Tony...if you want some of my random ways out of writers block read on, if not stop reading now.

Play something you already know, in a different octave or in a different key. Odds are when you do those things you will end up changing the original to something that better fits the new key or octave...then in the end perhaps have all new melodies and chords from when you started.

Past that...playing on top of other peoples music can give you ideas. Im sure you have some random songs around that you hear parts in when you listen ( that the artist ) dint do, create those parts that you want to hear. How does this help with writers block RANDOM.

Just hummm a melody/bass line whatever out before you even think of touching your keyboard. After you have a hummmmed part mapped out...then translate it to the keyboard.

Drums...record a track ( no matter how basic ) of some manual drums, then add parts on top of that. While the styles are good for many things...they cant emulate YOU PLAYING a wack rhythm that goes with something only you understand. Plus if you get into bashing keyboard drums, you might end up doing manual fills melded with the styles.

Heh lots of people will tell you " play different voices on your keyboard " and thats a good GIVEN thing to try. For you...I think if you focused on a nice electric piano ( something warm/stereo not thin/chimelike ), some tremlo/flanged guitar, acousticbass layered with a pickbass...you would write something really nice. Plus I think you could use sounds like rainstorms wind blowing to great effect. Heck I wouldn't mind hearing something like a "musicbox" written by you, I feel you could pull off something truly haunting.

really nice job Tony ! There is a very real market for this genre of music. WEll done

Hi Tony
I'm back again to inspire your confidence

I just wanted to input a theory I have about self confidence.
Although I hear what some of your audience has said about pushing your voice forward when performing,doing this, doing that, in my humble opinion I always feel that the best artists I have ever heard are those who REMAIN THEMSELVES. In other words,if you want to be comfortable for ever, be yourself and sing to your own parameters. As long as we can hear the result clearly, the individuality is important and easy to live with for the artist.
cheers

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Eddie from Rotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info

Hi Chico,
Many thanks for taking the time to listen to my song. Glad you liked it ...and I am working on pushing the vocal out

Alone,
I did not think your comments offensive in the least. I took them as I'm sure they were intended as helpful and constructive advice.

I recieved your master copy thanks and am about to give it a blast.... actually I recieved it at around 3.30am my time but thought I had better not wake the house Will let you know what I think.

Thanks for your advice on getting over writers block. I will give each of them a try. I particularly like the idea of humming a line to myself BEFORE going near a keyboard. I used this method out of neccessity once (in that I was driving home and had no radio in the car. I started of with a melody line and before I got home had a complete song in my head.) Strangely to date (and for various reasons) the song that came from that is probably my favourite.
Thanks again Alone, I do appreciate your advice and help.

Spalding,
Thanks for listening and for your very kind comments. I have always considered that I was born a good few years too late in that my style of writing is a little out of date now. I like songs that 'tell a tale' and love to use tight rhyme and such to that end. I love Gershwin and Cole Porter (they do it effortlessly... and again I am not drawing comparisons with myself). My point is that I have always considered myself 'behind the times' with regard to the 'saleability' of my songs.

Eddie,
Thanks again
I do think you are right in that the 'singer' has to be comfortable within his/her own peramiters. I have never considered myself a singer at all as you know and only do it (under extreme sufference I might add) in order to get my songs heard. People like you have given me the confidence to believe that my voice is adequate enough to do this and I am forever grateful for that.

It is still my dream though to write that one good song that a real artist will pick up and do justice to. I want to write songs that other people like singing and that (hopefully) even more people like to listen to. I never wanted the limelight..... just my name on the sheet music
Very best wishes
Tony

Good music. Both tunes. And I like your voice. It's very unique, in a good way.
You do need to find a better way of recording your vocal though. There is quite a bit of hiss in the vocal track. Granted, you have noise gated it pretty well in the moments where you are not singing, but when you are singing, the hiss is quite evident, especially when listening with earphones.

Hi Tony,

Thanks for explaining your stance on vocals.

I must admit that I wrongly assumed you wanted to be recognised as a singer/composer.

I now fully understand that your passion is for creating music and lyrics rather than performing.
Well, there's no question that you ARE a talented composer and lyricist with a sizeable following on this Forum and therefore for you to realise your dream of having your creations performed by recognised soloist singers, you need some help from your Guild (You wrote earlier "I am a member of the Guild of International songwriters and composers and their magazine lists loads of places to send to but I always bottle out at the last minute").
Well, It seems to me that you have surely received enough praise and encouragement from this Forum to show that WE ARE WITH YOU.
So, go ahead and submit your work and trust that whoever appraises it is mindful of the public and not just his/her subjective reaction.

cheers


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Eddie from Rotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info

Hi and thanks for the listen,
Yes I had noticed the hiss and (thought) I had hidden it

I put my mic through a behringer Ultra Voice Pro (for phantom power) before feeding it back to the Tyros to use the onboard reverb and noise gate. I have a feeling that the behringer is causing the problem as I dropped it recently and I never noticed it before that. Maybe I will try feeding the mic to the ty straight from the mixer and use the phantom power from there. At least I will know if it is the behringer at fault.
Thanks for the advice
Best wishes
Tony

Eddie,
I will do just that, and should in the future any of my submissions ever get recorded I will make sure you get a cut

Best wishes
Tony

Tony,
Just got around to listening. It's another fine song, showing your talent for expressing your ideas musically.
I must agree that the vocal needs to be stronger, at least on my system. Let it out, my friend!
DonM

I have never been surer in my life than that your songs will be recorded.
Thanks for the offer of a cut, but when you make it,that will be my reward
cheers


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Eddie from Rotherham
www.yamahakeyboards.info