Let%20All%20Mortal%20Flesh.mp3
My brilliant friend and newly-minted ISU graduate Steve implanted some cool freeware on my computer that enables me to make sparkling recordings of music and other audio. I hope to offer music and some printed arrangements in the future, so here’s a sample of something I worked up for a friend’s wedding a few months ago and recorded more recently with some favorite singers.
Catholic Sensibility 
Nice, but suggestion: Do more with the voices. Harmony, polyphony (a canon at the unison would be my preference) or a drone of sorts. This sounds like a guitar piece with voice, make it sound like a vocal piece with guitar.
I just like it – I love music but don’t know much about it, so I am not sure that I can say more that that!
Nice sonics. Mind detailing the freeware and hardware used?
I kind of agree with Gavin’s point of vocals primary with guitar. I was intrigued by the Hedges/Kaki King approach of the first verse, hoped for a little more adventure with compound chord clustering, perhaps with some alternative chording, arpeggiated. All that aside, good on you, Todd.
Thanks for the comments, friends. The software is Audacity and it comes up at the top of a Google search for “audacity software.” Steve ran our parish sub mixer through my laptop. It was as easy as anything to set it all up.
You know, after I’ve listened to this a bit, I was pondering other ideas for the guitar. It was a congregational Communion song at the couple’s request, so I felt I had to keep it simple. I will have to employ recording more often with works in progress, as it augments the creative process. I listen and I hear things I don’t like. That would be the stage before bringing music to the parish for use.
I like Gavin’s ideas for employing a voice arrangement, too. This was an audition recording for summer studies, so I didn’t ask the women to do anything fancy.
I really like the overall feel of it. Your concept for this song would work very well for my choir and I fully intend to appropriate it:-). We use guitar, keyboard, violin, flute and drum but do a lot of ‘traditional’ music as well as a good bit of chant along with the contemporary stuff. We’ll probably stick to guitar and percussion with some added harmony on the vocals for this piece. I’ve been wanting to add it to our repertoire for a few years but just wasn’t inspired. Nice job, Todd and thanks for your blog.
Todd, to me it seemed to have an almost Flamenco feel at the beginning. I was hoping it would build in that way. I’d love to see you let loose on this and really make it come alive, until the Alleluia makes you want to get up and dance!
I realize of course that whole idea to build on the Flamenco feel immediately brands me as being in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, where such a thing would be immensely popular. Mea culpa (mea culpa, mea maxima culpa). Sorry if I offended anyone, but that’s they way we think out here. Must be the sun.