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Song of the Month Club - May
Starting early this month, I've recorded a (very) rough demo of my song, just the bare bones. The finished thing will be more fleshed out and have a different arrangement.
I've got a few weeks to lay out some drum parts, hopefully better my previous efforts with drums, and practice the vocals.
Comments
@richardyot I have deliberately not listened to this yet (although I will once I've drunk some coffee and beaten the children), but it's an interesting idea. Putting out a template/draft/early stage prototype and then coming back to the table with the finished article. Good to be able to see the development/measure the distance between the raw Alpha and the final 'release'.
Question though: Is this something you invite feedback on or is it more of a 'marker' you're putting down in this small and friendly public arena?
I've no idea actually
There's no real intention, I've been recording demos before the finished article since February, so I thought I would post this one. If there is feedback then it might be helpful, otherwise just consider it as a "before and after" exercise.
I am going to finish something this month. Feeling shame
May 8th. Not a child in house washed as regards Song of the Month for May. Need a stick to beat self with and thus, following on from this discussion about swallowing words
http://forum.audiob.us/discussion/comment/129108/#Comment_129108
I am going to Write A Bit Of A Ballad And Sing It.
Sigh. There. Out and on the table Vicar.
Look forward to hearing it. You've still got plenty of time...
Thanks for the nudge @richardyot Glad you knew you were the Vicar
Must be a childhood of endless board games, but I almost unconsciously assign jobs/titles to people....(@syrupcore being The Professor etc etc) and you, yes, are (in my mind) the non-denominational cleric hereabouts 
Who's the jester? Can we submit nominations?
Field's wide open Mister J., but you are already stuck with Daredevil because of the double D. I hardly ever think of you these days without your red suit on...
Glad to hear that! I mean I get a tad nervous of you thinking of me with my suit off! ;-)
Woooop. actually finished a track. Is a version/remix of Martin Neuhold guitar track. Bunch of people done versions spawned from same track. An album Going to be released over next few weeks with proceeds going to Nepal.
Very good.
For me the only criteria that counts for any instrumental or ambient piece is do I wish it were longer. Most, not so much. This one, most certainly.
It makes me want to do things. Write a song. Make a film. Bake Bread. Braid a woman's hair. Run in Glasgow again. Take ten thousand matches and arrange them with a purpose. Make something.
For all of that if you can find an unknown Joni Mitchell to write some words for it and sing them also I'd buy the album.
@RedSkyLullaby I really liked that - could you post a link to the original track, so I can hear how much of it is you, and how much of it is Martin Neuhold?
My contribution this month is: Yep, Springtime Again!
https://app.box.com/s/vn0gms1pjxpeqrrlwpysjyrue8488kha
It is an instrumental made with Bias FX, RockDrummer, GarageBand, Svep, Audiobus, Audiomastering. Recorded on the 4th of May. Finished the mastering last night.
Listened to it a thousend times during mixing and mastering, so I lost some 'fresh hearing'. I know some notes are not good, but I think overall it has a positiveness, and it is okay. I think the chorus is really good, at least that is what I thought, but after listening to it too many times my internal strings are somewhat overstreched and the beauty of it has faded a bit in my internal space. Or perhaps I am just in a bad mood right now. However, perhaps you, with a fresh ear (so to speak), can enjoy it.
@JohnnyGoodyear - Great idea about the matches, lol
Edit: Just posted it on my SoundCloud page:
@Marcel that's really nice, beautiful in fact. A tad too short maybe.
@Marcel I like it. Very clean in all the right places. Echoes of Dire Straits. There were no obviously 'wrong' notes, but perhaps one or two where a different choice might have made it a hair sweeter, but nothing that stopped the flow. Next step is to find a singer or be one
Thanks Johnny and @richardyot here is the original you asked about https://m.soundcloud.com/martinneuhold/dream-with-me-collaboration-track
Thanks for listening and comment. Nice that you like it!
Indeed it is a bit on the short side.
Thanks Johnny, for listening and comment, and happy to hear you like it!
About the singing: it is somewhere in my mind an ambition, I even tried it on this track, but, ...hmm...hard. When I was a kid I loved to sing, but...hmm..those days have passed.
Edit: I deleted a part of this post.
You're right, it's gloomy almost forbidding, or the words/vocal are, whereas of course the music doesn't have to be heard like that if the words/vocals were different.
Clean production, but vocals with a lot of effect on them are understandable for those of us who may lack confidence in our singing, but in the end they often end up muffling the sound also. It's one of those two ways streets
Which, in a related way, I think for some of us is what Song of the Month Club offers; a chance to try and work on/improve our singing, and I believe working on it is the ONLY way, for most of us. And, I think as @richaryot mentioned at the start, one can make real progress if one is prepared to make the same effort as one might with any other instrument. Trouble with the voice is it's so damn personal 
Hey Johnny, thanks for listening and comment, you were fast, I deleted it only some minutes after I posted it. I didn't feel good.
@Marcel I respect that.
Singing is definitely the hardest and most intimidating thing, as well as being the most time-consuming (by far) in terms of mixing. But on the other hand, without a singer there is no song. Instrumentals are OK, but they just don't have the same power as a song IMO. The human voice, combined with the lyrical element is usually the most compelling aspect of music, and what most people focus on.
I think most people are intimidated by singing, and so many musicians shun it. It's also quite a hard thing to learn, akin to playing the violin maybe, since you have to have a really good ear for pitch (but it can be learned and practiced). Personally I've accepted that it's going to take a few years of work, but I carry on doing songs with vocals even if I know the vocals are going to suck until I finally get good enough. Nonetheless I've seen enough progress in the year and a bit I've been doing it to not be too discouraged, it's simply a question of time and patience.
Johnny is lucky, his voice already sounds great, so he has a massive head start. And yet, even with a good voice it took at least three months of coaxing to get him to post a song
@RedSkyLullaby thanks for posting - you've definitely improved and mangled that track, good job.
I'll try it out. My May song:
runtheapps
@geminiknight05 Glad you decided to repost that piece at 'The Club'.....and as mentioned elsewhere I really like the way you've showcased the power of Cyclop (although your doing so might end up costing me money as I feel that I need to buy it now
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BUT, my other (previously unmentioned) thought on hearing this was Where's Iggy Pop when you need him? which precisely echoes (sic) @richardyot's note above; I love instrumentals, but end up thinking of most of them as soundtracks without a film. Put words of any kind into the mix (sic, again) and you have my attention and emotional involvement in a wholly new way.
@Geminikinight I really like that, the two riffs are very catchy and the tune has a great groove. Dynamics work really well and create continuous interest. Nice track.
So for future months I thought it might be worth posting some guidelines as to what The Song of the Month Club is all about. This is what I've got so far, let me know if you have any additions, comments, or amends:
What is the Song of the Month Club?
It's a place where musicians come to give and receive feedback on their work. Anyone is welcome, whatever their level of ability.
The spirit of the club is to contribute: if you submit a song for others to comment on, you should also have the courtesy to listen to everyone else's contributions and give as much feedback as possible. Posting a track and not listening and commenting on others is not cool.
The purpose of feedback is to be honest. Essentially you should give your truthful impressions of the song, whether good or bad. Negative feedback, if done in the right spirit and with courtesy, is often the most useful and can help the artist to grow and improve and correct their mistakes.
All submissions are welcome, don't hesitate if you want to contribute. Instrumentals are fine, but songs with vocals are even better. A bad vocal is better than no vocal, so if you are thinking of experimenting with vocals this is a good place to get started.
+1 to all that.
I'll comment on the last few tracks posted when I get a window to have a proper listen. Promise
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@richardyot Well done. I think it was about time we broke the first rule of Fight Club on this one
Just posted a somewhat long message, and a message pops up, something like " your message will appear as soon as it has been approved". Not too happy about that. It contains my first song and a message to richardyot. Don't want to wait. I just cut it up in pieces. Might be a double post as a result.
Where I Belong
https://app.box.com/s/zgbm5l4o72yh4zqr22khsxgsfhsspccm
My first (sort of) song. A very spontanaous developed song. Last Saterday I got inspired and made a chord progression in GarageBand, a first sketch. On Sunday I got inspired and made a small lyric and sang it over the sketch. The result is what you hear.
It has an awkard structure: 1 verse and a repeat of the chorus (3x). Kinda weird, nevertheless I like it. Small detail: when I sing 'ko' I mean 'go'. Didn't want to re-record it. Critisism might be: too little vocals. But that is where I am right now. I am a bit positively surprised that I sang a second voice with no problem at all. Not to show off about it, just sort of happy about it. Overall however I feel a bit shy and timid about posting it.
Where I Belong
Verse
opinions every step i take
do we care, is it just fake
struggle everywhere i go
find whats real, take it slow
Chorus
does it matter who is right
seems to matter not to lose the fight
does it matter who is wrong
only matters where I belong
Edit: Just posted it on my SoundCloud page: