Morning my friends, how are you ?
I do hope you are all well and safe. It's 4:21 am here at The Living Pen. The dark of the night is still holding the earth in its' tender embrace but the light of the morning is rising ever so slowly to take over. It's most noticeable in the distance where the hills are. I am in a small upper library perched in a benched arched window. I have a steaming cup of hot cocoa and I was reading over this week's interview with Peter when the view caught my attention. There is nothing so naturally mysterious as the change over from night to day. I am one of those people who sometimes finds myself unable to sleep and rather than waste the time I always try to work and usually find myself in a window. It is utterly amazing to catch this transition. Have any of you done so? How would you describe it?
This week's interview with Peter really showcases how patient and willing he has been with answering questions and sharing information. I know not much about this topic. I have a love of instruments and have actually collected a few but I have never, ever played or tried to learn to play. That being said, I am sure some of my questions were the most basic that could be asked and yet his answers were always interesting and his love of the craft always present in his sharing. This, I believe if very evident in this week's interview. I hope enjoy it as much as I did.
Blu:
Peter, do you work on one song at a time until completed, or do you have several in-progress and jump around ?
Peter:
I usually have several in progress at the same time and will jump from song to song depending on what phase they’re in. For example, if I’m working on a specific tune and a file comes in from a guest artist, I’ll jump over to the song that the guest’s part applies to and will usually work on that tune. Also, songs very seldom sound the same from start to finish as ideas can continuously develop during the creative process.
Blu:
You mentioned last week you would be willing to deconstruct a song's process so we can see how it was developed from the ground up. Are you ready to do that?
Peter:
Sure Blu, let's give that a go.
If you recall, I shared a Violin/piano snippet in a previous blog which you also included in last week’s recap posting at:
That audio piece is the 1st part or introduction to the rest of the song that I’ll be deconstructing for you. I’m going to start with the percussion track. Here, I’ll provide the 6 different elements that make up the overall track and then provide the final track with all audio tracks combined. Give a listen.
The 1st track is a combination of 2 tracks: hand percussion and a buzz effect. This will augment the drum kit groove:
Click to hear Percussion
The 2nd track is a combination of 3 tracks: the drum-kit snare, kick pedal and cymbals:
Click to hear Drum Kit
And this 3rd track contains a sort of steel drum sound – this helps give motion to the groove and fills as background to the piano part:
Click to hear SteelDrum
So when combined, these 6 tracks are what make up the drum track for the song:
Click to hear all Drum Tracks Combined
Blu:
So this drum track is for the entire song and it is made up of six separate tracks to create the sound for this song?
Peter:
Yup.
Blu:
Wow! Peter, about many how tracks make up a whole song?
Peter:
It can vary by song, genre, style - anywhere from ten to a hundred tracks.
Blu:
Do you have a limit as to how long a song could be?
Peter:
No, unlike pop music, which is maybe between 3 and 4 minutes, classical or jazz has no such formula to package the song in a predictable manner.
Blu:
This is truly a rare treat Peter, what do you have in store for us next week?
Peter:
Next week, I will add the harmonic component be it piano or guitar.
Blu:
I don't know about our reading friends Peter, but I have never used my ears to learn how something comes together. This is a new and very different experience for me. Thank you, and have a great week.
Peter
Talk soon Blu.
It's nearing six am now and the light is rising from the bottom up. I imagine it is tickling all the plants and sleeping creatures at ground level, coaching them ever so slowly into awakening. I hope you enjoy this blog and find it an experience in something new. Let me know what you think in the comment section below. How did you find listening with your ears? If you wish to be notified when a new blog goes live, please register your email address below, directly across from Comment on the right side. Till next week my friends, enjoy your day.
Blu