Recording Some Kind Of Blues, track 6 Dancing With Diane

Dancing With Diane is a funny little story about a guy who meets up
with an old girl friend, then has to explain to his wife.

I had made a previous recording of Dancing With Diane on 4 track tape, so I already  had a drum pattern for it on my Alesis SR16 drum machine.
I recorded the kick and snare from that pattern onto my computer
as an audio track, and used it as a basis for building the rest of the tracks.

I added a MIDI drum track for the tom fills and high hat. 
Another MIDI track was created for crash and ride cymbals. 

I played the bass track on my '68 Fender Telecaster bass, but then I
decided to create a MIDI bass track for a cleaner sound - no noise - and
better control of the note placement.   There are some parts where the
bass note slides down the neck.  On those notes, and at the end of the song, I turned the MIDI bass down and the bass guitar up. 
As the song plays, it is switching back and forth between MIDI bass
and audio bass guitar.

Dancing With Diane has three rhythm guitar tracks.
There is a clean guitar that is playing mostly chords and notes an octave
higher than the main rhythm guitar, and a distorted guitar that is playing pretty much the same thing as the main rhythm.

The other guitar track is the lead solo.

I sang two complete vocal tracks because I didn't like parts of the first one.
It turned out that I didn't like parts of the second one either, so I just picked the best of each one and turned one off while the other is playing.
So, like the bass, it is switching back and forth between the two.

The last track is a blues organ played with Ableton's software synth using my Alesis QS8.1 as the MIDI controller.

Dancing With Diane has 12 tracks:
     acoustic drums, MIDI drums, cymbals, acoustic bass, MIDI bass,
     3 rhythm guitars, lead guitar, 2 vocals, and organ.


Listen at PWCarr Music
http://pwcarrmusic.com/

Dancing With Diane by Patrick W. Carr
Personnel:
Pat Carr - all instruments, vocals

Illegal Downloading

I put my songs on sites like Soundclick, Songplanet, and Reverb Nation with the expectation that anyone with a little bit of computer savvy can record anything that streams on the internet.  I'm also cynical (maybe realistic is a better term) when it comes to believing that people have lower moral standards these days.

So my philosophy is that it is just the price you pay for promoting your music on the internet.
But that still doesn't make it right.
I've spent countless thousands of hours writing songs, rehearsing, performing, recording, mixing, and developing a craft.  I've also spent thousands of dollars on the instruments and equipment to support it.  I believe the end result has some VALUE.  If a song gets on a radio chart, or if someone buys a CD or a download, that validates my belief.
Why do you buy a CD?  Because you like the music enough that you want to own it.  You want to be able to listen to it any time you want; not just when it gets played on the radio.  It's the same for music on the internet.  You can listen to it any time you're at the computer.  But if you like it enough that you want to be able to take it with you and hear it any time, then you should be willing to pay a buck and support the artist who poured his heart and soul into it.
Which leads to another question:  what value do you place on your art?  Do you give it away -- make all your songs available for free download?  If so, maybe you are just contributing to the growing mindset that music has no value and should be free.

PWCarr Music

Why Do Songwriters and Musicians Promote Their Music?

Have you ever stopped to think about why independent musicians are promoting their music?

I have songs on dozens of internet sites and radio stations. Why?
For one thing, I want to share them. It wouldn't do much good for them to sit on my computer and never be heard.
Music puts me in touch with people. I have friends all over the world because they heard my songs. Some of them I have even been able to meet in person.

Music is a tie that binds us all together. It is something we all have in common, whether we create it, or just love listening. No matter how you are feeling, there is a song that expresses it.

Music can be purely for enjoyment, or it can teach us at the same time.
I believe that at least some of my songs have an important message. They provide a way for me to express my beliefs and feelings, and hopefully resonate with the listeners.

It seems, though, that in our culture songwriters and artists are not as revered as they have been in the past. That's a little strange considering how important they are to us.

I cannot begin to tell how many wonderful comments I have received from people who enjoy my music. I'm grateful for that. It always makes me feel good to know I made someone else feel good.

So why else am I promoting my music?
I put thousands of hours and a lot of dollars into it, and I'm trying to make a living.

I believe it's important to support the people that bring a little joy to our lives. I try to do it as much as possible, and I'm truly grateful to those who have supported me.

Compliments are nice, but they don't pay the bills.

You get a $2.00 discount and no shipping fee on the digital version of Some Kind of Blues.