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#503991 - 10/07/21 07:49 AM WONDERFUL TONIGHT
john smies Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/05/00
Posts: 1384
Loc: koudekerke, Holland.


....as I was writing to our friend Kabinopus about the sound of pianos I thought this might be the right moment to share with you my recent recording of Wonderful Tonight...
It is quite different from the original recording, even quite different from most of the cover versions that you come across on youtube, but then it is exactly what I set out to achieve....

https://youtu.be/kCMrtPKBqlk

regards
John

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#503994 - 10/07/21 12:17 PM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: john smies]
Kabinopus Offline
Member

Registered: 11/11/04
Posts: 698
Loc: Russia
Wow, it is really good, I would say! 

This arrangement without drums gives more room for your singing, basically this is called "you know what you're doing" :-)

My relationship with arrangers got complicated about 5-7 years ago, I used to be more sure about what is right and what is wrong, and today I'm more uncertain. I mean, playing with styles seemed to be so much better than playing without them, music without drums seemed to be unfinished, and buying a new model of an arranger promised a guaranteed inspiration.

I guess, if we keep just adding, adding and adding, getting more and more power, more details, more resolution, more data, we risk to lose the initial idea about why we started in the first place.

The irony is that after saying all these things I have thoughts in my mind like "well, okay, perhaps I should have only basics and start to be creative, but I still need to get Genos just to be completely sure that I do not actually need it"... and this is how corruption begins.... :-)

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#503997 - 10/07/21 02:18 PM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: john smies]
travlin'easy Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15556
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
John, here is a third party style that was created just for that song. Your rendition sounds good, but this would be a big improvement because the style's intro and ending fit the song perfectly. Wonderful Tonight.

Good luck,

Gary cool
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!

K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)

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#503999 - 10/08/21 12:12 AM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: travlin'easy]
john smies Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/05/00
Posts: 1384
Loc: koudekerke, Holland.

Gary,

Thank you for your comments. For starters I have the Ketron SD9 and an old Korg PA50 , the style link that you offered seems to be for Yamaha ?
But you are missing the point here I am afraid. No matter how good the intro and ending may be of that style I set out purposeful to record the song from scratch NOT using a style. As you may have noticed I call them my "bare-bone recordings ", which I started with Neil Young's Out on the Weekend "(guitar based) and now this Wonderful Tonight, piano based.
This also partly in reply to Sergey's comments about using styles. I have nothing against styles but there is no dire need always to avail oneself of a style, let alone a style complete with drums and/or percussion. If you go thru the repertoire of Susan Boyle (UK) you will know what I mean. I often find that very busy ballads like e.g. One Moment in Time (Whitney Houston) get a complete different sound by bringing it down to just a wonderful vocal with a piano sound (possibly with a bass added). I love those recordings and am determined to add some more songs with basically just guitar or piano.
That having said and also in answer to Sergey's remarks let me explain the built up of this rendition of Wonderful Tonight.
I started out on my 20 year old Yamaha P80 stage piano with a bare minimum of 22Mb sample ROM (!!!!). I added strings from the Korg PA50 and the Cello sound from the Ketron SD9. A friend of mine added a bassline, to the best of my knowledge using his old Korg PA900.....and of course the vocal track !!!
As such the song has completely been altered only due to the arrangement and instruments used. Check out this song and the cover version on youtube and you will find that virtually ALL of them have been done with guitar(s), which makes my approach all the more unique I would hope...
I guess that part of all this is also explained by the fact that in contrast to many of you, including Gary, I have never been a performer on stage (virtually no gigging) but an amateur home musician who has a lot of time at hand to tweak keyboards but also to work on entirely new arrangements. As a gigging artist you are often expected to cover a song as closely to the original for the crowds to enjoy ( what I always dub as " the feast of recognition"). As a home musician not having to please the crowds you can give free reign to your imagination and as such your own arrangements. Even when using my arranger keyboard as a basis I like to get away from exactly copying the original version......enough said.

regards
John

P.S. Sergey, though I am sure the Genos in your hands would do miracles I would not expect too much from it. AFter all it is the musician who has to make things work in the first place and you have shown time after time to be a very proficient musician that can make any instrument do its thing, even the guitar as you mentioned yourself !!!

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#504003 - 10/08/21 03:50 AM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: john smies]
montunoman Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 10/20/09
Posts: 3208
Loc: Dallas, Texas
Hi John. Thank you for sharing your lovely rendition of a beautiful classic. I like the instrumentation a lot especially your baselines. A “ bare-bones” instrumentation adds a level of intimacy which is quite effective on this song. Thank you for posting!

Also to Gary, thank you for posting the style, I’m sure I’ll get good use out of it myself.
_________________________
It not the keyboard, it's the keyboardist.

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#504004 - 10/08/21 08:55 AM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: john smies]
travlin'easy Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15556
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
John, I did not mean to offend you with my comments. As an onstage performer for more than 30 years, one of my secrets to success was to perform a song as close to the original as possible, thus prompting the audience to get on the dance floor. I learned a lot from the many onstage performers I met during the past 3 decades, especially those who were working full time along the east coast and southern coast of the U.S. And, because I performed for a living (It was my only full time job.) I did not have the luxury of being able to sit down at home and be a creative player, though I wish I could have done that. I did not have time to practice, and most days didn't have time for lunch. As on onstage performer, the only thing I did was play an arranger keyboard every day of the week in front of a diverse audience. So, I guess that was my practice sessions and time to be creative, which I often did by ad-libing during a performance. I always enjoyed that part of the performance the most.

If you have the opportunity to download the style I posted, there are several programs you can use to convert it for your keyboard.

Here's my rendition of Wonderful Tonight I recorded this directly on my PSR-S-950 during a performance at a local nite club. It's a one shot recording, no edits other than to change it to an MP3

Please do not be offended by my post for it was meant to be constructive. Please continue posting your creations, as I do enjoy listening to them.

All the best,

Gary cool
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!

K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)

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#504007 - 10/08/21 11:03 AM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: travlin'easy]
john smies Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/05/00
Posts: 1384
Loc: koudekerke, Holland.

Paul,
Thank you for commenting both here and on youtube itself.
Always appreciated. Yep, I am currently definitely going for a few more " bare-bone recordings ", which as you point out so rightly adds a fair amount of intimacy.....

Gary,

I have not felt offended by you not even for a nano second smile
I know you have been around professionally on stage for many many years and that you have entertained throngs of folks while
gigging. Reading your reply I can only conclude that we basically fully concur, that is gigging and entertaining you have to please the crowds and aim at covering the song you are playing as close to the original as possible. Crowds want to be entertained and do not want to put up with variations and arrangements conconcted by me or you that stray too far from the original. That is not to say they would not like or appreciate it, but not while going out to a venue or social gathering. I am pretty sure you had little time left to spend the amount of time on arranging stuff at home like I do. Nothing wrong with either and besides there is no accounting for tastes. I have always admired folks like you, Don, Uncle Dave,Donny,Deane etc. for their musicality and high standards as well as your kindness in helping out others be it with good advice or some software etc. You are all aces to me my friend!

regards
John

P.S. your recording goes to prove that a piano version of Wonderful Tonight remains rare indeed smile smile

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#504016 - 10/09/21 08:01 AM Re: WONDERFUL TONIGHT [Re: john smies]
travlin'easy Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 12/08/02
Posts: 15556
Loc: Forest Hill, MD USA
Thanks John, I truly appreciate that.

Gary cool
_________________________
PSR-S950, TC Helicon Harmony-M, Digitech VR, Samson Q7, Sennheiser E855, Custom Console, and lots of other silly stuff!

K+E=W (Knowledge Plus Experience = Wisdom.)

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