An old track - revisited

[theBadger]

For those of you that don't remember, a couple of years ago tB decided it was about time he wrote a tune. He made one called "7 years". It wasn't very good.


It was a piano based song, but rather than attempt to play the piano part, the daft old Badger moused it into a computer with a stick. The drumming was terrible, the middle 8 was ludicrous and the production was incompetent at best.


Well, I've had another go. Playing the piano part with my stubby little paws this time.


Hampered as I was by deafness and the fact that it was recorded on the kitchen table while my kids ran about screaming and Mrs Badger watched the final of Strictly Come Dancing on the TV, loudly...

...it's probably still rubbish.

But at least it's different rubbish from last time.


Oh yes, and it's mixed on headphones so everything sounds horribly wrong.

tB

[alphatonez]

Oh that's a lovely tune... Is that your own composition ?

I really don't understand, why you're always talking so bad about your music, i've enjoyed everything i heard from you until now.

When listening to your song, i imagined how it would fit perfectly into some kind of a Disney production or something like that.

Thank you for this nice gift my friend

[theBadger]

Oh that's a lovely tune... Is that your own composition ?

Thank you, Yes it's my own composition.

When listening to your song, i imagined how it would fit perfectly into some kind of a Disney production or something like that.

The lyrics are a bit dark for a Disney production :smile:

It is about a man who walked out on his wife and child seven years ago and just turns up unexpectedly, told from the woman's perspective.

But thank you for your compliment alpha.

tB

[logic]

yes i like it too.
The melody, the composition, the verses are just perfect. I also get a feeling of Disney/Broadway kind of...
I like this version more, its softer.

[theBadger]

Thanks logic. I prefer this version also.

I fed my tune into an on-line chord identifier thingy: Apparently, the chords are:

• F#sus2
• E add9
• Eb m 7th
• D maj7 / E add9 6th
• A add9 6th
• G# eleventh dimº9th
• F# m
• D maj7 / E 6/9
• C#
• G# minor eleventh
• Bb m aug5
• F# maj7

Really? I have no idea what any of that sus2 add9 subtract the number you first thought of stuff means.

Surely it's just a bunch of black or white notes that you press until a tune comes out? (or strings that you twang).

I think the chords are:

• Those notes, mostly black ones in this case but there may be a white one that fits quite well lurking somewhere, perhaps I'll find it later...
• The same notes but that bit moved down to that tempting white one nestling next to the two black ones.
• Some similar notes but why don't we move those two a bit cos it sounds better
• A few completely different notes but keep that one because I like it, and then shift all the others up a bit half way through.

Any of these notes can be exchanged for other ones if you feel like it; as long as it sounds pretty. Oh look, there's a note over there that needs playing... I wonder if it will work in my tune? Let's poke it and find out.


I know what an f#minor chord is. (It's that note there, the other one over there and the awkward white one in the middle.) And I know that if I don't feel like playing an f#m chord then there are probably some other notes I can play instead that might sound even better or probably worse. But what are all these strange names about?

Music theory! I didn't know there was a theory! I thought people just made tunes up by playing the notes with their stubby paws and listening to hear if it sounds 'right'.

And as for writing it down... how do you write 'play this bit at precisely the same moment that the drummer goes bash but play the rest slightly later because it makes the song groove in a sexy way' using just tadpoles climbing over a fence?

I don't understand it. But I'd like to be called F#maj7BadgerSus2dimº9th from now on please.

tdimº9thB.

[Blues_Maker]

Thanks logic. I prefer this version also.

I fed my tune into an on-line chord identifier thingy: Apparently, the chords are:

• F#sus2
• E add9
• Eb m 7th
• D maj7 / E add9 6th
• A add9 6th
• G# eleventh dimº9th
• F# m
• D maj7 / E 6/9
• C#
• G# minor eleventh
• Bb m aug5
• F# maj7

Really? .

Beautiful track, IMO!


http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Music-...+for+hit+songs

The book above REALLY helped me finally get alot if the extension theory etc. It is written in a way that is really easy to follow from concept to concetp, and AFTER years of cracking my head against the wall I finally can play and use a SUS4 and mean it! It has improved my writing, but be careful following his advise to explicitely or you will sound like your music is stuck in the 80's

[theBadger]

Thanks for that link Blues-Maker.

I see in the notes that the ability to read music is a prerequisit for the book. Badgers can't read music. It all just looks like tadpoles on a fence to us.



This is very distracting because tadpoles are one of our favourite riverbank snacks; they are delicious! Show me the score for a west end musical and I just start to salivate like one of Pavlov's dogs that has just been shown a particularly tasty raspberry dessert at a bell ringing convention.

tB.

[Audi01]

wow tB it's just as eerily beautiful as before...+1 to get rid of some of that self doubt...I'd send it to Wilson Phillips

Aside from agreeing that there's a major-sus-badger on the loose it sounds harmonic to me in a way that suits the lyrics. Kind of like a Kate Bush track if that makes sense.

Thanks for sharing this one tB

[theBadger]

I really don't understand, why you're always talking so bad about your music...

Understatement? Who knows

+1 to get rid of some of that self doubt...

OK, I probably aught to deal with this question. It's like this....


Your Badger is actually very comfortable in his skin (fur?).

There are some things I can do: I can juggle, Ice-skate quite well and do some reasonably complicated mathematics. But not at the same time!

There are some things I can't do very well: I can't sing, I am dangerous to be around when I try to dance and I find it very difficult to tolerate authority. I hate being told what I can and can't do by some jumped up prick with a clipboard and an agenda.


I love music. Mostly I prefer playing live to an audience as you all know. I get this nervous sweat when the tape machine starts to roll. Give me a room full of girls and a keyboard of some description and I'm as happy as a badger in a bag full of lady badgers with the only vole for miles in my jaws.


But I am also well aware of my limitations as a musician. Or as a writer of words. I can Ice-skate but I'm no Torvill and Dean. I can juggle, but not with flaming chainsaws.

None of this prevents me from doing either of those things or enjoying an interesting mathematical puzzle, playing keyboards, telling stories to my children or any of the other things that seem to take up all my time...


Like... Trying to write a little tune. Music is supposed to be fun isn't it? I am having great fun.


More important than all of this is: Thank you for taking the time to listen to my tune. I thoroughly enjoyed making it and I appreciate all your comments my dear friends.


tB.

[Audi01]

Downplay your song writing prowess all you want it doesn't change the fact that I likened it to a Kate Bush track and that's sayin sumthin biatch

Anyway, I was talking to some badger friends of mine and asked them about this ice skating and maths stuff. Now they reluctantly gave me some information; reluctant because they were worried you might call them a liar. I took a photo of them below, and I ask you tB...do these badgers look like liars? Also, the one on the left (his name is Barry), I have to say tB was on your side from the get go. He said he knew you personally (I said he couldn't because tB is a Celtic badger still swinging swords near Highlanders, but Barry insisted and wouldn't reveal any other details other than some cryptic message, "...there can be only one...". He also asked for my logon @SP and said something about tracing your IP so he can find you while he was sharpening a big sword) and thought you were a fine badger. He said to say hi.



What they said was, they were pretty sure most badgers can ice skate AND do mathematics. When we were talking about this, some nearby badgers came running to join us because they really like ice skating and maths. I took a photo of them running over -->