My First Ever Demo Song for a Sample Library Developer

[PavlovsCat]

23 years after I stopped playing music professionally due to a repetitive stress injury, last year, inspired by the pandemic, I  attempted to play and record music again just as a hobbyist in my home studio. Due to tendonitis, I can only play for very short periods at a time -- basically, I record on track for several minutes, break and wait an hour or the next day to record another track. Playing complex arpeggios or even fast cymbal patterns cause pain really quickly, so I've learned how to creatively avoid anything complex or not allow pain to destroy my timing (although, if there are any physical therapists or doctors reading this who are cringing, I do stop playing after I finish a part if I am experiencing pain).  So, in the past year and a half since I started trying to play again, I started by using covers of Beatles, Zeppelin and other old songs I love to practice playing again. Greg Schlaepfer, Orange Tree Samples' CEO, who started as a consulting client of mine and has since become a dear friend, asked me to do a demo for the new Orange Tree Samples' Vintage Violin Bass library, a sampled Hofner 500/a bass -- my favorite rock bass guitar of all.  I thought, wait, your demos are done my very talented musicians -- including Greg himself -- and I'm clearly not in their league. I'm just a guy who used to play a long time ago trying to play again, but due to limitations, I'm never going to be a good player again. But I suppose, I can pull off simple songs. And Greg just encouraged me and told me that he'd really like me to do a demo. 

I made probably a dozen starts on demo songs and ended up with four demo songs. I sent over the best one to Greg to see if he thought it was good enough. He gave it the green light and i started to finish it. But I was getting bored with the song. So I started playing around with a 4 chord progression from a cover I recently did of Paul McCartney's "Dear Boy" and put my own melody over it. I thought, wait, the Hofner 500/1 is so incredibly connected with McCartney, I love McCartney's music and the tone and playing he's done and this bass library nails that and is great to play, and before you know it, while I'm playing the lead guitar part, I recall a song I wrote when I was around 13 years old that sounded very McCartney-ish and I go straight into it with the idea that I'll create a medley of the chords from "Dear Boy" with the very McCartney-esque song I wrote as a boy as a tribute to McCartney.  So the first 16 bars are me vamping over the "Dear Boy" progression with my melody on top on guitar and then I go into the song I wrote as a kid that I thought sounded so McCartney-ish, I shelved it, until now. I consider it my tribute to McCartney and the beautiful tone of the Hofner 500/1 bass. Greg added in some  additional guitar harmonies and arpeggios to my parts and did the mixing and mastering. 

 I used the Timeless Tone preset on the bass and every guitar you hear is an Evolution guitar. If anyone wants any additional info on the recording, just ask and I'll look at the original file. I recorded this in Cakewalk. I think I'm one of the few deals forum users still using Cakewalk.  
https://www.orangetreesamples.com/audio/PeterDeLegge-DearPaul.mp3

I also put it up on SoundCloud: 
 

 

Edited September 25, 2022 by Peter Woods

[Dream Art Scientists]

Sounds good! 

[Bajan Blue]

Hi Peter

Like this, sounds really good

Can hear the Beatles influence but not overtly so - unless you hadn't mentioned it, probably wouldn't have got it straight away!!

Cool

Nigel

 

[Old Joad]

Nice up-beat tune, I like it??

[The DuoBros]

nice sound, good job

[noynekker]

Enjoyed this listen very much ! . . . very well done all around.

[DeeringAmps]

On 9/21/2022 at 11:49 AM, Peter Woods said:

. I think I'm one of the few deals forum users still using Cakewalk.

I doubt that. 

Nicely done!

t

[DeeringAmps]

Maybe I should have PM’d this. 
Your guitar parts are pretty convincing. 

I would add a little vibrato to the last notes on those arpeggios. It’s all about “touch”. Anytime a “good” player holds a note, he “shakes” it a little bit. 
And if working in the “classic” minor pentatonic scale, you push the minor third a bit sharp if you dwell on it at all. 
Just some of the “subtle” things that, for me at least, define a “good” guitar player. 
And as I said your guitar parts are “convincing”

t