UPDATE #2: JAZZIN' IT UP!!

[ibanez468]

Hey Mazz!Thanks for the feedback! I hear what you're sayin' and I like THE WAY you say it. Oftentimes, it's not always WHAT you say ta' folks, but HOW you say it.Anyway, at some point in time, I'll sit back based on everyone's comments, including the screener, and reevaluate the bassline, and see if I can't come up with something that's more suitable and less repititious and so on & soforth.I'm at the point where I don't know if I'm on the cusp of going to any level at all or not. It's all been rather frustrating. And reading funky comments from some, don't help matters at all. I'll try my best to practice the philosophies that you've stated. For now, I'm gonna' let this go, and come back to it later, hopefully with something fresh to bring back to it. Thanx.ibanez468

[mazz]

Well, I was always taught that you catch more bees with honey. But in this anonymous internet world, some folks choose to play it a different way. For me, I figure I might meet someone at a Road Rally or other event and, while you can't please everyone, at least a professional respectful attitude might make a difference between a good connection and a missed connection.Since this won't be the last or even maybe the best piece you'll ever write, I think just letting it lie and moving on is a good strategy. Later on, you'll have a bit of distance and will see if you want to do anything with it or not. I don't think at all that it was a wasted effort. I enjoyed hearing it and our interaction about it.Cheers!!Mazz

[sgs4u]

Hey Bruce, Opinions meh... I was bummed to read that you've hit a pot hole with this tune. I'll throw some ideas at you, turf 'em at will. This is the kind of tune that makes anyone a very proud musician. Unfortunately, screeners opinions and our forum contemporaries factor in, just because we opened up to that input. Do you need this particular tune to be signed thru Taxi? Then go with Mazz advice. I can hear what the screener is saying, and what everyone else is too. But here are a couple of different thoughts...I think you have a totally kick-ass Louis Johnson bassline. I love your popping bass line. That coupled with the brassy synths, gives it an early 80s feel to me. Lots of wicked music came out of the 80s man. You were there too! Your EZdrums and percussion are wicked too. I love 'em. If screeners or forumers don't like your bass line cause it's too repetitive or slappy (not sloppy) I say screw 'em and do this track up exactly the way you dig it.As you know, I'm a biased piano player. My jazz preferences include lots of interaction between instruments. Your piano playing on this track, sticks out to me, because it's not as exciting as the bass playing. Bass playing is HOT, piano playing is like, psst is the piano player doing the hiring? ... It's quantized too much for my liking. Left hand bits sound recorded separately from the right hand, which stops it from breathing right. I'm not digging the sax samples in this fusiony kind of tune cause a real guy would BLOW LIKE SANBORN over a set of changes, and a melody like yours. And I'm willing to bet you have lots of friends in Bearland that play like that. You have a freaking KILLER rhythm section track. I rally dug the guitar bites I hear, I thought that could be louder too. That very interesting melody could become ultra hip & cool with a great sax and a great pianist. I'd rather hear the piano comping on a rhodes myself, but the grand is fine if that tone is what turns you on. I just think sometimes a song rises above "what listing can this work for." And I think you have a wonderful piece of music waiting for some extra love & happiness. I can hear the hundred hours you've put into this man. It's beautiful. I just think the strength of your composition is requires a riveting performance from piano & sax. Good luck man. Excellent writing!

[ibanez468]

Apr 6, 2009, 9:51pm, sgs4u wrote:Hey Bruce, Opinions... I was bummed to read that you've hit a pot hole with this tune.Yeah, me too. Quote:This is the kind of tune that makes anyone a very proud musician. Unfortunately, screeners opinions and our forum contemporaries factor in, just because we opened up to that input.Thanks Steve. And yeah, you're absolutely right about that.Quote:Do you need this particular tune to be signed thru Taxi? Then go with Mazz advice. I can hear what the screener is saying, and what everyone else is too.I don't need it to, but it sure would be nice. Yeah, I'm hearin' it all alot better now, I guess. Quote:I think you have a totally kick-ass Louis Johnson bassline. I love your popping bass line. That coupled with the brassy synths, gives it an early 80s feel to me. Lots of wicked music came out of the 80s man. You were there too! Your EZdrums and percussion are wicked too. I love 'em. If screeners or forumers don't like your bass line cause it's too repetitive or slappy (not sloppy) I say screw 'em and do this track up exactly the way you dig it.Thanks. I may just have 2 or 3 different versions of it in the end. But mostly, I'll need a version that's gonna' be accepted by the powers-that-be. So, I'll work on it eventually, ta try and get it all straightened out. My enthusiasm for it has diminished for right now.Quote:Your piano playing on this track, sticks out to me, because it's not as exciting as the bass playing. Bass playing is HOT, piano playing is like, psst is the piano player doing the hiring? ... It's quantized too much for my liking. Left hand bits sound recorded separately from the right hand, which stops it from breathing right. I'm not digging the sax samples in this fusiony kind of tune cause a real guy would BLOW LIKE SANBORN over a set of changes, and a melody like yours. And I'm willing to bet you have lots of friends in Bearland that play like that.Gotcha! Yeah, you pretty much got it all figured out. Were you in my studio when I did this? I do know of a coupla' sax players that can BLOW!! Quote:I just think sometimes a song rises above "what listing can this work for." And I think you have a wonderful piece of music waiting for some extra love & happiness. I can hear the hundred hours you've put into this man. It's beautiful. I just think the strength of your composition is requires a riveting performance from piano & sax. Good luck man. Excellent writing! Thanks Steve! I really appreciate that you appreciate what I've tried to do. It's become obvious to me over the past year or so, that you've listened to alot of the same kind of stuff that I listened to at one time, and your "range" of musical styles/genres spread out quite far, from some of the posts that I've read from you. And it sounds like you really have an appreciation for ALL of it! I imagine bein' a keyboard player, you can't limit yourself to just this or that, you hafta' dig in there and take it all on. Just an observation. Thanks for respondin' dude. I appreciate it, and I'll take everything into consideration when I get back to this. Peace!ibanez468

[greatmoves]

Hey Ibanez468, Seems my writing style has really gotten under your skin, like a burr under a saddle. Man this was not my intention and for the record, I did listen to what I thought was your newest version and to my ears, it sounded very similar to the original.I am sorry that some of the things I said did not rub you the right way, my intention is not to bash you, but, patronizing people is not my thing, nor is being rude. That being said... we are not talking in front of each other and "our audible language is unable to be translated correctly 100% of the time with written words and is somewhat subject to the perception of the reader. If you can, take my comments with a grain of salt and strip them down to the essence of the letters meaning, hopefully, then the meaning of my words will be clear. What I read from you is that you don't think I know what I'm talking about, well you did submit the song, song was rejected, be it from: ... too busy bass line, ...too repetitive bass-line, it was not ready and as I stated would be rejected by Taxi screeners.Onto a positive note, maybe it's bass-line is the father and the offspring is all the other parts which came after. Maybe the offspring is better than what created it and deserving of it's own totally distinctive bass line un-associated with the father so it can fly on it's own. This has happened to me so many times, I start out playing something, then the chords of that send me in another direction. just explore the possibility that by itself the bass line may move you. but married to this chord progression and melody, in it's present state, as of this reply, is not a good marriage, IMO.In closing, what I would do...1) remove the bass line.2) make portable. burn to cd, mp3 ect... w/out bass-line3) play it over and over, over, over over... 4) over, over, over, over5) guess you get my point, was that too many overs?6) Then stop playing the song, completelyYou will be walking down the street, driving the highway, shopping, taking a shower and it will pop in you mind, when it hits you, Just be ready with a personal recorder, which BTW, I hope you already have.***Disclaimer: Do not Take Recorder into Shower with you... BTW, I don't know Mazz at all. Most of his comments just were on point with my thinking, that's all. His forum-side-manner seems better suited for you. I will watch the interaction between you two, but, this is my last round on this thread. maybe another time, another song...Good luck...GreatmovesBB

[ideascapes]

iba,Not sure which listing you submitted to, but I suspect it was the same one I did and my result was 2 returns out of 3 with nearly identical language from the screener. He seemed to want to hear smooth jazz, while I didn't get that from the listing. In any case, PM me if you'd like to hear my tunes and read the screener's comments as it might help you process your own critique.Vince