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@shelle That was great. welcome to RC101
Awe…..thank-you so much @Andrew – you said ‘keep it simple’…..so I did. Looking for inspiration, they were right there…..as they always are…. inspiring me.
@The_Bumble_Bard….Wow! Thank-you so much for listening and sharing your thoughts……it means a lot to me….especially from my clawhammer sister😁…..Also, I’m impressed that you have taken the time and effort to listen and review so many others here….I have no doubt it is greatly appreciated.It did occur to me that someone listening to the whole piece may hear something totally different than what I was trying to convey………I think that when you put something out in the world, that ‘thing’ than takes on a life of its own, and then ‘meaning’ comes from the one engaged with it rather than the one who created it. It may also mean that I didn’t differentiate the voices enough🤪……..
Anyway, the task I created for myself was to present two ‘distinct’ (maybe not so distinct) voices coexisting harmoniously in the same tune………Cat and Dog. I kept it very simple…..mostly by ear….not theory. So here goes:
Cat: Em C7 B7
Dog: C F7 G7Intro: Cat – should sound like a cat on the prowl…..clawhammered in 1st position
Dog – should sound easy and laid back……again clawhammered in 1st positionBody: Cat – strummed in 1st position, then clawhammered up the neck
Dog – clawhammered in 1st position, then strummed in 1st position, then clawhammered up the neckConclusion: Both voices – strummed between C and Em chord up the neck culminating in a C (which makes me think this is actually in the key of C – but not entirely sure)
This can be played on high G uke too, more traditionally clawhammer.
I’m guessing all those 7th chords must give it a bluesy sound. As far as ‘cliche’, I think when you listen to the snippets individually they sound very, very familiar.
@gi_gi_ thank-you for your kind words. Also, thank-you for sharing your recording set—up….so cool and inspiring…….I use my I-pad or phone, and I’m usually very frustrated with the sound…so you have given me food for thought. Your original piece is beautiful….it sounds like a tune from the heart….’On The Mend,’…..love it…..I hope your friend is doing well🙏🏼Sorry for the dissertation…..I’m sure everyone here could probably write one on their own creative process….which would be interesting and educational….learning from each other’s experience.
Hello! This is my entry for the July challenge. My original song called Summertime. I started writing this song at the beginning of the month when I finally took some time off work. I know I look a little nervous in the video but I was just happy that I got through the song without messing up since I’ve memorized it. 😄 I love watching all of your original songs on here! Anyway, hope you like it. ✌🏻
@dianna, haha, YES! Clawhammer sisters, we are!! 😂💕 Thank you so much for taking the time to explain all of that; it’s so interesting to learn of others’ thought processes when they create and their different approaches to creating.
These are just my thoughts and of course please take them with a grain of salt. 😂 For me when I create music it’s 90% about the sound, figuring things out by ear, trial and error, because of my trouble with learning theory. 😂 For some people, it’s hard to be freer when they play, or to play by ear; for me, it’s very hard for me to grasp theory for whatever reason, especially with chord names and things like that. Anyway, just with that preface, here are my thoughts:
I think all the 7 chords (except the g7 in the major part) do give both parts a bluesy sound. Nothing wrong with that but it may mean there isn’t as much contrast between the parts since they both sound bluesy with those chords. Playing through both parts repeatedly, that’s what I gathered (playing them with and without those 7 chords). I think if you wanted to make the minor sound “more minor,” maybe you could add an A minor chord and/or a B minor chord and/or remove the c7 chord from the minor part. I tried doing those things and I think it increased the “minor-ness.” 😅 I think the major part sounds pretty major even with the bluesy F7 chord and if you slightly modified the minor part by the previous suggestions (or maybe try other minor chords, those are just what I found by googling “minor chords that go with the key of E minor” 😂). TBH, I really love your song as it is, these are just my thoughts if you did want to create even more contrast between the parts, from a listener’s perspective, as you pointed out. 😂 That is another interesting element of creation is “outside perspectives” and how that can sometimes be very different from your intentions. One other thing is that maybe you could make one part strumming only and one part clawhammer only if you wanted to create even more contrast. If it were me, I’d make the dog part clawhammer because that technique is more upbeat and goofier like a dog. 😂 Again, these are only my thoughts and it’s your creation, but it’s fun and helpful for me to think through these things and I really love talking about this subject, obviously. Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, I hope it’s okay that I told you what I think about it. I’m way better at critiquing poetry than music. 😂😊
@kelsey91, that was so sweet and lovely! Beautiful singing and playing! 😁😊This is my favorite challenge so far. Sorry I also wrote so much. I just get so excited because this my favorite subject when it comes to music, original music. Thanks for everyone who shared again, really amazing stuff! 😊
@kittycatlin, you were right with your tag, but you just forgot the second “_” in @gi_gi_ 😅
Then I messed up your name and just had to fix it. Whoops. 😂
@diana Such a creative musical way to show the contrast between your dog and cat! (I currently live with a cat and two dogs, so I understand the special bond you have with yours.) Thanks for naming the chords you used and the descriptions of how you created each part of the song. I’m going to go back and listen – you are an inspiration.
@kelsey91 No need to feel nervous among this group! Your lyrics are delightful – would you mind posting them? I missed some, but I especially like “put your phone down”.@The_Bumble_Bard……it is so amazing what we can do with a handful of notes and chords (The DNA of musical composition)….and a lot of fun to play around with (honestly, I love this stuff….could do it all day…..but alas too many other things on my plate at this time). Thanks for spending so much time with my piece and would love to hear what you have come up with😁…….Also, @Janaq1 is highlighted this week….what I think is interesting is she uses similar chords, but creates something completely different……beautiful and haunting.
@grannieannie thank-you for your kind words and a shout out to your fur-family♥️. Just out of curiousity…..what are their names and are they usually underfoot when you are playing Uke?My first attempt at an original song. Since I know little about music I wasn’t going to give it a try but I have been so inspired by the amazing entries throughout this month I decided to give it a go. I have called this song ‘Bulbs in Bloom’ though a more accurate description would be the bulb lifecycle, as the piece has sort of 4 parts, when the bulbs start waking up, then pushing up through the soil and then blooming, then starting to wane and prepare for next year, with the harmonics at the end to signify anticipation/ hope for next year. The idea came from me thinking about getting some more bulbs planted later this year.
I have probably broken all the laws of music theory but I chose the key of G, and then played around mainly with the chords G, D and C – I then moved to chords from the minor scale of G (I think) to finish off. I’m not sure I it all fits together, but it was fun trying something different..
PS Please do not include me for the prize this month
@dianna, I couldn’t agree more! That’s so true. It’s amazing how different people can take the same chords or notes and each create something completely different. It’s such a beautiful and personal thing and highlights the uniqueness of each person and their experiences with music. Ha so true, it’s so easy to get immersed in something you’re working on and lose track of time, or want to play uke for hours. I have done that a few times… 😂😅🤐😶 Ha thank you, I got carried away once again imagining the possibilities with what you created, but as it is it’s very, very creative and clever. 😂💕
@akukes73, that was so lovely, a very sweet and beautiful first piece! Looking forward to seeing what Andrew says about it. 😊Love everyone’s originals. I tried to embrace the write my own song theme. I love Spanish sounding tunes and was working on something, then caught covid. Did not play much for a couple of weeks and forgot my song. Lesson learned. Try to put it in tabs. With the time left I tried to learn Andrew’s Melody and harmony mini lesson. It has everything; picking,strumming,bar chords, partial par chords . Really good for practicing many technique. I still have some chord changes to iron out.
@The_Bumble_Bard I love your enthusiasm for something you are so very passionate about….it’s a beautiful thing♥️
@The_Bumble_Bard thanks for your kind comments, much appreciated.
Your song using clawhammer is fab, it’s made me think of clawhammer from a different perspective – you’ve brilliantly showcased how it can be adapted for different music styles.
There have been so many interesting entries – amazing how some people have also written lyrics.
A great month at RC101!
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