The Song Fight Bulletin Board

Skeleton Key
Due: Friday, 11/29/19 9:59am PST
optional challenge: Hand percussion
yourbandname_sk.mp3 sent to fightmaster@songfight.org
Subject: Skeleton Key
Body: (your band name)

Reminder: We only accept MP3 files. Somebody last time sent me a GarageBand project file and I had not received a valid file from them in time for them to get their song into the fight.

Please also follow all the file name requirements. I've tried to add more info to the FAQ to spell things out more.

http://songfight.org/faq.html#file_name

Well, I was wanting to do hand percussion anyway...sign me up!

I’ve been playing Dueling Pianos shows for the last few years here in New England, and this year I tried (in vain) to pitch a Halloween Dueling Pianos show, calling ourselves The Skeleton Keys. It would have been great! Oh well.

Anyway, I love this title.

I did hand percussion a few songs back. Practice for this song as it turns out. My pandeiro is gonna get a lot more use this year than last.

Cool title and fun optional challenge, getting an early start on this one, won't be late this time.

Martin and I are in and so far his response to the verse I wrote was “F U C K E N C R E E P Y”

Well shit. I’ve got nothing, and Lollypops has just played me her Skeleton Key chorus and it’s a cracker and I guess that’s that then.

My wife likes what I have so far! I'm nowhere near as noisy or dark this week, unless my creative process changes abruptly...back in "light" mode I reckon.

Edit: dammit I used the phrase "unlock your dreams" before even noticing it was in the prefight title. Whateva, keeping it.

I'm going to try cover art. Madi, former Singer/Songwriter, age 23, is going to mentor me. I have an idea, so wish me luck.

23? Good Lord! Not possible!

Cover art coming along. So much fun.

jimtyrrell wrote: ↑

Tue Nov 26, 2019 1:28 am

23? Good Lord! Not possible!

Seriously, that makes me feel _very_ old.

Submitted, with the optional challenge fulfilled by a whole lot of djembe. Also just realized I mispronounced one of the words and have no way to correct it cause my microphone's in another state. Oops.

signed sealed delivered ... I probably went overboard with the optional challenge. 9 hand percussion tracks !

thirdcatmusic wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 27, 2019 3:44 pm

signed sealed delivered ... I probably went overboard with the optional challenge. 9 hand percussion tracks !

That's not overboard, that's doing it right!

It's not real music till it sounds like a hippie drum circle!

I was hoping to enlist my husband's cousin's tablas, but I don't think I'll have time to do that before we go out of town tomorrow morning, and I think we'll be gone through the deadline.

owl wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 27, 2019 7:23 pm

It's not real music till it sounds like a hippie drum circle!

That was my original goal but I've spent half this fight on the road so by necessity I had to go in a more electronic direction.

Maybe next week I'll have to go full hippie!

optional challenge philosophical question: in a battle between faking it with hand drum VSTs vs physically banging on something in the real world that's not a drum, what is the best option?

owl wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 27, 2019 7:55 pm

optional challenge philosophical question: in a battle between faking it with hand drum VSTs vs physically banging on something in the real world that's not a drum, what is the best option?

I personally interpreted it as "needs an actual physical percussion device". While I used a ton of synth vsts and kick and snare samples, I made sure to work some actual djembe into it. Kind of fun, I've had the thing for a decade and never have recorded it.

I mean I guess I wouldn't fault somebody for using sampled or VST handdrums if they lacked access to handdrums. Personally I would consider it a pass if they either lacked the percussion items or a way to record them. No Mic, no perc, no problem.

I've just been rubbing my fingernails together like a washboard....

gizo wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 27, 2019 8:44 pm

I've just been rubbing my fingernails together like a washboard....

Brilliant, literally "hand percussion". Clapping would definitely count!

Eh... the mix still isn't really where I wanted it to be, but I have to put this down and go to sleep! I have a long day of driving and turkey-eating ahead of me tomorrow. So I'm in! I ended up playing the back of a ukulele as my hand percussion, it sounds a little bit terrible, but I fixed it as much as I could. The front of the ukulele doesn't make an appearance this time.

I tried playing keyboard tablas, but the one I have was a bit too complicated for my needs (it puts in a lot of fills and stuff) and was just making a mess. Instead I've made my own mess the old-fashioned way.

gizo wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 27, 2019 8:44 pm

I've just been rubbing my fingernails together like a washboard....

Wait, are we still in the ASMR challenge?