Health and Burn Out
Between hospital trips, doctor appointments, and back pain that can get pretty severe, work on Volume Four (henceforth referred to as V4) saw numerous delays. Every time it felt like I was getting wheels back on, something came up and caused another delay.
“Go On”, which is the first track of V4, began life nearly a year ago on June 7th, 2022 (coincidentally my wedding anniversary). It, along with “It Feels Familiar”, was written using the process used for my previous releases, which was putting the drums together first and then writing the guitar and bass parts.
Like most of the other 24 original songs I’ve written for KCWM, the bones of it and the transitions between parts came together really quickly. If I’m being honest, the guitar parts aren’t exactly breaking any new ground. The verses are Fsus2 – Am…two whole chords. I do actually throw in a G chord on the second and fourth cycles of the verse. Even if it’s a simple chord progression, it’s always good when a song takes shape quickly
I recorded a couple of rough drafts, was happy with the direction it was going, but there were issues with my timing. Eventually, being my worst critic, along with working on music every day for hours at a time finally caught up with me and I felt burned out. It was like a flash fire too…sudden and devastating.
I abandoned “Go On” and the framework that would eventually become “It Feels Familiar”. I wouldn’t play guitar for the rest of June, all of July, and a good way into August of 2021. I’d end up writing some songs on my acoustic in mid-August, recorded them to my phone, but never feeling the draw to do much work on them.
In January of 2022, I was hospitalized in the ICU for seven days with a condition called Diabetic Ketoacidosis, or DKA. I came close to dying. I had to add the toll that took on my mental health to the whole burn out. However, at some point, given the create date on the files of January 29th, I rerecorded “Go On” using Amplitube 5. This version showed improved timing and a small evolution of the second guitar part, and I also added a third guitar part and partial bass line. Unfortunately, both physical and mental exhaustion prevented completion of that version.
Interestingly, I both remember and yet don’t remember doing this. Have you ever had someone share a memory of you doing something that you don’t remember doing, but when they tell you about it, you’re kind of like, “Well, yeah, I guess that sounds familiar”? That’s how I felt when listening to that newer version.
Coincidence or a Sign?
Sometime in February or March, I met up with my friend JD and had lunch. Once we were done, I wandered into a nearby pawn shop. Now, this was a pawn shop I’d driven by numerous times after having lunch with JD, but I’d never wandered in. This pawn shop is part of the same chain where I bought my ’92 Telecaster, but their pricing scheme has been updated. On top of that, when I have gone into a pawn shop, it seems like they rarely have anything good.
This time, however, they had something good…a pair of Rode M5 small diaphragm condenser (SDC) mics. I’d looked at this particular set on Sweetwater and Guitar Center’s online store numerous times but never pulled the trigger. This time, however, they were $70, which is considerably lower than they cost new. They didn’t have the clips that hold the mics in place, but I found one on Sweetwater that would fit it and ordered a pair for an additional $20, which made the total about $100 for the set after tax. Looking now, they run $190-$200 new, so 50% off for mics that appear to be in “like new” condition is great!
For those that might not know, a pair of SDC mics are great for recording acoustic guitar. The most common method used is aiming one of them at the sound hole and the other at the 12th fret or so. I bought them. I’m by no means a mic expert but when you watch videos on recording acoustic guitar, a matched pair of SDC seem to be the most popular choice.
• Was this a coincidence? I rarely go into pawn shops anymore and when I do for the first time in over a year or so, I just happen to come across a crazy good deal?
• Was this a sign? I’d put off recording for almost a year and needed a push. I’d been wanting to record acoustic guitar again but was unhappy with how my current mics sounded. A paired set of SDC mics were what I’d been wanting, but just didn’t have the budget for.
Whether it was a coincidence or a sign would likely depend on who you asked and their perspective of the universe. I choose to see it as a coincidental sign.
That being said, the mics and mic stand I eventually bought for them would sit collecting dust until June.
Starting Over Fresh and the Parts
As I mentioned at the beginning, the chords for this song are simple. Back in the late 90s and early 00s, I was strongly opposed to two chord parts. I stupidly thought it was the sign of weak songwriting. I changed my tune at some point in time because sometimes simplicity serves the song better.
The progressions are as follows:
- Verses: Fsus2 – Am for the 1st and 3rd cycles, Fsus2 – Am – G for the third, and Fsus2 – Am – C – Dsus4 – D for the fourth
- Chorus: C – Am – E – E7
- Bridge: Octaves played A – B – C – D – E
None of those progressions are exactly reinventing the wheel. Sure, Fsus2 isn’t as common of a chord, but it’s still pretty vanilla.
I was pretty happy with the acoustic guitar tone I captured, though at times you can hear the sound of the pick on the strings, but I’ve read that playing with a pick can do that. Perhaps I should look into a felt pick for recording acoustic guitar.
I recorded the song twice, both times using my 2015 Martin JCPA4 acoustic guitar for this track. I did not record a track via the pickup, but will do so for future recordings.
Unlike most recordings where I pan the rhythm guitar on the right side, I panned the two mics hard right and left to create a more stereo sound. The second take I panned L75 and R75
While the guitar part sounds like something I’d do, there are a couple of parts that don’t, at least to my ears.
Originally, I just had the second guitar playing single notes during the intro but changed it to playing dyads of an F and Em chord, with the Em notes matching up to the Am chord being played.
When the verse starts, the second guitar takes over the walkdown the bass does during the intro, which was always the part the second guitar played during the verses. During the fourth cycle of the verse, the guitar walks up the C chord in a I-II-III order and then plays the notes of the Dsus4 – D progression and adds a quick slide up to A before transitioning from G to Gb.
The chorus is my favorite part of the song. The parts I play over the transition from the Am – E – E7 are something that I don’t feel sounds quite like note choices I’d normally make. Although the second chord in the chorus progression is a minor chord, the feel of the song still maintains a happier feel.
The bridge guitar follows the rhythm by playing octave notes for A – B – C – D – E but then does additional notes over the E chord, with the build up back into the chorus walking up and ending on this almost squealing note, but the overdrive level keeps it check.
For the final two cycles of the final chorus, I walk up into these picked dyad notes that adds variation towards the end of the song when I felt like it was needed. Interesting, this guitar part reminds me of the guitar part I wrote for the end of Low-Fi, Nice Try’s “Juilliard” where I feel like it might have been better played for the entire song instead of just at the end. However, much like my choice for “Juilliard”, I kept it solely at the end to make it more of a special part.
I used my ’92 Telecaster and Zvex Box of Rock for this track. I used both the Seymour Duncan Antiquity II mini humbucker and the piezo bridge, which was turned to about 50% volume.
Unlike most tracks where the second guitar is panned left, I panned two mics L25 and the other two R25.
I also made the decision to scrap the third guitar part and used Toontrack’s EZKeys to make a piano arrangement to replace it. Coincidentally, the piano part I chose happened to make a few of the same note choices that I’d written for the second guitar part.
The third guitar part just wasn’t working and my wife has been telling me to use a synth more. Although a synth part wouldn’t have fit this song, it did make me want to dig into EZKeys to see what it could add. I mean, if I’m aiming for more laid back tunes on this volume, it makes sense to add a piano.
What really got me and elevated this song was the piano part at the end. I can’t remember what the original progression for the MIDI groove I chose was but changing every chord to Am made for this really cool, haunting outro.
I used the EZKeys Upright Grand for the piano part.
The original bass part for this song was pretty simple and really just more or less followed the root note of the chords. I wasn’t happy with that for most of the song so I scrapped it and started over.
During the intro, the bass plays the walk-down part the second guitar does during the verses. I liked the hand off between the two parts.
With the guitar constantly moving, it was harder to find spots to have the bass move too, but I think, in the end, it worked out best for the song. The bass still has some cool moments, but it plays more of a background role here due to the piano having more of a role.
I used my 2018 Fender FSR P-Bass Special and an Ampeg setting on my Fender Rumble 40 Studio
The Title
“Go On” is named in honor of ProbablyGoon, one of the first Twitch streamers I found and someone I am happy to call a friend. From the beginning of KCWM music, he has been incredibly supportive of the project and naming a song after him is something I’ve wanted to do from the earliest days of planning this volume.
The song originally started out with a name involving the word Panda, as Goon is a sentient panda who, at least at one time, claimed to be an escaped Russian experiment. “Friendly Panda” and “I’m Friends with a Panda” were original titles, but “Go On” seemed to be a better fit should lyrics ever be written for this song.
OK, Wrap It Up
“Go On”, especially with the piano and acoustic guitar, is one of my top three favorite songs that I’ve written for either KCWM or Cold the Winter. It falls under the laid back banner I wanted for this volume, even if it’s a bit upbeat and the guitar during the bridge and at the end drives the song a bit more.