Lars68 Posted December 30, 2015 Share Posted December 30, 2015 Here is a song I have been struggling with lately. I'm attempting a commentary on the current refugee situation here in Sweden, and others countries in Europe. I've tried to use a historical perspective to tell a little story. The song is in 6/8 time, which is a first for me. The new time signature does not come natural, so I notice I take my mind off singing just trying to be in time. So the singing and timing is off in lots of places, but all in all, with some improvements, do you think it could work as an acoustic folk ballad / protest song? As always, I welcome all kinds of feedback, positive and negative. It is what keeps me moving forward. https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/where-the-wheat-grows-to-the-1 Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparquelito Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 That is lovely, Lars. It has a Neil Young groove to the guitar finger work and chord structure, which you should take as high compliment. Thanks for posting it, sir. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted December 31, 2015 Share Posted December 31, 2015 I've said if before, Lars, I really like the story of this song. The way it progresses. Each verse is a new chapter, and the last one is kind of your message to your listeners, your "protest". I also like that little instrumental thing you do before each verse. It's nice! This song really has a strong minor chord flavor. A bit mournful, especially the verses. But then the choruses "To America" come in, and are in major chords? Kind of stressing the optimism your character is feeling? Anyway, that's how I heard it. You've mentioned that you like Springsteen and I can hear that in your songs...not that they're the same style...you have your own style...but they do both have kind of spare, not too busy arrangements. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 That is lovely, Lars. It has a Neil Young groove to the guitar finger work and chord structure, which you should take as high compliment. Thanks for posting it, sir. :) Thank you for the kind words. It is no secret that Neil Young is my guitar house God, so it is not surprising that his style has rubbed off on my very basic playing. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted December 31, 2015 Author Share Posted December 31, 2015 I've said if before, Lars, I really like the story of this song. The way it progresses. Each verse is a new chapter, and the last one is kind of your message to your listeners, your "protest". I also like that little instrumental thing you do before each verse. It's nice! This song really has a strong minor chord flavor. A bit mournful, especially the verses. But then the choruses "To America" come in, and are in major chords? Kind of stressing the optimism your character is feeling? Anyway, that's how I heard it. You've mentioned that you like Springsteen and I can hear that in your songs...not that they're the same style...you have your own style...but they do both have kind of spare, not too busy arrangements. Avery, thanks so much. Also, thanks for supporting so many of my efforts along the way. Yes the "protest" comes in the last verse, where I tried to connect past and present. As you say, the song has choruses with major chords (F, C and A7) and my idea was to underline a feeling of hope in the choruses. If Neil is my guitar hero, Springsteen is my songwriting hero. For those who have heard some of my other song, it is probably not surprising to hear that Nebraska is one of my favorite albums. To have listeners mention both Young and Springsteen in connection to a song I have written puts a big smile on my face that will last all day! Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 Replaced the original link with a new version, where I managed to survive the 6/8 time signature somewhat better. https://soundcloud.com/lars1968/where-the-wheat-grows-to-the I found it extremely difficult to play and sing simultaneously in 6/8 time. Doing this song was great practice. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Avery Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 There's no question that you're singing with more confidence. And that's something every singer needs. You've learned how to work your instrument, you understand it, know it, and now you're not afraid to "let it rip". Confidence is something we all need as singers if we want to really project and go for it. Nicely done, Lars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted January 3, 2016 Author Share Posted January 3, 2016 There's no question that you're singing with more confidence. And that's something every singer needs. You've learned how to work your instrument, you understand it, know it, and now you're not afraid to "let it rip". Confidence is something we all need as singers if we want to really project and go for it. Nicely done, Lars. Thanks! I'm at least trying very hard, and I have made progress since I first started writing songs and posting them here about nine months ago. I have posted some really, really, REALLY poor stuff in the past, but I have received nothing but kind words and encouragement in return from the forum. This is a very special place and it has been, and continue to be, very helpful for me when trying to learn and improve. Singing in pitch is still my weakest point, but I'm getting there, one note at a time. I find it especially difficult with songs as long as this one (close to 4 min). I just can't run through it without messing up somewhere. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwalker201 Posted January 3, 2016 Share Posted January 3, 2016 Lars your have grown leaps and bounds over the last 9 months of posting your music. Keep on going buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lars68 Posted January 4, 2016 Author Share Posted January 4, 2016 Lars your have grown leaps and bounds over the last 9 months of posting your music. Keep on going buddy. Thanks a lot. Yes, I notice the improvements too, especially when listening back to older recordings. I'm quite happy with this particular song. Emotionally it is very close to what I was aiming for, within the boundries of my limited skills. So as the song goes, I believe I will leave it as is. I just need to work more on the singing, especially in the latter part of the song. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.