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Description:
A song for my daughter, Kerry Anne- 2001-2003 I wrote this song when she was born and it took on greater significance when we lost her in June 2003.
This is not the finished product. Ideally I want this song to be flawed and perfect at the same time, much as Kerry was. Therefore I am asking for suggestions to help with the production of this song. Please let me know how I might get the best sound from this.
Thank you!
Lyrics:
Lying there so precious and small
I close my eyes and take in it all
You are so beautiful,
You are my angel, Kerry my angel
Heaven sent, from above
With every breath you give me love
and you don't know how precious you are
You are my angel
Kerry, my angel
Sleep little baby
close your eyes
I will protect you through the night
God is watching over you
Sees your smile and I know it's true
He will protect and keep you well
For you are my angel
Kerry my Angel
Sleep little baby
Don't you cry
I will protect you
through the night
Lying there so precious and small
I close my eyes and take in it all
Who knows what tomorrow will bring
but you are my everything
I will protect and keep you well
for You are my angel
Kerry my angel
Kerry my angel
Hardware:
Washburn Accoustic, Marshall MXL 990 condenser mic, M-Audio MobilePre, built-in mic (one track), PB G4 1.5,
Software:
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Nice &mdash 01/18/05 - 08:58:39 AM
Sounds nice. I like that guitar 12 sound. Which might be a
chorus effect.
I like your voicing, you have a very in-tune voice.
You know what I think would be neat, at that last "ah" in
the song, maybe overlay it and make it stronger. Maybe
more than one overlay in harmony.
Thanks for sharing! [ Reply to This ]
Nice &mdash 01/18/05 - 09:06:57 PM
Thanks for the comment. I agree with you on the last ahh. Most of the tracks
were laid down last night (the exception being the strummed guitar and one
the primary melody track) and were basically one-take improvisations. Truth
is, I was messing around with my new mic and interface...this being the song
I bought them for specifically. As it is, I like the general direction the song is
going although I didn't plan it this way.
The guitar you hear is a six string recorded with the condenser mic using the
accoustic guitar echoes mode in GB. [ Reply to This ]
Chills &mdash 01/18/05 - 01:03:11 PM
The song gave me chills. It was very heartfelt and I like
your harmonies. Great job. Thanks for putting something
very personal to you for the rest of us to hear. [ Reply to This ]
Chills &mdash 01/18/05 - 09:12:08 PM
Thank you so much! I really fought internally deciding if posting this was
the right thing to do being it is so personal. I am glad you enjoyed it. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for sharing &mdash 01/18/05 - 05:42:18 PM
It's a very sweet song and I really like the chorus. It
sounds like the tempo wanders around a bit though.
What an adorable picture. It hit me harder than I would
have expected when I read that you had lost her. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for sharing &mdash 01/18/05 - 09:21:23 PM
Kerry was an amazing child. I'm always willing to talk about her and her
struggles and especially her triumphs! Thank you for the kind words.
As far as the tempo goes- yes, it does stray, especially noticable during the
guitar intro. In part because the metronome was at a different tempo than I
was determined to play. Partly because I'm not a very good guitar player. I will
certainly be working on fixing that issue! [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for sharing &mdash 01/18/05 - 11:13:44 PM
I find using a strong simple drum loop works better than the metranome. It's
easier to hear and follow. [ Reply to This ]
Thanks for sharing &mdash 01/19/05 - 04:56:30 AM
I'm Glad You Posted This &mdash 01/19/05 - 05:29:57 AM
As I suspected from the snippet I heard at work yesterday,
this is a fine song. I don't mind the wavering time, but I'll
second Peter's suggestion, I've used drum loops when I
record my vocals, even if the loop doesn't appear in the
final version of the song. [ Reply to This ]
I'm Glad You Posted This &mdash 01/19/05 - 08:02:47 AM
From the heart &mdash 01/21/05 - 02:48:11 PM
Wonderful song. Good lyrics, phrasing and vocal
reproduction. You sing with energy. Nice harmonies.
There are moments when your voice cries out to the
heavens. I feel for you. I am so sorry for your loss.
The guitar effect might be improved. Too low in volume
and too much reverb and metal effect in the intro and in
the breaks. It's OK when the voice overlays the git.
I look forward to the imperfectly polished version.
8777 [ Reply to This ]
From the heart &mdash 01/21/05 - 03:19:58 PM
Thank you for the kind words!
I'm hoping to begin the re-work of this piece over the weekend and will definitely be experimenting with guitar sound. Thanks for the suggestion regarding reverb and volume...gives me a great place to start! [ Reply to This ]
Lovely song &mdash 01/22/05 - 10:51:07 AM
Lovely guitar sound, and the harmonies are beautiful.
Whatever changes you might make to this song in the
future, you should always keep a copy of this version.
It sounds so heartfelt and true.
Aside from the song, I think it's brilliant that you are
able to talk about Kerry and share your personal
tributes to her with the rest of us. I don't think many
people could hear this song and not be touched by it. [ Reply to This ]
Lovely song &mdash 01/22/05 - 11:44:37 AM
Thank you, Rebsie. The more I listen to this version the more I hear the flaws
and the more I like it. When I re-do this I will start from scratch but will
absolutely keep this one. My wife has also requested me to make a version
without harmonies (just me and my guitar) the way it was written...naturally I
will oblige! Kerry was an amazing child who touched many with her beautiful
smile and great attitude...despite of all her obstacles! [ Reply to This ]
Hard to listen to but nicely done &mdash 01/25/05 - 09:24:19 PM
Thank you for sharing your loss as you share your
talent..I'm certainly moved. Nice song....good harmonies
and instrumental balance. [ Reply to This ]
Production ideas &mdash 01/25/05 - 09:44:21 PM
These are only ideas so I hope they can contribute in your
overal quest. In the beginning, tighten up the strumming
guitars with tempo..but maintain the live feel....do the
same with vocals (I only heard a couple of small spots).
Experiment with different global settings in the Master
track (i.e. aumulti channel compression-ambient). One
neat thing I discovered by accident is that you can click all
those cool buttons while the song is playing to hear the
way the program changes it. Nice work Adam, very nice. [ Reply to This ]
heartfelt &mdash 01/26/05 - 08:13:08 PM
wonderful song, lyrics & performance. there is a sweet
honesty about this song that shines through from start to
finish. so very sorry about your loss, & thank you for
sharing the memory of your little angel with us [ Reply to This ]
heartfelt &mdash 01/26/05 - 08:54:38 PM
Thank you! She was an amazing, inspiring child. Sharing this song and her
story has been very therapeutic. I'm grateful to have found such a supportive
community in which to share. [ Reply to This ]
A sweet, beautiful song... &mdash 01/27/05 - 09:18:01 PM
..and I don't know how on earth to critique it! Such a
tribute stands on its own, and the honesty of it is what
makes it what it is--beautiful.
Now, putting on my 'critical-listening' hat, I'll offer
my opinion, since you wanted suggestions. First off, I love
the harmonies (but then, look who is saying that, lol). The
only thing I might try is to set the main voice a little
'in front' over them, or find a way to soften their
brightness a little. I, too, really like the way you've ended
the song and think a lengthened "ahhh" with overlaying
harmonies would be excellent.
Lovely song :)
[ Reply to This ]
After four trys... &mdash 02/06/05 - 09:04:28 AM
...I can finally comment. I wanted to leave a comment on
this for awhile, but I couldn't get through the song. I have
a soft spot for kids to begin with, and I almost lost a
daughter when she was 1. She lost a kidney in the ordeal,
but 14 years later she's doing great.
OK, the tempo on the guitar has been mentioned, I second
(or third) Peter's suggestion on a simple drum loop. I've
actually made a midi loop with 3 beats of clicks and a bell
on the forth beat to help cue chord changes. I like the
vocals a lot. Nicely done and all in key. I would consider
adding more reverb to the backing vocals to put more
behind the lead. This last one is a matter of individual
taste, I suppose, but I think intimacy of the song needs a
cleaner, "honest" sound from the guitar. From the looks
of it you have some good equipment and should be able
to get a real good clean recording with the mic 6-8 inches
from the guitar. At least listen to it with minimal effects
(reverb and a touch of echo) to see if you like it.
Take care and good luck!
JG [ Reply to This ]
After four trys... &mdash 02/06/05 - 09:55:06 AM
Jimmy- First of all I'm glad your daughter is doing so well! Secondly, thank
you for your suggestions and comments. I'm so amazed at the helpful
feedback everyone has offered. This truly is a special community!
One thing I struggle with is timing with my guitar playing. Being self taught
without the ability to read music and stay in tempo does have its
disadvantages. I like the idea of the loop you created... could you do one for
this song? Every song I write is all done on feel... I have no concept of time
signatures or what the beats per minute is so finding the right drum beat has
been difficult to say the least. [ Reply to This ]
After four trys... &mdash 02/07/05 - 12:45:56 AM
Adam, I locked up at 114 BPM in the middle of the song (when you got into
the flow) for a good 4 measures. I've made a couple of loops (bell, rim, rim,
rim and bell, rim, bell, rim) for you. Send me an e-mail and I'll reply with the
loops. Or if you are handy with editing midi, you ca do one yourself. You
might go with the bell, rim, bell, rim since in your song you do the chord
change on beats 1 and 3 so the bell would signal a chord change.
JG
---
"And in the end the love you take is equal to the love you make" -- Beatles [ Reply to This ]
Inspiration! &mdash 02/06/05 - 11:46:30 AM
I can see you had so much inspiration to do the piece and
it is great as it is. The flaws keep it human. I don't review
alot of vocal pieces - not being a good judge of voices (I
like Dylan and Neil Young...not technical vocal masters!),
but this flows very well. [ Reply to This ]
Inspiration! &mdash 02/15/05 - 07:09:05 PM
Thanks for listen and comment. I'm also a fan of both of those guys- living
proof that you don't have to be perfect technically to make great music. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice. &mdash 02/06/05 - 11:50:33 AM
I'm not always good with words, so let's just say this was a very good and very touching tune. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice. &mdash 02/15/05 - 07:14:17 PM
Honest and pure &mdash 02/07/05 - 11:04:05 PM
It's a wonderful song and a fantastic tribute. Your story
touched me deeply, and the song really brought it home.
Great vocals, heartfelt lyrics, lovely harmonies. I'll the
others give tips and pointers. All I can do is wish you the
best and tell you that you have a marvelous song here. [ Reply to This ]
Honest and pure &mdash 02/15/05 - 07:18:24 PM
Thank you, Joanna, for listening to the song. While it's a very personal song I
am glad to have been able to share with you. [ Reply to This ]
aw, man! &mdash 02/15/05 - 08:32:37 PM
Why did you have to do this to me? Here, you go and
leave a comment on my tune, so I had to check you
out. Naturally, I check out the higher rated song...
All I can say is that I got three kids myself and I
almost started crying... Apart from that, I loved the
rich guitar and layered vocals. The looseness of the
song made it more human. There's no need to
make this sound "perfect". I like it as is. [ Reply to This ]
aw, man! &mdash 02/15/05 - 10:20:54 PM
Hey Stun. Thanks for the comment. It has taken me a while to come to my
senses but I really do like the way this song came together. This was one of
those songs that just comes to you- took me about a 1/2 hour to write the
day after Kerry was born and was still in the hospital, her future uncertain
even then. When I recorded this last month every track was spontaneous and
also all first takes. I don't think I could replicate this if I tried. So while I may
decide to try a more "polished" version down the road, this version has turned
out to be the "perfectly flawed" song I was looking for. Again, thank you! [ Reply to This ]
My first post &mdash 02/21/05 - 01:11:22 PM
I only found this website yesterday. Hearing your song
and the story behind it brought a tear to my eye. I don't
think thats happened to me on the internet before. Great
song just the way it is. God bless. All the best songs
come from the heart. [ Reply to This ]
My first post &mdash 02/22/05 - 04:40:44 AM
Mutley- Welcome to MacJams. I'm honored that you chose my song as your
first post!
Thank you for the kind words... they are much appreciated! [ Reply to This ]
Healing medicine &mdash 02/24/05 - 09:44:24 AM
Thank you for sharing your love and loss. What an angel she is. I know it's
hard to make public something that is so private, and I know talking about
your loss is easier than putting out the music, but healing comes in many
ways, and music is the medicine of the universe. Your song can be just the
thing for someone who is suffering, painful yet beneficial in so many ways.
Before my wife passed in 1999, we shared that the only thing more difficult
would be if one of the kids (then 4 and 6) would be in this position, my heart
goes out to you.
By the way, I checked out this post after you left a comment on my last song,
and I'm so glad I did. Aloha
---
Buddy, ya gotta eat your elephants one bite at a time. [ Reply to This ]
sweet &mdash 02/24/05 - 04:58:14 PM
Just listened to it again &mdash 03/09/05 - 12:51:22 PM
I have a young one too &mdash 05/17/05 - 11:38:12 AM
Very nice toon...I have a two year old girl and I'll have to
play this sweet toon for her... [ Reply to This ]
Very nice piece &mdash 10/19/05 - 10:13:40 PM
I'm very sorry for your loss. I can see how you find greater significance
in it now. Carry my angel, Kerry my Angel. [ Reply to This ]
Very nice piece &mdash 10/20/05 - 06:53:45 PM
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chorus effect.
I like your voicing, you have a very in-tune voice.
You know what I think would be neat, at that last "ah" in
the song, maybe overlay it and make it stronger. Maybe
more than one overlay in harmony.
Thanks for sharing!
[ Reply to This ]