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I’ve done lots of duets for these challenges before — making up a chord progression and then playing a lead over it — so when Brian set that as this month’s challenge I felt I needed to up my game.
I decided I would make up some chords and a little melody and then try to play a note-for-note harmony (or in this case harmonies) along with it.
That might not have been such a great idea. And it was certainly a lot harder than I thought it would be… especially without written music (which I can’t read well anyway) and a fixed amount of free time to practice and record and edit and re-record and re-edit — rinse and repeat.
The result is a relatively sloppy and not-very-satisfying experiment in improvised harmony accompanied by a bunch of photos I shot on my recent visit to England. (For those of you Brits who know London, my daughter and her family live in the Herne Hill section of London, so some of my photos are from there.) I also regret not having a bass, which might have helped.
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Wow Paul that was really nice. For just winging it, you really can’t tell. Nothing out of place, in fact sounds deliberate. Each line has its own melody.
As for basses, I’ve been rather impressed with the Squier Sonic series. A lot of bass for not much money. Nice to have one laying around! They make a Bronco which is short scale. Pretty comfy for an occasional-use instrument.
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Hi Paul, loved this! Your description does sound like it was a lot of effort. Layering in the different voices, the timing and coordination. Hard enough with just two tracks. Nicely done though, and the tune had a definite folk nature to it which fit the video. Hope you had a great trip and welcome home.
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“Hi. I’m Darryl. This is my brother Darryl, and my other brother Darryl.” I think that comes from the old Bob Newhart TV series. Your tracks all meshed nicely, and with excellent clarity. Sometimes that many tracks can lead to chaos, but you did a great job of mixing so that the overall sound is just about perfect.
Sunjamr Steve
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Paul
But what if it sounds great? As this does… Mission accomplished. I really enjoyed the beauty and simplicity of your melody line as well as the harp/lute like vibe you created. Sometimes we become our own worst critic. I also enjoyed the video portion a lot. A great morning listen with coffee Paul.John
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Lovely composition, Paul! I know that sometimes we are not completely satisfied of out work for excessive perfectionism but very often other people appreciate more than us what we’ve done, and this is the case.
Liked very much your chord progression and the very nice rhythms and leads you layered, creating an enjoyable harmony! A perfect soundtrack for the very nice video. Enjoyed to listen to and watch!
Guido
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With the same sense of calm that Stonehenge exudes, you’ve managed to bring all the pieces together beautifully, Paul.
Your time in England must have inspired you in some way. Your piece reminds me of the folk bands of the ’60s and ’70s, like Lindisfarne and Fairport Convention.Take the chance to meet your AM friends on Zoom
The next Meetup will be May/June
There will be a detailed announcement here in the forum
I look forward to meet you.
Manfred -
Your descriptions of the challenge approach have become an added entertainment, sort of like sometimes musicians tell a funny story – or – tell a story in a funny way before they start playing the next song 🤣🎶
Your composition did not seem by far as sloppy or disheveled as you described it. Sure it was quite complex but I could hear each part pretty well and was quite amazed how well you put all that together. It reminded me of “Norwegian Wood” quite a bit, a folksy vibe – very fitting for the English landscapes. Nice vacation photos and footage, I enjoyed the show 😉
🎸JoLa
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I love that acoustic Folk vibe. Great harmonies. Love the acoustic rhythm sound and the melody going on.
The UK is one of my favorite countries for traveling. The people are friendly and polite, they can stand in a queue, there are great guitar and antique shops and the climate is mild and I love the beautiful landscape and cliffs.
Thanks for the inspiration.
More Blues!
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I was bracing for a disaster after your intro thinking poor guy will need some consoling. Well I thought it was fantastic, very Celtic to my ears and you tapped into something very soulful. While the photos showed London I was transported to Ireland. This could easily be on the same album as The Green Glens of Gweedor.
It was beautiful. -
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I found your melody moving from D major down to C major very unusual and evocative. Overall, you succeeded in composing an original and very pleasant sounding song. I had the same problem trying to compose several tracks without writing down the music but make all the tracks blend harmoniously. After countless repetitions I managed to learn my song by heart.
Jonathan Amos, Matsuyama, Japan
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