfying way than 4 hi-hats that are buried in the track! No matter how Avant or quirky your approach, sensibility and feel may be, I'd highly recommend making sure the kick, snare and bass sound satisfying and full on their own before adding too many other spices to the casserole. Hope that helps, Vicky!