Internet colaboration?

can I con you into playing a piano line for this song? I know you will do a better job than I could. As simple as the part is, every time I run through it on piano I am dissatisfied with my mechanical performance.

Cheers! haha. The ending of that song is the masterpiece. I also like what happened to the harmonies on "for a pile of coal" it sounds so dark, then "sell their soul" just comes out carrying that emotion... too bad I couldn't get the entire song to work that magically.

Re: the 7b5 chord variant, for those unfamiliar, I mostly use it as a passing chord, often handy between two chords which are a whole-step apart. For example, C to Dm or F to G ...

C7 -- C#m 7b5 -- Dm7 ......... [or] .......... F -- F#7b5 -- G7

Both of these examples have good common tones, tight movements, voice leading ... half steps motion:

C, E, G,Bb

C#,E,G,B

D, F, A, C

F, A, C, F

F#,A#,C,E

G,B,D,F

Lots of decent threads elsewhere online about how to utilize these chords in various genres. Most common I have seen are Jazz, followed by Blues, and then Classical (often respelled as #4#6) but even Pop artists sometimes do it - usually by accident! ;)

Dude, diminished and 7b5? Powerful. The flat 5 is the devil's interval in classical and the devil's interval demands resolution. Generally a passing tone in americana, but when used as a primary harmony it creates massive tension....

EDIT: you guys know I'm a jazzer by training, so even when I play piano I just pick this stuff out and go for it even when another chord will do... what I love about the change I copped in this stupid pop tune is that the pretty walk up would be a half step to a major7 (C to C#), but you flat the 5 in that C#maj7 and it introduces a cool modality that instead of being beautiful is moody without being too jarring thanks to the common G in both chords.

I thought I saw Narcist say something about not being familiar with 7b5 chords ... eh well maybe some of these youngsters will learn something new! If not, then at least maybe EB will get some SEO points.

Tritones...devil's interval...it's true, sadly but only in the early years. Classical music underwent many changes and luckily that devil business didn't last very long.

Tritones...devil's interval...it's true, sadly but only in the early years. Classical music underwent many changes and luckily that devil business didn't last very long.

I still love the term, sorry. In rock music the term Devil's interval has a positive connotation all of the sudden. Ya gotta love how a cultural shift reorients musical ideas. I always build harmony in groups of tritons for some reason, dunno why.... even the densest stuff is fun to build up in groups of tritons with maybe a diad on top.

and yeah, Narcy said he was unfamiliar with the chord, I just figured he understood the idea of the chord but didn't know any voicings since he hadn't needed to play it off the page before. Me and the m7b5 and diminished go way back.... I remember "discovering" this stuff before I even joined school jazz band in jr high. Just dicking with the basic chords I knew adding extensions or hanging 1 note a half step up or down to change the mood when I was writing my 1st weak pop tunes as a kid. Then I get my 1st jazz chart and I get my chord dictionary and discover that I know this wild guitar chord I pulled outta my hat over the summer, LOL

can I con you into playing a piano line for this song?

Consider it done, but not for a couple weeks at the earliest.

take your time, Nick.... I have a lifetime.... if you have ideas or structural fixes do them and I will adapt to your expertise and intuition.... at 3 minutes the tune may be short as narcist suggested.

So I take it the song's OK when measured by your yardstick. You know what you are ding and I would really love a fellow writer's constructive criticism before proceeding. I just felt really good about this when the ideas to tie it up came t me this week... yes, while vacuuming my house.

EDIT: to be fair I worked a lot of it out while doing a consulting project. I just played piano while reading the billing material and unravelling the billing errors in the front of my mind... and when the song felt good I paused from music, punched the new codes into PCC and generated adjusted claims. Then I got my guitar and demoed the chords. Hopefully that nursing home won't read this thread via google and get upset that my billables were split between songwriting and medicare adjustments because its 2 different sections of your brain and I was working PLENTY hard for them!

So I take it the song's OK when measured by your yardstick.

Honestly, I haven't taken much of a look at it. Seemed like a few heads were involved, so I glossed over the thread for any quick helps I could offer. Hence the 7b5 business. I will take a much closer look at it, over the next couple weeks as time allows, and then lay down some piano thoughts. The first few bars of lyrics I saw were very nice though!

I just felt really good about this when the ideas to tie it up came t me this week... yes, while vacuuming my house.

You may be surprised to know how many musical epiphanies I've had over the last 20 years whilst mowing the lawn or vacuuming. I call it "The Mantra Effect." :)

I am always amazed at how much rhythm and harmony are hiding in daily tasks when you're being a good dad. Just sing along to the midrange drone of a lawnmower engine or groove with the rhythm of the shower before work. Computer hum is a great one too...

anyone get the joke for this tune ? I wrote her in Bm, changed her to Cm so that the relative major is Eb as in EB, EquipBoard???? getit????!!!!

anyone get the joke for this tune ? I wrote her in Bm, changed her to Cm so that the relative major is Eb as in EB, EquipBoard???? getit????!!!!

I'm impressed. So, the band should be called the EquipBand? Kinda cool.

Yep, someone should write a musical part to an EquipBoard anthem, I wrote down the textual part. It sucks, but that's what made some bands listenable, like blink-182. Anyway, without hesitation, this is what I came up with.

Ode to the Equipboard:

O, EquipBoard, the most comprehensive gear pages of them all, you are my favourite, you are my wonderwall (no pun intended) I can find the artist's gear, or RIAA certificates and medals, Or those sexy overdrive pedals!

For us, the gear nerds - you are our holy grail, we look forward for every of your e-mail, "Your EquipBoard submissions" or "someone has left a reply" Oh, EquipBoard, you're just so beautiful to my eye.

Your GearIQ rises with the every single gear I add, when you are down, I get mad but who needs relationships when you're there too, and I can spend the Valentine's with you.

On every single media you eared my like and follow, without you, I just feel hollow, I just feel stupid and bored, without the greatest EquipBoard. -----> this one could be chorus

What do you say? If y'all unite and make a song out of this? (If this ode works?)

Oh, and we have to share this with mods asap...

Haha, I like this. Though, we'd have to scrap the old song because it doesn't fit with this new tune. This one's fun and happy, just like EquipBoard.

For the record, I am still learning, and I can tell you guys know much more theory than I. So, this is a learning process for me.

For the record, I am still learning, and I can tell you guys know much more theory than I. So, this is a learning process for me.

The same for me, probably even more so. I traded in leaning about theory for learning about technicalities (synthesis etc.) and it shows. I barely knew what in the world you guys were talking about, although once I get in front of a piano (or piano roll!) I should be able to get most of it straightened out. Time to get back into some theory.

I started learning music young. I have about 30 years general music experience. No worries.

What exactly do you need help with?

piano, BASS, vocals/lyrics, percussion, synthesizer, heavily effected guitars to add texture.... and I'm taking structural suggestion, like ideas on how to make it longer than 3 minutes without being too repetitive....

I think Nick is going to hold down the piano part when he has some time, that'll be the 'rhythm' line and the acoustic guitar will not be used. From there I wa going to do an electric guitar line that's a litte lead and rhythm at once.... then it needs bass and drums or drum machine, everything else is icing, but it needs plenty of icing

I'll have a look, at the synth, and heavily affected guitar. I have a pubescent cracky voice, and not very appropraiet for this kind of thing lyrics, but I have a tambourine, which'll fix everything. Have you got the track on soundcloud, I'll have a listen?

Can you attach an mp3 to Eb, you can't download from soundcloud anymore.

I am thinking of setting up a drop box folder if we wanna all go that way or we can try the site Nick mentioned in his 1st post.... what's everyone think?

If the sites mainly for finding other people to work with, then we don't really need that, since we seem to have enough people right here (and it's supposed to be an EquipBoard thing...).