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I was excited to see Listing S230512GR for Bluegrass instrumentals. That genre is one of my favorites. I came up with something I was happy with and submitted. Screener called it “very good and close”. Also suggested “... remove the violin. You want to have a similar consistency of instrumentation as heard on the client provided references.” BTW, to anyone familiar with bluegrass music they know that the instrument is called a fiddle and not a violin (although they are the same).

Today I listened to the forwards and more than one has a fiddle (e.g. Hill Country, Lonesome And Fast). This leads me to believe there is more than one screener for a request. What’s “normal”?

BTW, here’s my submission:
https://www.taxi.com/members/LVUfiU82Q- ... ty-hoedown

Thanks for any input,
Ralph

I've attended many Bluegrass festivals, have written & produced songs in this genre with help from some fantastic pickers...
but I can't recall ever seeing or hearing a violinist - though plenty of fiddlers!
That 'review' would've had me a bit worried, too, Ralph. Can't say I blame ya.

For what it's worth, I liked the track - has a proper "barn-dance" vibe to it.
To be honest - the Outro was a little confusing... the little extra bit doesn't sound definitive.
2 cent critique.

Hopefully, someone on the "inside" of this process will answer, but my impression just from reading the forums (for example the "Screener Shoutouts") is that there may well be more than one screener per listing.
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Michael

Cool track! Well done. From 1:28 the mix seems to sort of get squashed a bit to my ear. I think it's because the lead instru in this area doesn't sit as forward as the one before & we lose the through line. I agree the outro isn't needed. But in terms of what the screener said, the fiddle sounds great to me and totally appropriate. However, I haven't seen the listing or heard the a la's.

Keep or sweep

In terms of screeners, that would depend on the number of submissions and the number of experts available to screen them, I imagine.

Many thanks for the comments. I agree on the ending hiccup and the mix level starting at 1:28. Both of those were on my "maybe I should change that" list, but I ran out of time due to leaving on a trip a couple of days before the due date.

I certainly appreciate the thumbs up on my creation! Now I just have to wait another year or so for another bluegrass listing.

To answer your question in the subject of the post, sometimes there is one screener for a given listing, sometimes there are more than one. It varies.

HogTime wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 9:33 am

Screener called it “very good and close”. Also suggested “... remove the violin. You want to have a similar consistency of instrumentation as heard on the client provided references.” BTW, to anyone familiar with bluegrass music they know that the instrument is called a fiddle and not a violin (although they are the same).

Hi Ralph
The reference tracks do not have fiddle so the screener was right to return it. When it comes to listings, the ref tracks rule in most cases. Also, the listing said: "Contemporary Bluegrass instrumentation such as banjo, guitar, mandolin, dobro, bass, drums, etc. will work best for this pitch."

But you can always tweak this one per the feedback here and pitch it for something else.

Casey

Casey H wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 5:13 pm

The reference tracks do not have fiddle so the screener was right to return it.

But that screener or another forwarded at least 2 tracks with fiddle. I'm just looking for some consistency.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Casey!

HogTime wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 5:43 pm

Casey H wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 5:13 pm

The reference tracks do not have fiddle so the screener was right to return it.

But that screener or another forwarded at least 2 tracks with fiddle. I'm just looking for some consistency.

Anyway, thanks for the info, Casey!

Yea, that's weird. You can email to headscreener AT taxi dot com for clarification. They should be consistent that way unless there's more to it such as the recording itself. Worth a quick email to get an explanation.

Best,
Casey

Casey H wrote: ↑

Fri May 26, 2023 5:13 pm

Yea, that's weird. You can email to headscreener AT taxi dot com for clarification. They should be consistent that way unless there's more to it such as the recording itself. Worth a quick email to get an explanation.

Thanks, I think I'll do that. Nothing to lose (I hope).