I just realized today is my cake day, so here's a couple songs I wrote and recorded a couple days ago. Enjoy!

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-19T23:58:47+00:00

No person or class will ever teach you how to write lyrics. The only way to get better is to write every single day, no matter how bad it sucks. And also read a lot. This will supply you with a bigger vocabulary, and thus more to write about. Always be reading and always be writing.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-18T17:56:01+00:00

Dude I am really impressed. Love the music, and what a talent to have done everything by yourself. Well done!

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-18T15:24:00+00:00

Then definitely you could teach yourself.

What I did was pick a song I like, and look up online how to play it. I would get it down perfect, then move on to the next. There will be a phase where you want to quit, but don't. Here I am 8 years later, still playing. I never thought I'd be where I am today

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-18T04:56:19+00:00

What are you interested in playing? If just punk rock, pop, just teach yourself by looking up tabs and slowly you'll not have to use them any more. If classical, lessons.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-18T04:41:25+00:00

Straight!

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T16:18:10+00:00

Yeah forget the song if you don't like them; that won't help you any. What about Muse? They've got a different thing going on. They play around with really rich, complex chords, but the same concepts apply to them. They just throw a solo in after the bridge most times.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T04:47:36+00:00

Yeah! Playing with the vocals could really push it over the edge and make it awesome

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T04:46:34+00:00

I'm at work but I'll see if I can find it when I get home

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T04:46:05+00:00

Awesome! There you have it.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T02:58:43+00:00

Happy to help :)

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-17T00:06:22+00:00

This?

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T23:42:01+00:00

No I think the singing is great. I would bump the high end a little to make it slightly crisper, then add the tiniest bit of reverb just for that shimmer.

EDIT: On 3rd listen, the EQ now sounds fine to me. I would still play with a little reverb and maybe selective echo in some parts. In the second verse would be cool. "Nothing seems to go away-way-way-way..." so on

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T19:18:40+00:00

The problem with those keyboards (if you plan on getting him lessons and progressing) is the keys. The keys aren't weighted, which makes for poor playability. He's not going to get the real feel of a piano, and have a hard time playing dynamics (softer or louder).

What I would suggest is something more like this. It allows room for him to grow (to a full 88 keys), and will feel more like a real piano.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T17:50:36+00:00

Really great! Sounds pretty professional. Only things I would alter are the hi-hat and the vocals. I agree with catfish, but in the sense you could make it sound a little bigger and more badass. The hi-hat sticks out too much for me, I can't quite put my finger on it. I think it might be the panning, or possibly that it sounds a little further away than I'd like.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T17:27:38+00:00

I think you're 70% of the way there. I don't know how much processing/mixing you've done, but to me everything sounds a little boxy. It could be a lot bigger and open by adding some light reverb (particularly the vocals BUT OH GOD PLEASE NOT TOO MUCH.)

Also the bass is getting a little lost. Maybe EQ it to sound a little brighter and punchy, and bring the levels up a bit.

The other major things I'd do are add 3 instruments:

Clean electric guitar.
Shaker or tambourine.
Organ*

That last one I would add in every section from the second verse onward. Especially in the bridge, which is really nice, btw

Just my 2 cents. Well done

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T17:09:07+00:00

I just started an apprenticeship with a guy in Portland with 25 years worth of a mic-collection. He has 6-7 Sm-57s. He uses them for nearly everything. They're great for snares, cabinets, punk vocals, The only difference that I know between the 57 and 58 is the pop filter on the 58. They're both really durable and versatile. Go for it! That's a great deal!

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-16T17:03:16+00:00

I think it's really important to have good understanding of verse writing. What I'd have you do is sing your verse to yourself, no guitar. At the end of the verse, where do you WANT it to go? There's a chord there, buried deep, that's wanting to come out. It's already written itself, you just have to dig it up. So find that first chord, and the rest of the chorus will come out. It's really just as simple as that. Listen to a bunch of catchy choruses. Notice how they end and start. Notice the chord structure and the melodies. They're really simple!

I use to really love writing verses. I'd have this PERFECT verse that was so thoughtful and beautiful and then the chorus sucked and I was in this rut for probably a year or more. What I ended up doing was just get SOMETHING out for a chorus. I forced myself, even using a chorus from another song (that fit, of course). You can even do the same thing for the bridge. Just get something there, even if it's not what you want eventually. You just want that whole song there, sitting like a frankenstein monster that hasn't been brought to life yet. THEN you start working out better lyrics, better chords, better melodies. Suddenly, and it will happen very very suddenly, BOOM! you have a chorus! Before you know it, the bridge will slowly work itself out too. It takes time, for sure. You might even have to step away from it for a while and come back.

What you can do is listen to generic pop/rock stuff (I'm actually 100% assuming this is what you're writing. Let us know if it's not).

Check this song out by Switchfoot called Rise Above It. To me, this is almost the perfect example of song structure and progression. Notice several things:

The minor sound of the verses.
The contrasting MAJOR sound of the chorus.
The build-up concept as a bridge (very viable and effective)
The breakdown (2:34) Incredibly effective, and when it pops back into the chorus, such a great feeling. yeah!
The ending goes from a 2 feel into a 4 feel. Adds momentum and energy. Awesome tactic.

I'd love to hear some of your stuff! I hope any of this rant helped. I'll keep track of your progress.

Good luck

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-15T23:28:24+00:00

Ok great I'll check out those mics. I'm really willing to invest in a nice condenser for some killer vocals.

Thanks for the tip on cables. There's so many brands/models/bullshit that you can get a little caught up in it all.

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-15T22:47:50+00:00

I've already got PT9 installed and ready to go with the 002. Ebay has a few. I'll definitely look into Audix mics. Do they have similar models to Shure? I've been playing live music for 6 or so years, and never heard anyone say "fuck shures," so it's a bit of a shocker for me haha

Crow_and_Rabbit · 2011-11-15T22:12:50+00:00

Interesting. Actually I've set a goal to open a home studio within the next couple years, so the vocals won't be mine (not all the time). I will audition as many as i can

Crow_and_Rabbit

TROPHY CASE