A couple of personal tunes that need collaboration

[Anonymous]

I've got a few tunes that have never been finalised.

Mainly, there is no vocals, but also not arranged properly. I've got some lyrics (somewhere), but happy for others to come up with anything that they think sounds appropriate. There a few different styles/genres/ideas. So if you're bored:....

Desolation:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/desolation-mixdown-slight-hard-limit

Suicide Ants Part II
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/suicide-ants-part2

Un-named:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/eclipsemodx7-test-jul05-2019

Fading Away:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/fading-away-ideas2

Test Tune2:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/test-tune2

Test Tune4:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/test-tune4

Your Eyes:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/eyes-session-mix-v3

Pulp:
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/pulp-mixdown-may2019

Hopefully there is something there to give inspiration. It would be great to get something actually finished.

Cheers, Steve.

[Mary NanceParticipant]

Hi Steve!

Sam and I would like to work on the Fading Away song! There is a lot of cool potential for that song and we would love to help you develop it more if you are still interested in collaborating. Sorry nobody answered sooner, I think this forum section is not seen so often all the way at the bottom.

Sincerely,
Mary & Sam

[Anonymous]

Hi Mary & Sam. I actually forgot all about posting these. Absolutely happy for you to work on Fading Away.

I'm not exactly sure what the guitar chords are because it was played in "drop D". Well, the high E was dropped to D. There's only 3 chords in the bit I've played. If it was standard tuning, then according to an online guitar chord analyzer: Dsus2, Cadd9 and a modified version of G.

The time signature is 3/4 or 12/16? another thing I'm unsure of exactly. The Tempo is around 60bpm depending on how you count it. It wasn't done to a click track. At the time (approx 10 months ago), I was experimenting with alternate tunings and testing a new guitar and microphone for recording practice. It was the first tune I came up with using Drop D, so I just went with it for the recording.

There are some lyrics I wrote, but not yet finalised. I'll try to record at least a place holder, because the timing/phrasing is important. The lyrics mainly consist of Nursery Rhymes (which are out of copyright I believe). The style of music is along the lines of a Pink Floyd-ish feel. The lyrics were put together mid-2019 long before this COVID-19 crisis, but somehow now take on a more ominous meaning.

OR, just do your own lyrics and arrangements - Anything goes :).

The lyrics (un-finished ideas):

Played in "Drop D" (the highest E is dropped to D).

INTRO...

VERSE 1 ___
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
All the Kings horses and all the Kings men
Couldn't put Humpty
Back together again
Back together again (optional words, maybe a guitar lick)

(inc. Trinket Box Nursery Rhyme Sound...???)

VERSE 2 ___
Little Miss Muffet sat on her tuffet
Eating her curds and whey
Along came a spider and sat down beside her
It frightend Miss Muffet away
Frightend Miss Muffet away........ay....
Frightend Miss Muffet away........ay..... (change this line??)
...Away Away Away..... ay.... ay............??

CHORUS 1 ___
Because all that you think
And all that you fear
All that you wish for
And all you hold dear
Because all that you wanted
And all that you need
That's governed by greed...
Is slowly fading away...

Slowly fading away....

VERSE 3 ___
Little Jack Horner sat in the corner,
Eating his Christmas pie;
He put in his thumb,
And pulled out a plum,
And said, "What a good boy am I"
...What a good boy am I......

FADE...
Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall

---------------------------------------------------
ALT CHORUS 2 ___
Because all that you think
And all that you fear
All that you wish for
And all you hold dear
To wake in the morning
And find without warning
All of your freedoms...
Have slowly faded away...

Slowly faded away....

[Anonymous]

Right. This is the best I can do with the vocals. Pretty crappy, but the idea is there.
https://soundcloud.com/user-566434468/fading-away-vox-ideas

[Anonymous]

Do whatever you like. My version is just an idea.

[Mary NanceParticipant]

Hi Steve,

No ideas are bad! We are all on our journey of learning how to be better at our trade. Sam and I are going to see if we can come up with some ideas and we are wondering if you are able to mix the song down into stems for us to work with? What daw are you working in?

Hopefully this finds you well!

~ Mary

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mary.

The only instrument is the guitar. Not sure what you need, or if it would help.

The guitar has three tracks: 1 where the guitar was mic'd, 2 is the DI version of the same performance and the 3rd is a delay/reverb effect.

I'm currently using Harrison Mixbus 32C as my DAW.

Cheers, Steve.

[SteveParticipant]

Hi Steve,

"OR, just do your own lyrics and arrangements - Anything goes :)."

With that in mind.
When listening to the guitars in "Fading away", it reminded me for some reason of a sea shanty type song (the rhythm), just the mood i was in i guess.

I have no clue about musical arranging (key / Chords etc), So I just tried to write some lyrics in that vein.
Further to our chat on Saturday night/Sunday morning, I've added some verse's to complete the songs journey, and "tweaked" a few bits.
Hope you find it useful in some way, feel free to cut it, slice it, dice it, or just discard it.

In the verse's I hear a Bodhran, a squeeze box / Accordion, and acoustic guitars.
Chorus / Instrumental breaks could be full on Band (electric guitars, drum kit, keys, bass, to change it up a gear or 3).
coming back down for verse's (listen to "Privateering" by Mark Knopfler for an example of what I'm feeling here).
Rise and fall, like the ocean swell,  But as you said "Anything goes"  ;0)

I title it "Ride the white horses".

1,2,3,1,2,3

The ships in her harbour, she's taking on stores
Then she's off on the ocean, to see foreign shores
headin' out for Tortuga, and Port-au-Prince
When the cat strikes ya back, it sure makes a man wince

So splice up the mainsail, and swab down the decks
with hands hard as nails, and our weather'ised necks
with sea ruddied faces, sea breeze in our hair
And we'll ride the white horses, until we get there.

--------instrumental break------------ (trying to capture the essence of a ship's journey, alone and at the mercy of the open ocean, yet optimistic she'll get there).

now climb up the rigging, as far as you can go
and keep a sharp lookout, from the nest of the crow
spot land on the horizon, you give a great shout
and the helm it gets turned, and the ship comes about

Yo ho me hearties, we'll laugh and we'll sing
as we sail the great oceans, our cargo to bring
with sea ruddied faces, sea breeze in our hair                       (Chorus)
And we'll ride the white horses, until we are there

--------instrumental break------------

Pull into Tortuga, in the dead of the night
the lights of the harbour, a beautiful sight     (could be "welcoming sight")
drinking and women, yeah we'll have our fun
but we're back on board ship, with the rise of the sun

weighing the anchor, and we're on our way
heading port-au-prince, cutting through the waves
The wind's getting up, and we're making good time
but we don't want no scurvy, so we suck on that lime.

Yo ho me hearties, we'll laugh and we'll sing
as we sail the great oceans, our cargo to bring
with sea ruddied faces, sea breeze in our hair                   (Chorus)
And we'll ride the white horses, until we are there

---------instrumental break------------

last leg of the journey, we're on our way home
a hold full of cargo, and a song in our bones
remembering the lass, that I left far behind
she's always been present, in the back of my mind

now when i get home, marry her I will
put a ring on her finger, and I will be thrilled
she's fair and she's pretty, as any I've seen
I like the cut of her jib, if you know what I mean

Yo Ho me hearties, we'll laugh and we'll sing
as we sail the great oceans, our cargo to bring
with sea ruddied faces, sea breeze in our hair
and we'll ride the white horses, until we are there                  (Chorus to end)
yeah we'll ride those white horses, until we are there.

[Anonymous]

That's damm good Steve. Made me laugh, made me happy. Great lyrics.

Just gotta get a few drunken sailors to sing it 🙂 a bit difficult in these COVID-19 days.

Great stuff Steve, thanks. Dunno what to do next.

[SteveParticipant]

Thanks Steve,

Let's face it, it will never be a number 1 hit, it's more of a singalong down the local coastal pub, with the "ole boy" band, entertaining the locals.

At least we "know what to do with a drunken sailor", threaten them with the cat, and make em sing (mental images of a you organizing a local press gang to round them up) LoL

"Dunno what to do next".....   me either  ;0)

All you can do is keep trying, keep practicing, keep learning, and keep noodling.

I do like that acoustic guitar sound you got there though, it's really nice (it inspired the words so MUST have something).

 

[Anonymous]

"Let's face it, it will never be a number 1 hit" !!!

Never say Never. 🙂 Haaaarrrgggghhh me hearties!

[Author]

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