Category: Song Writing

And One More Makes 11

Song #11. I started this one last night, after I had already sketched out song #14, with 14 songs being the goal. So this is sort of overkill, but I like it more than most of the other songs so it’s a keeper.

Finish Line in Sight

The finish line is in sight for both the RPM Challenge and FAWM.

I put a very crappy vocal onto a song this morning before work.  Once that song is mixed, there will be 10 songs and more than 35 minutes.  Check and Check for RPM.  There are also three additional songs that I hope to put vocals on tomorrow.  If I can do that it will bring me up to 13 songs, one shy of a complete FAWM.

Last night, just before bed, I sketched out a little instrumental thing.  It will just basically be bass and guitar trading off.  Nothing terribly interesting there.  However, there is a bed consisting of a looped recording of the water dripping off of our picture window into a bunch of metal pots.  I recorded a couple of minutes worth of that sound and then chopped it into pieces so that it can drift around the stereo field, and every few seconds it will add more and more reverb and echo.  In all it will sound tres stupid, but it counts in my book.

That means I have one guitar part to finish and three vocals, and then mix mix mix.  If I am feeling dangerous tonight I might try to add another short vocal song.  That would mean I have to finish four vocals by about noon tomorrow, but it might be worth a shot.

RPM Song #9

Let’s take stock of the ol’ RPM Challenge, shall we?

The goal is 10 songs or 35 minutes of music. Right.

I currently stand at 9 songs and 34:41.

SONOFA!! 19 seconds short!

I have four more songs in progress. None of which have lyrics yet. That’s the sticking point right there now isn’t it.

I’ll have before work time on Tuesday. On Wednesday I took a vacation day, but the kids are on school vacation so I will only have a couple of hours in the morning before I go get them at their dads. Thursday is telecommute day, but the kids will be home. If I can’t get the rest of the songs tracked (including one more that hasn’t even been started yet) by the early afternoon on Wednesday then FAWM is a bust. I need 14 songs to finish that one. RPM looks good. One more lyric/vocal and it’s done, and I can do that Tuesday morning. After getting the kids on Wednesday the plan will be to mix whatever is left. I suppose if I’m close to 14 I could always sit in the car and sing. Maybe drive to some empty parking lot somewhere.

Song Number Eight

Eight down, six to go. One of those six is ready to mix (I think) and two don’t exist at all yet. Things ain’t looking good for FAWM, but the RPM Challenge is looking nice and rosy.

Song Number Seven

I started noodling out this little rocker this morning after going grocery shopping. The lyrics were recorded while sitting in the car outside of my step son’s guitar lesson. Later, after going to my nephew’s 4th birthday party, I recorded the guitars. Then after a break for some TV time I mixed it.

Not that good, but it’s there.

RPM Song #5

So if you take a four bar segment of GarageBand’s drummer, cut it into four individual pieces, and set the fill to maximum, you can almost trick garageband into giving you a drum solo. Almost.

A song about being depressed about winter. Sort of the anthem for all Bostonians these days.

Song #4

Four songs done. Six to go. (10 if I haven’t given up on FAWM, which I might have done)

I made it all the way to the fourth song before writing a lyric about worrying whether I could finish RPM on time or not. It’s like an annual thing now.

Two Songs Down

I mixed my second RPM song tonight. I liked it a lot more before I realized that the guitar part was stolen from Tanya Donelly’s song “The River” from the absolutely Earth shatteringly brilliant Throwing Muses album House Tornado. I feel like a tool now.