Last call…..
Posts Tagged ‘#voice’
VOTE
Posted: November 3, 2020 in Question of the WeekTags: #choice, #democracy, #election, #election2020, #voice, #VOTE, #vote #election #politics #president #democracy #personal, #voter
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Vote
Posted: November 1, 2020 in Question of the WeekTags: #choice, #democracy, #election, #election2020, #voice, #vote #election #politics #president #democracy #personal, #voter, #voters
Going twice……
Music for “The Next Step”
Posted: July 13, 2020 in My Tunes, PoetryTags: #bandLab, #DAW, #drums, #guitar, #Ibanez, #michaelskennedy, #Midi, #mididrums, #midimike.com, #original songs, #poetry, #singer song-writer, #sonar, #song, #songwriter, #vocalist, #voice
Earlier I posted a poem (although poems and lyrics are often interchangeable with me) called “The Next Step”: https://midimike.com/2020/06/22/the-next-step/
This shuffle will take a while to get used to. Really, there is no groove here. No comedic relief either, but I do like the strangeness of it. How about that for an intro?!!
The recording was simple and there is a lot of open space in this one that makes most listeners a little uncomfortable. I played my Ibanez 6 string electric guitar and used effects from my PC after the recording to get the delay and chorus effects. I created the MIDI drums to match the odd beat in the guitar strums. After laying down a simple bass guitar track using computer plug-ins and the song is almost done.
jjaR Project Two
Posted: August 13, 2019 in projectsTags: #bass guitar, #drummer, #drums, #guitar, #midimike, #music, #original songs, #recording, #recordingstudio, #vocals, #voice, ADAT, Alesis, Cincinnati bands, Cincinnati Scene II, female vocalist, fender guitars, gibson guitars, jjaR, lead guitar, Michael S Kennedy, MSK Studios, multi track recording, music production, musicians, original music, originals, songwriting, support local musicians, WEBN
I think we started recording Project Two in May of 1996. Project One was mixed by the end of March so we had a good feeling for the next project. I will eventually dig up archives for details as I am now relying on brief notes and scribbles of information. I do not have lyric sheets for these songs but I know most of the lyrics by heart.
As you know I am really bad with names. I know Annette Rogers was the lead vocalist and I believe she wrote most of the lyrics. My notes also mention Robert Downing with the band.
This was a band I wished I had kept in touch with. At the time in my life there were so many projects and I had my own music and bands I was involved with. All this and I worked a regular full-time job!
I have a brief video of the band setting up – somewhere. Who knows, maybe I will dig it up along with my track sheets and band info.
By the middle of September we had all the recording done and mixed Project Two. We did ten songs in all and I will share a few more with you today.
“Your Words”
Posted: April 29, 2019 in PoetryTags: #lyrics, #personal, #perspective, #poem, #poetry, #soul, #voice, #writing, power, soull, understanding
(C) MSK 4-28-2019
I listen to your words
Over and over as if I had not heard.
Why am I hypnotized?
What holds me finally realized.
Your voice gives them meaning
Half way through the day I realize I’m dreaming.
Can’t say I understand
Things don’t usually end the way they’re planned.
Listening to your words
In the dark of silence it all sounds absurd.
Lost without the story?
Turns so clear so deep so true to me.
There’s no other way to say it.
It is in the sound
In the melody
The voice as it carries.
There’s no other way to say it.
Opens the heart
Pounds the soul
The heart as it buries.
There is no denying the power
As it overwhelms and begins to devour.
The dreams I’ve known forever
Lie in the softness of light and strength of a feather
There’s no other way to say it.
It is in the sound
In the melody
The voice as it carries.
There’s no other way to say it.
Opens the heart
Pounds the soul
The heart as it buries.
The Human Voice is an Amazing Instrument!
Posted: June 15, 2015 in Opinions and ObservationsTags: #12string, #audio, #band, #create, #creative, #creativity, #guitar, #harmonies, #harmony, #inspiration, #inspire, #Instrument, #life, #love, #lyrics, #melody, #midimike, #motivation, #music, #musician, #observation, #performance, #performer, #performers, #performing arts, #personal, #piano, #recording, #singer, #song, #songwriter, #sound, #soundman, #stage, #story, #vocalist, #vocals, #voice, #writer
When I was listening to music in my early years, it seemed very natural for me to sing along with the songs I like or new tunes I heard. I did not realize until years later that what I was doing was harmonizing with the melody, rather than duplicating it. This was probably my first gateway into music creation. I seemed to have a knack for developing harmonies. Rhythms and timing also came to me without me understanding what I was doing. Some people play sports, some are good at math, and some are builders. I just seemed to feel comfortable with music. My mother was in theater, radio and music and I have already blamed her for a lot of exposure to performing arts while I was growing up, so I will continue to do so!
The human voice is an amazing instrument. There is nothing like it. I know that I am not a powerful vocalist – I simply do not have the pipes it must take, but fortunately that did not stop my love for singing. As I sang along more and more, I got better at finding the notes that would enhance or decorate the melody line. I never tried to over power them, but to add to them. Sometimes a song only needs a phrase or two highlighted by harmonies or echoing the melody. Other tunes seemed to inspire harmonies throughout the song. Eventually I would hear the melody in my head and sing along creating harmonies. I could not begin to tell you how to create each note while singing… there are no manuals for this. There are lessons to be learned and great teachers or vocal instructors, but the basics are not easily put into words.
When it comes to instruments, there is a certain amount of knowledge and practice involved in understanding where the right notes are and hitting them at the right time. Just knowing the right ones to play are not enough as you have to know when and when not to play them. I bring this up because a lot of musicians talk about jam sessions or getting together and without a lot of details, start playing new themes and using ideas from other musicians to create and have fun. My point here is that I was never that comfortable simply bringing my instrument and jamming with others. I do feel comfortable with harmonies and if asked to add percussion or drums, I could fit in. But for me playing guitar, keys, bass, flute, sax, etc. without practicing and knowing what I was doing ahead of time is difficult. Many of the musicians I worked with were absolutely great at this. They were great at bouncing musical ideas off other players and coming up with gorgeous textures, themes and tonal landscapes. I have a few early examples of jams and creative sessions I would like to offer here from time to time.
MidiMike 