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This is my first post in over a year and a half. It's been a rough 2013 and frankly the title says it all. This is the year I have to find myself… Not sure how I'm gonna do that but it is what must be done. I am still searching...
Find Yourself by Dajama had been uploaded about two weeks before I joined Macjams. I was still a newbie struggling to find my way around and one day I ventured into the forums and there was a post about cool songs and Composer Clark recommended "Find Yourself" by Dajama. So I went over and took a listen and I have never been the same!
It was this song that made me realize that MacJams encapsulates musicians that I personally think are far better than the crap being signed these days by the big labels. I use this song as my "high-bar". IE if I can ever write and record a song this good I'll die a happy man.
The original by Dajama has it all. Great guitar work, awesome lyrics, superb vocals and a sound that just makes you come back and listen again and again.
I'm not very good at my own music and the thought of trying to cover someone else's music is terrifying. But over the years I've come to know Dajama and love his work so I took a chance and asked if he would mind if I gave it a shot. Surprisingly he
said sure!
I know I'll never come close to the original so this is my feeble attempt to cover a MacJams classic:
Find Yourself
http://www.macjams.com/song/39692
About my version:
First go and listen, fav, and comment on Dajama's original version. It deserves far more attention than it has received!
I decided I wanted to go for a big acoustic sound without losing the original character of the song. I also decided that I could never come up with a better guitar lead than the original song so I did my best to replicate the lead. I fell pretty far short but it was the best I could do after about 20,000 takes!
I also have been watching far too much of The Voice because I thought I could just sing. Yet every time I tried I realized just how awful I really am. (sigh)...
On this song:
6 acoustic guitar tracks using my 1978 Ovation Balladier and a Seymour Duncan pickup.
During the start there is one picking track and one strum track.
Then during the fuller parts of the song there are are left and right doubled strum tracks (4 tracks total)
3 lead electric guitar tracks through Line6 Pod Farm
1 accent electric guitar track in the choruses also through Line6 Pod Farm
1 picked electric guitar track for the exit heavily effected through Line6 Pod Farm
2 organ tracks for fullness and to add to the middle verse sound
1 Electric bass track hand played on my Yamaha electric bass
1 Piano track during the first verse and remainder of the tune
1 Drum track - Midi drums patterned after a popular pattern with a few custom breaks and changes
5 Vocal tracks - I'm a horrible singer so I needed the support!
(1 Vocal track containing Expresso Cat trills and purrs *** see below)
I am deeply indebted to Dajama for letting me hack up his killer tune and also to alackbass (Andrew) for some critical and constructive early listens to help make this as good as it good be. Thank you Dajama and Andrew! You guys are the best!
Lastly, I am hoping for Dajama's return soon to MacJams. He is alive and well but extremely busy with life. I hope he finds the time to come back soon. The place is simply not the same without a regular Dajama post!
The Expresso Cat Track:
During probably my best vocal take out of about 12,000 tries my expresso colored cat decided it was time either to tell me how much she hated my singing or perhaps that she was overdue for a treat. She is a very vocal cat and trills all the time to announce her presence. During the take she hopped up on the back of my shoulders and trilled away in a happy little kitten voice, her trills rolling in to a gentle cat meow.
I being the dedicated amateur musician kept right on singing!
The doorbell rang after I finished the take luckily and I forgot about the possible cat trills. It wasn't until I was going through each track trying to eq down the Sssss sounds that I listened to my take and heard "purrrrrrrt purrrrreeeeow…." and some purring. Well it was too good of a take on my part to worry about so I just left it in. Luckily it is during some of the louder parts of the music so you really can't hear it but made me smile! My expresso cat has a track!
Here is the expresso cat:
Find Yourself by Dajama had been uploaded about two weeks before I joined Macjams. I was still a newbie struggling to find my way around and one day I ventured into the forums and there was a post about cool songs and Composer Clark recommended "Find Yourself" by Dajama. So I went over and took a listen and I have never been the same!
It was this song that made me realize that MacJams encapsulates musicians that I personally think are far better than the crap being signed these days by the big labels. I use this song as my "high-bar". IE if I can ever write and record a song this good I'll die a happy man.
The original by Dajama has it all. Great guitar work, awesome lyrics, superb vocals and a sound that just makes you come back and listen again and again.
I'm not very good at my own music and the thought of trying to cover someone else's music is terrifying. But over the years I've come to know Dajama and love his work so I took a chance and asked if he would mind if I gave it a shot. Surprisingly he
said sure!
I know I'll never come close to the original so this is my feeble attempt to cover a MacJams classic:
Find Yourself
http://www.macjams.com/song/39692
About my version:
First go and listen, fav, and comment on Dajama's original version. It deserves far more attention than it has received!
I decided I wanted to go for a big acoustic sound without losing the original character of the song. I also decided that I could never come up with a better guitar lead than the original song so I did my best to replicate the lead. I fell pretty far short but it was the best I could do after about 20,000 takes!
I also have been watching far too much of The Voice because I thought I could just sing. Yet every time I tried I realized just how awful I really am. (sigh)...
On this song:
6 acoustic guitar tracks using my 1978 Ovation Balladier and a Seymour Duncan pickup.
During the start there is one picking track and one strum track.
Then during the fuller parts of the song there are are left and right doubled strum tracks (4 tracks total)
3 lead electric guitar tracks through Line6 Pod Farm
1 accent electric guitar track in the choruses also through Line6 Pod Farm
1 picked electric guitar track for the exit heavily effected through Line6 Pod Farm
2 organ tracks for fullness and to add to the middle verse sound
1 Electric bass track hand played on my Yamaha electric bass
1 Piano track during the first verse and remainder of the tune
1 Drum track - Midi drums patterned after a popular pattern with a few custom breaks and changes
5 Vocal tracks - I'm a horrible singer so I needed the support!
(1 Vocal track containing Expresso Cat trills and purrs *** see below)
I am deeply indebted to Dajama for letting me hack up his killer tune and also to alackbass (Andrew) for some critical and constructive early listens to help make this as good as it good be. Thank you Dajama and Andrew! You guys are the best!
Lastly, I am hoping for Dajama's return soon to MacJams. He is alive and well but extremely busy with life. I hope he finds the time to come back soon. The place is simply not the same without a regular Dajama post!
The Expresso Cat Track:
During probably my best vocal take out of about 12,000 tries my expresso colored cat decided it was time either to tell me how much she hated my singing or perhaps that she was overdue for a treat. She is a very vocal cat and trills all the time to announce her presence. During the take she hopped up on the back of my shoulders and trilled away in a happy little kitten voice, her trills rolling in to a gentle cat meow.
I being the dedicated amateur musician kept right on singing!
The doorbell rang after I finished the take luckily and I forgot about the possible cat trills. It wasn't until I was going through each track trying to eq down the Sssss sounds that I listened to my take and heard "purrrrrrrt purrrrreeeeow…." and some purring. Well it was too good of a take on my part to worry about so I just left it in. Luckily it is during some of the louder parts of the music so you really can't hear it but made me smile! My expresso cat has a track!
Here is the expresso cat:
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peacepiano
Great work Mark. Your hard work really pays off. Very high production standards here. Why aren't you and dajama filling up the radio waves? Thanks.