Showing posts with label music video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music video. Show all posts

Saturday, April 13, 2013

Is This a New Song?

My husband was watching some boring science show today; I believe it was about asteroids.  What I gleaned from the show is that there is a main computer on which the scientists store the giant map of all asteroid locations.  I said, "Sure hope they backed that up."  Because you know how that goes.  Then I fell asleep.  

Apparently, a commercial must have come on, and as a man, he was obliged to channel surf.  This is also why I choose to not become interested in anything my husband is watching, because, on the off-chance it would be interesting, click!  It's gone!

I woke up to this video on CMT or GAC; not sure which.

Is this new?  I admit I don't listen to country radio, so I don't know.

Regardless, I like it!  And the video is cool, too.


So, there I go.  I actually admit that I like a modern country song.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

It's Rather Hard to Describe

As my husband does more and more original stuff, it challenges me, as the designated videographer, to broaden my horizons.

I find that I'm bored with the mundane. Aren't you?

Maybe that's why I hate new country music so much. It's so boring, so predictable. Everybody is afraid to do anything against the grain. "Ooh, if it doesn't sound like what Kenny Chesney/Keith Urban/whoever the heck is popular now, is putting out there, then I'm doomed. DOOMED!"

But enough about what they call "country music". This is a rock song, and a concept, if you will.

I find it interesting, and challenging, to get inside someone else's head and come up with something suitable.

As someone who relies upon pre-presented photos and little animated GIFs that I find here and there, my resources are limited. I work with what I have, and that's sort of the fun of it.

So, herewith, is "A Black Horse":

Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010 - A Year of Trying



The end of the year lends itself to reflection. I'm a big "reflector". I like it, when I can clear my mind enough of the mundane junk that I deal with every day, and actually take the time to do it.

Since this is, in essence, a music blog, I started to think today about what I have done in 2010, music-wise, and what I would write about that.

I kept coming back to the word, "tried". I tried to do a lot of stuff. Well, not a lot, but a few things that were important to me.

And I learned. Learning is good. It keeps one from becoming befuddled and crotchety. Or at least from becoming befuddled.

I learned that, if one keeps trying long enough, eventually she will become better at something, inevitably, except for math (on a personal note).

I've been writing songs for eight years now (yes, that's all), and I keep trying, and I think I'm getting better. Baby steps. Big long baby steps. I mean, c'mon, eight years, and I'm just now getting better? But still.

I tried FAWM seriously in 2010. I'd done it before, but I never really committed. I wasn't fooling anybody, least of all, me.

In 2010, I became disgusted enough with my lack of follow-through, to force myself to, just once, do it and complete it. And I did. The FAWM challenge is to write 14 songs in 28 days (in February), and I wrote 16, dang it!

I was reading some prior blog posts I'd made about my FAWM success, and boy, I was really full of it. I said something about most of the songs being keepers. Well, that's not true!

I'd say two of them are keepers. The rest are exercises in mawkishness. Yet, not futile mawkish exercises. Because I learned. Yes, I learned how to be a better songwriter, by doing. They're not all going to be winners; rather, I'm lucky if 2 out of 16 are ~ really lucky, in fact. But the work helped me. And the "trying" made me feel good about myself.

I also tried to write songs after February. I tried, in fact, working and reworking, and re-reworking a great song idea that I've had in my pocket for about a year. I learned that some things are better left to die. So, I scavenged the best lines out of it for a different song. I can be mercenary when pushed too far.

Most fun for me, music-wise this year, was that I tried making music videos (okay, "slideshows", if we're being technical). Even if they are slideshows, they still require a lot of effort and a degree of imagination, if one is to do them creatively.

I used to do an updated video each December for one of our songs, called "Ring In The Old". That was the only video I would do each year. I recently looked back at some of these prior "efforts", and they were appalling. I've gotten better. WAY better.

This year I created nine music videos, and I like most of them (I would, however, like to know why YouTube keeps suggesting that I tag every one of my videos with the word "kayak". None of these songs say one word about kayaks, and why in the world would they? I think YouTube has some kind of "bug" or has been hacked by a loose organization of kayak-lovers).

All kayaks aside, I really, really like doing this! I find that I'm a visual person, apparently, and sadly, for a so-called songwriter. Or else, it's just more making up of stories, which is sort of what songwriting is anyway. I think I'll keep doing it until I run out of songs.

I wrote two songs that I really like (see FAWM). One of them is in the process of being recorded, but it won't be done in 2010. It still counts, though. I consider it a bit of weather-related inspiration, mixed with a healthy dose of imagination. Even my husband, the producer, likes the song.

I'm going to spring the other song on him the next time it's my turn to have a song recorded (there are three of us in the band, each with his or her own songs).

So, as lazy as I know I can be, I think I did a pretty good job of "trying" in 2010.

And I'm good with that.

Thursday, November 25, 2010

New Red River Video - Remember Me (How Sweet The Moon)

I find myself with some free time on my hands, and no songwriting ideas, so instead I've been using my handy dandy Windows Moviemaker (such as it is!) to put together some slide shows of Red River's songs.

Here's one called Remember Me (How Sweet the Moon).

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Microsoft Songsmith Is AMAZING!

By now, you've most likely heard about Microsoft Songsmith.

If you haven't, here's what Microsoft has to say about this technological marvel ~ one that will replace songwriters entirely!

"Songsmith generates musical accompaniment to match a singer's voice. Just choose a musical style, sing into your PC's microphone, and Songsmith will create backing music for you. Then share your songs with your friends and family, post your songs online, or create your own music videos."

"What if I don't know how to write music?
Songsmith is for you. Get your first taste of songwriting just by singing into a microphone, then explore different styles and arrangements, even if you don't know the first thing about music theory."

Link

Watch the commercial here (and yes, this is the real commercial):



Who knew that songwriting was so easy? I feel like a real dunderhead now. Just last night I spent three hours composing a new song that, in essence, went nowhere. How I wish I could have those three hours back. And with Microsoft Songsmith, I could!

But I like to know what I'm getting into before I buy anything new, so I went to YouTube (my go-to site for all my consumer purchases), and thanks to azz100c, I found excellent examples of SongSmith at work!

What azz100c did was, he found some classic rock songs, extracted the vocals, put them through Songsmith, and dubbed the new song over the original music video.

I have found so many favorites, it's difficult to choose the best one, but here are a few for your enjoyment and edification:

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band



Poor Sir George Martin. He must be kicking himself now. All that hard work, and for what? Man! If only he were producing the Beatles today, he'd be in and out of the studio in no time, and he'd be sipping wine by the fire, cozy and warm in his dressing gown and slippers.

Hotel California



I always did have Don Henley pegged as a kind of electro-pop artist. And I see I was right!

White Wedding



Are those BANJOS?? Billy Idol! Who knew?

So, you see, once again, technology has just made everyone's lives easier and better! And much more time-efficient! Wow, now, not only can I write songs in the blink of an eye, but I'll have plenty of time to catch up on all those shows I've DVR'd and haven't had time to watch!

It's a win-win!

~~