Originally posted on September 1, 2013

In this episode, I talk about and play a smooth jazz song I wrote in August 2013 called “Summer Strut.” The song features my saxophone throughout.

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I read email feedback from Peter and Nicholas. Send me your feedback by emailing tsnivelymusic@gmail.com.

I wanted to create a full-length smooth jazz song that features my saxophone. I’ve started listening to Spotify to hear new music in Smooth Jazz, trance music and video game music. I heard a smooth jazz song that I really liked, A Very Good Thing by Rick Braun. Rick plays the trumpet throughout. I used a lot of the ideas from this song in terms of using a form with a verse, pre-chorus, and chorus. Each section is on one minor chord, but the pre-chorus’s chord is non-tonal – it doesn’t fit in the key of the verse and chorus chord.

I described how I recorded the different parts. I recorded three “takes” of my sax part, and “comped” the best parts on each section to make the full saxophone part that was used throughout the song. I didn’t need to do much in the mixing phase. I then played Summer Strut.

I got a copy of Reason from Propellerhead, which is the software that a lot of instrumental dance music is written with. I will try to learn it and put out a dance song in the near future.