I recorded 2 versions and eventually posted the first one but then decided: No! Not good enough! Re-recorded the song today. Its dropped by a half step, at a slower tempo (although the urgency to speed up is audible), and I hoped a little louder / varied vocally. I suppose thats progress to produce, consider, reject, re-produce, accept. If I were to hand this one in as homework to myself as the teacher, I would expect an A because I decided what boxes I wanted, and eventually checked them all! I gave / received an A+ just FYI.
This one turned out being tougher than I originally thought because:
- took days just to rehearse and kept switching segments around even though I've been playing this tune for years! I guess this is called arranging?
- wanted differing strum patterns and finger pickings at specific times - was hard to remember in real time
- wanted to modify the guitar solo (but it still got a little screwed up in the end)
- version 2 had to be louder - cringed when neighbor said "yes I can hear you."
- combination of two different versions, so I had to remember what I wanted when and where instead of just hearing the ipod version in my head.
- mic placement is annoying as hell because the closer a microphone is to a subject the more sensitive it becomes. I use a recorder w/ two mics built in, so I had to angle one closer to my face and the other further from the guitar. Oh well good experience.
I actually like the Dixie Chicks version more, but this Bush one I found on YouTube pretty much copies the structure from Fleetwood Mac, but the singer Gavin approaches the high notes from "above" rather than jumping up to them. Its hard to explain, but if you try to imitate him you can feel it in your throat. You're trying to hit a target that needs just enough pressure to land firmly, but if you use too much you screw up the tone or choke - too little pressure you'll be flat or too quiet, so it kinda goes against logic to overshoot it and come down on it from above, but I like the sensation of overshooting while being relaxed and landing in the right place. Meanwhile the Dixie Chicks are just nailing each note like a laser, so who knows how the hell thats done - maybe some day.... Ultimately, the Bush version yielded a more useful vocal concept.
Ishida (final)
Ishida (rejected)