Revisiting Old Friends

Revisiting Old Friends

I am sitting here, listening to Alison Krauss “Now That I’ve Found You: A Collection” and sometimes I am amazed to discover that a song that I thought had been performed to perfection by the original artist is either topped by another artist's performance or is a song that I had judged as a throw away in the original performance and I haven’t given a second thought.

There are two songs on this collection that fit the bill. The first is the title song, “Now That I’ve Found You”. The original performance, by the The Foundations, to my mind, is a successful attempt by a UK band to imitate The Motown Sound that was very popular and innovative at the time. I think that the meaning of the song is lost in its success. Alison Krauss has brought out the meaning of this song in her rendering. The arrangement pares away the style and leaves us with a tender song of desperation, a plea for what she is losing. This could go very badly. The background vocals are used sparingly and effectively with the words “darling but I can’t let you” and “I built my world around you”. Will her plea end with this man’s return? Will she heal and move on? Or………?

The second song that came to mind, as an example of a well done song; The Beatles “I Will”. Paul McCartney captures the innocence of love in its first throes. It is genuine and without guile. The words are spoken to the loved one with complete honesty and truthfulness. The young man is bold in his proclamation. He has no fear of rejection. In Alison’s version, I hear it as a proclamation of joy at having found the person she is meant for and who is meant for her. The producer leaves us, at the beginning; with a guitar introduction that doesn’t give away what the song is. He relieves the tension 18 seconds in when the melody is introduced on the banjo. The banjo, when played at this tempo, communicates fragility in its inability to sustain notes well. It depends on the other instruments to carry it along.

Alison and company bring a new perspective to this great song. It seems, to me, to be more graceful and gentle. She brings out the hope for good things to come. Well done.

A very special thanks to Jo-Ann Hedleston at KRFC FM Radio 88.9 for being the inspiration for today's blog. She played "I Will" this morning.

-Adrian Yañez

Can't Play With a Click Track? There is Help

Preparing for the Studio: Playing with a Click Track

Often, with musicians who are new to the studio, I have found that they struggle with playing with a click track. This is because they have not yet developed a strong sense of pulse, timing and rhythm. Some do fine when playing along with a drummer or guitarist who can keep time, that is why it is incumbent on the rhythm musicians; drums, guitar, and bass, be especially good at keeping tempos. If a piece of music speeds up or slows down it should be because it was chosen by the musicians for effect and not because the musician is struggling with tempo. It is easy to tell when the reason is for the latter.

So what can we do about it? Practice with a metronome. Start by choosing a scale pattern on your instrument, set your metronome to 50MM, and begin by giving a whole note value of 4 beats. This may seem a little extreme, but if you do this it will train you to listen for the pulse of the scale and will lock in your ability to keep time. Many students try to skip passed this step and end up with inconsistent timing, pulse and rhythm. If you are a singer, conduct yourself along with the metronome as you sing. Use the standard conductor’s patterns that can be found online. These patterns vary from meter to meter and thus will help you to develop a strong sense of the pulse of each meter. Continue the process by playing 3 beats per note or dotted half notes. Move on to half notes, 2 beats per note. This process continues until you can play 16^th notes, 8 notes per beat. You can also add playing in groups of 5 and 7. When you can do it at 50MM, increase the speed a few beats per minute (BPM). Do this 3 or 4 times a day. If you want to see a more fleshed out version of this process, check out Pebber Brown's YouTube video on the topic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2656SWkvRQ . In fact check out all of his videos.

Pebber starts with ¼ notes but I prefer to start with whole notes. It is harder to play slow than to play fast and you will not get to fast without mastering slow. Many of the concepts that he presents apply to any instrument. Slow and steady wins the race.

For singers, sing through all of the vocal parts with a metronome. Slow it down and bring it up to tempo a little at a time. If you can sing it without the ensemble then you will be able to lead the ensemble and not be a follower. When performing songs, it is the vocal part that is most important. All the other instruments are in service to the vocalist.

Practice with the metronome, with headphones on. This will make hearing the click track in headphones easy when you get to the studio. When you rehearse with your band it is a good idea to rehearse with a metronome. Get a metronome that subdivides the beats.

-          Adrian Yañez

Space

I had a great preproduction meet up with an artist yesterday. One word that came from the artist was “space”. She said that she wanted it to have space in the music and that she didn’t want it to be over layered. Perhaps one of the reasons that the recording industry has gone through the downturn is because the recordings don’t stand up to multiple listening and are overproduced.

In an effort to create with a sonic canvas, some engineers and producers have ventured into a place where the music becomes unlistenable. Let’s not kid ourselves; auto tuning vocals and instruments has only made for lazy or subpar performances. You can’t fix it in the mix or polish a turd. Great mixes begin and end with great music and a great performance.

It seems to me that at one time vocalists had an earnest quality in their singing. I think of Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan and others. I also think of Joni Mitchell, Patsy Cline, and Judy Collins. There is a joy in listening to Ella and Louis Armstrong sing duets. Louis' voice is the trumpet. His trumpet is a mirror image of his singing. When Ella scats, she imitates the trumpet.

Patsy Cline displays this earnestness in the convincing power of her voice. Billie Holliday is earnest in her vulnerability. Listen to Judy Collins in her rendition of “Send in the Clowns” by Stephen Sondheim. The closing line shows a resignation to what is happening. Look into “Sea Songs” by Edward Elgar, sung by Dame Janet Baker. She captures the storm and the return to safe harbor, a metaphor for home and family.

Use your imagination to seek the deeper meaning of song and music. Ask yourself, who am I singing this song to? What does the song mean? What are the emotions, thoughts and sentiments conveyed in the song? Where is the song being sung? This should move how you perform the song and the musical choices you make for its performance.

Adrian Yañez

The Erard at the Northern Hotel

Playing the Erard

Some times a recording opportunity crosses my path whose music is a delight. That was the case with the recent Off the Hook Arts Pianothon. All things came together to make it nearly perfect, a greeat emprisario in Jephta Bernstein, a Fort Collins landmark the lobby of the Northern Hotel, a fully restored Erard Grand Piano 1879, and a host of pianists and musicians.

Jephta Bernstein who organized and carried out the whole affair with the help of local volunteers, was indefatiguable . Her efforts with “Off the Hook” is well worth supporting. They provide musical learning and performance opportunities for youth and a community has formed around her efforts. This is a group that is well worth supporting. She is passing on the legaccy of great music for the next generation and providing joy and salve for the soul.

The Northern Hotel is a long time landmark of Old Town Fort Collins . It began as a hotel for visitors that came to FortCollins via the railroad. The building was remodeled to an Art Deco exterior in the 1930's and subsequently the interior remained Greek Revival, with its bueatidul Corinthian Columns.

The acoustics qre perfect for lice recording of acoustic music. Amplified music would not fare so well. Check out the Lobby the next time you are in Old Town.

Into this space, the 1879 Erard Grand Piano found a perfect home for recording. The piano sound bloomed in this space. We used a Neumann TLM-103 to capure the bass resonance and an AKG-414 near the hammers on the treble side to pick up the definitio of the highs. These were combined with 2 matched ribbon mics for the stereo image and I am very pleased with the results.

Eleven hours of music later and some time in post production I am happy with the results. It all came out to eleven discs total.

-Adrian

Analog vs. Digital, The Good Old Days?

The Good Old Days?

Lately, I hear a lot of reminiscing about the good old days of analog tape recording and analog in general. As a long time collector of vinyl recordings, it holds a special place in my heart. To this day, I still enjoy the process of playing my vinyl recordings on the Hi-Fi. Gingerly removing the LP from the sleeve and placing it on the turntable. Running the Discwasher over it and the D-Stat before lowering the needle to the vinyl, and anticipating the music as the stylus lowers into the groove. Then sitting back with the liner notes, or the cover, and settling in for a good listen and a good read. On the second and subsequent listening I often turn off the light to better immerse myself in the sound. I will confess that I still enjoy haunting thrift stores to find those great RCA Shaded Dogs and the Mercury Living Presence LPs recorded by Wilma Cozart and Robert Fine. For some it is a fine cigar and for others it is a vinyl recording.

Now comes the but. I don't care for the process of analog recording and I don't miss it at all. You never forget the first and only time that you accidently erase a part of a clients 24 track tape. Add to that, getting a tape from another studio without test tones or that was recorded on a deck where the head alignment, azimuth or bias were not properly calibrated. Don't get me started on razor blade edits. AAArghh. Give me a DAW any day. Non destructive editing, unlimited tracks, extended dynamic range are just a few of the advantages of digital recording. As a bonus, your electric bill drops dramatically.

With the ever increasing sampling rates of digital recording any compromise of fidelity is and will continue to be overcome. AVID audio has just released a new system that has 384khz sampling rate. Sanken makes microphones with a range up to 100,000 hz. Many former analog mixing engineers like Andrew Schoeps are working completely in the box.

I think the combination higher quality digital recording with the resurgence in vinyl records could lead to greater satisfaction for those who have moved to vinyl. Many of the early digital to vinyl pressings did not satisfy any of us who were and still are vinyl hounds. We may also be seeing high definition streaming online for the audiophiles in our midst. These services could be on the order of Netflix, Hulu, or Spotify. One obstacle to this would be having a Digital to Analog converter in computers, laptops, and other devices that could convert at the higher sampling rates. Perhaps an add on device could be marketed.

-Adrian

The Ugandan Kids Choir

The Kids of Uganda

Wow! The last 2 days have been a delight. We are recording the Ugandan Kids Choir. Ivan, their director has turned these children into a fabulous choir, There music is infectious. They sing music that is idiomatic to there country and culture. For me it conjures up Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Solomon Linda & The Evening Birds. They sing with a joy that seems lacking in many North American singers. Ivan is a gentle but firm director. When musicans are prepared, sessions are a breeze. These kids work in the studio like pros.

The children were exited to use the headphones and to hear the music in their heads. Ivan had the boys dance and sing while the girls were recording their parts. It made for great video and it kept the boys occupied. Then when the boys were recording the girls danced and sang. This allowed the boys to focus on their part without the girls vocal getting them off pitch.

Larry and Ivan stayed up till 1 AM to get the drum tracks perfect. Great job guys. Larry and Ivan were looking a little tired in the morning but the music got them back in the groove. Georg Solti once said that “there are directors with the music in their head and directors who have their head in the music”. Ivan definitely has the music in his head and in his heart. Great job.

On day 2 we did overdubs and completed constructing a song from scratch. The kids hung tough and made a great session. Ivan stepped up the pace and we completed the song in record time. Alexa and her crew kept the kids occupied. The children range in age from 9 to 11. I can’t wait for my teenage boys to see the video and hear the recordings. It is an example of what can be achieved with children with love, care, understanding, and discipline.

Today, a police officer from the Fort Collins Police Department came by the studio to give the kids a look at his patrol car. They loved it. Thanks to the officer who came out and to those that made it possible. Lunches were served by people from the faith community. Thank you to all the volunteers, especially Rock, who provided the video.

Preparing for the Studio (Part 6), For Vocalists

For vocalists, it is important that you sufficiently warm up before your performance. It may be a good idea to record the vocals on a different day or during the time of day when the vocalist feels more relaxed. Having extra personnel around can make the vocalist feel rushed or out of sorts. Have water and throat lozenges on hand to sooth the singer’s throat. The vocalists favorite hard candy may also be a good addition to have around. Low lights or candles may help to set the mood. For the vocalist some time may be dedicated to choosing the microphone that best suits your voice. If you have not done this before than be prepared to work with the engineer. If you are already familiar with what microphone best suits your voice, then let the engineer know. It will give him an idea and will help him select an alternative microphone if the studio doesn’t have the microphone that you prefer. Vowels of the lyrics are where the pitches are sung. Consonances are where the rhythm of the melody and the words are defined. Give the vowels their full time value. Don not clip words short unless it is done for effect. Remember, the voice is the primary instrument. Practice good breathe support when you sing. The producer should be able to help you with this in preproduction. If you have any questions please ask.

I highly recommend that all members of the band be able to sing the lead vocal part as well as their own parts and instrumental solos. This will give you clues as to how to perform your solos. The most alive music is music that breathes. Ask yoursef, If I were singing this solo where would I breathe and what notes would I emphasize. If you can’t sing it, then there is a good chance that you aren’t hearing what you are playing.

Preparation will go a long way to making your experience in the studio a happy one. It will build your confidence.

-Adrian