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Hi, all:

Dave Rice wrote this pretty tune a while ago, and then was kind enough to tolerate my tinkering and seemingly endless iterations—providing sage advice and guidance along the way. This version is the result of our efforts. Thanks in advance for the listen and the feedback.

IF I STOP LOVING YOU

(V) If I stop loving you
my eyes will close forever.
If I stop needing you
the world will turn to dust.

(V) You are the only one,
we share memories made together.
Never doubt my love . . .
I love you ‘cause I must.

(C) We’ve known the road to riches;
had our moments in the sun;
we crossed a thousand ditches;
but when all is said and done . . .
I never will stop loving you.
I never will stop loving you.

(V) If I stop loving you
the streets will turn to brimstone.
If I quit being true
my broken heart will rust.

(C) And If moonlight fails to reach you;
and the darkness overruns;
when the end arrives to meet you,
I’ll be by you when it does.
I never will stop loving you.
I never will stop loving you.

Words and Music by Dave Rice and DJ Lekich
(c) 2019 Dave Rice/DJ Lekich

Last edited by Deej56; 04/07/19 12:57 PM.
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A lovely sweet ballad two Dave's. The lyric has been expertly crafted the vocal effortlessly moves through he poignant melody.
A1
John


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Hi D & D.
Lyrics and melody go well together.

Production wise, I'm not keen on the two abrupt stops and the rumble of bass.
A little work should sort it.

Vic


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Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule, Travis:

If I remember correctly, Deej is "on the road again" and can't respond right now... so, I'll do my best to fill-in for him. As you know, I asked permission to approach Deej since you two have been doing some work together recently. After your gracious reply, I made contact to see if he might accommodate me with a free vocal of one of my songs. He graciously consented with a request that I send him three songs to "choose from."

He picked one and I sent him the Lyric and Chord sheet. He had several ideas about lyrical changes (not many but enough to make a great impact) and suggested we change the title. I agreed and the rest is history. Thanks to you for "sharing him briefly" and to him for taking time to "humor an old geezer" who has pretty much lost his singing voice. It's always fun to hear how someone else sings your own songs. Needless to say, for a rough-cut demo and collaboration, I was not disappointed.

Best of luck with all your efforts, my co-writing friend... and thanks again, for listening and commenting.

----Dave

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Hi guys!

Great vocal phrasing DJ. You spent time with the song and you can hear it in the choices you made.

Dave, I love the composition and lyric. The passing sharp 5 note in the verse chords is a very nostalgic, beautiful resonance. DJ, if that was your addition..love it..

There are a couple minor timing issues in transitions between sections and elsewhere, and the solo seems very slightly ahead of the beat, so to me feels a tad nervous or rushed, especially in the first couple bars of solo, the "sol fa mi notes" especially.

Is the main fingerpicked guitar BIAB? Sometimes, if there's nothing covering up the downbeats, the transitions between phrases are awkward because there's no "tail" extending the prior phrase into the current bar. It sounds like the guitarist is playing so clean that it's a tad unnatural. This is one of the downsides of BIAB and phrase connecting in general. This is especially true of the BIAB pianos which need to be buried in reverb or mixed low, otherwise they sound like pasted together phrases. This only happens in a couple places in your recording, like 1:56-158 when the guitar is pretty much the only thing happening..since it's the main instrument, you can't lower it, but a possible fix would be to mask the abruptness with percussion, distracting the ear, and/or adding a tasty reverb swell around those areas..or a tad more verb in the guitar overall might even do it..but honestly it is barely noticeable, but something that BIAB does, and also would happen when pasting together homemade guitar phrases together when I used a digital 8 track in the Nineties..Masking the absence of the phrase ending's (lack of) tail somehow became part of my regular routine..

This did not take away from my love of this song in any way. The performance shines, and Dave, your writing is beautiful as always.

Peace, love , and understanding smile

Mike

Last edited by Michael Zaneski; 03/27/19 02:29 PM.

Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice
Fortune depends on the tone of your voice

-The Divine Comedy (Neil Hannon)
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from the album "Casanova" (1996)
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Pretty pretty. smile

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Hi Vic:

Thanks for dropping by to listen. Your perspective and advice is always provided with unvarnished truth... and I admire that very much. If we were to attempt this "one-off" project again, I'm guessing Deej would pull out all the stops and eliminate the bass rumble and work on the abrupt stops. I didn't give him much to work with but really wanted to hear how his vocal would work... and I am really pleased.

Very little escapes your keen ears, my friend. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I hope Deej will have time during his travel to pop in and share his opinion.

All the best, ----Dave

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Hi Mike:

Your insight on "all things musical" never ceases to amaze me. Thanks for your comments and for taking time away from a hectic schedule to give Deej's work a listen. Since I had little to do with production of this version, I'll let Deej provide you with details when he gets a break in his work related travel.

All the best, ----Dave

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Great job, guys! I think I maybe agree with Vic about the abrupt stops, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment. Great, simple, heartfelt lyric and melody and Deej does a fine job squeezing the emotion out of it.

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What a sweet and honest tune. When played live, it's an audience killer.

Nice work.

cheers, niteshift

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Hi Martin:

Thanks for giving it a spin and commenting. I hope your project is moving along per plan.

Regards, ----Dave

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Thanks, Calvin:

Your support is always appreciated.

----Dave

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Well written.
Good structure.
Nice melody.
Overall: very good.

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Forgive me for not thanking you all personally but I have a situation that demands my time elsewhere.

Gavin: Thanks for your thoughts and backing up Vic's opinion. Most of all, thanks for the listen and the kind words.

Niteshift: So glad to see you back... and your opinion gives me hope that the song has more flesh than we have been able to get across in this short but intense exercise. Deej has a vocal I believe will take him far... and as Zaneski says, "His phrasing is spot on."

Gary: So nice of you to listen and comment. Very meaninful to Deej and to me. Welcome to JPF. Looking forward to hear more from you.

Thanks,, all.... ----Dave

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Deej56 Offline OP
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Travis,

Thanks for the spin and kind comments. As it is with all our best efforts, needs some fine tuning, but the comments below really helped (I hope . . . maybe--LOL). I posted an alternative version for comparison purposes. Cast your vote!!! :-)

Best regards,

Deej

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Deej56 Offline OP
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Vic,

Great feedback, as always. It's interesting . . . I commented to Dave Rice before posting that it's never the feedback I expect to hear that worries me when I post a song, it's the feedback on the things I never noticed, but should have. The "stops" being an issue . . . they feel so natural when I play it live that I didn't focus on it, but stepping back I think you (and Gavin) may be right that they are too abrupt here.

In contrast, I wondered that the bass might be too much, and actually did try to tone it down in the original version . . . but not enough I guess.

I've tried (quickly) to address both your comments in an alternative version posted above--mind you, just back from travels, so not a lot of time spent on the correction--but is this preferable? I kept the stop after the intro, lost the two more abrupt stops in the middle of the song, letting the fingerpicked guitar play through, and then kept the last break at the end of the second chorus (although there, the lower lead guitar plays through).

Also tried to take out the low bass as much as my sad skills will let me.

Any additional suggestions from you sage ears is much appreciated!

My best to you,

Deej

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Mike,

First off, so good to see you back on the board. You’re missed. And your feedback here is exactly the reason why . . . it’s both supportive, encouraging and constructive, which is what this community is all about, so thank you for that!

Second, you kill me, LOL! smile “Passing sharp 5 note,” “sol fa mi notes,” “downbeats” and “tails”. Did you see those things fly by as they sailed totally over my head? smile

Kidding aside, I get what you’re saying . . . I’m always a bit “nervous and rushed” whenever I’m on the spot to play lead guitar—and your keen ears called me out for the pretender I am in that regard—especially, as you say, in those first couple of bars until I start feeling a bit more into it. I’m really a hack on guitar.

And yes, the fingerpicked guitar is BIAB—to play it that well on my own would require me to use more than two fingers. But I think I’ve experienced what you are describing particularly with the BIAB pianos, where the transitions and connectedness sometimes seem off. I haven’t tried to address this in the alternative version I posted . . . I think it will take me some time. And I’m hoping the “novice” ears will be less prone to pick it up than your more “expert” ones.

More generally, thanks a ton for your kind feedback on this and my other production efforts. I’m trying to get better . . . sometimes one step forwards, most times two steps back. But occasionally I get lucky and think . . . gee, not half bad.

Now if I could only really understand what the hell I’m doing! smile

My very best to you, Mike. And stop in more often, if you can.

Deej

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Martin,

Thanks kindly for the listen and support.

My best to you,

Deej

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Calvin,

Glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the kind comment--good to hear from you!

Regards,

Deej

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Gavin,

Thanks a ton for the listen and the great feedback. I've linked to an alternative version above where I took out the mid-song stops and downplayed the rumbling bass. Not sure it's better, but would be curious what you think.

My best to you,

Deej

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niteshift and Guy,

Thank you for taking the time to give this a spin. Dave Rice came up with such a pretty lyric and melody--it was a pleasure to "work" on this one with him. I'm glad I didn't muck it up too much and that the song was a worthwhile listen.

Kind regards,

Deej

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Morning, Deej:

Thanks for "taking up the slack" on this thread. It was an enjoyable co-write (or re-write) and I believe you improved it significantly. Was it... or is it... perfect? Probably not... but it is as close as I'm willing to attempt to improve it. If I had the ill-gained resoures of most politicians, I might decide to send it to a Demo Studio for the Professional Treatment a song like this deserves... but you did it so well by providing a vocal I admire greatly and whatever else you did to share the gist of the song with the rest of JPF. So congratulations, my friend. I really like what you did. ----Dave

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Dave 2,

So much passion in your vocals--that's what stands out with me the most, and lyrics that support the passion. I felt like this would make a great Glenn Campbell song, I can hear him singing this.

You've received some great sugs, no need for me to chime in there again, but I liked the vocal pauses conceptually, and wasn't distracted much there, but timing is crucial when you have rests within music for sure. The sharp clicks both left and right were slightly disconcerting to me, I might reduce their volume and prominence and maybe not give them as wide of stereo--or just have the percussive sound on one side only about 50%. JMO

Nice melody and performance going on here as well, enjoyed this'n!

steady-eddie (I hope to get to some more posts, but just have not had the time with biz work/taxes/spring projects--hope to catch up mates)!

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Eddie,

Thanks . . . always good to hear from you. To date, not much feedback on the alternative version, but as I've listened to both, I personally like the version with the stops . . . whether the timing is on point, well, that's just my lack of skill . . . I'm an amateur after all, you know. :-) But I will need to go back in that version and dial down the bass . . . Vic was spot on with that comment regardless of stops in, stops out.

I'll have to give another listen to the "sharp clicks" you've focused on--but easy enough (I hope) to dial them down. I'll give it another listen and tweak.

Great guidance as always, Eddie. Thanks so much.

Regards,

Deej

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Dave,

I forgot to listen to the alt version. It sounds a little better to me than the paused version. However, I like the original pausing version, but feel though t the pauses could be improved by extending the initial rest timing: "You are! 2, 3, the only one!" You could also change the pause to “You are........the only one!” (Holding onto “are” longer). Play around with it. Sometimes a percussive snare hit or other instrument can launch a pause more comfortably as it provides the anticipation. Crucial, the music has to synch the vocalist perfectly when stopping and starting. Pause breaks sometimes may give you an uneven measure technically, but think of it as a dotted note held at choir director's discretion.

As far as the guitar eq, yes maybe too much bass, but perhaps the volume needs to come down a 2-3 db. You have a natural penetrating upper mid range vocal—a good thing, so you don't want to go overboard and make your guitar too high mids--as you want the guitar tones to contrast the vox for good balance. The vocals carry this song, the music is in support with possible exceptions with solos or an intro.

Just my thoughts, hope this helps, if I don't make sense, let me know PM. I came back to polish my thoughts—can’t call it a critique anymore-😉.

(now I must hit the road) —much later—(playing my guitar in a motel room)

steady-eddie


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Eddie,

You are a true gem . . . can't say enough how much you add to the board with your kind and thoughtful feedback! Thanks a ton for taking the time to listen to the alternative version. I'm with you, in liking the stops in the first version a tad better. I'm making the executive decision to go with that . . . though I'll turn down the bass.

I like your suggestion on the pause between "You are . . . " and ". . . the only one". Didn't occur to me while singing it, but I can hear it now that you said it. It would work well. Not sure I'm quite ready to re-cut the vocal, but your instincts are nonetheless correct.

Your thoughts ALWAYS help, Eddie. LOL, on the "can't call it a critique". No matter, whatever we call it . . . it's just plain helpful and appreciated.

Safe travels, friend. Hope to see (and hear) you back here soon.

All the best,

Deej

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This reminds me of something Jim Croce might have done, and a little bit like "So this is christmas" in fact, is this BIAB track based on either of them? It sounds like it, but either way I think it was a nice soothing song with a touch of melancholia.

Enjoyed.

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Deej56 Offline OP
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Fedmetrio,

Appreciate the listen. In regards to your question, the short answer is “no.” It’s not based on either of those two songs . . . and actually, based on my limited understanding, BIAB doesn’t quite work like that. They use live performers who essentially work their ways through a chord sheet playing in different styles/genres. So while some styles may be reminiscent of certain artists, they are not per se based on the any one particular artist.

For this tune, I was looking for style something more Willie Nelson sounding, or even a slow Presley type ballad. In the end, I usually end up doing a mix and match, working my way through different instruments and styles (kinda like auditioning the performers) and work in what sounds good to me.

Thanks again for stopping in!

Deej

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Hi Eddie:

Sorry for the delay in responding. When I originally wrote this song... I had "Country" in mind. As you probably know, I often write songs I'm not capable of adequately performing vocal-wise. After hearing a few of Deej's song-posts with other JPF writers, I knocked on a couple of doors to be certain I was not "invading someone's space." Travis was supportive for me to contact Deej and see if he might be interested in singing/recording it for me.

The result included a re-write in a few places and a different title. That's how much I wanted to hear a great voice sing one of my songs. (Zaneski is so busy these days... and I fear I may not have time for waiting. LOL!)

I have not been the least bit disappointed in the result(s). What I'd give to be able to send a jet to pick up Deej and fly him to a studio with a full backing band at our beck-and-call... much like Frank Sinatra would have done. Sadly, all of us have limited resources but I would have loved to hear what a great "song-coach/producer" would have done with Deej and this song. Can't you imagine how much fun it would be to have a seat somewhere near the back of the room and pretend you are a fly on the wall in a full-studio recording session? (Nice dream, Rice... ya big dummy!)

Anyway, Eddie... I want you to know how much your participation and constructive critiques mean to all of us here at JPF. You are one of a kind. Thanks, ever so much for taking the time to listen and care enough to comment.

All my best, ----Dave

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Originally Posted by Deej56
Fedmetrio,

Appreciate the listen. In regards to your question, the short answer is “no.” It’s not based on either of those two songs . . . and actually, based on my limited understanding, BIAB doesn’t quite work like that. They use live performers who essentially work their ways through a chord sheet playing in different styles/genres. So while some styles may be reminiscent of certain artists, they are not per se based on the any one particular artist.

For this tune, I was looking for style something more Willie Nelson sounding, or even a slow Presley type ballad. In the end, I usually end up doing a mix and match, working my way through different instruments and styles (kinda like auditioning the performers) and work in what sounds good to me.

Thanks again for stopping in!

Deej


Biab DOES work that way. They do style lifts and even band lifts. For instance, you could easily find a Mark Knopfler style solo, with his picking style and strat sound. and it may say something like "Sultans Today" Or a BB King "Thril is gone style"
or if u wanted a rolling stones backing band, theres a style set for that. Guitar rig works in a similar way, they have sounds preset to what you want to sound like...this patch will sound like angus young, this one will sound like Queen

What they do is take the most popular stuff ever recorded from different eras, and have studio musicians play a similar version of it. Then its actually a midi track, which goes through an algorithm and it will spit out different variations of what was originally burned into it. But they model alot of the music based on whats been done already

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Fdemetrio,

You make a fair point . . . there are absolutely certain "song styles" that mimic the sound of certain artists . . . in fact, I've used a "Dire" type style (labelled as such in BIAB) for a lead guitar bit (which I altered a tad in my DAW) and I've seen a Rolling Stones style as well. What I would say is that, in my limited experience with BIAB in its current form, those a largely exceptions, and there are very few (what are now called) "Real Tracks" included in BIAB that seem intended to pattern themselves solely off a specific artist's sound. To me, they most often seem designed to embody a genre of music, rather than any particular artist.

For example, there is no "Jim Croce " song style. I can search song styles by inputting "Give me song styles that are like this Jim Croce song," but that won't necessarily give me a style that mirrors a Jim Croce sound, patterned after a Jim Croce song . . . more likely it will give me 70's ballad type options that both subtly and widely differ in genre. I could do a similar search for Dan Fogelberg, and similar but also widely different song styles will pop up.

I noticed that Mike Z. updated the "Using BIAB" thread in the General Forum . . . and, if I may, I'd ask that we pick up our conversation on that thread. Mike provides a really good description of BIAB in its current form, one that is very consistent with my experience to date. It's an interesting conversation, but I don't want to derail this thread from the focus of this song.

I really do appreciate your feedback on "If I Stop Loving You", Fdemetrio . . . I'm sure Dave does, too. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Your passion for music is evident.

All the best,

Deej

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Ditto, FD:

It's all about making the best "product" possible. I listened to some of my catalog of songs as I searched for food and grocery items today, backing up my wife on our weekly visit to the next town... where food and supplies are less expensive than here in "West Mayberry." Approximately half the songs in my collection of works have been re-recorded (more than once) and I was pleasantly surprised at how they sound on my earbuds and MP3 player.

We do what we must to make our songs more presentable if they are to have a slim chance at being heard by the staff member/intern. Problem is, I like you, have grown a massive distaste for "pitching songs." I've resolved to "please myself first"... if humanly possible at this advanced age.

Like Deej... I appreciate you passion for music and your opinion(s). We don't always agree but knowing what sounds wrong about a recording is as valuable as knowing what sounds right.

Later, ... and thanks. ----Dave

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Originally Posted by Deej56
Fdemetrio,

You make a fair point . . . there are absolutely certain "song styles" that mimic the sound of certain artists . . . in fact, I've used a "Dire" type style (labelled as such in BIAB) for a lead guitar bit (which I altered a tad in my DAW) and I've seen a Rolling Stones style as well. What I would say is that, in my limited experience with BIAB in its current form, those a largely exceptions, and there are very few (what are now called) "Real Tracks" included in BIAB that seem intended to pattern themselves solely off a specific artist's sound. To me, they most often seem designed to embody a genre of music, rather than any particular artist.

For example, there is no "Jim Croce " song style. I can search song styles by inputting "Give me song styles that are like this Jim Croce song," but that won't necessarily give me a style that mirrors a Jim Croce sound, patterned after a Jim Croce song . . . more likely it will give me 70's ballad type options that both subtly and widely differ in genre. I could do a similar search for Dan Fogelberg, and similar but also widely different song styles will pop up.

I noticed that Mike Z. updated the "Using BIAB" thread in the General Forum . . . and, if I may, I'd ask that we pick up our conversation on that thread. Mike provides a really good description of BIAB in its current form, one that is very consistent with my experience to date. It's an interesting conversation, but I don't want to derail this thread from the focus of this song.

I really do appreciate your feedback on "If I Stop Loving You", Fdemetrio . . . I'm sure Dave does, too. Thanks for taking the time to listen. Your passion for music is evident.

All the best,

Deej


Well sometimes its overt, other times its not so overt. That guitar picking pattern used here is very similar to what was done on so this is christmas, and the vibe is very time in a bottle..ish Since you cant copyright chord progressions or styles, thats how BIAB is able to do it. It has to be based on commonalities, that's what makes it so useful.

What it DOES do is give somebody like yourself a wide pallet. Lets say somebody asks for a Mediterranean style backing track, most of us, myself included would not really have a solid idea of how to accomplish that, or any idea at all. You could go through all your style sets, and find something in there that fits the bill. Mess around with it a bit, come up with a melody, and suddenly it sounds like a halfway decent mimic of what you thought impossible a short while ago

My thing is though how authentic could it be. If I know three chords, the best thing for me to do is stick with three chords...or learn a fourth chord, and be the best damn three chord songster I could be, that to me is more authentic, but I think BIAB is a great product, I just dont like it for what I like to do.




Well sometimes its overt, other times its not so overt. That guitar picking pattern used here is very similar to what was done on so this is christmas, and the vibe is very time in a bottle..ish Since you cant copyright chord progressions or styles, thats how BIAB is able to do it. It has to be based on commonalities, that's what makes it so useful.

What it DOES do is give somebody like yourself a wide pallet. Lets say somebody asks for a Mediterranean style backing track, most of us, myself included would not really have a solid idea of how to accomplish that, or any idea at all. You could go through all your style sets, and find something in there that fits the bill. Mess around with it a bit, come up with a melody, and suddenly it sounds like a halfway decent mimic of what you thought impossible a short while ago

My thing is though how authentic could it be. If I know three chords, the best thing for me to do is stick with three chords...or learn a fourth chord, and be the best damn three chord songster I could be, that to me is more authentic, but I think BIAB is a great product, I just dont like it for what I like to do.

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Originally Posted by Dave Rice
Ditto, FD:

It's all about making the best "product" possible. I listened to some of my catalog of songs as I searched for food and grocery items today, backing up my wife on our weekly visit to the next town... where food and supplies are less expensive than here in "West Mayberry." Approximately half the songs in my collection of works have been re-recorded (more than once) and I was pleasantly surprised at how they sound on my earbuds and MP3 player.

We do what we must to make our songs more presentable if they are to have a slim chance at being heard by the staff member/intern. Problem is, I like you, have grown a massive distaste for "pitching songs." I've resolved to "please myself first"... if humanly possible at this advanced age.

Like Deej... I appreciate you passion for music and your opinion(s). We don't always agree but knowing what sounds wrong about a recording is as valuable as knowing what sounds right.

Later, ... and thanks. ----Dave


I may not know what sounds right or is right, but im an expert on what sounds right to ME! lol. in all honesty, all I ever have tried to do was be helpful to aspiring writers, unfortunately sometimes it turns into mudslinging, and becomes counterproductive

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Nice writing Dave, to me there is effort in conveying the lyric, and I think thats great D.J I listen for that. nice song guys. Lane



"Blessed are the words of truth and fiction,
one might save you from the other...Vincent
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Hi Lane:

Sorry for the delay in responding. I tend to forget Deej has a ton of stuff "on his plate" these days so let me extend my appreciation to you for listening and commenting. He has a great work-ethic and that makes a co-write so much more enjoyable. Hope you continue to churn songs out for us to enjoy.

Thanks so much, ----Dave

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Deej56 Offline OP
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Lane,

A little pinched for time, as Dave referenced above, but wanted to stop in and thank you for the listen. Much appreciated and really glad you enjoyed the tune.

Best regards,

Deej


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