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The newest song in my series of smooth songs, Island Slow Dance, has a few "firsts" in it:

1) This is my first song to be completely digitally recorded. In my previous songs, one or more tracks were recorded on my 4-track mixer/recorder (analog), so those songs were both analog and digital. But every track on this song was recorded directly into the computer and stored on the hard drive (digital). If you remember when CDs first came out, the recording industry used a "SPARS Code" which was three letters to describe how it was a) recorded, b) mixed, and c) mastered (e.g., "A-A-D" or "D-D-D"). Using that code, my previous songs were "A-D-D" and this one is my first "D-D-D".

2) Rather than playing all the parts myself, I had help with the tracks on this song from my friend, Lisa Weber. She played all the percussion on the song using her bongo drums and the egg shaker.

3) For the lead guitar, I didn't add any effects to alter the sound with the POD, as I had on the first three songs. So the lead guitar on this song is the nylon string guitar with its natural clean sound.

4) After using a pick to strum chords all these years, I finally bought a DVD to teach me how to finger-pick. So this song is the first one that I finger-picked the rhythm chords instead of just strumming them.

As with the last three songs, the Washburn nylon string guitar is used for both the rhythm and lead guitar parts. The bass guitar and percussive organ are from the MIDI (digital output) of the Yamaha keyboard. The wind chime is one that was bought for me by a friend and I always loved its sound, so I recorded it with the microphone. The ocean waves are from two wav files found on the web and the crickets sound is from Freesound.org (February 1, 2006 By RHumphries - http://freesound.iua.upf.edu/usersViewSingle.php?id=1112).

The title of the song comes from a visualization that I created spontaneously while slow dancing with a woman I was dating years ago. As we danced to Gato Barbieri's "Europa", I described to her a scene in which we were on a tropical Caribbean island at night and found a little tiki bar at closing time. The only people still there were the bartender and the island band playing their last song of the night--a slow dance. So I described how we headed to the empty dance floor and danced slowly to the tropical sounds of the band, with the ocean waves and crickets off in the distance. So close your eyes while you listen and let the song take you there, too!

Island Slow Dance ©2006

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My third song in the series of smooth songs, Instruments of Healing, was the most complex song I had written. It's quite a bit more complex than the simple 3-chord songs you hear on the radio (country, blues, or basic rock songs). In the verse sections, it has 16 chords and for the chorus sections, it has another 7 chords--no simple stuff for me!

I came up with the title of the song, then read an article that described certain musical instruments as having healing effects. Studies have shown that three of the most healing instruments are the acoustic guitar, the flute, and the xylophone, so I included those in this song.

As with the last two songs, the Washburn nylon string guitar is used for both the rhythm and lead guitar parts, using the POD for guitar effects. The Rhodes piano, string ensembles, violin, cello, and xylophone are all from the MIDI (digital output) of the Yamaha keyboard. The drums, tambourine, and pan flute are also from the Yamaha keyboard. As with the last song, I actually play the drum parts on the keyboard in real time and also recorded an egg shaker using a microphone.

Instruments of Healing ©2006

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The following song, Twenty Years Later, the second in my series of smooth songs, is a song that I started writing on the piano in September of 1985 for a new love at that time. I always intended to finish it, but never did...until now...Twenty Years Later.

For this song, the Washburn nylon string guitar is used for both the rhythm and lead guitar parts, using the POD for guitar effects. The piano is from the Yamaha keyboard's Grand Piano setting. The drum track, bass guitar, pan flute, and synthesizer pad are also from the Yamaha keyboard, with the pan flute and synthesizer pad being recorded in digital only (MIDI). Along with the drum track, during the chorus parts of the song, I actually play the Ride Cymbal and the Bell Tree on the keyboard in real time (in order to appease the frustrated drummer in me).

Twenty Years Later ©2005

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click on book for short story:

Sonar software 7-track screen shot

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The following song, Infinite Patience, began a series of smooth, relaxing instrumental songs. To get that smoothness, I'm using the Washburn nylon string guitar (pictured above) and POD effects device. In these songs, the guitar is accompanied by other instruments from the Yamaha keyboard, using its MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) output to the computer and/or its non-MIDI output.

To learn more about MIDI, go to:

Infinite Patience ©2005

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The following song, Whisper That You're Mine, was intended to be a collaboration project with a friend who writes lyrics and sings beautifully. She has lyrics written for it and her voice sounds great singing it, but we never got far enough to put the music and the vocals together.

It's written using the Ovation steel string guitar. The guitar is accompanied by the Yamaha keyboard for the bass guitar sound and drum track.

Whisper That You're Mine ©2003

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The following song, Liquor on the Linoleum, was written for a girl I knew who loved that old twangy country music (it didn't turn out bad for a musician who doesn't like that style at all--I needed to prove how easy it was to write those type of songs).

It was written using the Ovation steel string guitar. The guitar is accompanied by a drum track from the Yamaha keyboard as well as my questionable vocal track.

Liquor on the Linoleum ©2001

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The following song, Friend of a Friend, was written using the Ovation steel string guitar.

Friend of a Friend ©1998

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