Lars68

What a rockstar outfit!

Thanks fellows, yes this one turned out alright. This thread has taught me the importance of attention to detail and revisions. I bet I will change things in this song too over the course of the coming months. I always do, but this song feels more "finished" than is normally the case with songs of mine at an early stage. I'm also excited because my neigbor wants to add her accordion to the song, which I think is a perfect fit for the mood I'm looking for. Lars P.S. the link to the finished song above appears dead for some strange reason. Here it is again: https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/a-new-dawn-awaits

Thanks everyone for listening and giving feedback. I finished a multi-track version of the song, guitar and vocals only still, but I could pick “best of” vocal bits from several takes. I'm very, very pleased with the final result. I think all aspects were improved, vocals, guitar, lyrics, and sound quality. Over the weekend I have read back on the lyrics suggestions made above and made a couple of revisions. I finally settled on this version: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A NEW DAWN AWAITS VERSE 1 Two hands on the wheel, heading South in the rain There's a white line to the unknown And a dozen red roses on the passenger seat I'm so tired of being alone CHORUS 1 I got three hours to go, a new dawn awaits Please, please, oh please, may each passing mile help my soul awake VERSE 2 “Don't get your hopes up” , whispers my past ”You'll never get back on your feet” But tomorrow calls out to me: ”Never ever accept defeat” CHORUS 2 I got two hours to go... VERSE 3 It’s like my heart busted a valve I don't know how far it will run But the rain has cleared the dark skies I'm driving with the rising sun CHORUS 3 I got one hour to go... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Here is the track. Lars

Lovely! Glad the deal worked out. Lars

Thanks, I really appreciate it! I want to be good at this, so knowing one of my songs connected means a great deal to me. Lars

No VPN. I think I got it to work. I reset to a new password once again, and then immediately went to my profile settings and changed it again. Now it sticks. Weird... Lars

I can't seem to get the forum to remember my password. The only way for me to log-on is to hit the "Forgot password" button, and then reset the password to a new one. This new passwords will only work for the first session/visit, then I have to change to a new one again by the same procedure. Anyone else experience this? It doesn't seem to make a difference if I'm on a computer, a tablet, or a phone. Strange...what to do??? Lars

Thanks guys! This is a very encouraging thread for me, and it inspires me to try and write more songs soon. Lars

Guys, message understood and point taken! Lars

David, super comments! Thanks so much for taking the time. Perfect timing since I'm planning to do a "proper" multi-track recording of the song soon. A couple of my reactions to your comments: The song is about an actual drive that I did 16 years ago, to go see what since has become my wife. She then lived four hours South-West of me. I was in a rough spot and was hoping this could be a new start. I was full of doubt and hope at the same time. I didn't say anything on purpose in the song about it being a new love or a rekindling. I think it works in broader sense if left out. The count down of time in the chorus is exactly what I had in mind. I had it planned but had only written the first chorus on my paper when singing, so it being a fresh song, I read the same lyrics all three times You're right "fate" is not perfect, since we often hear it as a negative thing. I just haven't been able to find a better word. I really, really want to keep "await" and the rhyme. Need time on that one...suggestions??... "But" is a better word in V2. Thanks! As for the South-West thing, the actual drive was South at first, then it turned West, but of course the listener has no idea, and I surely didn't intend any of that "Towards the sun" was just meant as "towards something better". I like you're idea of adding driving at night into sunrise. I'll have a go at that change. As for additional words thrown in here and there, I am aware that they are not necessary and do not help carry the story forward. However, I have found that, being a shakey singer, I often throw them in, instead of staying longer on a note from a previous word. The extra words help me create rhythm when I sing. In older songs I have been able to trim some words out, as my vocals have gotten more confident. So sort of a helpful evil, and something for me to work on. Again, thanks so much. Comments like yours do help me write a better song, this time as well as next time I give it a go. I'm a weak guitar player and singer, so I need to compensate by doing better melodies and lyrics. Details do matter! Lars

Thanks a bunch! The performance is okey for being me, I guess. It can always be better, but I'm quite happy with the lyrics. I really think I managed to say what I wanted to say, and I'm especially happy with the second verse. Lars

Below is a brand new song I finished writing yesterday and just did a practice recording of. It's a simple one-mic, one-take, recording with my Myrtle mic. It's a song about not giving up on love, one that is very autobiographical, but at the same time hopefully general enough for others to relate. I’m planning to do a better multi-track recording (one-take recordings are not exactly suitable to my shakey vocals) and wonder what you think, and if you have any suggestions for improvements? A New Dawn Awaits Lars --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A NEW DAWN AWAITS VERSE 1 Two hands on the wheel, heading South in the rain There's a white line to the unknow And a dozen red roses on the passenger seat I'm so damn tired of being alone CHORUS 1 I got four hours to go, a new dawn awaits Please, please, oh please, let me be the one to share her fate VERSE 2 “Don't get your hopes up” , wispers my past ”You'll never get back on your feet” Then the future calls out to me: ”Don't you dare accept defeat” CHORUS 2 I got four hours to go... VERSE 3 It’s like my heart's got a busted main valve I don't know how far it will run But the rain has cleared the dark skies Now I'm driving towards the sun CHORUS 3 I got four hours to go...

I actually still buy CDs. I like the idea of supporting the artists, while at the same time owning, not renting, my music collection. I have a little high res. player with my entire collection of about ten thousand songs loaded. I use it all the time at work, were I can’t stream Spotify et al. However, I fully understand those that reason differently for whatever reason. So Jinder, if you will have a CD available, I’ll gladly buy it. Lars

I think this is great on so many levels. First of all, I think she is incredibly brave to meet her audience in this way, without the usual big production, with lights, video screens, and dancers etc etc. Very few pop star would be able to pull that off as well as she did. She is a great talent, although the music is not my style, I can appreciate her stuff. Also, this is good news for Gibson. I bet they will sell a few guitars from that video, even though the capo obscures the headstock logo. It will put guitars back in the hands of young pop music fans. Lastly, the video will let young people discover NPR, and hopefully also some of the wonderful but less mainstream artists available there. I like it!! Lars

Very good, and very British too, in the best sense! Lars

Sal, glad to have you back! If you should have one Gibson, I can't think of any better than a J-45. A classic among classics.

I really liked that. He sounded great! I watched the video below the other day. It's Dylan rehearsing for "We Are the World". I find it very humbling to see how awkward and insecure he is, and he is not afraid to show it. He probably felt like a fish out of water in that situation. I don't blame him. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UfVmJBF-OY Lars

Cool! Even more styles available here. I really like the one with the hummingbird guitar. https://www.thaliacapos.com/pages/gibson-collection Lars

Hey, I liked that a lot. Great sound quality too. Lars

Check these out: Jason Isbell live music I just purchased the Louisville show, which had the most of my favorite songs, plus I found a bunch of single songs from other shows. This is incredibly good stuff in superb sound quality. Jason is not know for playing Gibson acoustics. (he usually plays the M-brand), but he does play a real vintage 1959 Les Paul Standard called Redeye, so he is one of us… Lars

I like your song and your style. I have managed to stay out of trouble so far myself, so I can´t relate to the story on a personal level, but it doesn't make it any less valid. It's enough to open a newspaper any day of the week to realize that these kinds of events are all around. Lars

Yes, she is great! We have a lot of fun together. I don't have a lot to add to the music she plays, so instead I gave her two bottles of red wine and a big hug for the help with this last song. Lars

Thanks, Murph! So you mean you had to actually reach for the volume control, instead of just saying "computer, lower volume" Joking aside, some compression ought to fix that. Lars

Thanks for listening, guys! EA, if I ever re-record it a different key is called for. I don't know yet if there is such a thing as a "comfortable key" for me. Usually any key feels like new boots with rocks in them… By the way, the feature I have been using to add drums and strings in Garageband is really great. I like the fact that I can add some subtle touches to my otherwise overlly simple acoustic songs to make them a little more interesting. There are a few different sound to chose from for each instrument and I play them "live" in real time along with the track, by hitting or swiping the screen on the iPad. For the strings, for example, I pick what chords to use. Each chord will then get a bar on the screen where I can "play" the strings by swiping the bar. It takes a bit of practice to the get the chord changes right, but it's not bad. If you're recording with an iPad and haven't tried this feature, it's worth checking out. Lars

Outstanding! You're a natural! Lars