How to Ruin a Song

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How to Ruin a Song

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guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

How to Ruin a Song

Take a classic.

Change a few notes around the central motifs making them less good.

Then rather than have the melody and chords grow from that seed add lots of flashy and insincere musical devices that will leave you with a great big horrible and hodgepodge of a structure.

Finally perform without judgement or dignity and if possible confuse sound with musicality.

Sadly there will be applause.

AAAAAAHHHHHHHH,

Anyone else sick of people requesting tunes from Les Miserables, and THAT one in particular. Or is it just me ?

D.

Oh and another thing he is singing and playing at the same time. Seems to have done wonders for his phrasing and feel for harmony and dynamics and his palpable awareness of the dignity and natural beauty in being simple and unaffected.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 3 2014 17:20:41

tele

Posts: 1464
Joined: Aug. 17 2012

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to guitarbuddha)

Since too many good songs have been already made the next step is to ruin them by people who have too little talent to create something new. common practice

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 3 2014 19:23:22

sig

Posts: 296
Joined: Nov. 7 2007
From: Wisconsin

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to guitarbuddha)

quote:

Anyone else sick of people requesting tunes from Les Miserables, and THAT one in particular. Or is it just me ?

OMG, my girlfriend loves that movie and she made me sit throught it at the theater when it debuted. I suppose I owed her than one since I made her watch "Ted" with Mark Walhberg :) As you can see, I love those fine arthouse pictures...

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 3 2014 20:56:23

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to sig)

quote:

ORIGINAL: sig

As you can see, I love those fine arthouse pictures...

This week I played some duets with the principle clarinet of our local symphony orchestra and coaxed a man of fifty to pitch accurately for the first time since his voice broke in the seventies.

Both situations had for me the same value, they were well .....just great. In both instances everyone taking part was trying hard and being humble. It would be hard to say which I enjoyed more.

I liked Ted, but I LOVED 'Team America'. Les Miserable I can take or leave but Ricard Strauss' Four Last Songs sung by Victoria de los Angeles blows me away. So does The Ace of Spades.

But when I compare Susan Boyle singing I Dreamed A Dream with Kathy's Song sung by Paul Simon.............. well I guess I get depressed and angry.

D.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 3 2014 21:38:47

Ricardo

Posts: 14824
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to guitarbuddha)

MORE miserables...

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CD's and transcriptions available here:
www.ricardomarlow.com

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 4 2014 14:59:17

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to guitarbuddha)

I performed that song alone on stage many times when i was 12 - 13 years old. playing the guitar at the same time. I was even payed to do it. I´m pretty sure I ruined it as well.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 4 2014 19:26:43

guitarbuddha

Posts: 2970
Joined: Jan. 4 2007

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to Anders Eliasson)

quote:

ORIGINAL: Anders Eliasson

I performed that song alone on stage many times when i was 12 - 13 years old. playing the guitar at the same time. I was even payed to do it. I´m pretty sure I ruined it as well.

I'm sure you didn't. That sounds like a wonderful memory.
There is nothing sweeter than children singing and few things make me sadder than when they deny themselves this pleasure.

D.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 5 2014 13:36:30

Anders Eliasson

Posts: 5780
Joined: Oct. 18 2006

RE: How to Ruin a Song (in reply to guitarbuddha)

I was 1 octave higher than I´m now (I´m tenor now), singing about something I knew nothing about. That must be ruining a song....

One of the things I really like when touring the Irish festivals and summer schools is to listen to the kids.
Just like sometimes in peñas here, you hear a kid play or sing and you really think wow.

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Blog: http://news-from-the-workshop.blogspot.com/

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Oct. 6 2014 6:38:18