Wig, I want to help you. I want for you to feel really good about your music, your Taxi experience, as well as your participation in this forum. Please allow me to pretend I'm all knowing for a minute here, and try not to write off my explanation because I sound freakishly egotistical. I sometimes do this thing. I look at a problem I'm having with music, or getting my music thru Taxi screeners and I describe it to myself (and others) in the most exaggerated terms possible, so that I can make the problem HUGE, and Taxi's fault. Matto, Casey, Vikki & anyone that's been around for a while knows I do this thing, but they don't always tell me when I'm doing it. Sometimes they even tell me maybe Taxi isn't a good fit for me, and they're being honest. My reaction to hearing that always is, JUST WATCH ME, I'LL SHOW YOU. I'm the kind of guy that usually needs to try to bash head first thru a concrete wall instead of realizing I could hurdle over it, with a little bit of help, or a new tool to propel my dumb ass. But my bull in a china shop approach is an essential part of my learning path. It's not that I don't need them to tell me what I'm doing wrong. The truth is that I might not listen to them, because I think I'm really good and all that bullshit. They also know how frustrating is to try and teach me stuff because I have this tendency to deflect good advice. I'm a really awesome musician, I've been writing songs for 20 years, I've only ever played in bands for a living. But I have avoided incredibly important lessons, that this forum, screeners and my friends have offered me. It's easy to do this, by allowing myself to become freakishly wrapped up in why I don't have more success, instead of paying attention to the obvious sign posts along my journey.Don't do this thing I do, Wig. Don't waste your time believing that you haven't got a clue, or that you'd get a refund if you could. If you're in your first year, you can easily get a refund. Just pay more attention to the knowledge that's available. Your song is very interesting. It could easily be a soft-rock or a smooth jazz/vocals piece, if you fix up a few things. I haven't seen tons of listings for stuff in this style, so that might factor in your decision to stay or go. Unfortunately, I don't think this song will get forwarded to anything the way it sounds right now. Lemme talk about the red flags. Quote:I tried to make the lyrics universal enough that it might get by the screener.I'm a little gun shy at the moment. I just got a return that said the music was too good. The screener said he (or she) would like to hear the whole piece and that the listener gets too wrapped up in it. Whatever? It has been my experience that universal lyrics, that are bland, won't get thru screeners. Universal situations, yes, but not bland descriptions of them. Lyrics like yours, have been done a lot of times. Writing about the stars equalling a piece of heaven, and esoteric stuff like that, has been done a lot. I would expect screeners are not particularly fond of forwarding lyrics content that has been overused. A simple rhyme like "heart, and stars," might disqualify your song from being forwarded. Dig deeper for unique rhymes and especially phrases, that say what you want to say, differently than any other song you've heard before. Your lyric mentions a sadness, and then some kind of caring for someone or something, to help you get over. If you are talking about losing something human, and loving a God, then I would suggest get more literal, if you want screeners to forward this. If you don't care about it being forwarded, then you're writing songs for yourself (or your fans), and what screeners (or I) think doesn't matter.You could easily find a lyric writing partner to bump up the quality of your songs. I like to start by looking at Bob Dylan song titles lately. Whatever works to push you out of thinking your lyrics are good enough, because this one isn't yet. find yourself an awesome song that you believe has a killer lyric, and really analyze why you like it. That can help a lot. Now the production/recording of your song definitely needs work. Here are some quick suggestions, and these are meant to help you realize you HAVE A CLUE, and that there are a few simple things you can change, to get yourself moving in the direction you want to go in. You need to listen to some music that sounds like the stuff in the same style you sing in. I have this one guy's music, his name is Jose González. His song just happened to start playing right after yours did, in my iTunes folder. His stuff is producer in a style that your songs might suit very well. He uses a lot more Nylon string guitar, and I'll get to that in a moment. I even heard some seagull samples in one tune, sounded cool. In "All There Is," your drums are not suited to this style of song at all. The programming is too complicated, not relaxing and the sounds, are too compressed and no "real" enough sounding for your style. If your drums were hand drums, like congas, or djembes, stuff like that, they would sound more relaxing, like the sound of your singing, and what your lyric is about. If you want to use cymbals, use swells, not crashes. A simple hi-hat patter on beats 2 & 4, would be much better than a programmer pretending to play hi-hats. It's about the combination of sounds, and whether they create the right atmosphere. Your acoustic playing performance is really great, but I would try to make the sound be a little softer. It's too bright, and not relaxing. The flute playing is great. If you listen to the sound of the attack on flute notes, there is no smack of strings. The note just starts with the sound of wind. You can EQ your acoustic to have less attack in the character of the sound. Your rhythm playing track is quite good also, but I'd suggest acquiring a nylon string instead of using the same guitar for both lead and rhythm tracks. Don't know if you played both of those but they're pretty darn good playing, and really support the song. The keyboard playing and string stuff, is a but too synthetic sounding to match up with the earthiness of the flute, guitars & vocals. I'd suggest using your flute for the fill instrument, and use a keyboard pad, but not much in the way of fills, from that keyboard sound, unless you can get it to create the same level of earthiness that the flute, guitar & voice have. Your voice sounds very pleasant, and I enjoyed the singing. I think it's a bit too loud for the band, but that's a very quick & easy fix. I'd turn the voice down 25% and then listen to the vibe (after you re-do the drums) And the short version of your song, sounds a little abrupt in the intro and the ending, like it's been chopped up without too much regard for the emotional effect on the listener. So to wrap up - Get better lyrics, delete your drum track and start over with hand drum sounds(w less fills), soften the acoustics, deaden the keyboard part to atmosphere instead of counter-melodies. I don't know why a screener would tell you your music was too good. That's not a great thing to have said to you, but I don't have the context it was delivered with. Posting the entire critique is much better than showing us just part of it. Thanks for posting your song. I realize my suggestions are long-winded. You could post your review on this thread as well, if you want us to understand more about those strange screener comments. I sincerely hope you realize that I/we want you to enjoy this process, and that there are tons of people who can help you here, and even more information if you have the right state of mind to let it in. Steve Oct 3, 2008, 7:40am, wignelson wrote:As usual, I haven't a clue. Any direction would be helpful with this piece. Anything short of "throw it out." It is of a spiritual nature, but I won't make that C/C mistake again.I tried to make the lyrics universal enough that it might get by the screener.I'm a little gun shy at the moment. I just got a return that said the music was too good. The screener said he (or she) would like to hear the whole piece and that the listener gets too wrapped up in it. Whatever?I would leave TAXI in a heartbeat if I could get a refund.Here is the long intro version of this song. It would never get past a screener for that reason.
http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtra ... =67529“All There Is”By Wig Nelson c. 2008Having you is all there is that promises tomorrowTo deal with all the sorrow there’s comfort in your heartAnd loving you is all I need to know a bit of heavenThe light that I’ve been given is brighter than the starsSo much brighter than the brightest star. Here is the short intro version that I hope will get past him (or her).
http://www.taximusic.com/song.php?song_ ... tream=true