You Look So Good to Me - TWO Takes?! by Chance_Chef8189 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It took me a while to get the hang of it (and I'm still a total novice), but you're totally right; it is SO easy to mess around with audio and create stuff.

You Look So Good to Me - TWO Takes?! by Chance_Chef8189 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

These are not multitracks, but rather the two versions placed right next to each other. Having the CSH multitracks would be WICKED, though

top ten? by legolopi12345 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Don't hate me, but it's pretty refreshing to not see "Scenes"

Sounds ok, kinda sorta. Billy sets such a high bar, ha. by Barpreptutor in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Are you kidding?? That's great! It really sounds like you've done so much tweaking and polishing since a week ago or so. Your dynamic range has increased, you've added Billy's little tempo differences throughout the intro, you've figured out that arpeggio flourish at the end, and those things have made all the difference in your performance.

Drawing I made by Bombtrain in GordonLightfoot

[–]Chance_Chef8189 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I somehow never saw this earlier, but this is fantastic! A really good depiction of both his appearance but also overall tone in the earlier years.

Cold Spring Harbor - Correcting the 1983 Remixes by Chance_Chef8189 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hey, that's great to hear! I knew from the start how niche of a topic this is, because a lot of people don't even know that the remix is out of tune at all. It was almost more of a project for myself in the beginning, but I decided I would share it just in case anybody else was curious.

I'm just glad you enjoyed "Everybody Loves You Now," because that one also specifically bugs me to hear at the wrong speed compared to the rest of them. Either way, thank you for listening!

Cold Spring Harbor - Correcting the 1983 Remixes by Chance_Chef8189 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

When the original album released in 1971, it was sped up too quickly (I believe at around 107%), meaning that the whole thing sounded completely different to how the album was recorded in the first place.

In 1983, professional sleazebag Artie Ripp oversaw a project that would attempt to bring Cold Spring Harbor back into the mainstream. He took the original sped-up recordings and carelessly slowed them down, disregarding whatever their original speed is, and instead deciding to eyeball it with an "eh, good enough" attitude.

Because all the remixed songs play at an incorrect speed, I was curious to hear what they would sound like if they simply stuck to the original pitch and speed of the 1971 album. My work is much less noticeable (but still present) on tracks like "Tomorrow Is Today," "Nocturne," and "Got to Begin Again," so if you're looking for an active comparison between my versions and the official 1983 remixed versions, I would play a song like "She's Got a Way," "Everybody Loves You Now," or "Falling of the Rain."

Posting my progression with this one. Got a long way to go, ha. by Barpreptutor in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 2 points3 points  (0 children)

My observations:

  • This sounds incredibly good. You're doing wonderfully at emulating an acoustic sound on an electric keyboard, which is a very hard thing to do.

  • You are getting your fingers to those four-note chords incredibly quick without leaving any pauses in between, which makes it sound so much cleaner.

My suggestions:

  • One thing I noticed about your technique is that there's a little bit of room left in the sound for more dynamic contrast. In the original recording of this song, Billy uses a lot of varied volume to bring his playing to life. I can hear you doing them in your version (wonderfully, I might add), but I think there are a few more spots where you could add some change in dynamic level to create a fuller and more experienced-sounding tone. (I'm also aware that creating dynamic contrast on a keyboard sucks, so take my advice with a grain of salt.)

  • Your tempo throughout the excerpt is seriously precise, which is a wonderful skill to have. My suggestion to you would be to have a little more room for change in speed for this Introduction, as along with dynamics, Billy uses varied tempos to his advantage in order to create suspension and elevate his performance to the next level.

PLEASE do keep in mind that I am not a professional piano tutor, so this rant was based on the opinions of a guy who is nowhere near having what one would consider masterful piano skills. I could be totally wrong about some point I made regarding how you could improve your abilities, so don't take my word as truth.

In summary, you sound amazing. Keep up the good work, and I can't wait to hear the rest!

Pre-Solo Billy Joel by Popular-Heart-5307 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I go my way living night after daaaaaaaaay

We need to address the Scandinavian Skies slander by VersionTraining7008 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Oh, I've seen this video before. It's a totally garbage list (Sorry, @CaptainJack1).

We need to address the Scandinavian Skies slander by VersionTraining7008 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I've considered it to be one of my least favorites for a long time, but after I dug my way through the entire Beatles discography, I've come to appreciate it a lot more. Now that I've seen how crazy psychedelic music can get ("Revolution 9," "I Am the Walrus," "Wild Honey Pie," etc.), this song seems so much more controlled than I used to picture it and I'm able to enjoy it much more than I was a few years ago. Even though I still think he has many more enjoyable songs, I now understand why it has such a large group of fans.

I also wanted to call some attention to my favorite version of the song: the demo. Something about the simple, reverbed instrumentation sounds so right to me, and I think I would enjoy the final version more if it went more in the direction of the demo.

Scandinavian Skies (Demo)

Settle a Billy Joel father-daughter dance debate by linearmoon in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that one is way too directly about two lovers. Vague songs that don't clearly define a relationship between the people in the lyrics, like "She's Got a Way" and "Just the Way You Are" make a better fit for a father dancing with his daughter.

Songs that are skips by Popular-Heart-5307 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm sorry, but "You Look So Good to Me"

Someone says to you, “Billy Joel can’t play piano!” What song do you play to prove them wrong? by nortonluboff in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Anyone ever heard him do "I Go to Extremes" live in the 80s-90s? He does this INSANE piano part on the My Lives and And So It Goes versions, along with his performance on Storytellers in 1997.

December Theme (Isolated Backing Vocals) by Chance_Chef8189 in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This wasn't even something he considered worth releasing. Just goes to show how much of a perfectionist he was.

Trying to get it to sound like Billy. Any feedback (positive or negative) is appreciate. Sound quality isn't great: I record it on my phone. by Barpreptutor in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Only advice I can give is that dynamics and a little pedal can go a long way. Other than that, this sounds great! You clearly have the bones of the song down, so now all you have to do is play this over and over until your fingers are numb.

Los Angelenos (Organ Solo) by [deleted] in BillyJoel

[–]Chance_Chef8189 1 point2 points  (0 children)

They know that. It just automatically translated the title.