@Caleb -- Yeah -- I miss the piano, too. But this march was stripped-down for a reason. The title lends credence to that. (Don't worry. The piano will be back. I'm having _way_ too much fun for my Song Fu ride to end any time soon...
@JoAnn in VA -- (Then who's that guy I paid for his headshot?)
I'm very (very!) flattered by all of the Sondheim comparisons. Thanks! (It's funny -- they really started coming in earnest after Round 1. And -- at either Ken Plume's listening party or Joe Covenant's listening party the week before -- I had to point out that "All For This Moment" is actually patterned much more after Adam Guettel's "The Light In The Piazza"...)
I think this current song ("Whispered") is going to demand more of its listeners than any of my previous Song Fu songs. "Blue Moon" was at least accessible, even if there was a whole lot of science going on "behind the scenes." (You can see the "science behind the song" on my webpages.) "(Happiness)" demanded multiple listenings to appreciate, too -- but at least it was "pretty." But this one...
I fear it's only going to be _really_ accessible (or, perhaps, fully comprehensible) to people who have read at least one of the three Daniel Quinn books I drew upon for inspiration. (And I don't know how many of the Song Fu traffickers have read those books.) For Ishmael virgins, I worry that it's going to be a weird song with confusing and disconcerting juxtapositions, that won't even readily unravel upon repeated listenings. (Or -- maybe I'm just not giving the Internet-going populace enough credit.) Plus -- there's no orchestration to speak of, in a round which I'm sure will be filled with brass and bombast. (I can't wait -- it's gonna be great!!)
But -- if Sondheim's three guiding principles are "Less is more," "Form follows function," and "God is in the details" -- then I guess I'm knocking _really_ close to home with this one, huh?
Actually, I didn't even know who Sondheim was until I looked him up on youtube sometime after Joe's listening party.
I wanted to write something happy and funny and in a major key (as a contrast to my last work). Of course, I had to do that in the context of a march (an inherently war-related genre), despite much of the popular opinion being anti-war at the moment. So I turned to fantasy to create an over-the-top but "socially acceptable" war. If my song were about any two groups of people fighting in real life, it would be terribly offensive. But these dwarves turned out to be a fun bunch to work with (at least compared to an old dusty pyramid). Yay for fantasy!
If those are Sondheims first three principles then his fourth must be "Make the singers tongue get sprained". I like the Forbidden broadway song about how difficult it is to sing his stuff, "Into the Words".
Yeah... You educated me on Terry Oldfield too. :-)
But then, it's pretty easy with me. Mention just about any 20th/21st century non-classical musician and I probably don't know about him/her/them. Unless his name happens to be Weird Al or Jonathan Coulton, of course. (ETA: Or Molly, or P&S, or Joe, or Edric, or any other Song Fu contestant... hmm.)
I kept hearing Edric being compared to Sondheim, and decided I'd better learn who this Sondheim guy was if he wrote music like Edric's. :-)
Nice! An instrumental only! It's like the complete opposite of Edric's entry.
And you even followed the standard March Form (IAABBCCDCDC) -- something I didn't read about until after I had mostly decided how my song was going to be laid out. Then I made a conscious decision to stick with verse and chorus form, since I had lyrics. But I did modulate the bridge to the traditional subdominant key. Once your B section started, I realized what you were doing, and I was looking forward to the "dogfight" section.
Well, it turns out I can't write anything even remotely plausible for this one.
As I just said on Twitter, I think I prefer theme challenges - for now at least. Good luck, everyone. I've not listened to anybody's yet, but I will do in due course.
My big plan was to write a march about March, with every line being about one of its 31 days: personal events, historic events, and the day I listened to G
Holy crap! Mike Lombardo's gone! What's going on here?!?
Jeremy Pierson. BucketHat. Austin & The Pudaks and Derrek J. Thompson.
Jeez! I didn't know that writing a march would take THAT big of a toll! And it's not like it's just people disillusioned at finishing at the bottom of the big long list from last round. What happened?!?
I mentioned this in an e-mail to Ian and Melissa when I found their entry on their website (and the songs I've listened to so far tonight are only upholding it) but this is, surprisingly, turning out to be the most diverse round of SongFu EVER! (Admittedly, I haven't retroactively listened to 1 or 2 yet)
I worked on my song really, really hard... right up to the deadline, even. But I just couldn't get it to come together. Maybe if I had another week I could have turned my composition into something worth listening to, but my gut tells me that this entry belongs in the trash bin.
Remember, (I'm sure) Ken will also have an *official* listening Party which I have no doubt amost all of the entrants will be at! Remember to SUPPORT the official Listening Party!
I hope Joe didn't cancel the Song Fu portion for Ken's sake... we're not all in Ken's time zone. (Not that I could have watched Joe's anyway, just that one hour difference made it what, 2a.m?)
Just saw the message from Ken. This is in less than an hour:
This evening - Thursday, June 11th - we'll be holding a special live, streaming listening party. We'll be playing all 23 Challenge 2 tunes.
The event begins at 7pm EST, and you can access it by clicking HERE Come on out, support all of the wonderful artists, and then go place your votes if you haven't already.
Yeah, I did. I'll be honest, I was a little upset when Ken asked me not to.. but I DO understand his request. Especially as his was scheduled for tonight !!
Ultimately, Song Fu is being sponsored by Rockband 2, so I can appreciate Ken wanting to keep the audience as exclusive as he can. I did explain to him that all I was doing was putting it out there for a few people (cos to be honest, EVERYONE that comes to my shows go to Kens religiously anyway... Me INcluded!)
The thing is - My show grew FROM Ken's, and I basically pledged that when Ken or Widge start streaming, I stop mine. It only makes sense that if Ken wants to host an official Song Fu Listening Party that I respect his request to withhold. (Once he HAS one.. maybe !! ;' )) )
For your third challenge, you are to write a standard song. I am defining a standard song as one with a definite melody and a chorus that repeats at least once (to clarify: the chorus should appear at least twice in the song). However, your song must run EXACTLY 1 minute in length - no shorter, and no longer. You can write on any topic.
So far, I've pretty much written all my songs in verse chorus format (not sure whether intros, outros, solos or bridges count as "standard") The time limit might make make it interesting, though.
The only song (with words, anyway) in my music library that is 1 minute long is the Paul and Storm theme song, and that doesn't even fit the "standard song" format. I agree, this round should be VERY interesting.
so something a bit shorter than Mr. Fancy Pants. 3, 5 bar verses and 2, 5 bar choruses all in 4/4 time at 100bpm would be exactly a minute so if you sped up the tempo a bit you might also fit in a 1 bar intro and/or some fills.
I was computing 2 x (8 bar verse) + 2 x (8 bar chorus) = 32 bars / minute = 128 bpm. Faster if you want intro + fills. Some ideas for lyrics arrived last night at 3:00 am (ugh!) and I'm currently envisioning 160 bpm (yowza!). Maybe I'll shorten the fill.
Hahaha. I hadn't thought of doing that. Someone definitely should (but not me). :-) My (original) song isn't actually that bad, and the sentiments just wouldn't come off right with a chipmunk voice.
Also, I now have a second set of possible lyrics. Complete with three verses, four choruses, a bridge, and presumably, an intro(!!!). It would only end up being 144 bpm. Now I just have to decide which song to write. I might write both, but I'll still have to decide which to submit.
I thought of having the kind of song that has an abrupt ending, but for a storyline reason. Kind of Creepy Doll, if it ended soon as you open the box and then
Or you could do one which gradually (well not too gradually, you don't have very long, after all) speeds up as the storyline does, such as this one in which the protagonist keeps ending up drinking more coffee for various reasons throughout the day. Or a countdown to a bomb exploding or an enema. Oh, but it has to be a 'standard song'. Okay, chipmunks it is. Hey, maybe I should try a shadow entry. Commence thinking... NOW!
I think Ken just wants a short Listening Party this time round ! ;' )
I wonder of this challenge was born of the gentle ribbing, during the last listening party, that a *certain* song was getting for being around 6 hours long !
I'm feeling much more inspired this time around than I did in round 2. I think all the creative vibes from MaxFunCon helped me focus. In fact, I'm feeling measurably more awesome than I did before the convention.
I may tweak this song some more before submitting it officially, but here's where I'm at if anyone is interested:
I haven't looked at the others yet, but here's mine (lyrics below). I went with the (relatively) funnier one because that was the first one I recorded vocals for, just before inexplicably becoming totally unmotivated. I did try today to go back and look at the more serious song, and the file seems to have mysteriously become corrupted -- so I hope you enjoy this silly self-referential song instead (think of "Title of the Song" by Da Vinci's Notebook, for example, only compressed into one minute).
A Standard Song
Verse 1 sets up a problem, That's outside of my control. It shows you what my setting is, And clearly states my goal.
Then there's a chorus, chorus, Happy little chorus, I'll sing a little chorus right now.
Verse 2 -- the conflict deepens, It's like rhyming words with orange. My problem gets expounded, With some painful metaphor.
But there's a chorus, chorus, Happy little chorus, I'll sing a little chorus right now.
And now for something different, Here's a bridge... To nowhere!
Verse 3 begins, I'm out of hope, There's nothing left to do. I guess somehow I'll learn to cope, And live my life with you.
I'll sing a chorus, chorus, Happy little chorus, I'll sing a little chorus right now.
We'll sing a chorus, chorus, Happy little chorus, We'll sing a little chorus right now.
Just listened to the entries... Edric, this time your entry reminded me of Neil Patrick Harris. Specifically as seen here ("Credits? That's not gonna stop me!"). I don't generally follow those types of celebrity events, but I stumbled across a link to this from Dr. Horrible's Twitter recently.
Quick thoughts on the entries posted here so far: To hear a ballad from Heather Jarrett is a bit, well, unusual. The voice is too auto-tuned for my taste, and the whole thing has a bit of a fragment feel to it; a bit like 'suffering' from the length constraint. Edric manages to include a million words in his lyrics which is breathtaking (literally), very good idea, solid execution. (Mediafire and my pc still don't get along.)
Well, I was finishing up the song at 8:45 last night when Cakewalk had a major crash, so I decided to just export the last mixdown as an mp3 and send it out, but Audition crashed in the process. I tried to reboot but my computer would not start up again. I'm guessing it's a faulty DIMM, but who knows.
So, no Heather again this round. I offer sincere apologies to my fan.
Comments
@JoAnn in VA -- (Then who's that guy I paid for his headshot?)
I'm very (very!) flattered by all of the Sondheim comparisons. Thanks! (It's funny -- they really started coming in earnest after Round 1. And -- at either Ken Plume's listening party or Joe Covenant's listening party the week before -- I had to point out that "All For This Moment" is actually patterned much more after Adam Guettel's "The Light In The Piazza"...)
I think this current song ("Whispered") is going to demand more of its listeners than any of my previous Song Fu songs. "Blue Moon" was at least accessible, even if there was a whole lot of science going on "behind the scenes." (You can see the "science behind the song" on my webpages.) "(Happiness)" demanded multiple listenings to appreciate, too -- but at least it was "pretty." But this one...
I fear it's only going to be _really_ accessible (or, perhaps, fully comprehensible) to people who have read at least one of the three Daniel Quinn books I drew upon for inspiration. (And I don't know how many of the Song Fu traffickers have read those books.) For Ishmael virgins, I worry that it's going to be a weird song with confusing and disconcerting juxtapositions, that won't even readily unravel upon repeated listenings. (Or -- maybe I'm just not giving the Internet-going populace enough credit.) Plus -- there's no orchestration to speak of, in a round which I'm sure will be filled with brass and bombast. (I can't wait -- it's gonna be great!!)
But -- if Sondheim's three guiding principles are "Less is more," "Form follows function," and "God is in the details" -- then I guess I'm knocking _really_ close to home with this one, huh?
:-)
I wanted to write something happy and funny and in a major key (as a contrast to my last work). Of course, I had to do that in the context of a march (an inherently war-related genre), despite much of the popular opinion being anti-war at the moment. So I turned to fantasy to create an over-the-top but "socially acceptable" war. If my song were about any two groups of people fighting in real life, it would be terribly offensive. But these dwarves turned out to be a fun bunch to work with (at least compared to an old dusty pyramid). Yay for fantasy!
;' )
(And a vote for Bram. And probably one for me. And two players to be named later...)
:-)
But then, it's pretty easy with me. Mention just about any 20th/21st century non-classical musician and I probably don't know about him/her/them. Unless his name happens to be Weird Al or Jonathan Coulton, of course. (ETA: Or Molly, or P&S, or Joe, or Edric, or any other Song Fu contestant... hmm.)
I kept hearing Edric being compared to Sondheim, and decided I'd better learn who this Sondheim guy was if he wrote music like Edric's. :-)
"The Ocoee Shopper"
It may still be loading, but you can preview it on the band's myspace.
And you even followed the standard March Form (IAABBCCDCDC) -- something I didn't read about until after I had mostly decided how my song was going to be laid out. Then I made a conscious decision to stick with verse and chorus form, since I had lyrics. But I did modulate the bridge to the traditional subdominant key. Once your B section started, I realized what you were doing, and I was looking forward to the "dogfight" section.
Once again, I think I'm in trouble! :-)
As I just said on Twitter, I think I prefer theme challenges - for now at least. Good luck, everyone. I've not listened to anybody's yet, but I will do in due course.
http://www.quickstopentertainment.com/2009/06/09/song-fu-4-round-2-voting/
:-)
Initiating download. T-minus 16 minutes remaining...
And Caleb's counterpart's gone.
Holy crap! Mike Lombardo's gone! What's going on here?!?
Jeremy Pierson. BucketHat. Austin & The Pudaks and Derrek J. Thompson.
Jeez! I didn't know that writing a march would take THAT big of a toll! And it's not like it's just people disillusioned at finishing at the bottom of the big long list from last round. What happened?!?
And then, there were 23....
If you want to do so too.....
http://www.ustream.tv/channel/the-covenant-of-joe-show
Remember, (I'm sure) Ken will also have an *official* listening Party which I have no doubt amost all of the entrants will be at!
Remember to SUPPORT the official Listening Party!
I'll be home to listen in 30-40 minutes, so I'll be late.
ETA: Nvm... Joe just canceled the Song Fu portion. See you at Ken's party, tho. (Sorry, Joe!)
Yeah, I did.
I'll be honest, I was a little upset when Ken asked me not to.. but I DO understand his request.
Especially as his was scheduled for tonight !!
Ultimately, Song Fu is being sponsored by Rockband 2, so I can appreciate Ken wanting to keep the audience as exclusive as he can. I did explain to him that all I was doing was putting it out there for a few people (cos to be honest, EVERYONE that comes to my shows go to Kens religiously anyway... Me INcluded!)
The thing is - My show grew FROM Ken's, and I basically pledged that when Ken or Widge start streaming, I stop mine.
It only makes sense that if Ken wants to host an official Song Fu Listening Party that I respect his request to withhold.
(Once he HAS one.. maybe !! ;' )) )
The time limit might make make it interesting, though.
I agree, this round should be VERY interesting.
Also, I now have a second set of possible lyrics. Complete with three verses, four choruses, a bridge, and presumably, an intro(!!!). It would only end up being 144 bpm. Now I just have to decide which song to write. I might write both, but I'll still have to decide which to submit.
(like that~)
;' )
I wonder of this challenge was born of the gentle ribbing, during the last listening party, that a *certain* song was getting for being around 6 hours long !
;' )
I may tweak this song some more before submitting it officially, but here's where I'm at if anyone is interested:
http://spaceparanoids.net/music/Jarrett_Heather_-_Drifting.mp3
http://happinessboard.com/Acceptance.html
:-)
A Standard Song
Verse 1 sets up a problem,
That's outside of my control.
It shows you what my setting is,
And clearly states my goal.
Then there's a chorus, chorus,
Happy little chorus,
I'll sing a little chorus right now.
Verse 2 -- the conflict deepens,
It's like rhyming words with orange.
My problem gets expounded,
With some painful metaphor.
But there's a chorus, chorus,
Happy little chorus,
I'll sing a little chorus right now.
And now for something different,
Here's a bridge...
To nowhere!
Verse 3 begins, I'm out of hope,
There's nothing left to do.
I guess somehow I'll learn to cope,
And live my life with you.
I'll sing a chorus, chorus,
Happy little chorus,
I'll sing a little chorus right now.
We'll sing a chorus, chorus,
Happy little chorus,
We'll sing a little chorus right now.
Quick thoughts on the entries posted here so far: To hear a ballad from Heather Jarrett is a bit, well, unusual. The voice is too auto-tuned for my taste, and the whole thing has a bit of a fragment feel to it; a bit like 'suffering' from the length constraint. Edric manages to include a million words in his lyrics which is breathtaking (literally), very good idea, solid execution. (Mediafire and my pc still don't get along.)
http://www.myspace.com/hisnameislegs
"Swan Song"
Goodbye, everybody
We had some fun, but now it's time to go
Goodbye, everybody
We'd like to stick around, but don't you know
We did our very best
To write some clever songs
Now the only thing that we can do
Is say to you all, "So long"
Goodbye, everybody
Not a snowball's chance in Hell of moving on
Goodbye, everybody
Wonder if someone will miss us when we're gone
We did our very best
To write some clever songs
Now the only thing that we can do
Is say to you all, "So long"
But there's neither Jarrett, nor Heather. :-(
So, no Heather again this round. I offer sincere apologies to my fan.