If you haven’t checked out my first stab at creating multi-track videos, it’s an original setting for Psalm 27. I kept it short and sweet just to give it a shot. Though my vocals are weak, I actually was pleased with how it came out.
The second one was a little more challenging than I had originally planned, but the idea came to me about 4 AM when I was trying to sleep, so I went and sketched it out. (I sketched #3 immediately after it. Yeah, I got no sleep.) It’s a setting of Amazing Grace, but not the melody you’re used to. I wanted to play with some harmonies in there. Originally, I wrote it in C because I was going to hit up one of my friends to help me out, but I decided not to get ahead of myself. (Second stab at this. Let me get used to messing around with videos of myself for now.) SO… I transposed it down to G. I knew it wouldn’t be pretty, but I can sometimes get a G out.
One thing when it comes to transposing songs is that the further you get away from the “original” key, the more likely you are going to have to revoice the “accompaniment” – or the background vocals – and depending on where the notes wind up, you may at times even have to tweak the harmonies. Even when I play a piano part and change keys, I make adjustments like that to stay within the area of the piano that works best for the song. It’s exactly the same when you are arranging for voices. You write for who you have and your particular circumstance.
I used the exact same process as I mentioned in the previous entry, but I ended up using a Jazz Waltz drum groove to keep the tempo this time. (I used an Afro-Cuban one on the last one. It beats dealing with a metronome click BY A MILE.) The Finale track was helpful as a reference track to line everything up. Then, I just yanked it before rendering the video. I’m aggravated a bit at this one note I didn’t catch when I recorded the parts, but I made a rule that I would not get bogged down with any more than two takes.
Anyway… Here it is. My second Multi-Track Video. Amazing Grace.
Feel free to let me know your thoughts.
-TKP
1/23/21
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