Good enough?

[Lars68]

I just finished a new version of the song below. It's one I have posted some horrible versions of here in the past. The song means a lot to me. It's about a time when my mother was very ill, and eventually passed away way too young. I'd would like her friends and our relatives to hear the song, but I'm not sure it is of good enough quality as it stands right now. They don't know that I play and write, but there is a gathering coming up, and I feel it could be the right time to play it. What do you think?

 

 

Lars

 

By the way, the main guitar is a Martin D-18 and the second guitar is a tiny 1938 Kalamazoo KG 3/4 Sport in Nashville tuning.

[62burst]

It's coming from the heart- how could it not be good enough?

 

 

Have to also say; your note-holding ability is seriously good here. . . don't know if you changed keys, or if you're drawing from deep inside the subject matter, but it wasn't the reverb talking, which was nicely put way back in the mix.

 

ps- cool avatar on the SoundCloud track page.

[flatbaroque]

Very good.

I think you could play that for relatives without hesitation.I was really enjoying the main guitar and then hearing some other little bits of colour.I didn't realise till I reread your post about the Nashville tuned Kalamazoo.Subtle but effective.

[uncle fester]

I think it's good enough, good for you!

 

I've been banging away on a guitar for 25 yrs... finally at the point i want to put it in front of people, and all of a sudden vocals become important as well. Think i'm ready to go - but feel a bit hesitant. I'm routing you on and waiting to hear stories of glory. My issue is getting my vocals loud enough over the guitar - any tips?

 

PS - my personal opinion is to help it go well, i'd hand out t-shirts and lighters - and have a big 'standing ovation' sign ready to hold up at the appropriate time.

[Lars68]

I appreciate the kind words and encouragement. I wrote this song maybe a year and half ago, and I have been struggling to sing it ever since. My father and my sister don't know I write songs, and I hope they would want to hear this one, since we share the subject matter.

 

By the way, I would never have the nerve to play it live in front of people. What I am considering is playing this recorded version.

 

The key is the same as in previous, not so successful, version. I have been practicing my singing, and i'm getting better, but still a ways to go, though...

 

Lars

 

PS I strum with my tumb on this song. I find that a good way to match a soft voice and guitar.

['Scales]

 

...my personal opinion is to help it go well, i'd hand out t-shirts and lighters - and have a big 'standing ovation' sign ready to hold up at the appropriate time.

 

Don't forget some lacy women's underwear to hang from the mic stand to encourage throwing of similar.

 

(ps Good on ya Lars. Not something I'd personally play to my family in that situation as too directly descriptive, but that may be a cultural thing)

[MorrisrownSal]

I admire your persistence. Pitch is well mate. Proud of you.

So very sad though. So sad. And I relate. One sister of mine had cancer in 2016. Both my parents had it this year. My youngest sister also just had a double mastectomy two weeks ago. What a fecking year.

Allow me to go against the grain here though. I think your song is deeply personal, and very dark, and very painful. So while I think musically everything about it is fine, I fear for you playing it years after your mums passing... to a group of her family and friends. Of course they will think you wrote and played a deeply moving and personal song... and they will be moved. but perhaps they might want to not remember the pain of her ending.. but the happy of her life. Just a thought passed to you with the greatest of intentions and affection.

Ya dig?

 

 

[george wooden]

I admire your persistence. Pitch is well mate. Proud of you.

So very sad though. So sad. And I relate. One sister of mine had cancer in 2016. Both my parents had it this year. My youngest sister also just had a double mastectomy two weeks ago. What a fecking year.

Allow me to go against the grain here though. I think your song is deeply personal and very dark, and very painful. So while I think musically everything about it is fine, I fear for you playing it years after your mums passing... to a group of her family and friends. Of course, they will think you wrote and played a deeply moving and personal song... and they will be moved. but perhaps they might want to not remember the pain of her ending.. but the happy of her life. Just a thought passed to you with the greatest of intentions and affection.

Ya, dig?

 

I am agreeing with Sal on this question. Move in the direction of the light she brought to a question, the blessings she left you with, her guidance and love she shared. These are the sweet savor we wish to remember all our loved-ones with. Each family member can deal with the darkness and pain on their own time. You don't need to cast a dark cloud over a family gathering. I don't know how much time you have to pen another song but, if you are in a time crunch then record one of her favorites and amaze them with that for now and save your songwriting for another special occasion

[blindboygrunt]

Yip

Sals right .

[Lars68]

Thank you, Sal. Thank you! You are absolutely right. I have played the song for so long that I now only listen for bad pitch or poor timing. I am aware of the subject matter, of course, but did not realize the impact it might have on fresh listeners. This was never the case of me wanting to "show off" my songwriting, but more me feeling that relatives and friends should know it exists. I'm thinking mostly about my father and my sister, I guess.

 

I'm very glad you guys think the song is musically allright. However, I will take Sals advice and not play the song at the coming gathering. Thanks for your honesty Sal, and I'm sad to hear about cancer and your family. It's a horrible desease.

 

I will think long and hard on how, and if at all, I should share the song within the closest family. Not so sure anymore that it is the right thing to do...

 

Lars

 

P.S. what a great forum this is!

[uncle fester]

ok - so hearing the comments, i went back and listened again a bit more closely to the words.

 

On quality alone, i think it's perfectly fine to share. But I agree it's not a happy song, and my question comes down to intent. Do you want to let them know how you felt during that time, or do you want to show them your musical chops. If it's the first, i would go with it, but be ready for mixed reactions (and probably have a plan in mind if people get sad over it, how you would want to turn it around). if it's to show your music skills - maybe see if you've got something a little more up beat (albeit probably less personal) that you could share.

 

My 2 cents, i like your work - now it's just a matter of figuring out what message you want to send. One thought, where you said you'd play the recording - but didn't have the nerve to play live - how about if you did something w/o singing. I"m old, fat - not too pretty to look at, and my musical prowess is an acquired taste. but i found family forgive a lot, and get a lot of support when i break out the guitar to show something i've been working on (usually a 2 - 3 min something, but it works for me)

 

Good luck in your venture.

[Mr. Paul]

What a powerful composition, Lars. It would very difficult to share it if I were in your position, but you might want to consider playing an instrumental version after explaining your inspiration for writing it. You say they don't know you play. It might be the right time to share with the family something that has been very important to you.

[kelly campbell]

I think it sounds fine, well done Sir. I would play it for them if you feel comfortable in doing so. Great job. Sorry for your loss.

[Leonard McCoy]

Just do whatever. If you want to sing out, sing out. That's the kindest advice I can give to a tone deaf.

[Lars68]

Just do whatever. If you want to sing out, sing out. That's the kindest advice I can give to a tone deaf.

 

If that is your kindest advice, please send me a helmet for protection, should you ever decide to share one of your more mean pieces of advice..

 

Lars

[Leonard McCoy]

If that is your kindest advice, please send me a helmet for protection, should you ever decide to share one of your more mean pieces of advice..

 

Lars

Mine is in fact the kindest, most heartfelt—and yes, toughest—advice given, not some of that dishonest crap you're getting all the time and you long to hear so desperately, pathetically so. You keep coming back here (of all places!) looking for acknowledgment and praise, while practicing in your little shut-off closet without letting anybody relevant in on it—and that annoys me to no end. Why would you give a f**k what anybody here says?! Your weakness is not the quality of your voice or your performance—there are a lot of singers out there who can't hold a single note but please their audience nonetheless in their own enchanting way—; no, the real deficiency is in your passion, or lack thereof, to do what you want to do no matter what anybody says. You hesitate, you lack grit and conviction, you're wasting your time. How long do you think you're gonna live? Just go express yourself truly and honestly or die forever trying, and trying, and trying. So what if you're voice is like a crooked, old Gibson that can't stay in tune?! Heck, it's a Gibson nonetheless that can charm, please, enchant in her own unique way. Perhaps that song didn't mean all that much to you after all if you're too anxious to do your late mother the service of performing it for her, for your, and for your audience's sake. Warm them through the bitterblue, cold night or go f**k yourself already!

[blindboygrunt]

Fair play to ya Leonard

[Lars68]

Mine is in fact the kindest, most heartfeltand yes, toughestadvice given, not some of that dishonest crap you're getting all the time and you long to hear so desperately, pathetically so. You keep coming back here (of all places!) looking for acknowledgment and praise, while practicing in your little shut-off closet without letting anybody relevant in on itand that annoys me to no end. Why would you give a f**k what anybody says here?! Your weakness is not the quality of your voice or your performancethere are a lot of singers out there who can't hold a single note but please their audience nonetheless in their own unique way; no, the real deficiency is in your passion, or lack thereof, to do what you want to do no matter what anybody says. You hesitate, you lack grit and conviction, you're wasting your time. How long do you think you're gonna live? Just go express yourself truly and honestly or die forever trying, and trying, and trying. So what if you're voice is like a crooked, old Gibson who can't stay in tune?! Heck, it's a Gibson nonetheless that can charm, please, enchant in her own way. Perhaps that song didn't mean all that much to you after all if you're too anxious to do your late mother the service of performing it for her, for your, and for your audience's sake. Warm them through the bitterblue, cold night already or go f**k yourself!

 

Well, I don't know what to say really. I don't appreciate the tone of your post, and I don't think I deserve it. Please do not try to jump to conclusions about my motivations or personality based on what I post here on the forum, please don't. I do appreciate your point about doing what I want no matter what others might say or think. That part of your message is well received, but to hear that you think I lack passion and grit makes me sad, really sad. You have no idea of the true importance of music in my life and the enormous amount of time, effort, and dedication it has taken me to get to where I am now. Most beginners learn more in a year or two than it has taken me twenty years to achieve. So I am well aware of the fact that I lack natural talent, but my love of music and guitars keep me motivated and slowly moving forward. You have no idea about why I make the choices I make regarding who I share, or don't share, my music with. I have no obligation or desire to make those reasons public on the internet. So, please don't assume you know them or understand them, because you don't and you never will.

 

I have taken some abuse here on the forum and back channel in the past for the poor quality of my music. I can take that, no problem, because I love being a part of this forum. It means a lot to me. When asking and getting feedback, 99,99% of the time it is useful and help me move forward. I think I know enough to realize when feedback is just being polite (you can call it "dishonest crap", if you want). I also try to give back and be as friendly and helpful as I can to other members, if I feel I might have useful input.

 

Your post above hurts and makes me sad, not because of anything related to my music, but because you go at my personality, integrity, and what makes me tick.

 

I'm glad this is just the internet after all...

 

Peace

 

Lars

 

Oh, I almost forgot, here is a new and improved version of the song

https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/29th-of-september-1

[MorrisrownSal]

Dear Abby,

I think my wife is cheating on me. I am a working musician and, as you would expect, travel a lot. I have been noticing strange things happening when I get home. Her mobile phone rings and she steps outside to answer it or she says, "I'll call you back later". When I ask her who called she gets evasive. Sometimes she goes out with friends but comes home late, getting dropped off around the corner and walking the rest of the way. I once picked up the extension while she was on the phone and she got very angry.

 

 

 

A buddy of mine plays guitar in a band. He told me that my wife and some guy have been to his gigs. He wanted to borrow my guitar amp. That's when I got the idea to find out for myself what was really happening. I said, "Sure, you can use my amp but I want to hide behind it at the gig and see if she comes into the venue, and who she comes in with". He agreed.

 

Saturday night came and I slipped behind my Marshall JCM800 half stack to get a good view. It wasn't long before I saw my wife come in with another guy. He bought them drinks and they sat down, conversing flirtatiously with each other. Then, after a while, he got up to go to the bathroom, and she started flirting with the bartender! She wrote something (I'm assuming her cell number) on a bar napkin and gave it to him. He gave her a wink and a nod. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My wife - the sweet little coquette!! At this point it was getting awfully warm for me. I was sweating. I could feel the heat coming off the back of the amp. It was at that moment, crouching down behind the amp, that I noticed that one of the tubes was not glowing as bright as the other three.

 

Is this something I can fix myself or do need to take it to a technician?

 

 

[thegreatgumbino]

Mine is in fact the kindest, most heartfelt—and yes, toughest—advice given, not some of that dishonest crap you're getting all the time and you long to hear so desperately, pathetically so. You keep coming back here (of all places!) looking for acknowledgment and praise, while practicing in your little shut-off closet without letting anybody relevant in on it—and that annoys me to no end. Why would you give a f**k what anybody says here?! Your weakness is not the quality of your voice or your performance—there are a lot of singers out there who can't hold a single note but please their audience nonetheless in their own unique way—; no, the real deficiency is in your passion, or lack thereof, to do what you want to do no matter what anybody says. You hesitate, you lack grit and conviction, you're wasting your time. How long do you think you're gonna live? Just go express yourself truly and honestly or die forever trying, and trying, and trying. So what if you're voice is like a crooked, old Gibson that can't stay in tune?! Heck, it's a Gibson nonetheless that can charm, please, enchant in her own unique way. Perhaps that song didn't mean all that much to you after all if you're too anxious to do your late mother the service of performing it for her, for your, and for your audience's sake. Warm them through the bitterblue, cold night already or go f**k yourself!

 

Bad sauce

[EuroAussie]

I can feel that music is your passion and plays a very important part in your life Lars. I also feel the dedication and genuine effort you are putting in. You have improved signficantly over the past 18 months, and also you are capable of taking some pretty strong feedback, and most importantly acting on it.

 

Having said that I dont think this is your best work. Its an incredbily depressing song, kind of monotonous, phrasing is poor and frankly difficult to stay involved. I much prepfered your more upbeat material that you shared with us recently as it shows your development with greater clarity.

[Lars68]

Dear Abby,

I think my wife is cheating on me. I am a working musician and, as you would expect, travel a lot. I have been noticing strange things happening when I get home. Her mobile phone rings and she steps outside to answer it or she says, "I'll call you back later". When I ask her who called she gets evasive. Sometimes she goes out with friends but comes home late, getting dropped off around the corner and walking the rest of the way. I once picked up the extension while she was on the phone and she got very angry.

 

 

 

A buddy of mine plays guitar in a band. He told me that my wife and some guy have been to his gigs. He wanted to borrow my guitar amp. That's when I got the idea to find out for myself what was really happening. I said, "Sure, you can use my amp but I want to hide behind it at the gig and see if she comes into the venue, and who she comes in with". He agreed.

 

Saturday night came and I slipped behind my Marshall JCM800 half stack to get a good view. It wasn't long before I saw my wife come in with another guy. He bought them drinks and they sat down, conversing flirtatiously with each other. Then, after a while, he got up to go to the bathroom, and she started flirting with the bartender! She wrote something (I'm assuming her cell number) on a bar napkin and gave it to him. He gave her a wink and a nod. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. My wife - the sweet little coquette!! At this point it was getting awfully warm for me. I was sweating. I could feel the heat coming off the back of the amp. It was at that moment, crouching down behind the amp, that I noticed that one of the tubes was not glowing as bright as the other three.

 

Is this something I can fix myself or do need to take it to a technician?

 

 

 

Good one, Sal, and I think I get your point!

 

-------------

 

Two middle aged hobby musicians finally landed their first ever gig, a non-paying, daytime show, outside the local grocery store.

In the middle of their set, a funeral procession suddenly started coming down the road across from where they were playing.

One of the guys stopped playing right away, took of his hat, and stood in silence as the procession walked pass.

When the procession finally had passed, the other guy turned to his longtime friend and asked, " So you knew the deceased?"

His friend answered, "Yes, I was married to her for thirty years. Now where did I put my pick?"

 

---------------

 

Music is serious stuff!

 

Lars

['Scales]

I think most who reply here have the mental capacity to be polite in responses to such offerings from Lars and others without our replies actually being 'dishonest crap' as such. I can understand LM's pov though too, but also think the offerings of forum members (if not constant) add flavour to the place.

 

 

EDIT: PS EuroAussie. I agree with your post #21 word for word

[Lars68]

EuroAussie. I agree with your post #21 word for word

 

EA and Scales, I understand your viewpoint and will try to use that information to the best of my ability. However, the bits above where I'm told "you can go f**k yourself" I will respectfully and politely disregard.

 

Lars