Click here to listen to "The Gospel According To Gordon."

EDIT: Here is an updated version . Three half steps higher, 1 bpm faster.

This is my first attempt to record it. I wrote it over the past ten days and just recorded it. I could do a better vocal but I'm tired of dealing with it for now. As a songwriter, I value opinions, so, please let me know good or bad. All comments welcome. (Done with psr2000 only.)

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

[This message has been edited by SemiLiveMusic (edited 09-15-2006).]

What a great melody and lyrics.
I would like to sing it myself.
The range is easy and suits your voice well.
Through my speakers there was some distortion.
If I had my way it would be a winner.
I would like to add it to my collection of recordings.
If you would like to try it with another voice I would be more than willing to oblige.

Cousin Ken

Hi Bill.
I enjoyed this, lovely lyrics with a nice country feel.

This is what music and Synthzone is about. It's nice that everyone has different tastes and are now sharing their music more on here, instead of playing mind and war games.

Is Gordon someone you know, maybe a farmer? can you tell us more, thanks

Yes, here is an explanation .

Thanks for any comments whatsoever, I have to figure out if this song is good or not.

To Ken, you hear distortion, that's a bummer. As I recorded it, I saw no peaking. Maybe when I tweaked it in software, I overcooked it. I still have much to learn about recording but I was careful with the levels. Hmmm.

If anyone else hears problems in the recording, let me know.

Ken, thanks for your interest. First, let me let this song sit a few days and make sure I am through with it. I, literally, have 60 hours into this song. One for the music, 59 for the lyric.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

[This message has been edited by SemiLiveMusic (edited 09-14-2006).]

Bill ... I won't be able to listen until I get home, but that's a real nice story, and I like the lyric ...
t.

Can't listen, Bill. The page wants me to download a player (WMP), which I already have, then it tells me that the download isn't available.
Would you email the song to me?
DonM

Has anyone else found this problem? This is the second time Don has had a problem with Putfile. With computers, it could be something odd with his setup but I'd like to know, if so. I like the Putfile interface.

I will email, Don, thanks for your time! I need honest critique on this song (all songs!).

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

Hi Bill. I think this ones my favorite song of yours so far. Your straight forward told vocal style (+ rich vocal timbre) along with nice piano accomp playing + background strings come together to form a nice musical package. Sound quality and rec balances sound good thru my Sennheiser HD600 headphones. My only suggestion, to better highlight the chorus, would be to add a backup vocal harmony (via vocal harmonizer) to the CHORUS section. - Scott

I totally agree and this is what I wanted to do but... that would mean I would have to record it all live... which I can do... but I have more control over tweaking the mix if I have the keyboard part separate from the vocal.

Another problem I had is that the chorus section, that is a "D" main fill and it is overall louder than the "A" fill used in the verses. I didn't really know how (if anything) to treat this sonically. Regarding my tweaking it with my audio software. (I wanted the vocal loud enough in the chorus but not too loud for the verses.)

Glad you like it, still eager to find other opinions. I just can't be unbiased!

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

Bill...I really enjoyed this tune...as Craig stated, it's great that we all have different tastes in the music we share with each other.....I especially like the way you Johnny Cash voice lends to the quality of the recording...good job...
TR

Got it Bill. Good song. I like it. The vocals are ALMOST distorting in places.
BTW, I still can't access your website either.
Must be my computer, but I don't have that problem anywhere else.
Don

Bill: I enjoyed your piece. Simple background to highlight the song. Would have perhaps liked some section to break out a little with some drum beat. I wonder if another key would work better. You have this great booming low end and perhaps some more unused room at the top that a higher pitched key might work well on to brighten the tonality a bit.

Putfile worked fine for me.

The problem was Firefox. I was able to open the file using IE.
Website still doesn't come up though.
I'll see you in a few minutes at Hank's house.
DonM

A good melody and lyrics indeed.

I do have some dirty peaks as well...
but not so important..

My personal opinion..( I know.. )
I would after the first chapter in the song boost the song with a drum and base...
to give it more body.

Fred

..... nice tune ... I agree with the comments about raising the key, adding vocal harmony to the chorus, and adding drums and bass after the first verse ...
t.

Thanks to all. If anyone can listen, I have recorded it again . I first did it 1/2 step higher and that was okay but I decided to go 3 half steps higher and that went okay, too. I could go even higher but that sounds pretty good.

If someone listens, tell me if the sound is okay on the new recording. I don't know if I overcooked compression on it or not. Sounds fine on my speakers but I did tweak it a little differently. I also bumped it 1 bpm faster. I doubt anyone would notice that!

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

[This message has been edited by SemiLiveMusic (edited 09-15-2006).]

I'm afraid the download site you use uses a non standard file player, and my browser won't recognize it (I'm on a Mac, but don't usually have any problem with Windows content at other sites).

Any chance of using a different download service......??

Diki, I put it on Soundclick. Maybe this link will work? Hope so, I need for somone to listen and see if it has distortion. I think I'm doing something wrong tweaking it in software.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

[This message has been edited by SemiLiveMusic (edited 09-16-2006).]

No problem with that one Bill. I like the higher key.
I don't like the e.q. on your voice. Maybe too much high-mids? It's not bad, but I've heard you in person on my system and your voice sounds better there.
I'll be passing through in a little while on the way to Springhill. I'll honk as I pass your house!
DonM

Wouldn't you know it. I boosted the mids, as I always do. That's the first thing I do but mainly, it's for everything but my vocal. I guess I could listen to my vocal with no boost and see if that's okay, kinda got in the habit of boosting mids.


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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000

OK, got it this time (although the new link takes you to the lyrics, not the music)

Nice song, a little Johnny Cash-like. Yes, I do hear a little distortion, watch that tendency to boost frequencies, it can take you over the top if you are not careful. A little cutting of reciprocal frequencies might work out better....

I think I kept waiting for drums to come in about 2/3 of the way through, it might have given it a 'lift', and the VERY personal lyrics (friends of yours, no doubt?) makes it a little harder to identify with, but all in all, a good song, and very heartfelt........ Kudos

Song has good structure. You know how to set up syllable counts and rhyming patterns. Too many people just sort of go with the flow, this shows much more discipline.

A thought; to make the song a little more generally appealing to all, how about giving us a few more of Gordon's famous lines? "full moons turn cotton fields blue". What else? If it's a song about a person, help us get to know that person. You've intrigued us now; what is the Gospel according to Gordon?

What if you followed the same pattern you set up in the first verse and ended every verse with a phrase he would say. You don't have to do it this way, but it's just another opinion.

Yes, I understand your comments but I don't know. Songwriting is very hard. Well, songwriting when you're trying to write professional-grade lyrics. I have already spent 60 hours on this song. I just reviewed my notes for the fun of it... I have over 300 lines that I wrote and discarded to arrive at the lyric you see.

When I first came up with the idea, essentially, I thought I would do about what you are talking about. I would write a song with some things that this "Gordon" guy would say. I planned on them being humorous. The problem with this is that it is VERY difficult to come up with truly humorous lines. It's one of the hardest things to do.

If I were to do what you are suggesting, ending each verse with a zinger, it would take four good zingers. And that is not easy to do at all! So, I decided against that. Instead, I'd build a story around the event of "being there," not the actual "gospel according to Gordon." To somehow write a lyric that has a nice feel to it about the night and let the listener conjure up the images of a memorable evening and "the gospel according to Gordon" is never actually discussed much.

However, I did revisit the lyric to see if maybe I could do what you suggest. It would be great but I think I've had enough of this one for awhile.

I'll let it sit awhile and maybe consider it later. Thanks for your comments.



Do you think so? I agree, it's always a concern when you write a character song. Can people identify with this character? I could give you a thousand character songs, songs written about people the listener does not know. Maybe I've missed the mark but I hope not.

What I tried to do was write the lyric about the event. To create a nice feeling for the listener about experiencing something outside the rat race.

From the story... the setting is the Red River Valley and there are two people involved, the singer and Gordon. Gordon is a farmer. It's an autumn night and there is a bright full moon. The characters are near or in a cottonfield and have a campfire going. A Merle Haggard song is playing (or someone is playing it). Gordon, evidently, is a talker and evidently sometimes says something funny or maybe a tall tale.

Gordon has two dogs there and they are doing the dog thing, which, hopefully, provides more warm thoughts about the evening.

The singer is enjoying just being there and kind of letting Gordon do the talking. It's a nice night. Hopefully, listeners have experienced magical evenings such as this and will enjoy being taken back to that feeling.

That's what I tried to do. I hope others will chime in if it falls short. I've played this for several people and this one is getting thumbs up, so, it's worth getting it right. It ain't easy, is it.

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Bill
Yamaha PSR2000