Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Uh oh, now I have to record a cd.... Thanks Patti. I've got another original on the way.

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

That's really nice, Tim!
Such a beautiful song and you have captured the mood of it perfetly. :)
Very lovely version, my friend.

The Gypsy...very cool! I will love to hear that one and any original songs you have.
You are doing a great job with all of them.

Thanks for "tooting your own horn" We enjoy you around here!

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

terrific, pam ...but to update it, you need to add a line about flossing

flossing is either a pretty new thing or I grew up totally ignorant to this requirement

I grew up thinking floss was something you just ate lots of at the carnival:)

anyhow, considering my lack of flossing, my teeth haven't turned out half bad..ok, maybe just 1/4, lol

btw, jr turned 4 recently...he likes lullabies and sad tunes (jim reeves is a fave)

steve, awesome post also...very helpful guys...I'm just trying to learned 'A Your Adorable...' somehow I grew up never hearing that tune before

and tim, what else can i say....beeeeeeautiful!

ps) jerre heskew's (Cumberland Trio) 'Lion Named Sam' is a fun tune to play & sing

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Thanks Anne and jj. Glad you liked the cover. Sometimes I think I've got a lot of nerve trying to cover Lightfoot tunes, but it's not because I think I can do them justice so much as I just love the songs so much. Anyway, The Gypsy is coming along nicely and I'll probably be recording it pretty soon, but I have another original I might post first. I'm sorry I can't contribute to the discussion on children's tunes. I have no kids. Actually, come to think of it, I just thought of an old song my mom used to sing to me when I was a little boy. The words are:

I love to watch the streetcars
go up and down each track
the people at the windows smile at me as they go passed
so many many people
get off and on each car
I wonder where they're going
I wonder who they are

It's a bit out of date though. No streetcars so far as I know anymore.

take care all, -Tim

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Not sure about that but the cable cars in San Francisco do a fairly good imitation, and work well as a visual for a video of the song.

Bill :)

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Tim,

I am so bummed - my flat LCD plasma monitor is out, (with speakers), amd I hoooked up my old honker 17' CRT tube monstrosity, and can't here a thing.... no little speakers.... I can't hear your version of "Beautiful" ! That was my wife and my "song".... dang it... and I CAN'T LISTEN TO YOUTUBE , either now..... I think it is why I am so cranky lately. But keep 'em coming... I remember my guitar teacher ( who I stared at more-than practiced for, she was 18, I was 17... an older woman...lol) and she taught me beautiful, and had this generalized remark to say about Lightfoot music on the guitar . Do you agree ? - She said his music, Beautiful being a prime example, is frought with "minor 7's" - and in Beautiful -"D minor 7's" true - or was I to entranced by her long black hair....lol

~geo steve

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

That's a sweet children's song. Thanks for recalling it here. Glad you cover Lightfoot tunes too. They sound very, very nice. I think you have very good taste in music and good heart and soul in it.

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Thanks Patti!

Steve - Very sorry about your LCD monitor. That's a bummer. I hope you can get it replaced soon. If it's any comfort I have no plans to take my videos down anytime soon. About the minor 7th's; yes there are a lot of minor 7th's in at least some of Lightfoot's tunes. It really depends on the kind of song. But minor 7th chords are pretty standard. They're all over the place in jazz for example. James Taylor uses them a lot too. Maybe not so common in blues and rock though. Strictly speaking, the minor 7th chords in "Beautiful" are B minor 7th and E minor 7th. This is because of the capo at the second fret. If you play it from the nut of the guitar rather than capoed at fret 2 then the chords are A minor 7th and D minor 7th. (I'm picky about this, you have to go by the pitch). But I'm pretty sure Gord plays it capoed. I'll have to check that. I like your story about your guitar teacher. I don't know how you could concentrate on the lesson enough to remember anything aside from the long black hair! That sounds pretty entrancing to me.

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Hi DawnsMinstrel,

Great job on "Beautiful" as always ! :clap:

And I just listened to "Laurianni"... My good man you have 'SUPER TALENT' ! :eek: What a beautiful song, words & music !!! :headbang: :clap: :clap: :clap:

Do keep it up... It sounds like a song that the great little songwriter 'Paul Simon' would write. He must be one of your influences ? :)

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:redface: Thanks Jesse Joe! Glad you liked the original. Yes, I guess it's probably fair to say that Paul Simon is an influence. In fact, I'm currently working on another original that's probably even more influenced by him than this one is, though I don't consciously try to channel him (or anyone else) when I'm writing. I'm really just trying to use language that appeals to me. Then again, Paul Simon probably has something to do with what language I find appealing. Anyway, thanks for posting!

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Hi there everyone,

I accidently put this on the Kefera thread earlier, but here in it's proper place is my newest video. It's another original. I hope you all like it and thanks for listening.

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Very Beautiful Song ! :clap:

Great guitar playing ... :clap: :clap:

Is this cutaway, another Martin ??

You definetly have some great talent in writing, and as I said before in some earlier post your playing is very very good !

You should have a CD made of your songs, so more people could hear them. :)

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Another excellent effort. Pretty tune.

Wondering........do you find that the music evokes the lyrics, or do the lyrics come first ? Does that make sense ?

(by the way, I'm still waiting for that "happy song")

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Thanks to both of you.

Jesse Joe: yes it's another "Martin," but I put that in quotes because it's one of their budget models. It's called a "DCX1E" and is made mostly of formica. Considering how cheap it is, it sounds pretty good, but it doesn't compare to the real thing. But I wanted a cutaway and it's the best I could do budget-wise. Someday I'll buy something better to replace it with. I've been using it lately because the D-35 has some serious problems that make it difficult to work with for recording and once again - no money to have it fixed. :( About the cd. I've been wanting to make one for a long time now. The reason I haven't is because I have so few songs to put on it that are my own. I've been simultaneously both very picky and very lazy about writing. The reason I decided to start posting originals is in the hope that the feedback I get might spur me on to write more (or alternatively convince me that I should stop!) If I can get 10 or so songs that I think are recordable then I'll start looking into making a cd. Your kind words help a lot in convincing me to keep trying.

RM - My own experience is that the song turns out better when I write the music first then look for words to match. This particular song's melody was something I came up with years ago, believe it or not, and I just waited until I was satisfied with the words that I finally found for it. I have other wordless melodies like it that are still waiting for their lyrics. The words and music for Laurianni arose simultaneously except for the bridge. In the case of the bridge the words came first, then I had to find something for it that matched the mood of the verses without imitating them too closely. But by then I had something to go on.

I still see myself as a song writing novice because I have so few finished songs that I feel are worth sharing. I'm waiting for a few more before I'm willing to start calling myself a "song writer." But I think my chances of becoming a decent one have improved since I started posting songs and getting the encouraging feedback that you two and others have sent. Thanks for that!

Tim

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Join the human race.......trying to write songs is a "weird" experience. John Prine once said that "the best ones are the ones that take as long to write as they do to play". He also pointed out that those were few and far between.

Do us a favor.........share one of those (in your estimation) "sub-par" tunes, and see what response you get. You may be right, but you might be wrong.

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Well, to be honest, there aren't many of these either, and some of them have melodies that I want to reuse with other lyrics. The fact is that over the years I've just avoided even trying much of the time. We'll see ...

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Very nice song! Thanks for sharing! This song really highlights your vocals. I liked the lyrics and the melody - and nice picking there! The song flows so well!

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Thanks Pam! :)

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Wow! :)

Tim, that is an amazing song and I really love it!
I really don't think you should feel insecure about posting your original songs, they are beautiful, my friend!

I know I am not a musician but I AM an experienced listener...lol...I think you have a wonderful talent and I am happy anytime you feel inclined to share it with us. :)

Pam, that was my thought exactly....the song flows so well. :)

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Thanks Anne. I'm definitely going to try to produce and post more original work, but it will have to pass muster. Call me a perfectionist....:rolleyes:

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perfect, Tim

a wonderful follow up composition...looking forward to your completing the hat trick, when something more surfaces from your creative inners:)

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Thanks jj. Should only take ten years or so! ;)

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Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Well, now I see Jesse Joe beat me to it . Which is as it should. Thanks Jesse Joe. We must have been on line doing the same thing at the same time!

Re: Singing "Gordon Lightfoot" songs !
 

Exactly Tim, we were both on at the same time. lol ! It took me a while to find the thread, almost started a new one. I had just seen it, sorry for beating you to it. They are your videos.

Great job BTW, and Welcome Back ! :)