Mastodawn

Deborah Pickett Aug 31, 2024

Seeking amateur (or not) musicians to help me record an original #ChristmasSong as part of #RememberingGeordie

“I’m Staying Home This Christmas”, a pop-country song with Boy Band harmonies, about avoiding the rellies and spending the holidays with found family.

No talent needed, we’ll fix it in post!

You also don’t need to have known Geordie to participate.

This will be released for free under the #LPlatePlayers label this Novemberish

Edit: Thank you to all the wonderful folks who helped put this together. There'll be ten-ish people (and my cat) to credit. The task now falls to me to slice, mix, cook, serve on a bed of, no wait, wrong channel.

Deborah Pickett Sep 7, 2024

This weekend I’ll be sticking up some stem files and a very rough-cut demo of “I’m Staying Home This Christmas” on a file-sharing service.

If you missed the earlier toot 👆🏻 this is a Christmas song that I am seeking collaborators on, to release as a free single in Novemberish under the “L Plate Players” label.

Interested parties should follow the @lplateplayers group now, and watch the #LPlatePlayers hashtag, so you don’t miss out. There are a couple of dozen of you, so DMs and group toots don’t scale, and getting you all onto Matrix or Discord or whatever isn’t achievable.

Deborah Pickett

Everyone who replied to my call for participants should now have a DM with a link to a Dropbox page. If you didn't get it, please DM me.

Absolutely no pressure to produce something. There are enough of you that no one person is indispensable, not even me.

There's lots of info in there to read, as well as the stem files for the demo that I put together yesterday.

That should be enough for you to load it into your software and have a play around.

I still owe you some sheet music for the vocal parts, but not today.

@lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Sep 13, 2024

Update: Still working on the vocal harmonies, will push them up to Dropbox this weekend and ping when they are ready.

There will be some low-hanging fruit for less confident musicians to contribute; I'll put that info up on Dropbox too.

Received 1 x bass part and 1 x slide guitar part (thanks!), still keen on much much more in the way of fretted instruments.

Instrumental "verse 3" has room for 2 x 8 bar solos, let's see what you've got!

@lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Sep 15, 2024

Update 2024-09-15: Vocal harmony parts have been published on Dropbox, reproduced here so you can get an idea of it. Guide stems are also on Dropbox mirroring what the sheet music says. Have a play, see how you go! @lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers #ChristmasSong

Deborah Pickett Sep 15, 2024

Further update 2024-09-15: A job specifically for a beginner contributor who has a synth. We need this four-bar theme recorded in tubular bells, once in two different keys as indicated. @lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Sep 21, 2024

Update 20240921: Thanks for the stems that have come in so far. You can hear a progressive mixdown here.

Still in need of
- lots of vocalists, in all parts and of all pitches
- Some keys, maybe EP, definitely tubular bells
- Some soloists for the instrumental interlude
- Heck, probably some more guitars, you can never have too many.

Stems on the Dropbox link have been updated.

@lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Sep 26, 2024

Update 2024-09-27: The instrumental is still in an uncertain quantum state. Need more parts to know which way it is will go. Team Classical Instruments is leading with a flugelhorn rendition right now.

Any other parts also gratefully accepted, as listed above. I’ll give it another week before panicking and contemplating filling all the remaining gaps myself.

@lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Sep 29, 2024

Update 2024-09-30: New progressive mixdown on the Dropbox site:
- Includes the great flugelhorn part from @pilum
- Includes my Green, Violet, Red vocal harmonies
Stems for the above in the Stems folder too.

Still keen to see:
- Some more instrumental stuff for the interlude
- Some vocal parts that I can swap my placeholders out for.

@lplateplayers
#LPlatePlayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 4, 2024

Update 2024-10-04 Deadline for part contribution for the L-Plate Players' "I'm Staying Home This Christmas" is Sunday 13 October 2024, Anywhere On Earth time zone. This will give me time to be Mr Squiggle and fill in the rest of the picture, then mix and release in time for the silly season.

Here's what I could use:
- Vocal harmony parts (green, violet, red, in any octave)
- Tubular bell/kalimba of the four-bar theme as found in the contributor pack (Edit: Got tubular bell, might still go for a kalimba.)
- More fretted strings, there is no such thing as too much guitar/ukulele/banjo!
- Something to go with the lovely flugelhorn instrumental, and if you don't give me anything it'll be me on harmonica, don't say I didn't warn you.

#LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 5, 2024

Update 2024-10-05: Mixed in my dodgy harmonica and @sknob's amazing acoustic rhythm guitar, plus his tubular bells; the mixdown is on the Dropbox site. Check it out! Also uploaded some more stems for people to play with.

#LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 5, 2024

Quick update to the progressive mix, with the latest submissions, including from Oscar in his musical debut. Most notably for those of you with stereo hearing: I remembered to take the mix off mono before exporting this time. #LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 11, 2024

Update 2024-10-11: We now have snazzy backing vocals from @pelagikat and a glorious violin solo from @nein09 rounding out today's mix. Contributors can hear it on the Dropbox share.

Would still be keen on:
- More vocal parts, any accepted but particularly from our gals, guys and gentletheys with lower registers. The Red part is borderline too low for me and it needs boosting.
- Anything rhythmic strummed or plucked to mix into the cauldron.
- Something that coordinates in the instrumental with the flugelhorn and violin, which are now locked in.

Last parts in by the end of this weekend in any time zone on earth please!
#LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 12, 2024

Update 2024-10-12: Progressive mixdown on Dropbox site now contains vocals and oboe from @raaahbin, and sampled bells and pads from @philsawa; thanks! Also replaced my harmonica in the instrumental with something less intrusive (sorry sknob, I know you loved it, you were the only one)!

I reckon we're close to done. A couple more folks have offered vocal parts, and I'll gladly mix those in as I receive them. I have an idea to tie in the elements of the instrumental, and unless there's a piccolo trumpeter in our midst, I'll have to resort to synthesis.

#LPlatePlayers
@lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 15, 2024

Update 2024-10-15: Progressive mixdown now with vocal parts from @herzleid. What a fantastic vocal ensemble we have now, on top of all the fantastic instrumental performances!

Can be heard by contributors on the Dropbox link.

Drawing the line now on submissions, except for a couple of vocals that we've prearranged extensions on. My job now is to fill in anything that is still missing, TBH not much, because wow, so many quality stems from you all. Great job!

#LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

Deborah Pickett Oct 19, 2024

Update 2024-10-19: Almost there! Contributors can hear the mixdown as of today on the Dropbox site.

Contains in alphabetical order:
@herzleid on vocals
@jimbob on electric guitars and slide guitar
@nein09 on violin
@pelagikat on vocals
@philsawa on bells and pads
@pilum on flugelhorn
@raaahbin on vocals and oboe
@sknob on acoustic guitars, tubular bell and glockenspiel
@virtualwolf on bass and drums
and me filling in all the rest: slide guitar, synth trumpet, synth trombone, EP, analogue strings, backing vocals, lead vocals,
oh and my cat Oscar on meow.

Next step is for me to finish mixing and mastering, which means I have to pull out the proper monitor speakers from the back of the closet ~yay~

This has been an amazing effort from you all. My thanks to you all, including some folks who weren't able to record a part but were really helpful during the production.

#LPlatePlayers @lplateplayers

sknob Oct 12, 2024

@futzle 😢😂
@raaahbin @philsawa @lplateplayers

VirtualWolf Oct 11, 2024

@futzle @pelagikat @nein09 @lplateplayers Hah this fucking rules!

Robin Oct 11, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers OK - I’m finally ready to upload some tracks. I’m probably missing something, but is there a specific location for uploads? I know you put things in the Stems folder (and I don’t mind others being able to see) but… where do I put my files? Just bung them on a share somewhere and DM you the link, or is there a dropbox (even a Dropbox dropbox)?

VirtualWolf Oct 6, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers Oh that's a LOT more open-sounding now, haha. I could tell something was a bit off but couldn't put my finger on what it was. 😅

VirtualWolf Oct 5, 2024

@futzle @sknob @lplateplayers Hah that is fantastic!

VirtualWolf Sep 30, 2024

@futzle @pilum @lplateplayers The flugelhorn! Love it!

s0 Is Not A Sysadmin Sep 27, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers also sorry that I’ve been sick ever since I offered to help with vocals!

Deborah Pickett Sep 27, 2024

@s0 When I'm sick I can get at least an extra fifth of bass out of my singing voice. Perhaps this is an opportunity?

Robin Sep 29, 2024

@futzle I’d love to be able to offer instrumental but there’s no way oboe beats flugelhorn.

Deborah Pickett Sep 29, 2024

@raaahbin Oboe is an awesome instrument, and I’d be happy to have some.

tqft Sep 21, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers can you point me to the guitar bits please

merlin / alex glow Sep 21, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers I don't really know you, but I'd love to contribute some more alto vocals (burnout permitting). This song is lovely! ✨

Deborah Pickett Sep 21, 2024

@alexglow Sure, the more the merrier! Link will follow in a DM when I get to a real computer.

VirtualWolf Sep 21, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers Hah this is sounding excellent!!

Deborah Pickett Sep 21, 2024

@virtualwolf Very pleased with how it's going so far.

s0 Is Not A Sysadmin Sep 21, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers just humming for vocals? I can record some for sure

Deborah Pickett Sep 21, 2024

@s0 Sure, I’ll send you the Dropbox link next time I’m next to a real computer.

Swift (will be at EMF)Sep 21, 2024

@futzle very late to the party, but I can offer some decent bass or acceptable ukulele if either is helpful 🙂

Swift (will be at EMF)Sep 21, 2024

@futzle can also provide bass vocals - not especially good, but enough to round out a choir 🎶

Deborah Pickett Sep 21, 2024

@swift Bass guitar we have, but we can always use more fretted strings, and any vocals are welcome! Will send you the starter kit next time I’m at a big computer.

Swift (will be at EMF)Sep 21, 2024

@futzle great! I'm away today, but should have time tomorrow :)

VirtualWolf Sep 15, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers ♫ Plus... tubular! Bells! ♫ </extremely Vivian Stanshall voice>

(I had to look up who it was who actually did all the instrument introductions on that album.)

Colin Sep 15, 2024

@futzle I'm impressed you can read that. The impression I get from looking at it (with a complete inability to read music and a general inability to distinguish notes) it "That escalated quickly".

I like seeing people have skills and do creative things they enjoy, it's an antidote to my pessimism.

Deborah Pickett Sep 15, 2024

@abstractcode I don't have to read it, I just have to write it! It's the others who can read my scrawl that you should be impressed about it!

Colin Sep 15, 2024

@futzle Well now you have me wondering if it's possible to be able to write something you can't read.

Other than Perl, obviously.

sknob Sep 13, 2024

@futzle @lplateplayers been busy submitting an unexpected second entry for the 3rd bonkwave album (I currently have four very different versions of said second entry and don’t know which one to submit). Anyway, I haven’t had the mental space to check things out to see if I’m inspired and able to contribute to your project 😅

VirtualWolf Sep 8, 2024

@futzle Right, next I need to dig up a chart of which notes are in which chords for the bass, because I am still extremely a noob at music theory, haha.

@lplateplayers #LPlatePlayers

VirtualWolf Sep 8, 2024

@futzle Actually, I'm struggling a bit to understand something here... Instrumentation.txt for the bass says "Tonic notes, maybe a 3/3/2 tonic/fifth/tonic".

"Tonic" means the root note, "fifth" is the fifth note of the major scale, so for G that would be G for the tonic and the fifth is D, right? And then when the chords changes to (say) C, that'd be C and G, respectively, then for the D chord you'd go to D and G?

If so, excellent. But I'm not sure what to do for the Minor and 7th chords... I've got the Justin Guitar major scale sheet handy that I've been looking at that shows each note/scale degree for each given major scale, do I need to find one for the minor and 7th chords in that case?

Also, what does "3/3/2" mean? 😅

eggs Sep 8, 2024

@virtualwolf @futzle Not involved in the project so sorry if this is unwarranted but backing up a notch, the 5th of D is A not G. Other 5ths look correct. The 5th of a major or minor chord would be the same. Eg 5th of C minor is also a G. Unless you’re dealing with a diminished or augmented chord/scale then 5ths are going to be the same note relative to the tonic regardless of if it’s a major, minor, 7th, 6 chord, sus chord etc

VirtualWolf Sep 8, 2024

@thewetmale @futzle Not unwarranted at all, many thanks! 🙏🏻

That was a typo on my part, the worksheet I have here has it listed correctly I just typed the wrong thing in the toot, oops. 😅

Deborah Pickett Sep 8, 2024

@thewetmale @virtualwolf Thank you for this correct information 😊

What I meant by 3/3/2 is this kind of rhythm, which happens a ton in country music (see pic). This is jargon I made up so it’s not surprising that it didn’t remind you of anything 😝

VirtualWolf Sep 8, 2024

@futzle More questions, sorry! I'm still very much learning all of this. 😬

I'm not entirely sure I'm following how this should sound... so the dot extends the note length by half again, so this would be a strum on the "1" and that note would go for 1.5 beats, then you'd strum on... the "&" of beat 2? and then the last one on "4"?

Deborah Pickett Sep 8, 2024

@virtualwolf Yes! Full marks.

VirtualWolf Sep 8, 2024