Song366_When We Meet Again (FINAL DAY!)

Today was the final day of this project. It's bitter-sweet, for sure. In fact, it still hasn't hit me completely. I was excited yesterday about crossing the finish line today, but I listened to the final version of today's song while I was packing all my guitars away...and it made me sad. Carly and I are moving, so Threebynine(TM) recording studio will be relocating also. I've already packed a large portion of the studio (mics, stands, guitars, cables, drums, etc)...it looks pretty empty already.

I took a pay cut this past year, and I (we) made some other sacrifices in order to make this project possible. I continued working my job throughout this project, but my job was only 30 percent of my week (about 15-20 hours/week), and 70 percent being music (about 40 hours/week). Now, unless someone is willing to pay me a fair salary to continue recording, my focus will shift back to 90 percent work and 10 percent music. Anyone? Anyone?

I'm very excited about the prospect of forming a band to play a few songs from this project. The 6 people that I've contacted have already expressed interest, so I'll let you know if it works out.

Thanks for your interest and support! If you haven't already, please join the Mailing List at www.anewsongeveryday.com to get updates on future projects.

-Matthew
www.anewsongeveryday.com
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song365_Silent Fiction

Today's song completes ONE YEAR of writing, recording, mixing, and publishing a new song every day. I'll be recording one more song tomorrow (since it's better to run "through" the finish line and not "to" the finish line), so the final album of this project will be available tomorrow evening at http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/.

Today's instrumental took about 3 hours to complete and it's 8-10 tracks (including: drums, bass guitar, 3 electric guitars, and a variety of synth sounds). I set the 'click' to 140bpm, and then I created 4 different chord progressions (1=E-F, 2=E-G#m-B-E, 3-B7-E, and 4=A, E, B7-E). Each section repeats a few times then moves on to something else...not much repetition.

By the way, my wife (Carly) is having an art show at the Starbucks in Colleyville this weekend (near the intersection at Precinct Line Rd and Hwy 26). She's a great photographer, designer, artist, etc, and she'll be displaying about 20 framed photos of flowers/nature. You can see some of her photos at http://www.carlydarly.com/.

One more day.

-Matthew
http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song364_Into the Light

I started this project on July 1, 2009 (a Wednesday). Each album in this project contains 7 songs...the product of a new song every day from each Wednesday to the following Tuesday. Anyway, today is Tuesday, but there will be no album released today. I've decided to wait a few extra days and release the final album on Thursday. It will be the only album in this project with 9 songs.

I got another late start on today's song. I had Freehand projects (also on deadlines) that kept me busy until 1730. I ate dinner, napped for an hour, and I started this recording session at 2150...cutting it pretty close. I chose to start with the electric guitar, set the 'click' to 80bpm, and I recorded a few simple progressions. I got this track recorded in one take all the way through (First Section=C#m-D-A, Transition=D-E, Second Section=D#m-E-B, Transition=E-F#). Next, I added drums, bass guitar, two additional electric guitars, tambourine, and a string section. I also added a few vocal tracks (each one recorded in 2 takes because of time constraints). I edited each track as I recorded it, so it was close to ready when the final track was recorded (around 2311). I got this one uploaded at 2340.

I heard today that a company in Washington now makes bacon flavored vodka. Genius! I've had a chocolate bar with bacon strips in it...excellent.

Tomorrow's song will complete one full year of writing, recording, mixing, and publishing a new song every day!

-Matthew
http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song363_Start at the Ending

I started writing this song around 2100...recording drums (96bpm), then bass guitar, then 3 electric guitars (in that order). Additionally, there are 4 synth tracks. The initial guitar progression is kind of strange...though I guess I should blame that on the bass player (Intro=F#-E-B-A, Center=A-E-D#m-B). The other two guitars don't exactly play the same chords, but it somehow fits...kind of. The dissonance is purposeful, and I like how the melodies work for and against each other at different times. I completed this song at 2300, but I wasn't happy with the levels on the first mix. The second attempt worked much better...done at 2322.

Only 3 days left...

-Matthew
www.anewsongeveryday.com
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song362_Line of Sight

I started today's song around 1900, and I wrote and recorded the 3 electric guitars first (130bpm). This is a very simple chord progressions...just 'A' and 'G,' but hopefully the combination of rhythms and the way the layers are applied (and removed) make this one interesting. The next instrument that I added was the bass guitar, followed by drums, tambourine, and 3 synth tracks (about 10 tracks total). I completed this one around 2205.

-Matthew
www.anewsongeveryday.com
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song361_Under the Surface

Friend/guitarist, Thiago Silva, joined me for today's recording session. This was his 3rd time to help during the past year. We have similar styles, but we excel in different areas, so it's fun collaborating. We scheduled today's session for 1000 to 1400, but I decided to lay the foundation before he got here...thinking that it would allow more time for him to experiment on the guitar while he was here. I structured the session into 3 main parts...starting with drums. The first two sections were recorded at 60bpm, and the ending (which is like a second song in the same key) is set to 120bpm. After arranging the drums I added bass guitar (first part=A-E, second part=A-Bm-C#m-D-E, ending=C#m-D-E-A), did some minor editing, and then Thiago arrived.

I gave Thiago a brief overview of the session, and before I could even get his track ready he was playing along. We tackled one section at a time. The opening has 2 main electric guitar parts (panned to opposite sides of the stereo-field), and the ending has 3 main parts. (All of the guitars today were recorded spontaneously by Thiago). I added a few vocal tracks to the end section that mirror the guitar solo. We also decided to add an organ to the intro, which made that section smoother and fuller. The mix came together in one try, and we finalized this song at 1355!

-Matthew
www.anewsongeveryday.com
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com

Song360_Congratulatory Kisses

I started today's recording session around 1230...right after completing a video project for a client, and just before a late lunch of chicken and couscous. I approached today's song different than usual. The first 3 tracks that I recorded were synth (one repetitive sequence that also contains a solo trumpet, one string section, and another synth sequence). Next, I added a few different drum rhythms, followed by the bass guitar (which mostly plays E-A in various rhythms). I also added 2 electric guitars that add single-noted melodies in contrast to one another. None of these (12 or so) tracks are great on their own, but I like the way they combine and evolve throughout the song. I completed this one at 1528.

-Matthew
http://www.anewsongeveryday.com/
matthew@anewsongeveryday.com