I'm Still Dreaming Instrumentally

Song Title: Dreaming of You (Instrumental)

Recorded on: Ableton Live 9

Instruments: (In Order of Appearance)
                    Bass (Part of Blue Thunder Pack)
                    Snare Light (from 16 Snares)
                    Snare Accent 2 (from 16 Snares)
                    hh BN Open (from 16 HiHats)
                    pi.sn05 (from Singing Percussion Pack)
                    D #3 (from Singing Percussion Pack)
                    English Horn Solo Legato V
                    Glass (from DrumSynth Reflection)
                    Clap (from DrumSynth Reflection)
                    Mixed Choir Ahh - Ohh (Yes, it really is called that)
                    Female Choir Ahh (Yes, it really is called that)
                    English Horn Solo Legato Vibrato
                    Cello Section Pizzicato
                    Strings Ensemble Legato
                    Strings Ensemble Tremolo

Uploaded to SoundCloud: June 8, 2013

Statistics: 0 plays.

You can listen to "Dreaming of You (Instrumental)" here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/dreaming-of-you-instrumental.

The trials of being an EDM producer.

When I wrote this I was quite excited, actually. I think this is probably, some mixing issues aside, the best thing I have ever written. I knew when I set out to start writing and recording that I would not sound like everyone else. Not because I would have to try not to rip off people I like, but because I like a lot of different stuff and it all works its way in eventually. Any writer or producer, I don't care who they are, shows the influences of what they listened to growing up. And I've listened to a lot of stuff.

I rather like the strings and the choirs. I think they add a really nice background while still letting the English Horns do their thing.

This was not originally intended to be an instrumental piece. In fact, it has lyrics. But I obviously did something wrong when trying to set up the Ableton so I can't get the freakin' thing to record my voice at all. And I originally recorded the first English Horn (which to me sounds more like an oboe, but what do I know from MIDI sounds?) more to remind myself what the tune of the lyrics should be. I had intended to record a real "deep house" number with some mixed-down vocals that went like this:

When I'm awake I'm always dreaming of you
I can only hope that you're dreaming too

Okay, it ain't Shakespeare but it fit the mood of the song and the fact that I'm thinking a lot about my late wife lately.

Still, I slapped the "(Instrumental)" on it because as soon as I get vocals figured out, I will record another mix with vocals and probably no orchestral instruments at all. I'm looking forward to it.

I hope you enjoy it. I'm pretty excited about this one. Tell me what you think!

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Neal

A Little Lite but Really Tasty!

Song Title: 116th Street Junk Food

Recorded On: GarageBand

Instruments: (In Order of Appearance)
                    Funky Latin Drums 09 (GB Preset)
                    Cool Upright Bass 01
                    Upright Funk Bass 01
                    Simple Cabasa 01
                    80's Dance Bass Synth 09
                    Chordal Synth Patter 08
                    Funky Electric Guitar 02
                    Club Dance Beat 006
                    Exotic Beat 06
                    Funky Latin Drums 01
                    Percussion Combo 07
                    Motown Drummer 02
                    Conga Drummer 02 (All GB Preset Loops)

Uploaded to SoundCloud: May 24, 2013

Statistics: 12 Plays (4 US/4 Japan/2 UK/2 Germany/2 Viet Nam/2 Netherlands/ 2 Spain)
                2 Downloads (1 US/1 France)
                2 Comments (1 US/1 UK)
                2 'Favorites' (1 UK/1 Canada)

You can listen to "116th Street Junk Food" here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/116th-street-junk-food.

Again, this was a pretty simple piece. I simply dove into the loops that come with GarageBand and went crazy. As so often happens, I was trying to do something else and was getting nowhere. I was completely frustrated working in Ableton and went back to GarageBand briefly to just snap something off and remind myself that I really can write songs.

Burch, who has kind of been my mentor and often been my sounding-board since I started writing EDM, has told me many times  that I need to get rid of all the loops on my computer. I will agree with him while we're talking but then not do it. Why? Because I'm supposed to be having fun. Come on! And if I'm trying to master something and getting nowhere, why not work with a few loops and put something out?

No good reason, that's why!

Anyway, I've told him that I know the loops are really like junk food. They can be really tasty but have no nutritional value. But I've also said before that there is an art and a science to working with loops. If you do it right, you can come up with something pretty cool.

In fact, several people have agreed with me about this one. One of the comments came from a grumpy English guy who I would have sworn was not listening to my stuff (he's also a musician and his style is completely different than mine.) And he likes it! So if that's not affirmation, I don't know what is.

And the fact that anybody at all is listening to this song in Viet Nam also means that I'm doing something right. I would love to be big all over the world!

So Burch, I luv yer but dude you gotta lighten up a bit on this.

And anyone else who thinks that loops make for sucky or lightweight music?

Bite me!

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes~

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Neal

It's a Big Messy World After All!

Song Title: Big Messy World

Recorded On: GarageBand

Instruments: (In Order of Appearance)
                    Darksitar80b_d (Downloaded from Platinumloops)
                    Indi120_c (Tabla loop downloaded from Platinumloops)
                    Indyfolk120r_g (Mandolin loop downloaded from Platinumloops)
                    Alternative Rock Bass 03
                    Alternative Rock Bass 04 (GarageBand loops)
                    Distance (Loop)
                    KSK Vox Fx (Loop)
                    Club Dance Beat 002
                    Electronic Drum Beat 02 (GarageBand loops)
                    KSK Risa 002 (Loop)

Uploaded to SoundCloud: May 24, 2013

Stats: 6 Plays (United States)
         2 Downloads (1 US/1 Portugal)
         1 'Favorite' (Canada)

You can listen to "Big Messy World" here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/big-messy-world.

I love EDM but sometimes it just takes it out of me. I had been trying to learn "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (which I still haven't completely learned) while at the same time trying to learn how to do a four-on-the-floor beat. Trying to learn two such completely different things, even though one is a whole lot easier than the other, is hard. I just got drained. So I turned to my crutch in order to do something fun. And really, isn't this supposed to be fun?

I had downloaded a bunch of sitar and tabla loops. I have for a long time been wanting to do a real kickin' World beat. I went through them, looking for something that I could build a decent trance beat with but not finding anything that quite did it. But I found a few sounds that I hadn't remembered downloading (the KSK Vox and KSK Risa loops) and thinking I would like to do something with them. I'm on a lot of loop websites and I haven't kept proper track of them. Sorry!

This is not one of my great pieces, but I had a lot of fun. Burch likes to roll his eyes when he hears I'm working with loops again but what I always want to say at that point is, "Bite me." I was drained from trying to master things that weren't working and needed a little fun. And like I said before, isn't this supposed to be fun?

So enjoy it in the spirit in which it is offered.

Peace out and catch you later...

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Neal

Next Stop, Fourth Floor!

Song Title: Fourth Floor Rehearsal Space

Recorded On: Ableton Live 9

Instruments: (In Order Of Appearance)
                    DrumSynth Kick
                    Hi Hat Open
                    Snare Electro
                    DrumSynth Clap
                    Buster Synth Lead
                    Horny Morning (This is an audio effect and no, I didn't name it.)
                    80's Wavepad Pad
                    Bright Pad Filter Sweep

Uploaded to SoundCloud: May 29, 2013

Stats to Date: 2 Plays (United States)
                      2 Downloads (1 US/1 Portugal)

You can listen to "Fourth Floor Rehearsal Space" here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/fourth-floor-rehearsal-space.

This was the second piece I tried to write and the first I wrote successfully using a "four-on-the-floor" rhythm. I'd never done it before so to learn how I went looking for help. Other producers had told me this before and I'm here to testify, Youtube is your friend. Now, I'd gotten the idea that most people associate house beat four-on-the-floor with 130 bpm. How true that is, I don't know, but the video I watched that showed me how to do it, the guy who made it wrote in 123 bpm. So that's what I wrote this song in. And I tried writing just the drum part in 123 and then speeding it up, but it just didn't sound  right, so it stayed at 123.

I played it for Burch and he said, "Good four-on-the-floor." I'll take it where I can get it. At least it told me that I wasn't wasting my time learning how to do this stuff.

Being an EDM producer is hard. You're a one-man show (or one-woman show, depending.) I love to jam with other people and feed off their energy and ideas. Usually they are also better musicians than I am so I learn by watching what they do and listening to how they do it. It's not like that as a producer. I'm sitting in my bedroom all by myself and hoping that someone other than me likes the ideas I'm committing to the internet. If I get frustrated with something, there's no one there to say, "Hey, you can do it," and encourage you to keep going. The upside is that there's also no big, egotistical jerk trying to front the band and telling you how bad you suck, whether you do or not. And I've always been one of those people who is never quite sure when they've done something good. I wrote a book once that I thought was brilliant. My wife and kids read it and politely decided not to tell me how terrible it was. Then I wrote a poem that I almost threw away. Two days later my wife backs me up against a wall yelling at me for more of that. So I usually need someone else to tell me, not that I'm great no matter what but whether what I'm doing has any value at all. Cuz everyone sucks sometimes. I don't care if your preferred style of musician is Deadmau5, Prince, John Lennon or Beethoven, none of them produced all winners. But it's always nice to hear that you're doing it right.

Let me know what you think!

Peace out and catch you later...

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Neal

Frustration is the Mother of Creation!

Song Title: Frustration

Recorded On: Ableton Live 9

Instruments: (In Order of Appearance)
                    Kick LD
                    Snare Atom (Part of 16 Snares Pack)
                    Snare Electro (Part of 16 Snares Pack)
                    Saw Synth C Bass
                    Dance Stab Bleep (Part of Miscellaneous Synths in the basic Sounds Pack)
                    Chord Sweeper
                    Saw1 Reso Panned Pad (Synth Pad in Sounds Pack)
                    Strings Ensemble Pizzicato
                    ATMOS Other Planes of Where (This is one of the Ambient and Evolving Synth Noises)

Uploaded to SoundCloud: June 1, 2013

Stats as of June 4, 2013: 4 Plays (United States)
                                       1 Download (United States)
                                       2 'Favorites' (1 US, 1 Switzerland)

You can listen to "Frustration" here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/frustration.

In my attempts to stop being the John Tesh of EDM, I decided that I really wanted to learn how to lay down a four-on-the-floor beat. My first attempt was a song I named "Fourth Floor Failure", which has since been erased from my computer, never to show up in some compilation somewhere where anyone can blackmail me with it. It really was that bad.

My second attempt was a song called "Fourth Floor Rehearsal Space" which is up on SoundCloud now. "Frustration" is my third one. I'm overall pretty happy with it. It could be better, but for something that got shot out in a couple of days with almost no redo, I think it really worked out well. I think I do pretty good job of building some tension, especially in bar 49 when I change the key (simultaneously releasing tension and starting the build-up again) and again in bar 82 where I introduce the pizzicato. I'm not positive but I'm pretty sure this is the same pizzicato sound that starts off Santigold's "Disparate Youth."

I think if I did one thing differently, I would leave out the drop in bar 57. The Saw1 Reso Panned Pad sound is very, very low and it wasn't as effective as I'd hoped. Live and learn.

I hope you listen and enjoy it. Please let me know what you think!

Peace out and catch you later...

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher W Neal

Four On The Floor and Jesse At The Door!

Song Name: Jesse Beyond

Recorded On: Ableton Live 9

Instruments: (In Order of Appearance)
                    House Bass
                    Kick Jump (Part of 16 Kicks Pack)
                    Snare KW (Part of 16 Snares Pack)
                    Drum Synth Clap (Part of Drum Synth Pack)
                    Trombone Section Legato
                    Strings Ensemble Staccato
                    5ths2 Filter Sweep Pad (this is a synth pad)
                    Snare Evil (Part of 16 Snares Pack)

Written and Recorded: May 31 - June 2, 2013.

Uploaded to SoundCloud: June 2, 2013.

Number of Plays in first 14 Hours: 2 Plays, 1 'Favorite', 1 Download.                   

I have not written an entry about them, and I will, but I will briefly mention my "3 Goals of Songwriting" here. You may remember that I've written about my "3 Rules of Songwriting" and my "Motto of Songwriting" but I've never listed the three goals. The first one has always been:

1) Write a summer song.

Now by that I mean a good pop song that gets pulled out year after year. I use Summer Songs as a yardstick because when kids are out of school and heading to the beach/mall/vacation/whatever they have a soundtrack that they share with their friends and whenever they hear that song as they get older they always remember that summer. So what I really mean is I want a perennial, a song that gets played on the radio even years after it came out.

Yeah, I would be fine if I were a one-hit wonder. Don't get me wrong, I would love to have a string of hits and am struggling to learn how to write good pop music (club style, that is.) But some bands (and some of them very good bands) only have That One Song that people know, even if they don't know the name of the song or the band. Exhibit 1 would be "The Way" by Fastball. I'll bet that most people reading this are going "Huh?" but as soon as you hear it you go, "Oh yeah!" And Fastball is a really talented band and the disc this song was on (All The Pain Money Can Buy) had several good songs (personally I really like "Fire Escape") but if people even remember their name it's in connection with That Song. I have no idea how they feel about that but personally, I would be fine with it.

Okay, a little about my song, Jesse Beyond. (You can listen to it here, https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/jesse-beyond.) I've only been doing this for a little over six months now, so I'm still trying to learn how to write the stuff I actually like listening to. And I like to listen to four-on-the-floor dance songs, especially deep house tracks. This is my third piece with four-on-the-floor. I came up with the title because I listened to "Crazy In Love" by Beyonce (which is a song I really like) but then also listened to a song by Jesse J which for the life of me I can't remember. And it's featured on Vevo. Go figure. The only thing I remember about it is that I liked the bass line, before she started singing lyrics that were interchangeable with a dozen other female artists and trying to impress me by dancing around half naked.

ShankThr33's rule number 422: The more skin a woman is showing the less likely her song is to be memorable.

And yeah, I know about Beyonce's video, but I heard the song long before I saw the video. I've never seen it all the way through, I prefer just hearing it.

So I thought, "I can do that" and started messing around with bass lines. I don't know if I did a good job of copying a sort of standard house bass line but I liked what I came up with. And I liked the drum sounds I put on top of it. I got a little carried away with the trombones but I'm experimenting with different sounds and exploring what Ableton has to offer.

And yes, the title "Jesse Beyond" is a take-off on Jesse J and Beyonce.

Listen to it and let me know what you think. I love that people read this blog. The majority of people reading it are in Russia! Why? I don't know but I love anybody who's reading this no matter where you live! Thank you all so much!

Peace out and catch you later...

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Copyright (c) 2013 Christopher Neal

A Bright and Shiny 110 Sunnyside Morning!

Recorded on GarageBand.

Instruments: (In Order Of Appearance)
                    Techno Kit
                    Techno Kit
                    Smoky Clav
                    Solo Star (GB Preset)
                    Classic Organ
                    Classical Acoustic (GB Loop)
                    Pop Kit
                    Pop Kit

Uploaded to SoundCloud March 14, 2013

Plays to date: 11 (8 in the US, 2 in Canada, 1 in Spain.)
"Favorites" to date: 1 in the US.

Part of the evolution of my career as an EDM producer.

There's really not much to say about this one. I still had no idea what I was doing. I had an idea about trying to find a groove in the song, and I did okay with this one but there are others where I've done much, much better. Even back then.

It's no joke that I listed both "Techno Kit" and "Pop Kit" twice. One of the drawbacks to GarageBand is that if you want to overwrite something, you have to literally erase the original clip you wrote. Ableton allows you to edit more selectively, adding and subtracting notes and beats, but not GarageBand. It's all or nothing. So if, like me, you have trouble figuring out how to play the snare, kick and hihat all at the same time, you have to do them on more than one track.

It's kind of a spare sound, which is something I have been trying to not do. I really want to learn how to produce that full wall-of-sound experience, but I was definitely not there yet.

You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/110-sunnyside-morning.

I named it "110 Sunnyside Morning" because I was trying to write something light and happy. And it is, compared to some of the other stuff I wrote around this time.

I hope you enjoy it!

Peace out and catch you later...

Add caption

Don't Ever Mess with the Little Loudmouth!

Title: Little Loudmouth

Recorded on: GarageBand

Instruments: (In order of appearance)
                    Edgy Rock Bass 04 (GB Loop)
                    70's Ballad Drums 01 (GB Loop)
                    Smoky Clav (Preset)
                    Deep House Dance Beat 01 (GB Loop)
                    Blue Jazz Organ Riff 03 (GB Loop)
                    Southern Rock Organ 05 (GB Loop)
                    Southern Rock Organ 04 (GB Loop)
                    Southern Rock Organ 03 (GB Loop)
                    Southern Rock Organ 02 (GB Loop)

Uploaded to SoundCloud 03/14/2013

Some of my songs I like less the more I listen to them, and some of them I like better. This one is definitely in that second category. In fact, this has always been one of my favorites, ever since I first wrote it. This is also the first time I almost had the courage to use just loops when writing a song.

At one minute and forty-three seconds, it's not the longest song I've ever written but it's got some pretty satisfying stuff packed into it. Unfortunately I don't remember bpm, but I'm thinking it's about 120 because it's pretty fast and I wrote this when I thought successful EDM needed to be 120-140 bpm to get club play.

Like most of my songs, it tells a coherent story. Spoiler alert, if you just want to keep your pictures of it (which I say bless you if you do) then skip to the next paragraph. It's a classic story of falling and redemption, with a little Southern-Gospel-Style thrown in. The opening bass line is meant to represent someone (and yes, I do think of a girl, although don't call me misogynistic. I just do. It don't mean nothin',) who is tightly wound and on a continuous roll of shooting off her mouth and getting into trouble. The additions of drums and other bass (the Smoky Clav) are just meant to show her speeding along no matter what happens. Then the organs come up and I couldn't help thinking of her going into a church and finding redemption. Since it's a dance song it's all meant to be done in spectacular fashion, but that's the basic of it.

When I started writing this I just was listening to different loops in the Garageband collection and really liked Edgy Rock Bass 04. I think I almost used it for something else but decided not to since it is kind of busy. It's got a great funk sound to it and is kind of dirty and grinding. I added the Smoky Clav preset (the only instrument that I actually play) to fatten it up (like it needed it, but it still works!) And also to add a little menace underneath, emphasizing the beat.

There is an art and a science to arranging loops just right. I don't claim to have mastered it yet, let alone when I wrote this song, but when I started working with the organ loops I realized that I was going to need to let some pieces go in order to have it tell it's story most effectively. Layering the organs on top of each other, which was what I initially wanted to do and I know some EDM guys WOULD do, was just a mess waiting to spill. May seem like a no-brainer just listening to it, especially if you're a more experienced producer than I am, but at the time it was a bit of a revelation. This piece more than any other helped me form my Three Rules of recording. It was accidental, but I found that groove and locked it in solid. I layered effectively, knowing when to let go. And I finished it up. And I was pretty happy with it, and I still am!

You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/little-loudmouth

I've always been disappointed that this one wasn't more popular. In all the time that it's been up through this writing, it's had fifteen plays, no downloads and no little hearts. It's been most popular in the US, followed by Canada and Ireland. Hey, I love for people to like it no matter where it's played!

Hopefully if you read this you'll check it out and maybe this little gem will get another shot at the life it deserves.

Peace out and catch you later...

ShankThr33 - It's In The Genes!

Harlem Digital Nocturnal, a beautiful place to be

Title: Harlem Digital Nocturnal

Recorded on: GarageBand

Instruments: Ambient Beat 01
                    80's Pop Beat 09
                    Lunar Strings
                    Nylon Shimmer
                    Motown Drummer 06
                    80's Dance Bass Synth 04
                    Deep Round Synth Bass
                    Deep Electric Piano 04

Now we come to the song that was my first "favorite song" and is still the second most popular song I've done. On SoundCloud it's received 21 plays in approximately 2 months and has been played by people in the US but also people in Canada, Turkey, Brazil, Indonesia and the Asia Pacific Rim. Fantastic!

I wanted to write a piece of mood music and something that would kind of fit onto maybe some 1970's blaxploitation style movie. Something kind of soundtrack-y at any right, whether for a movie or for a video game. Something you could listen to and kind of see the action as it went along.

Kind of is what I got. The song itself is pretty good, in fact until recently I would say it was the best I've ever done and undeniable proof that I do, for real, have talent. It was also, in some ways, a lucky accident. Most of the stuff I've done on GB shows how new I am at this. Even when I started getting the writing together under my Three Rules, there would still be glitches or gaps. This one didn't have anything like that. It came out pretty close to perfect as-is. In fact, when I played it for Burch he told me that he couldn't believe this came out of GarageBand.

What can I say?

A-Mac also really liked it, so I decided to go out on a limb. Of all the songs I have on SoundCloud right now, this is the only one not available for download there. I went ahead and posted it to Beatport. It promptly got lost there, the only way I can find it is to log onto my account. But it's up there, waiting for the day when some clever DJ will discover it and pay me 9.99 to download and tear it apart for beats.

Part of the reason, I think, is because it has sucky artwork. But artwork is a subject for a different posting.

You can listen to it here: https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/harlem-digital-nocturnal.

I tried to find orchestral sounds but had little luck. Some of the bass presets I was actually able to utilize better by lowering the octaves on my controller (I have an Alesis QX25 controller. It has 25 keys so I can't do too much two-handed stuff, and if I want to play low I have to lower the octaves manually. I want the Ableton Push and a Korg midi controller so bad!) And also by raising the octaves on the "Deep Electric Piano 04" preset, I was able to get the piano sound to somewhat mimic a glockenspiel (Burch thought that it was that sound.)

I started with long, slow, bass-heavy chords and went back and added the drums in later. Then, when I had the rhythm down and the groove was really set, I added in the texture bits. This is the song that more than any other showed me how to find the groove. "Lost In The Big House" would be the opposite end of the spectrum. But everything really clicked on this. And I had been listening to it on a pair of cheesy headphones. After I finished it and took it to Burch, who has access to a decent studio, he popped the disc into that Mac and when I heard it through some good studio monitors, wow! I blew myself away!

It got the name "Harlem Digital Nocturnal" because, and don't ask me why, when I listen to it I often hear the opening strains of Earle Hagen and Dick Rogers' "Harlem Nocturne." So I wanted to pay homage to that in the title.

Anyway, thank you very much to everyone who has enjoyed it so far, and if you haven't heard it yet, you are in for a treat even if I do say so myself!

Peace out and catch you later...

Three Rules and One Motto!

It's hard to be a musician.

As I've mentioned before, I have three rules for writing songs. I've developed these over time based on listening to what I write that works, or doesn't, and also listening to what other people have put out. I also have three goals as a producer, three things that I would ultimately like to accomplish. And I have one motto.

The motto? Well, okay, let's get that one out of the way first. I've already mentioned it in a previous post. It's the Voltaire quote, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." I made the decision to start putting my stuff out there for people to listen to and (hopefully) comment on before I started even really writing anything. Feedback is a good thing, even though it doesn't always come in the form you're hoping for. This is not complaining when I write what I'm about to write: I have had 375 plays on my SoundCloud account. That's between 32 songs, some of which have been up for over two months. Now, I could get all depressed over that and say, "Yeah, but Deadmau5 get's that many plays before he's even recorded the song!" Which is true. But I can also break it down case by case and see which songs are getting any love and which ones go to bed lonely every night. And one that gets 15 plays in a month and maybe one or two favorite-ings (yes, that's a word because I just made it up) is by definition more popular than one that got three plays the first day and then no one ever came back to it. And I can work on what I've got until the day I die but if nobody is listening to it, why bother?

Yes, I am an artist but I also want to connect to an audience. There's nothing wrong with that.

So I stick my stuff out there even though there are glitches and pops and ideas that stopped too soon, or not soon enough. And if people like something enough to listen more than once, I'm on to something.

My three rules for writing a song are: 1) Find a groove.
                                                           2) Layer effectively.
                                                           3) Finish what you start.

The first one is both a lot more simple and a lot more complicated than it sounds. What is a groove? You know, I've never heard a technical definition of that but in context of how I learned about it, it's that time in a song where all the musicians are working together and the song itself gets bigger than the people playing it. A lot of people can write a competent song and play competently but when the song seems to suddenly become really big, and reach deep inside of you, that's the groove. With one exception (Harlem Digital Nocturnal) I haven't actually written anything that big but I keep looking for it. And I go with ideas that add to, not subtract from, the song.

Which brings us to the second rule.

There's an old rule about visual art (and to some extent it applies to music as well.) The measure of a really good artist is not only the space they fill but the space they leave blank. A lot of people, even some pretty big names, don't seem to know the value of space. But you especially notice this with rookie producers, they throw a riff in that sounds good in one particular spot so they assume that it will sound good throughout the entire song. It just isn't so. Sometimes one riff can carry a whole song, but sometimes you have to use the riff for a couple of measures then drop it as you layer in other instruments and riffs. I like a "wall of sound" as much as most people but not when it comes out as just a bunch of noise. A song should have melody, or at least a tune you can make out. That synth line you layered in after twelve measures may not sound as cool after thirty measures when you've added more synths, drums, guitar and maybe a tabla. Know when to leave well enough alone.

And now number three. A lot of people start something and then give up. I'm not really saying anything against them, at one point I was pretty bad about that. But I found that I wasn't happy leaving songs just hanging. Either I need to finish it or I need to erase it. And in music as much or more than other art, sometimes pursuing an idea you had that isn't working out leads to another idea that is better. Or you just make a mistake somewhere but it actually sounds really cool. Don't ever just write something off because you got frustrated. On the other hand, if you have a bunch of ideas that you can't seem to finish, maybe you need to face up to being a perfectionist and just get on with it. Tina Fey relates how Lorne Michaels used to say, "We don't go on because the show is ready, we go on because it's 11:35 on Saturday night." Just do it!

Which brings us back to the motto!

Well, it's late and I'm tired. If I remember, next time I'll write about my three goals. Until then...

Peace out and catch you later...

Yes, I Want To Eat Some Cake!

Title: Eat Some Cake

Recorded on: GarageBand

Instruments: Clean Electric (guitar sound)
                     70s Ballad Drums
                     Rock Kit
                     Upright Jazz Bass
                     Trumpet Section
                     Fingerstyle Electric Bass
                     Angelic Organ
                     Megaphone (for primary vocals)
                     Male Basic (for other vocals)

Once again, the instruments are all presets in GarageBand.

As I struggle to learn Ableton and therefor am not writing any of my new ideas down, I go back and revisit some of my older stuff. This one was deliberately written as a single and although I don't think it would sell well (and SoundCloud apparently agrees because in the month or so that it's been out it's only had 17 plays,) it's still fun. It was written as a tribute to the band Cake and I sometimes wonder what John McCrea and the boys would think if they heard it. Hopefully they would take it in the spirit which it was written in.

I'll be the first to admit that this song owes a lot to "Short Skirt/Long Jacket" even though that's not my favorite Cake song. Right down to the reference line to wanting a woman who is "sharp as a tack." I was trying to write an original song but I was listening to the "Comfort Eagle" disc a lot and also writing about my recently deceased wife. So there you go. In a way, this is the grown up version of "Short Skirt," being about what kind of woman I would want for a long-term relationship, unlike the twenty-something fantasies of Cake's song.

I went with an entire trumpet section instead of trying to emulate Vince DiFiore's single, clear trumpet because, well, I'm just not  that good yet as a producer or a keyboard player. And besides, for all the great things you can do on GarageBand, the truth is that a lot of their sounds suck. The loops tend to be good but the presets all by themselves can be really tinny, or sound canned.

I used the Megaphone preset for the primary vocals because it was the best way I could find to mimic John's monotone, disaffected vocals. I don't know how he does that. I'm not a singer (I don't actually sing on this song,) so I tried to fake it as best I could.

I played this song for Burch and he laughed out loud. It's good that someone got the joke, at least it means that I did what I set out to do. It's always a good feeling when someone reacts positively to your stuff!

I posted this one a while back, you can listen to it here:https://soundcloud.com/c-l-neal/eat-some-cake
. I hope you enjoy it!

Peace out, catch you later...

Why "99% Ineffective" is so darn lovable.

Title: 99% Ineffective

Recorded on: Garageband

Instruments: Accoustic Vamp 04

                    Accoustic Noodling 01

                    Steel String Slide 03

                    Accoustic Picking 21

                    Accoustic Slide 01

                    Elecric Slap 03

                    Funky Pop Drums 03

                    Headspin Long

                    Hip Hop Beat 03

                    Dance Floor Pattern 17

All of the 'instruments' are preset loops in the Garageband loop library.

For something that started out with no plan and ended as a bit of a mess I think this one worked rather well. I had done very little work with loops and I had not yet codified my "Three Rules of Songwriting" so I really had no idea what I was doing. Although this is one of my earlier songs I don't remember exactly where it came in. I know I'm out of order here, I'm trying to get to my songs in order. This one was written and recorded around the same time as, but after, both "Harlem Digital Nocturnal" and "Little Loudmouth," both of which are better songs by almost any measure. But despite the wandering of this one it still winds up fairly pleasing. 

Another reason this one will probably always be considered a "minor treasure" is that, unlike almost all my other compositions so far, it doesn't tell a coherent story. Now, the story could be linear, like "Little Loudmouth," or it can be more of a mood piece like "Harlem Digital Nocturnal," but you can clearly see in your head what is going on. Of course, there's always room for interpretation, but that's half the fun! This one starts off with a sort of lazy guitar noodling then goes straight into the plaintive steel string part, then the spare acoustic line, then it gets kind of busy. When the slap bass arrives I'm not even sure where I was trying to go with it, and the ending would seem forced if it for some reason didn't work so well.

I would love to know what story someone can get out of this one. 

In fact, since I can't picture in my head what story would go with this, when I move into making videos this one is not slated for one. If it winds up on my Youtube channel it will just have to be my logo on the screen.

Still, the reason I didn't abandon this project is because, and don't ask me why, it really does work. I can hear areas where I would have let some of the ideas play out longer and tried to build some tension, I think the payoff at the end doesn't quite deliver enough bang for the buck. But still, for all that it flows nicely and every time I listen to it, it carries me along the way any half-way decent song ought to.

I posted it to SoundCloud about a month ago. You can listen to it here. So far it has had 11 plays and no downloads, so it isn't one of my "biggest hits" although one person did "favorite" it. Thank you! It makes it all worthwhile! I hope you enjoy it!

Check you later...

The story behind "(I Want to) Kill All Americans"

Recorded on Garageband.

Posted on SoundCloud: March 2013.
Plays so far: 12.
Comments so far: 1
Instruments used: Classic organ (Garageband preset), drumsticks and voice.

To listen to ShankThr33's "(I Want to) Kill All Americans" just click here.

I have three rules I've developed for writing songs over time, but when I wrote this one I hadn't developed them yet. I was just sitting down at Garageband, trying to figure out how to replicate the sounds that I wanted to make. I had been listening to Skrillex's "Bangarang" and wanted to write something with that kind of edge. Did I succeed? I know what I think but you be the judge.

This is actually the third song I've written since deciding to become an EDM producer, but it's the first one I posted up to SoundCloud. It's been up for a little over a month at this writing. It's gotten my only comment so far (Nekura Kid Rcrds wrote, "It's powerful!") and I am very grateful for it.

As I wrote, I hadn't developed my "3 rules" for recording yet but I did have a philosophy of production. It actually had two sources, one being a story about how when the Ramones were touring England one time they met Joe Strummer and Mick Jones from the then just-formed Clash. Apparently the two Brits were gushing about how the Ramones had been a big influence on them and they formed a band and were practicing and as soon as they were "good enough" they would start gigging and recording. Joey reportedly admonished them not to wait until they were better but to start producing and playing right then. The other source is very different but sums up my philosophy of production and posting pretty nicely, Voltaire's famous quote, "Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good." The song will never be perfect but I feel that the ideas expressed in the song are solid, so I put it out there and let other people decide how good it is.

The only actual "instrument" was the Garageband preset Classic Organ. The rhythm section is me banging a pair of drumsticks together (the big ones that are sometimes called 'trees', so I could get a fat sound) and beatboxing (kinda.) The little narrative of the vocals was not so much to tell the story as to set a mood. I lowered the vocals in the mix, except for the end part, specifically because it is more about setting the mood than telling a story. I was still experimenting with some vocalized instruments, mainly beatboxing, but I've since given that up.

Thank for reading and thanks for listening!

Check you later...

My name is ShankThr33...

...but you figured that out already, didn't you?

ShankThr33, by the way, is pronounced "shank three." .

I'm on SoundCloud, which is how I came to spell the name that way. I had started writing music under the "Shank3" name but when I went to start posting on SoundCloud, someone else already had the name. As far as I know, to this day they have not posted a single thing but the name is out there. Still, it has special significance to me and I didn't want to let go of it. A-Mac, a drummer friend of mine, suggested that I spell it with the two numbers instead of two letters at the end. This, by the way, is called "leet" spelling, you can read about it in the Wikipedia link provided. I liked it, I know that several EDM (Electronic Dance Music) producers (most notably Deadmau5 but others as well, such as R3hab) use this spelling. Plus, it was almost impossible that someone else was already spelling it that way. So "Shank 3" got turned into ShankThr33.

As of this writing I have 32 songs up on SoundCloud, you can listen to them here. I love SoundCloud, it's a great place to find new artists and if you can post a good stream of stuff, you will get noticed.

If you have any questions or anything you'd like to say, of course leave a comment but you can also email me at shank3music@yahoo.com. As you can probably guess, I set that up before I changed the spelling. Don't send stuff to the gmail account, I will probably forget that I have it.

Thank you for reading and thank you for listening! I love comments and emails! I'm also on Facebook as Shank3, please like me and you'll get updates whenever I post something!

Later...

ShankThr33