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Dad's March IV


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Description
Happy Birthday Dad!

I didn't think I would be able to finish this piece with all the traveling and not having my full kit of musical tools (and CPU horsepower) on the road. The arrangement and mix is a little rusty but it hopefully will get your toes tapping for a while until I get home and can improve it a bit. I hope you have a great birthday.

General notes:

The first and (repeated) final marches are original, I think, and the mid section is the song "The Maple Leaf Forever" transcribed from memory. It was written by Alexander Muir (1830–1906) in 1867 the year of Canada's confederation. It is arranged (hastily I might add) for a concert band setting, hence fewer drums and the use of double reed woodwinds.

To all of the MacJammers, I have been away since late April and won't be home until July so my attendance in listening to your posts here is less than spotty. I hope to catch up later in the summer.

Best to all,
Doug

Photo by: Pte Jean-François Carpentier Canadian Forces Support Unit (Ottawa) Photo Services, www.militaryphotos.net
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Lyrics
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Song Stats
Hits: 751
Comments: 22
Fans: 16
Plays: 63
Downloads: 26

Uploaded: Jun 13, 2012 - 08:47:24 AM
Last Updated: Jun 13, 2012 - 08:47:24 AM Last Played: Apr 15, 2013 - 12:46:02 PM
Song License
Creative Commons License:
Attribution-NoDerivs-NonCommercial

Creative Commons

Song Actions
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Keywords:
Birthday (26), March (35)
Hardware:
MacBook Pro, M-Audio Keystation mini 32
Software:
Logic Pro, Kontakt 4, Play, EWQL Symphonic Orchestra, Jam Pack Orchestra
Comments
PaulaMunk said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
I've
got my furry hat and baton ready. Love it, Mr. Souza! Doesn't need much tweaking. Forward, March!
Check out my latest song called Alone at Christmas
Doug Somers said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Furry hat club
Thanks Char, you are most welcome to march anywhere you need to go if this little tune helps in the motivation!

Appreciate you stopping by! Thanks for the comments and keep well,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Bowman said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
I love
marches and yours never disappoint. Listening to this brings back memories of summers, leisure walks on green lawns with friends, listening to a band playing buoyant and nostalgic marches.

It's pure Americana and hey Canada's American too right? Just wish it were longer but still a joy to hear.
Be well my friend,
Charlie

Check out my latest song called RADIANT FLESH (take 2)
Doug Somers said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Green lawns and band music
I would say that for summer bandshell music, Americana and Canadiana have a lot in common.

I would have loved to make this a little longer but time doesn't allow. Maybe when I get home to the studio I will have another go. Or I might just finish some of the other ideas I've had while in France.

Thanks for sharing your reaction to the piece Charlie. All the best,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
paul f. page said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Just beautiful.
I feel like I'm out in a small-town park and a local band is entertaining. I continue to marvel at the authenticity of the instruments you are using. ... That second reiteration of the theme with the flute solo is perfect and provides a well-placed (and well-mixed) contrast with the opening exposition. I wonder if an extended "dog fight" is in order here. It would lengthen the number and give you the opportunity to explore your thematic material a bit more. Nevertheless, this is such a marvelous romp and just so well written. I enjoyed every moment of it.
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Doug Somers said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Small town band shell
I am glad you like this one Paul, and that you think the instruments sound authentic. I actually only did the trumpets and trombones with decent samples and the rest with Logic instruments. Pulling in samples from a slow compact USB drive is not an easy task without getting into access latency issues.

Thanks for the comments on how the piece evolved and the orchestration in the development. As I mentioned to Charlie, I would do a longer version but maybe in the future after I get back into the studio. I also was working to the deadline of my Dad's birthday so given my free time I kept this opus to the point :).

Thanks for your detailed and supportive comments Paul!
Be well,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
abzwork said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Dad's March IV..
Yes...its wonderful here,I'm reminded of my hometown's annual Fireman's parade..it was the biggest and best...always came home smiling..enjoyed every note...:):):)peace
Check out my latest song called As Soon As"
Doug Somers said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
Thanks abz
It's a little different than Cosmic Transport but then that was the intent - every year for the last 4 years I've made my dad a new march for his birthday. There can be something uplifting about marches for sure. Thanks for your kind words and I hope you get back for another fireman's parade some time.

Be well,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Vic Holman said 342 days ago (June 13th, 2012)
march band
a couple weeks ago the nearby high school was marching and playing through the neighborhood for several evenings straight. sure brings back the visual of them marching by the house
Check out my latest song called Darkest Skies
Doug Somers said 336 days ago (June 19th, 2012)
Ring side seats
That's pretty cool to have the band march right by your place (I hope they were good and it was a pleasant experience!). No such luck where I live - it is a really quiet old neighbourhood.

Thanks for sharing your comments and support!
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Jarvoid said 341 days ago (June 14th, 2012)
"is a little rusty"
which is never good news for a band of any metal ,silver,brass or heavy !!

I think you do yourself an injustice I am marching away in me chair ,almost wheeling my way round the room,love marches ,love bands of this nature....its a sure fire hit for me !!

Jarvoid
Doug Somers said 336 days ago (June 19th, 2012)
Chair marching
Hi Jarvo. I guess I'll have to make an even more stirring piece of music to get you up out of your chair to do the marching!! On the other hand, wheeling around is probably pretty fun too.

I'll watch for that rust on the brass instruments too :) I've been there with corrosion on my trumpet and it was not pretty.

Cheers
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Feter said 340 days ago (June 15th, 2012)
March
Sir , you did a marvelous work
Check out my latest song called Roll with it
Doug Somers said 336 days ago (June 19th, 2012)
Hello Feter
Sir, you do me an honour. I'm so glad you liked this.

Peace my friend,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Philip18 said 339 days ago (June 16th, 2012)
Dad's march
Stirring music. Excellent example of the marching ban genre. I enjoyed listening!
Doug Somers said 330 days ago (June 25th, 2012)
All stirred up
Thanks Philip. My annual revisitation of this genre which is always a lot of fun.

Glad you liked it sir!
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Les_Kloo said 338 days ago (June 18th, 2012)
Dad's March IV
Captured. Incredible. Humble bow to you, sir. Enjoy the rest of your travels.
Check out my latest song called SugarBubbleWater
Doug Somers said 330 days ago (June 25th, 2012)
Mr. Kloo
Great to have you stop by and thanks for such warm and enthusiastic words about this little ditty. I really appreciate it!

Travels here are drawing to a close this week and will be back home in the studio next Sunday.

Keep well,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
Sigmund said 336 days ago (June 19th, 2012)
Dad's March
Very festive! I'm impressed with the quality of the instrumentation on this piece Doug. It will be interesting to see what you can do with the proper tools! I enjoyed!
Sig
Doug Somers said 330 days ago (June 25th, 2012)
Festive
Thanks Sigmund, I appreciate your comments about the instrumentation and overall feel. My MacBook Pro is a little long in the tooth and with samples on an external USB 2 disk it is easily swamped by pulling in many tracks of Kontakt or Play instruments. Back home I plan to have a go with the Mac Pro where things are a little more powerful in both CPU power and disk access speed.

All the best,
Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
richard13 said 211 days ago (October 22nd, 2012)
Happy belated birthday to your dad!
What a wonderful annual treat for him (at least, I assume it's a treat: it is for us) and what a good son you are. I have somewhere a march which I never uploaded and I'm glad I didn't: your instruments and orchestration are so much better. I look forward to hearing a lengthier remix. Cheers.
Check out my latest song called Caledonia
Doug Somers said 202 days ago (October 31st, 2012)
That's very kind of you!
So you have a march too eh? If you ever want it put through my orchestral package I'd be happy to produce it with you.

Thanks for your support Richard!

Doug
Check out my latest song called The Asteroid [Doom2012]
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Name: Doug Somers
Location: Ottawa Ontario Canada
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I make music for pleasure, usually using a computer to create soundscapes around all kinds of music. I used to jam with a local celtic group, playing bodhran and 12 string guitar, but I find that my technical and live performance skills fall short o... [see more]

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