Rudi

http://www.amazon.com/The-Holiday-Hans-Zimmer/dp/B000LPR4U8 Iguzda This is what I found. There is more elsewhere I think. I didnt search extensively.

A Hans ZImmer fan! That's great. Not many people pay enough attention to the score of movies. I am now listening to 'The Holiday' samples as I write. I will see the film too when able. I'm a sucker for all this comic-book stuff.

Consider transposing songs from other keys. If you dont know how to do this, just ask.

I have various approaches. The most contrived & brilliant ideas always return rubbish though. I used to start with harmony / melody and delevop that completely. Then do the words. Then I started with words and built the music around those (still do sometimes). Lately, I think in terms of changes. The moment of transition from one chord to another with a melodic link. Then, before that goes too much further, consider what time signiture would serve the change best. So its like finding a whole finished 3 seconds of music and extrapolating everything else from that. Finally, I will dip into my notebooks of words, to see what suits the music. This can be awkward, as it always means a rewrite of the words.

A 4th (sust) will add some tension without changing the chord too much. The release will resolve it. Would that fit ok?

Any limitations you may have with guitar dont impede your songwriting skills any Al. I listen to Box of Goats about as frequently as I do God Street Wine, and I love God Street Wine! Great to hear from you again.

Despite Kevin Spacey & Bryan Singer, I didnt like Superman Returns. Man of Steel still not released where I am (I dont think), but I have listened to the score online.

Just to add my support for what has already been said by Tom & Dave. There are those who insist that different keys have unique qualities. I have never understood this. The reality is that the limitations of the musicians (always put the singer first) should determine the key. Guitarists not wishing to alter chord shapes can always use a capo. Easy. Keys (electronic) all have a transpose facility. Easy. Mind you, if you use a horn section, they will use any excuse to get their own way. (especially saxes ) Rudi

Deep Ellum Blues - Levon Helm & His Dirt Farmer Quartet http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdLkFYDTJuk

To fingerpick an electric you have to back off the gain / distortion massively (unless you confine yourself to playing one string at a time). Only then can you hear 2 or more strings (played simultaneously) clearly and distinctly. Also it helps to have a wider fretboard & string spaces. Conversely, its for this same reason that heavy metal stylists rely on techniques that use one string at a time so much. ie: hammer on, pull off & tapping.

Hello Pheonix, See you around.

Hey that doesnt sound half bad!

Long Necked Bottles – Capt Beefheart

Hans Zimmer’s score for Man of Steel. http://screenrant.com/man-of-steel-soundtrack-score-preview-images-hans-zimmer/ John Williams old score gets the sack. Fair enough. It’s a new imagining of the whole thing. The Hans Zimmer score though. It’s ok, but it’s either full on fireworks or quiet noodling trance. What do you reckon? Also, Now we are to expect Man of Steel without his red pants on. The pants may have been a pants idea, but after 74 years we are accustomed to them. He just doesn’t look dressed without them. http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/man-of-steel-ew1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://spinoff.comicbookresources.com/2013/04/11/man-of-steel-takes-flight-with-new-images-details/&h=636&w=625&sz=146&tbnid=OXsnDiyAfF9PqM:&tbnh=96&tbnw=94&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dman%2Bof%2Bsteel%26tbm%3Disch%26tbo%3Du&zoom=1&q=man+of+steel&usg=__8Q2TnGUe129G0bXLmvSI74eKfiE=&docid=4IQpGt44TlhY_M&sa=X&ei=eRjxUbiuLqLl4gT824FY&sqi=2&ved=0CJIBEP4dMA8#imgdii=_ If they wanted to change something, it should have been the whole outfit. A sports blazer over a blue cashmere sweater with a pair of knee breeches might’ve been alright. Silly idea? Not really. At super speed, you get very hot. At Mach 2 Concorde’s nose reached a massive 112 degrees C at (about 1350 mph), but the combustion point of wool is an amazing 600 degrees C, meaning Superman would still be properly attired when arriving at the rescue scene. Had he been wearing cotton outfit, it would have burned to a k**fing cinder before hitting Mach 2. Rudi

garden of eden – guns n roses

I wish I'd written all the half finished ones lingering in my *W.I.P. file. *(Work In Progress)

Its a testament to the course that you have already felt inspired to write for the assignment. Is the lyric likely to go public do you think?

Hey Gary, I now carry an unshakable image of four squabbling bridesmaids. Verse two is pulling the hair of verse three because she wants her song position. The other two are shouting for the ones they want to win. Both one and four are worried about getting fired in case the song is pruned back to three verses. The Bride is serenely indifferent to the squabble. She is oozing poise and grace. Thank you for the summary. There are useful tools in there I think. It reads like a blog entry. I have taken the liberty of creating a link here so I can check some songs to these criteria. Regards Rudi

Gigs: Sure SM58 (replacing an elderly Unisphere which started to give me mild electric shocks) Studio: Rode NT2 A

Thrash, I know that Martin feels great. Congratulations !

I cant comment on the Seagull. I've heard some nice things about them. The Martin is an excellent Guitar. It seems to suit you. I wouldnt think twice about it. If its inside your budget go for it with confidence.

It is a constant and on-going problem. Usually I am aware of the similarity and can steer the progress of the new song away from any obvious link. Sometimes I get caught out like you. For my present song, I use a common chord pattern used in lots of very different song. I kept obsessing about certain songs that I didn’t even particularly like. What was going on? You guessed it, I had subliminally picked up on songs with the same chord progression I was using. Most of the time no one would ever guess where the inspiration came from or where the structure was replicated. We have to be so careful. I often reflect on the legal tangle George Harrison got caught up in with ‘My Sweet Lord’. I’m sure he quite innocently wrote the song unaware of any similarity to another song. But there was and he went through the courts because of it.

Gary Yep, me too. I would be most interested.

Did Patsy offer to help? sorry! couldnt resist that. I assume you meant Patsy right? Because Pasty is a pale immitation of the real deal. I Fall Apart - Rory Gallagher (lovey pizzicato effect near the end)

I realized my stupid mistake 10 minutes after posting.. I humbly apologize David. Further to just1l's suggestion to try both. Always try a guitar before buying. There are always small differences between even those of the same batch. Just make sure it sounds suitable for your music. What does that mean? When Fylde guitars were young, I drove to the then premises (Progress Mill in Kirkham). I played many models. I was particularly struck by the lush warm sound of a blonde wood model. It would have been easy to have decided on it straight away. It only sounded its best when played softly though. When I played more aggressively it didnt respond well. I ended up choosing a different model that had more bite when played hard. Thats an example of what I mean.