We're On The Grass With No Shoes
Thursday, January 12, 2006
It's shaping up to be a slow album. Instead of recording a faster song this week we've done the opposite and finished a song we started a while ago that's slower than anything else. I've been asked before how to write a song that's longer than 2 and a half minutes. And it's easy. It's easy to write one substantially longer, say 6:21, just by dropping the tempo and slowing your brain to suit. Bare Foot In The Grass is a prime example of a short song gone long.
The original title for this one was Wish I Were Here (that I wrote about here). We still plan to use the title, but the lyrics that Vanessa wrote for that music meant that the title was no longer suitable. If you've read that post, you'll know all about how we recorded the music for the song. Yesterday I went in to the studio to cut it back a little and give it the dynamic I was talking about. I did that by dropping things out. I know that's not my style, but I thought I could try something new. I did add an extra guitar part - just some harmonics that pop in and out. Most of my time yesterday was spent fiddling with the drums. The drums that I'd used made the song sound like a direct copy of another of our songs, Invisible (from Atmospherics), enhanced by the sine blip and Hammond. I poached some drums from Elisha's Sunlight, but (after an hour or so) it was clear that they weren't perfectly in time so I reverted to the original.
Bare Foot In The Grass Sample 2 (Last Verse) 848kb
Unlike the way we've been writing, Vanessa has had the instrumental track for Bare Foot since early November. She put some of her own lyrics to it which meant that when she arrived yesterday we (a) had to just whack 'em on and (b) had time to play with other things. There's not much to say about Bare Foot In The Grass that hasn't been said in the Wish I Were Here post, except to mention that the song is a dedication to Vanessa's aunt Lorraine who died in July 2005.
Yesterday's session was a little random. I finished toying with the backing for Bare Foot and, as mentioned above, played with some other things. I added a new vocal to Full Circle and adjusted the mix and even had enough time to record this. Look after that little sample by the way as you'll never hear me do something so country again. I laughed. And hope you do also. Our main focus after finishing Bare Foot In The Grass was to do some work on the middle section of Ash, and Blown Away. When we left it last week the Floyd-type middle part was nothing more than a constant ride cymbal and an organ solo. This week we added an Egyptian tabla that I played with my hand and a stick and a range of recorders and flutey things. The picture is of Vanessa playing the Dragon Flute (with approriate capitalisation). I have no idea where this instrument was born, but it is carved in the shape of a dragon, has an odd reed-type system and six finger hole things. If anyone knows the correct term for these holes please let me know - I feel inadequate at not knowing. It's been hanging around the studio since we were in Taringa the first time, but previously used only once on a track called Microwave I recorded a few years back (featuring a paint tin, mobile phone and autoharp among other things). It's a pleasure to hear it on an album.
We had a chance to chat about the direction the album is taking, which we don't mind at all but think it needs some chunkier tracks. Vanessa has almost convinced me to not have a big long song on this one. My disappointment is obvious. She said the big song in the middle (not the end like the other album) doesn't necessarily have to be long. I don't agree, but don't think I feel like writing a 15 minute epic today. And besides, I have to do some washing and mow the lawn.
The original title for this one was Wish I Were Here (that I wrote about here). We still plan to use the title, but the lyrics that Vanessa wrote for that music meant that the title was no longer suitable. If you've read that post, you'll know all about how we recorded the music for the song. Yesterday I went in to the studio to cut it back a little and give it the dynamic I was talking about. I did that by dropping things out. I know that's not my style, but I thought I could try something new. I did add an extra guitar part - just some harmonics that pop in and out. Most of my time yesterday was spent fiddling with the drums. The drums that I'd used made the song sound like a direct copy of another of our songs, Invisible (from Atmospherics), enhanced by the sine blip and Hammond. I poached some drums from Elisha's Sunlight, but (after an hour or so) it was clear that they weren't perfectly in time so I reverted to the original.
Bare Foot In The Grass Sample 2 (Last Verse) 848kbUnlike the way we've been writing, Vanessa has had the instrumental track for Bare Foot since early November. She put some of her own lyrics to it which meant that when she arrived yesterday we (a) had to just whack 'em on and (b) had time to play with other things. There's not much to say about Bare Foot In The Grass that hasn't been said in the Wish I Were Here post, except to mention that the song is a dedication to Vanessa's aunt Lorraine who died in July 2005.
Yesterday's session was a little random. I finished toying with the backing for Bare Foot and, as mentioned above, played with some other things. I added a new vocal to Full Circle and adjusted the mix and even had enough time to record this. Look after that little sample by the way as you'll never hear me do something so country again. I laughed. And hope you do also. Our main focus after finishing Bare Foot In The Grass was to do some work on the middle section of Ash, and Blown Away. When we left it last week the Floyd-type middle part was nothing more than a constant ride cymbal and an organ solo. This week we added an Egyptian tabla that I played with my hand and a stick and a range of recorders and flutey things. The picture is of Vanessa playing the Dragon Flute (with approriate capitalisation). I have no idea where this instrument was born, but it is carved in the shape of a dragon, has an odd reed-type system and six finger hole things. If anyone knows the correct term for these holes please let me know - I feel inadequate at not knowing. It's been hanging around the studio since we were in Taringa the first time, but previously used only once on a track called Microwave I recorded a few years back (featuring a paint tin, mobile phone and autoharp among other things). It's a pleasure to hear it on an album.We had a chance to chat about the direction the album is taking, which we don't mind at all but think it needs some chunkier tracks. Vanessa has almost convinced me to not have a big long song on this one. My disappointment is obvious. She said the big song in the middle (not the end like the other album) doesn't necessarily have to be long. I don't agree, but don't think I feel like writing a 15 minute epic today. And besides, I have to do some washing and mow the lawn.
