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Toad Hall (the return)


by

Jim Bouchard

 Genre: Ambient

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Description
Well, I returned to this recent piece armed with the comments that many people made, and so that's why I titled this mix this way. I added the mandolin and guitar real instrument track and a really great pump organ soundfont, as well as an ambient track of some neighbors talking late at night on their back porch. I opened the window to get some air in my studio, and I had a live mic near the window and captured some random conversation. It's pretty quiet but you can hear it at the end, if you can just manage to listen through for the full 8:40+ you'll hear "at the end of the day". This uses most of the original Toad Hall, but because I got rid of the cow and added more marshy sounds and the acoustic instruments, I think it's really pretty different. Again it's meant to be like The Books. There's a guy that posts over at MacIdol called Dion Lee who has been an inspiration with a lot of my ambient stuff. And it was again really fun to put this together.
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Song Stats
Hits: 1147
Comments: 12
Fans: 14
Plays: 53
Downloads: 95
Votes: 9
Uploaded: Aug 20, 2008 - 11:36:24 PM
Last Updated: Aug 20, 2008 - 11:36:24 PM Last Played: Nov 04, 2009 - 02:58:58 PM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Creative Commons

Song Actions
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Hardware:
Taylor GA3 acoustic guitar, Michael Kelly Legacy Plus mandolin, Sterling Audio ST-66 mic, Apogee Duet, Kurzweil KME-61
Software:
Logic Pro 8
Comments
Peter Greenstone said 444 days ago (August 21st, 2008)
great
I really like the changes you made. It's more melodic yet retains that atmospheric texture with all those little delicate earthy sounds. It's more cohesive I think. Really quite beautiful and so very peaceful.
Check out my latest song called From Nothing
Jim Bouchard said 443 days ago (August 22nd, 2008)
Well...
The idea you had for a wheezy instrument playing melodically in commenting on the other version was a big influence in this new one. I tried my old concertina but it's really out of tune and there's not much you can do about that. I tried pitch correcting it but it was just awful. This pump organ sf2 sound is pretty good. I have some friends that have a band that uses a pump organ and it's really a cool instrument, so this version was built around the melody I added on the pump organ. Thanks a lot!
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
jiguma said 444 days ago (August 22nd, 2008)
Jim
The guitar and mandolin add a lot to this - and I sure am glad that the cow couldn't make it to this session!

A very enjoyable post - I imagine it's been a lot of fun to develop this one.

It's rare these days to hear original ideas, and you seem to be full of them in some of your recent posts.

Cheers,
Neil
Check out my latest song called Under My Skin
Jim Bouchard said 443 days ago (August 22nd, 2008)
just noodling around
I guess this is mighty noodle-y, but I got the late night vibe going and just went with it. I meant it to be more minimal in the guitar and mando interaction, but I kept finding little melodic things that I liked. It's going to take me a little while to get my head out of this groove, but thanks for noticing the new stuff I keep experimenting with! You're so supportive and I REALLY appreciate it.
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
Mystified said 442 days ago (August 23rd, 2008)
I like your adventurous and experimental spirit!
It really pays off in this lovely composition.

I love the ambient sounds--the conversations, marshland warblings and the rest. And the 'noodling around' is just what it needs to keep it at a leisurely pace. Really nice. This is the kind of music I could write or draw to.
Perfect!
Check out my latest song called Forever Voyaging (space race 2009)
Jim Bouchard said 441 days ago (August 24th, 2008)
thanks!
I sometimes feel like I experiment a bit just to cover my deteriorating musical skills... oh well, time passes, some things erode and the landscape takes a new shape. I guess that's a form of evolution. Or is it devolution? Are we not men? hahaha, I made myself laugh at my downbeat vision of myself!
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
Rebsie said 441 days ago (August 24th, 2008)
I love this
Seriously impressed with this, Jim. Sounds great in headphones with your skilful use of the full breadth of aural space, so everything sits nicely in its own spot in the mix. So the parts are all separate and all connected at the same time. I love the range of sounds you've used, it's very creative and imaginative. And very evocative too. A really fine piece of work.

I would never have thought of combining mandolins with marshy squelches and distorted Tibetan singing bowls. And even if I had I'd never have been able to pull it off. This is masterly stuff.

I love the casual way you say "... because I got rid of the cow ..." in the song description.
Check out my latest song called Amongst The Colours (w/ Luna Trick)
damiengh said 440 days ago (August 25th, 2008)
What MacJams is all About
This is the just the kind of creative excitement that makes one proud to be a member of this music community.

Totally awed by this work or memory exciter. It conjures up many boyhood images of our youth, nudging us with little hints of sounds from early memories in such a delicate way.

Like that of a summer afternoon sitting in a grandparent's backyard acerage, sipping a lemonade listening to the breeze through the trees, insects in the woods chirping away, staring up at a bird in the sky; a place where time is not thought of.

Just beautiful.


Check out my latest song called Tea and Scones
Ibstrat said 440 days ago (August 25th, 2008)
I haven't
heard the 1st one but this is great.Definitely brings up pleasant images.I love the mandolin track.This is creative stuff.
Check out my latest song called Blues in Bm
IbotenicParadigm said 440 days ago (August 25th, 2008)
Puts me in mind of
Simon Jeffes. Maybe a Penguin Cafe warm up (or down) track. Even though I don't do much of it myself, I'm very sympathetic to music that doesn't 'go anywhere'. A journey is great, but there's a lot of magic in any one moment drawn out a bit.
Good sounds used well.
Check out my latest song called Sunday
Jim Bouchard said 440 days ago (August 25th, 2008)
PCO
I have always loved Penguin Cafe Orchestra, and though I wasn't specifically thinking of them in regards to this piece, I can see what you mean. Thanks for the comparison, I'm very flattered. I could probably make this go somewhere with some more editing and/or focused development, but I think I got the idea that people are responding to this pretty well the way it is.
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
said 440 days ago (August 25th, 2008)
Delightful
well, that was very relaxing....

Not to set you to task - but I thought a didge drone could fit in there somewhere as well

thanks for this...

. - Harold
Epileptic Gibbon said 438 days ago (August 27th, 2008)
I had no headphones
and had to make do with the rubbishy speakers on my work PC but still this definitely worked well for me. I haven't heard the original so cannot compare the two but I like that there is a lot going on. I usually like ambient music to be quite busy, if that makes sense. Anyway, would you be up for letting me play this on my music podcast show?
Check out my latest song called Fiddler Off the Roof w/Komrade K & Caroline
Jim Bouchard said 438 days ago (August 27th, 2008)
thanks!
Please feel free to play this on your music podcast. When do you think that might be? I can make an edit of this if you like as it is really pretty long.
Thanks so much for your consideration!
Check out my latest song called Weather or Not w/awigze
pablatone said 437 days ago (August 28th, 2008)
wow jim
that is very nice. the guitar sounds fantastic. I didn't hear the original either, so I missed the cow, but it's really good without the cow. I think there's a "pop" at around 7:24 I'm not sure what it is. may just be my lame speakers.
Very impressive stuff, thanks for sharin' it.
Check out my latest song called I got a gal
VicDiesel said 427 days ago (September 7th, 2008)
Easy does it
I haven't heard the original, but this version is pretty cool. Gentle picking on that mandolin, with gentle bursts of field recording (?) throughout.

I'll have to play this for the little frog/toad who sits under my window at night. I'm sure he'll love it.


Check out my latest song called Pipe Spring at Dusk
guitapick said 409 days ago (September 25th, 2008)
Love it...
...the pump organ's very cool...takes me to lots of places...real sweet, Jim...
Check out my latest song called Outside the Corral
Artist Info
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Name: Jim Bouchard
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I have been playing music a long time. When I was growing up my brothers had a band called the Regal Tones which was quite popular in our little town in upstate New York State. They got bitten by the music bug and later went on to found the p... [see more]

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Genre Info
Ambient music is a loosely defined musical genre that incorporates elements of a number of different styles - including jazz, electronic music, new age, rock and roll, modern classical music, reggae, traditional, world and even noise.

More songs in Ambient:

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