Whaaaaat? New music from me that isn't an alternate version of something I've uploaded before? That hasn't happened in... oh my God, 13 years. Wow. Time flies when you're doing absolutely nothing.
To be fair, this isn't a finished piece. It's a work-in-progress demo of a song that's been inhabiting a dusty corner of my brain for probably at least 20 years. When it became clear that my plans for FAWM 2021 were going to be stymied by technical setbacks, I started thinking about alternate ways of recording demos. And I recalled finding a site called Online Sequencer, which lets you plug notes into a grid and play them back. It has definite limitations, but I quickly found that it works fairly well for creating demos, especially for someone like me who is, uh, less than a consummate performer. I love making music, but because I'm not a particularly skilled musician or producer, recording can be an especially laborious process-- it probably takes me more than twice as long to get things done less than half as well as most other people. I've found that Online Sequencer's 'put-the-notes-where-you-want-them' nature may allow me to create somewhat more intricate arrangements than I've been able to in the past. Will I be able to replicate those arrangements when the time comes to record the 'real' versions? Who knows? But I'm not above piecing tracks together out of multiple takes, so I'm hopeful that I'll find a way. Some of the instrumentation on this song is likely to change (perhaps rather drastically) in its final form, but again, Online Sequencer has certain limitations, so I had to work with what was available.
The way I hear the first part of this song in my head, it's kind of a blatant Gary Numan knock-off. There's no chorus to this song, just two verses and some instrumental passages. I may add another vocal section to the end if I find the right lyrics. The song is about a subject I know all too well: having severely low self-confidence, and some of the ways that it can hold you back (and occasionally, weirdly benefit you by making you cautious enough to avoid pitfalls that others might stumble into). There are no vocals on this version, but I'm printing the lyrics below, despite them being unfinished. In this demo, the piano line represents how the vocal melody will go.
Online Sequencer link: https://onlinesequencer.net/1857228
"I Thought You'd Never Ask (Demo)" (2:53)
Recorded February 2021
I thought you'd never ask
...And you never did
So here I am at last
Taking the initiative
But what I wouldn't give
To feel positive for once
Like I had everything under control
[line not yet written]
[line not yet written]
Is it a blessing
Or is it a curse
I thought things would get better
But they keep getting worse
I wish I could reverse
My whole universe sometimes
And just start it all over again
[line not yet written]
[line not yet written]
To be fair, this isn't a finished piece. It's a work-in-progress demo of a song that's been inhabiting a dusty corner of my brain for probably at least 20 years. When it became clear that my plans for FAWM 2021 were going to be stymied by technical setbacks, I started thinking about alternate ways of recording demos. And I recalled finding a site called Online Sequencer, which lets you plug notes into a grid and play them back. It has definite limitations, but I quickly found that it works fairly well for creating demos, especially for someone like me who is, uh, less than a consummate performer. I love making music, but because I'm not a particularly skilled musician or producer, recording can be an especially laborious process-- it probably takes me more than twice as long to get things done less than half as well as most other people. I've found that Online Sequencer's 'put-the-notes-where-you-want-them' nature may allow me to create somewhat more intricate arrangements than I've been able to in the past. Will I be able to replicate those arrangements when the time comes to record the 'real' versions? Who knows? But I'm not above piecing tracks together out of multiple takes, so I'm hopeful that I'll find a way. Some of the instrumentation on this song is likely to change (perhaps rather drastically) in its final form, but again, Online Sequencer has certain limitations, so I had to work with what was available.
The way I hear the first part of this song in my head, it's kind of a blatant Gary Numan knock-off. There's no chorus to this song, just two verses and some instrumental passages. I may add another vocal section to the end if I find the right lyrics. The song is about a subject I know all too well: having severely low self-confidence, and some of the ways that it can hold you back (and occasionally, weirdly benefit you by making you cautious enough to avoid pitfalls that others might stumble into). There are no vocals on this version, but I'm printing the lyrics below, despite them being unfinished. In this demo, the piano line represents how the vocal melody will go.
Online Sequencer link: https://onlinesequencer.net/1857228
"I Thought You'd Never Ask (Demo)" (2:53)
Recorded February 2021
I thought you'd never ask
...And you never did
So here I am at last
Taking the initiative
But what I wouldn't give
To feel positive for once
Like I had everything under control
[line not yet written]
[line not yet written]
Is it a blessing
Or is it a curse
I thought things would get better
But they keep getting worse
I wish I could reverse
My whole universe sometimes
And just start it all over again
[line not yet written]
[line not yet written]
Category Music / Pop
Species Unspecified / Any
Gender Any
Size 120 x 120px
Listed in Folders
I can certainly hear the Gary Numan influence (circa "Pleasure Principle") from what you have so far. I like it. Good luck finding the missing pieces in your head. Maybe ask the dust bunnies there if they've seen anything.
Getting a strong 'Ultravox' vibe from this as well as a little Gary Numan. I really like the feel.
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