I really dig how this one came together I love the strings and the piano is beautiful

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Nice work here! I particularly like the minor-major chords.

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You amazed with this it's so different of all the songs I've heard from you.... So beautiful song my friend and the guitar lift this to another level... Nice work on this my friend.

Beer
---
Kenta

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What a great melody, as always... really nicely set to a simple piano sound, with yes, sounds like early ELO with the cello/strings for some reason, very cool... and the spirits being sheparded away from time to time adds to the melancholy nature here... the sound effect is soft enough to not interfere with the momentum, nice! There's something really sentimental in that tune, and the electric part does fit well. The very first note of the electric guitar, though, starts off too strong and straight, and it took awhile for me to know what kind of instrument it was. I would suggest having the first guitar note bend up or down into place, to let the listener know its a guitar... sounded like a square-wave synth at first. A little more variation inserted in this could make it 3 times longer, it did seem short. But excellent!
ttfn,
Drakonis

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Oh Alan, as you know because we've been chatting, I can't stop listening to this masterpiece! I think this might be my fave of yours (of the ones I've heard) so far. I LOVE orchestration to piano (as you know), and your guitar in here is spectacular. I've already listened to this a half dozen times - in a row - such incredible work, congratulations!

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Nice composition, great strings and nice overall production. Thanks

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you noted, I'm hearing alright.

sounds good and a nice drama to the piece. very effective! i like!

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In a moving kind of way. That piano line is absolutely fantastic! If there's a way you can send me the score or midi file, I'd really like to learn that! Outstanding track Alan!

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this is way too cool my friend ..its very special
and new from you totaly ..the cello feels like ELO
so much and thats way too cool .fabulous guitar
work ..one of your best pieces Alan ..Kudos !!

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wasn't expecting that. Alan, this is gorgeous - a beautiful composition. Played wonderfully and with impeccable production, of course. Downloaded. Thanks.
Cheers
Len



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.. i would've heard this first and been able to say rude stuff!! lol - but i've had to wait until now and i have to agree with the others ;) it's beautiful alan - your talent really annoys me but i am proud to know you anyway . btw, did you know you got the sound of a plane going over? ;) big loves xoxoxoxo

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All the elements in this piece come together quite nicely to complement your Schroederian piano part Alan, enveloping it in a powerful and majestic mantle. Drak is probably right about the introductory guitar notebeing somewhat ambiguous, although I would suggest experimenting with a variety of different tone and technique possibilities to give it more character.

BTW, I'm not buying this *angel's share* story. I think we both know those distillery workers came up with this convenient tale at some point in time. lol


---Joe

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good instrumentals are hard to write, and even harder to produce. you have done both here, and taken it to the angels indeed. thanks for the post.
Allen

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for pointing this out. Hey apb I really like this a lot! I love when the cello's enter and I really love the drum entrance shortly after. A great sound
all the way around. Nice guitar work also.

thanks
droop

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Hi
I could just imagine the Beautiful Angel with butterfly wings on the rooftop and all the hustle and bussell , of busy shoppers below and
of life going on = and them being unaware of the Angel that is sad because
her task is to carry someone up to heaven as you have written,

Such an Angel came for my brother David
and I have a song to him on my page. And I felt angry so I have a bell and a drum as well as a clock ticking time away

This brought me the memories back and what a lovely way that you have
playe all this littel story out it was really wonderful to listen. it really was.I feel uplifted actually after hearing this. Cheers
Peace Dee.
.

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This is a great piece. At first, I was going to say that the piano was too tinny and bright. But when the strings enter, it really works, and at that point, I changed my mind. The strings sound fantastic - what software are you using?

I like the subtle use of the wind efx bringing the song in. I really like how the mix grows as it moves forward, little percussion nuances that propel the piece and build on forward motion. I like that you kept the melody simple, yet it still builds throughout.

A very nice track. Thanks.

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Awesome in fact. Loved the build up too.

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...then read the description. A bit chilling and I must say that the piece paints the picture quite well.

Fine art...

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magnifies the depth... very well done song.

I enjoyed this a lot.

Jack

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composition....that piano and build are very effective and dramatic.....mother mary speaks to me......that guitar intro has some jarring moments for my ears ..but hey they sure do add to the tension and realease......well done my man....

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where are lennon and mc cartney's voices here?? sorry ... abit of a side trip there .. anyroad alan very wonderful piece of work here ... man all the transitions are so clean and complete and the composition equals a bout 20 years of my collective best ... naw really is true!! this is simply outstanding work my friend ..... in awe and 4 hats off!

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Great piece of work Alan. Nice balance youv'e found with the strings, which by the way has a stunning sound. I get the vibes of late Marillion like Marbles, good shit! If you are intresting in vocals i got some melodies popping in my head ;-/

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.... how amidst all of the other instrumentation, the piano stays constant... like a melodic heartbeat.
all of the other sounds swirl in and out, like players in a hypnotic dance.
a wonderful piece, Alan.
Thank you

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For the concept, production and the playing. Very cinematic yet also very rock show in parts. Best of both worlds Alan. Music is best when the artist is really trying to tell us about something and you did it here in spades!

Wonderful work!

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Excellent and evocative.

Cheers

Dick

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This is truely impressing and enjoyable music. Njutbart!
Johannes

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the metaphor that you speak of above and the piece of music is beautiful and is in keeping with the inspiration. Very nice work here... much enjoyed, regards M

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Grand orchestral yet it has a pop appeal that one can easily connect with... what a moving theme behind the inspiration.. the blowing wind sound in the background does impart a feeling of the young spirits flown and torn into the wind of the afterlife... I wrote a song about this, too, when my best friend and an adoptive sister both died so young, so this message really tugs at my heartstring.

The poignant message aside, the music altogether is magical.

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What a great instrumental Alan, the way it builds up is real cool. Great guitar playing to, love it!

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Whoa...this was wonderful. I love your description first of all. This song has such an emotional impact on me. I could feel the hesitation, yet conviction of the angels doing their jobs as you described. Thanks Alan, you are very creative. Fantastic job!

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great.The drums sound incredible.Nice composition.

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Great stuff here. I like the way you use occasional discords in a way which doesn't make them sound discordant. Nice melody too! The guitar melts into it seamlessly.

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Let's see, anyone here surprised that Alan wrote such a beautifully conceptualized, well-arranged, superbly produced and moving piece of music, raise your hand. Anyone? Anyone? No one...wait...who's that in the back...wait that's one...oh, you're Alan's ex-girlfriend, well you don't count, get out! Anyone else surprised? No one. I thought as much.

This is just so cool, Alan, but I expect nothing less than cool from you, so you can take that straight to the next time you've got any case of writer's block, a great big pile of pressure, direct from Seattle. ;-)

Like Rebsie, I love the dissonance. It works so beautifully because you're so in control of everything that's going on that there's never any doubt that it's completely intentional and that you're not going to drop us.

Beautiful!

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Dj French Toast - thanks Benny, glad you enjoyed this.
Soulima - thanks - can't we call them "mijors"? ;o)
Kenta & Linda - tack min v�n .. true it's a bit different again for me .. but I (at least) can here some of my usual traits.
drakonis - thanks Eduard. It's true, it has a sentimental touch. That 7s first guitar note is a 7th fret G-string *smirk* harmonic, that I wanted to let ring until it 'frazzled' .. hence the very 'pure' wave form sound ... hmm ..I could bend the neck of the guitar a bit to make it wiggle and be less ambiguous- it comes in very strong .. and was volume track automated to lessen that .. but not enough it seems *doh* :o)
I might consider more variation and extension - but I would inject vocals at the same time to bounce some variation ideas off of (if you see what I mean). Thanks for the detailed comment, appreciate that.
magnatone thanks Karen. Masterpiece? pfft .. I'm glad you enjoy it so much, too kind.
markoo thanks Mark. You were wondering what I would do next .. er .. it was this.. and I have absolutely no idea what I will do next- accept it may be a bit longer in arriving than usual... how about something for a figure skater to skate to? lol...hmm ..*rubs chin*
Vic Holman - some influences on sleeves for sure.. some older .. some newer. Building a song like this always gives that dramatic touch. Thanks Vic.
mikey_d- :o) too kind Mikey .. sent you the piano part score and .mid file for you to muck about with... have fun and thanks for the request, very flattered.
Feter- big cellos always (for me) give that "10538 Overture" touch .. awesome ELO track that. Thanks for the compliments and sorry I couldn't participate actively in MJstock .. I'm recovering from a neck problem... can't play :o(
lengold- by now it would be more surprising if I did something in the same vein huh? lol. Thanks Len - I appreciate you notice my production efforts...I keep learning... it's a tweakers nightmare! lol.
caroline aww bless ..you can always say the rude stuff to me later .. oh wait .. you do! ;o) Plane? It's that tram train from the "tram station" sample .. 'journey' symbolism .. (of course ;o)) . and I like the way it goes "woosh" from R to L .. lol.
J.A.Stewart - it's a fair point .. I should experiment a bit more with some different guitar tones .. kinda got comfy with my standard Les Paul preset I made... and I certainly can try a few more tricks .. was kinda a 'hit or miss' solo .. going for mood .. been experimenting a bit in that area. Oh, the whisky "angels share" ..'tis true .. huge % lost in the (say) min required 8 years .. from all casks .. more than is possible in some island cases for the 3,500 population to account for .. but I agree .. there is for sure some evaporating a bit more than others .. lol. :o)
Allen Dean thanks my friend, I'm glad you enjoyed this one. This marks only the 2nd tune I've written totally from scratch in the time I've been at MJs... so I'm well chuffed it went down well... kallocain and I might re-work this one with some vocals .. certainly give it a go... but I'll leave the instrumental up...I'm happy it works quite well too (in this case) as an instrumental... so we're just dabbling...for fun.
droopthanks to you and Adam. Meant alot. Cheers.
dee1962z I am saddened to hear of your personal loss Dee .. and didn't intend to bring back to anyone such painful memories. I really appreciate your feedback on this... it means alot to me.
kclements thanks - actually I think you are still right .. in the main piano section .. I think the piano is a little bright... but it does get masked a little when the much deeper cellos arrive. The "wind" is in fact fabricated from some TUMI free Ambient loops .. offset to each other and panned L/R .. with the GB 'vocal transformer' FX on . with "chipmunk" and "cartoon falsetto" presets... sounded a little like if you end up in no man's land in "Second Life" (if you know that virtual world).
Always appreciate a newcomer to my music - oh and it's Jampack 4 "orchestral" for all the strings/cellos (JP4 for short - I listed it).
Heightened- thank you very much for your continued support.
guitapick Cheers Bob... job done.
dadai- thanks Jack. I am glad .. I can't really do complicated... without layering.
mcboy thanks mcboy .. I've discovered you can call the odd transient fluff "dissonance" .. sounds like a good excuse to me ;o) lol. Always a hint of Beatles "let it be" in these slower piano thumpers...still i thought more "Coldplay" ... so 3rd generation .. ;o)
davisamerica- Ringo was the only one available .. and I said "no thanks" lol .. thanks for the major compliment .. and put down of your own material .. in one fell swoop .. ;o) .. let's focus on the next 20 years my friend... how many hats have you got?? lol ...
kallocain- Go Fish! hahah ,o) Thanks Niclas ..definitely interested in some of your vocals... and you'll need to see someone about that 'popping' in your head thing :o)
faelin Thank you Jason- glad you enjoyed this... the piano is 'core' and does serve to work around it .. of course the piano part was written first.
MickD Thanks Mick - I'm truly glad you liked the concept .. it was of course somewhat fundamental to this piece. Perhaps I laid it on a 'bit thick'?
DWL Cheers Dick .. I did experiment with some dissonance btw in my "fanfare" recently .. but .. in this it felt safer to go for that in the guitar leads .. where I have a bit more control = have a better clue what I am doing .. lol.
wearenotperfekt Hej Johannes -tack s� mycket .. kidneyful?? ;o) lol
Moviz thanks Maurice- satisfying to know it 'worked' together as a pair.
Leon- thanks very much- saddens me that this venture might (and has) brought back bad times .. I poured much personal emotion into this .. and it means
a lot when that was felt and touched people with similar tragic experiences as yourself. It hopefully has a message of acceptance .. and in that can with luck be a help to 'moving on' with fonder memories in heart. That'll teach me eh? .. ;o) I must get back to some 'pink & fluff' as Caroline puts it - thanks again :o)
dlb Thanks to you Dave- always a little room for improvement- might have a vocal version later.
gail60- thanks Gail, your too kind. I am really glad you expressed your interpretation in words .. I really enjoy reading that... and you put it very well .. hesitation and conviction is a fine way of putting it.
Ibstrat- Thanks- Drumsondemand (DoD) are some darn fine sounding loops... if only they would send me freebies .. ;o)
rebsie- Cheers Rebsie .. I know your not a big fan of the Coldplay thang really ..but I appreciate your other levels of appreciation in an er ..appreciative way .. hmm.. :o)
ledebutant- lol- glad I didn't drop anyone, and thanks for the glowing comment Lisa. I was just amazed at the poor show of hands from X's .. ;o)
Very flattering to be deemed 'cool' and do 'cool' stuff.... hmm .. what did you think of my music for figure skaters idea I had above? Cool? Not cool? ie. take a youtube vid (say) and remove the sound .. then write your own custom soundtrack ..huh? huh? .. where did everyone go? hahahah. (distant shout) .. you can even put in a boing when they fall on their .. :o)


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...this is incredible stuff, Alan. I've listened to a lot of Your great music over the years but this is in the top drawer. Had to listen to it twice in a row. How You build the music around the simple piano in swirling, angry, beautiful harmonies. Truly amazing and truly a great piece of music!
Hats off, people!

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.. appreciate it .. and your kind offer of using some of your artwork as coverart sometime. Glad påsk min vän... har det så bra.

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thanks Morning Light, Texasfeel, Outtaorbit, echoroom, rachelxxx, blakey smith and rally boy .. for being on your favs list. Cheers.

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a very fitting pic indeed.....beautiful piano sound...very elegant....great mix....I don't believe I have anything negative to say here.... love the dynamics at work here....I love how I can here you hittig the keys harder....oh man then the strings drop in....how perfect is that....nice steady rolling groove....killer growl to the bass part....love the dirty guitar that pokes it's way into the mix....and the swirl swells....this moves nicely and efficiently....very pro sounding all the way around....killer job bro....

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Very sweet piano melody. I would suggest to sustain the notes a little longer, I think it will sound fuller. Most of all I'm enchanted by the way you used the strings. That's very tastefully done. Is that midi guitar I hear? Haha, just kidding:-) Very charming track and a pleasure to my ears.
-walt

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I should not but now I did it :) so here I am again lol.
I really love this song...hehehe

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wonderfully interpreted by your composition. I get where you're going and enjoy the ride. Lost more friends to the angels than I care to admit in recent years. This is indeed a moving piece.

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This is a big sound, fab geetar - I'm digging this vibe... very potent.
High-strength,hi-grade just like the cider which no doubt inspired it. Give yourself 80,000 'virtual dollars' and celebrate.

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This is beautifully arranged and played. You paint a wonderful evocative picture with your backstory, but the music alone tells a thousand tales. I love the piano and the strings work nicely. Great dynamics in the arrangement - I like the pauses and shifts in tone and instrumental color. This really is something else. I can see how Brdige to Terabithia would put you in this emotional space - I watched it with my son and found it sad, but beautiful. Kinda like this. Nicely done, my friend. Sorry it's taken me so long to get here! Peace.

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I know I listened to this when it first came out, and i was very impressed. Been too busy I guess. The build up in the beginning is excellent. I kind of think Supertramp's Fools Overture when I hear this, very emotive sound. The piano is the backbone of the tune, and it sounds great.

Thanks
Bill

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the title drew me in... the music stunned me. Reminds me a bit of a God is an Astronaut song I just discovered.

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master strokes here Alan. By the time the plane was landing I was high in the clouds. Brilliant in concept and great execution. Any Roger Hodgson influence with you? Simply incredible progression

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strong very strong stuff... you've turned a perfect phrase here.. "the Angels' Share"... I often will spin the whole lyric out of a phrase that is pregnant with meaning and emotional weight... this certainly, coupled with the musical presentation, brings it home in spades...

deep bow

Scott

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There are a lot of songs here and very few of them have the ability to encompass so much at once time. To me this is a ballad, a story, hope, fear, the end, a new beginning, love, pride, prejudice...(so so many more) rolled into one. The playing is phenomenal and that piano truly carries the song. I think this is a song every one has to hear. Wow man. This is really good.

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Great chords - very unusual and unexpected too.High level of dran achieved n this - really cinematic and passionate.The cello has real bite too.Cheers

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This one is just really ear catching its like you have to listen to it a few times so that you can feel each part fully. Im really into your style man and the chord progressions are fantastic great song!

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.. sorry just missed you in my reply below. Always great to get a new listener, I'm glad your into my style.

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