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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve commented with envy as I listened to a song that featured a fabulously sparse arrangement. So many talented MJ members have posted solo piano pieces. Some vocalists post amazing songs sung a cappella. Still others will post an original vocal accompanied by a single guitar.
I’ve tried to do so. But listening to the playback of my own acoustic guitar playing is so………unsatisfying. Every squeak and rattle makes me cringe. And I’ve never achieved that acoustic guitar recording that didn’t include clear audio of my own breathing. I was always so displeased with the guitar sound I never even bothered to record a vocal track to go with it. Other times I would layer multiple tracks to conceal as many imperfections as possible.
I knew if I issued a two-track challenge it would force me to finally follow through. I couldn’t issue a challenge and then not post something. I also found it comforting knowing several other members would be posting music within the same narrow parameters.
Okay…so now I was committed. So what to post? I went through my file of “orphan chord changes.” I came across this fairly simple set of progressions that I had previously arranged into an equally simple song form. They had yet to be “adopted” by a vocalist so they seemed to have potential. I recorded the guitar part several times using a variety of different instruments including a Les Paul, Taylor steel string acoustic, and my Taylor Nylon string. I decided the nylon string produced the most appropriate tone and was also the instrument on which I found the part easiest to play. I selected the best of several takes and punched in to correct two errors.
Picking out a singer was easy. I was already a big fan of Natalie’s work and we were already working on a yet to be posted collaboration with paddler and scofugate. Not only is Natalie a wonderfully expressive singer. She is also a talented lyricist with a gifted sense of melody. I was aware she had posted 2 track (or even 1 track) songs on her own page consisting of her vocal and acoustic guitar accompaniment. So I knew this was a format she was comfortable working in.
Natalie agreed to adopt my orphan chord changes and quickly turned them into the song we present here.
The final mix was a collaborative effort.
Thank you Natalie! Writing and recording with you is a joy. And thank you for helping me cross a hurdle I just could not do myself.
I’ve tried to do so. But listening to the playback of my own acoustic guitar playing is so………unsatisfying. Every squeak and rattle makes me cringe. And I’ve never achieved that acoustic guitar recording that didn’t include clear audio of my own breathing. I was always so displeased with the guitar sound I never even bothered to record a vocal track to go with it. Other times I would layer multiple tracks to conceal as many imperfections as possible.
I knew if I issued a two-track challenge it would force me to finally follow through. I couldn’t issue a challenge and then not post something. I also found it comforting knowing several other members would be posting music within the same narrow parameters.
Okay…so now I was committed. So what to post? I went through my file of “orphan chord changes.” I came across this fairly simple set of progressions that I had previously arranged into an equally simple song form. They had yet to be “adopted” by a vocalist so they seemed to have potential. I recorded the guitar part several times using a variety of different instruments including a Les Paul, Taylor steel string acoustic, and my Taylor Nylon string. I decided the nylon string produced the most appropriate tone and was also the instrument on which I found the part easiest to play. I selected the best of several takes and punched in to correct two errors.
Picking out a singer was easy. I was already a big fan of Natalie’s work and we were already working on a yet to be posted collaboration with paddler and scofugate. Not only is Natalie a wonderfully expressive singer. She is also a talented lyricist with a gifted sense of melody. I was aware she had posted 2 track (or even 1 track) songs on her own page consisting of her vocal and acoustic guitar accompaniment. So I knew this was a format she was comfortable working in.
Natalie agreed to adopt my orphan chord changes and quickly turned them into the song we present here.
The final mix was a collaborative effort.
Thank you Natalie! Writing and recording with you is a joy. And thank you for helping me cross a hurdle I just could not do myself.
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Lyrics
Am I Getting Through
Does it hurt to watch it fade?
Is every day the same?
and your face
is a blank page
I want to light it up
but I know I'm not enough
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel...you spineless, reckless angel
Does it hurt to hear me say
I may not always feel this way
Am I a fool?
or am I brave?
I want to give this up
I'm falling out of love
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel...you spineless, reckless, angel.
And you say, "stay"
But I won't
Because it hurts
to watch it fade
and every day
is the same
and your face
is a blank page
I want to light it up
but I know I'm not enough
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel, you spineless, reckless angel
Does it hurt to watch it fade?
Is every day the same?
and your face
is a blank page
I want to light it up
but I know I'm not enough
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel...you spineless, reckless angel
Does it hurt to hear me say
I may not always feel this way
Am I a fool?
or am I brave?
I want to give this up
I'm falling out of love
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel...you spineless, reckless, angel.
And you say, "stay"
But I won't
Because it hurts
to watch it fade
and every day
is the same
and your face
is a blank page
I want to light it up
but I know I'm not enough
Am I getting through?
Am I getting through?
Angel, Angel, you spineless, reckless angel
bronco
Not much to say except this is really beautiful in that quiet contemplative way that I love so much. Good choice of singer, Natalie does superb job. But to put down your guitar playing when this is so good? Wonderful song Andrew. You can do it all. Full production with a lot of people or just two it all works. Talented man.