The Iron Rod

[milo]

Here is my latest work: https://sanderson.band/2020/07/03/iron-rod/

It is a contemporary Christian folk arrangement of an old hymn. Two of my cousins helped this time, and all but the very youngest of my kids sang in the choir. I ended up with 28 vocal tracks, and during the mastering process this project brought my system to its knees - xruns constantly. Thankfully Ardour rendered a nice clean mixdown, but it was really slow. I need to upgrade my hardware before trying something like this again, but it was fun to go really big on the vocals.

[Rainmak3r]

The choirs (especially the more subdued ones at the beginning, which reminded me a bit of Russian sacred choral works) are truly beautiful! I don't know the original hymn, but your arrangement (hw the instruments play, how it progresses, builds, etc.) is amazing, and mixed skillfully: I personally think it's the best track you shared so far, great work!

[milo]

Thanks, Rainmak3r! I was pleased with how this turned out.

Yes, there are two "choirs," the family choir which sings the chorus and the backing vocals which are all me. The backing vocals are in four parts, with each part tracked in triple. It is a lot of fun to compose these parts and record them. Triple-tracking hides a lot of things, and makes you sound like a better singer than you are.

Thanks for listening and commenting!

[turbidh20]

I wish I had your energy for producing music! Great job on all the vocals

[milo]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

Having a collaboration keeps the fire under me. I used to take months to do a song, producing 3-4 per year. But working with my cousin and my kids it keeps more irons in the fire.

[GMaq]

Wow,

Very impressive vocal arrangement indeed! Very good voice control on the lead vocal as well! Kudos to all involved

[Michael Willis]

Who's playing the mandolin? I love that part, it's so subtle, but really hits the spot.

Edit: Oh, you're playing the mandolin... I should have read the description on your site first.

[Basslint]

Very nice arrangement!

[milo]

Thanks for your feedback, everyone.

@Michael Willis Haha, I'm glad you like the mandolin. It's a fun little instrument. A lot of my guitar skills carry over to it, but it is very different in some important ways. I like the sound of it, though, and the texture it adds to an acoustic piece. Someday I will upgrade from my entry-level mandolin, and hopefully get one that sounds better and plays more easily.

For those interested in some nice mandolin music, the album which first put that instrument on my radar screen was "Short Trip Home" by Edgar Meyer & Joshua Bell, which features Sam Bush and Mike Marshall on mandolin. The title track is nice (https://youtu.be/JmXRxD5qinE), but the rest of the album is much more energetic. Here is my favorite track: https://youtu.be/r0rEMnXU8jM

[Rainmak3r]

Thanks for your feedback, everyone.

@Michael Willis Haha, I'm glad you like the mandolin. It's a fun little instrument. A lot of my guitar skills carry over to it, but it is very different in some important ways. I like the sound of it, though, and the texture it adds to an acoustic piece. Someday I will upgrade from my entry-level mandolin, and hopefully get one that sounds better and plays more easily.

For those interested in some nice mandolin music, the album which first put that instrument on my radar screen was "Short Trip Home" by Edgar Meyer & Joshua Bell, which features Sam Bush and Mike Marshall on mandolin. The title track is nice (https://youtu.be/JmXRxD5qinE), but the rest of the album is much more energetic. Here is my favorite track: https://youtu.be/r0rEMnXU8jM

I'm from Sorrento (near Napoli), which has a huge history with mandolins: I know many people that do play it, and it's not a difficult instrument to find, so I should feel quite ashamed I never tried to approach it myself This video shows a local academy, where some traditional music is played https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bH97kFNgykA

[milo]

That was very interesting to see all of the European bowl-back mandolins. What a charming sound from an entire room full of mandolins! Thanks for sharing that.

Mine is an American-style arch-top F-hole mandolin, more associated with bluegrass than with classical music. It was very inexpensive, and I think that is part of why it is difficult to play. It is the only mandolin I have ever touched, but I would like to get my hands on a higher-end instrument someday to see if it is easier to get good sounds out of.

I remember the first time I played a really nice guitar - I was surprised at how easy it was to play it after I had struggled with cheap instruments for so many years.

[oscillator]

Beautiful recording!!!

And I always appreciate your "About the recording" notes. When I make my own music, I am often in a kind of conversation with myself about what I do, and why. I should follow your example and jot it down.

Thank you!