New sound: Delicious Grace

Hello guys, first time posting a song here.

That's a project I started not long time ago where I write all the music and lyrics in english (I'm a native portuguese speaker). It's very intimate, genuine but I'm not a pro.

Any feedback would be good. Hope you like it:

You consistently sing a little flat... not a composition thing, but keep that in mind for later. I also think those vocal tracks can be louder... couldn't understand more than a few lines.
Going from vii to v is a little awkward, but definitely wasn't a huge problem for me.
2:34 - B˚7 was a cool chord, but coming out of it was a little awkward.
The A minor at 3:18 was great too, but going to the artificial tonic (III in a) after it was awkward again?
The instrumental section was nice. Some of the solo notes threw me off like the F# chromatic line against Am but it was a nice contrast while keeping the same vibe.
 

On 19/11/2017 at 3:11 AM, Monarcheon said:

You consistently sing a little flat... not a composition thing, but keep that in mind for later. I also think those vocal tracks can be louder... couldn't understand more than a few lines.
Going from vii to v is a little awkward, but definitely wasn't a huge problem for me.
2:34 - B˚7 was a cool chord, but coming out of it was a little awkward.
The A minor at 3:18 was great too, but going to the artificial tonic (III in a) after it was awkward again?
The instrumental section was nice. Some of the solo notes threw me off like the F# chromatic line against Am but it was a nice contrast while keeping the same vibe.
 

 

Thank you for taking the time to listen to it.

I'm aware of the situaiton with the vocal but at the time of this recording there was only one guy who could sing and he did his best. Almost everything your hear on this song is first take. We had little studio time to make it happen. But I'm glad you liked some of it. This song is very special to me.

We're currently working on new songs and those will sound a lot better I guarantee you.

I really liked the guitar solo work..and the ending,   Out of tuneness, is one the issues the human ear is least tolerant of..   Sometimes,  altering the mix in the singers headphones can help..  When I have run into a singer with intonation problems, I have them sing softer..  (some untrained singers go flat when they try to sing louder).  I will then have them try to make the words as staccato as possible (don't hold vowels out too long).. Some songs can work, others not so much..  When I get into session with a singer, and limited time, or knowing they can't come back, (or just won't get it right).. I rewrite the lyrics and melody on the spot.  When writing a song, you want to bring out the best of each musician,  if you know the particularities of each person's playing, what they're strong at, what they weak at,  build up the strong,  lesson the weak.  

 If the singer can't get it into tune,  I try to end the session, not hurting their feelings, and replacing them.. 

Of course if he is a member of your band, or co-writer you have a real problem..  But flat singing kills the song..  You could go the autotune or melodyne route, but I hate the artificially,  and I think it would also hurt the quality of what you have written, because the auto tune would be so apparent.  

One of the greatest teachers you can have, is your own recording set-up.. Be it just a laptop.  Recording something, and playing it back, at a moderate volume, can really make you realize what is going on.  I often buy my DAW into record, loop, mute track, record new track, and do as many takes as I need.. I listen later, when I'm more objective.  Because when you are creating something you are usually subjective.. You don't want to destroy the creative flow..  You can comp together very decent performances by taking sections from different takes. 

If music is what you are really into, (and you wouldn't be here otherwise), you have to get the rudiments of a lot of things down.. Proper recording technique, engineering, performance, etc, etc.  Of course each of these areas can be a full-time occupation.. But just keep doing it, and you learn.. 

The guitar work, and piano playing are very good..  The section of guitar and piano interplay  DOES REALLY stand out quite excellent.  Perhaps if you started out with some of that, and then went into the fuller playing. .. you might try to up play that more.  Also if the drummer played a little more like later like Ringo Star's work.. more fills, less full on rock  drumming; it would let the excellent piano and guitar shine thru.. 

You do have some very good ideas here.  I realize you said this is old, and limited time etc. so maybe I'm overanalyzing it. Waiting to hear some more music.

Thank you very much for taking the time to listen to it and the patient for the detailed reply.

We're really struggling to get our sound right. It's difficult because we have our normal jobs and stuff. But we're going to give our best.

The stuff with the vocal we are aware of. It's now one of the main goals we got. We really improved since this last recording. There's more layers, more calmness to sing. A lot of the pressure has been dissipated thanks to the good reviews we are receiving. it encourages us a lot.

As soon as the next song is ready and online I'll let you guys know. Thank you again.

On 01/01/2018 at 3:14 PM, ilv said:

It seemed like this video was two songs put together. The second one would work nicely for background purposes. Generally, good job. The last note in the video was cut off a bit.

 

Hi ilv. Thank you for listening to my song. I'm glad you liked some of it.

The second half of the song came in like a spiritual thing. I didn't plan for that but the song, for me, kept asking for more and that's how it all came along. I really enjoy the outcome of it.

Just to let you guys know. We're going to record some new stuff in the months to come. I'll let you know as soon as we're done.