Note

There are TWO versions posted here. They were recorded one after the other, and the reason for which is an interesting story.

I’ve always mentioned to friends that the person I’m most comfortable with as a musician has always been GP because we kinda think the same way when approaching music.

I call it “wavelength” while he calls it “sixth-sense.” ¹ Which he mentions in our conversation below Whatever it is, it’s extremely useful in conveying things that are hard to articulate in words (and obviously given we’re not in the same continent, “example via practical application” is out of the question as well).

The conversation below shows this clearly. ² It’s rather long/comprehensive so read at your own peril Also, for those who’ve always wondered how collaborations between people with our type of “dynamic” go, here’s a sneak peek.

You’ll notice that the “musical aspects” of the conversation, on their own, can be very confusing – because they’re not “articulated” – we just tend to give “gists/ideas” of what we’re going after and rely on the other to “catch” we’re talking about. Surprisingly, it works very well for us because at the end of the day, when all is said and done, we ultimately will have to wing it anyways hahahaha. The awesome thing about that implication is that there’s no personal creativity stifled in the whole process.

Introduction / History

This song is a continuation of my recent “recording spree.” By this time I’ve abandoned the urge to perfectly mix and master given that my monitors (via mixer or consumer speakers) were so unreliable. Until I get that Genelec system I’ve been eyeing ³ I’ll probably get it in two months when I’ve saved enough (and perhaps a new mixer), I don’t think I’ll be able to get to the quality of my recent original compositions (e.g. Heaven, Jaded, etc.)

So this started when I was thinking of what other songs I could record, and I remembered that while we had an old “Could You Be Messiah” on an old CD we produced for his DWTL ⁴ Days With The Lord rectoring batch, I distinctly remember him having another “instrumental” version which was so spot on that my normal vocal approach to the song would fit it like a glove (timing and all). And the story begins:

I’ve tried paraphrasing/collating some messages to shorten everything, those in bold I guess agetsre key points that are worth stressing. Also, My apologies if there are foreigners reading this, you’ll have to ask someone to translate the Filipino parts if you want to read along.

ME: Ay, do you have a copy pa of the instrumental could you be messiah piano track? gusto ko gawin din yon
GP: instrumental? Merun sa cd? ⁵ We’re talking about the CD we made for his DWTL rectoring batch
ME: no, as in ikaw nagrecord
ME: maganda na yung nalapat mo na piano track eh
GP: merun akong nalapat?
ME: meron isa na parang ginawa mo lang na trip trip lang
ME: parang lahat ng naisip na tin na pede idagdag na tasteful adlibs sa piano nagawa mo doon
ME: swak sa vocal interpretation na usual na ginagawa natin – pati timing
GP: a merun ka?
GP: haha
GP: pa send para marinig ko
ME: wala nga eh
GP: pota pero wala ka nang copy? i dont even remember ever making it actually
ME: i HAD one
ME: pero nasira hard disk ko dati di ba? i think kasama doon
GP: ahh ye. eh tapos yung akin nasa maynila and im sure ni reformat na nila yun by now
ME: shet. it’s gone.
ME: gawa ka bago
GP: pero buti sana kung naaalala ko yung tunog
ME: it’s similar to the out of the dark cd version (minor etc)
ME: very close to the a-days version we did sa batch mo
ME: me onting embellishments lang na mas mature (for lack of a better term)

EDITED OUT EXTRANEOUS CONVERSATION

GP: shet ano ba ginawa ko dun
GP: haha
GP: same key?
GP: so anong different sa version
ME: basta listen to the out of the dark version
ME: yan yung lagi mo ginagamit na springboard
ME: tas diksartehan mo nalang – malamang mage-gets ko naman gagawin mo, hahaha
GP: hmm sige
GP: definitely iba na lalabas
ME: oks lang
ME: basta make sure it’s singable… i mean played to be sung to
ME: baka mamaya instrumental treatment
GP: ha nah; never been my thang
ME: midi para madali palitan yung tunog ng piano hahaha
GP: ok

He sent the .mid file that night, I went to work on it, and after a few hours, here’s what I came up with:

The following morning…

GP: you get it?
ME: i get what?
ME: ah yung messiah? yep
GP: ah ok ayus
ME: natapos ko na actually irecord kagabi
ME: medyo pinalitan ko yung first verse piano (more of nagbawas ako ng nota hehehe)
GP: oks, pag tinopak talaga hehe
ME: hahaha onga eh
GP: pero ayos naman kinalabasan? hinulaan ko na lang yung undulation ng tempo eh
ME: hahaha oks lang ganda ⁶ Referring to GP’s piano track
ME: iba siya from what i expected pero i like it din hahaha
GP: onga eh when i listened to it ulit parang i was sure na hindi ganun yung dati – pero yun ang lumabas eh
ME: di ko na ginawa yung voicing; so straight solo lang

After I sent him the finished file, the conversation resumed.

GP: listening
GP: gusto ko yung umpisa
ME: yung bawas?
GP: yeah, more pa nga sana
GP: kasi natural tendency to fill it up kung di ko alam ano gagawin ng singer
ME: eh di ko na alam anong notes gagamitin eh
ME: ahahhaa
GP: gusto ko ulitin bigla
ME: sige, ulitin mo
ME: tas pagdating sa first “could you be” dapat super simple ulit
ME: tas sa second verse dapat yung normal filler mode mo
ME: meron ka ending na maganda dati
ME: yung parang pagdadating sa “to all” parang nagiging tubig
ME: parang mala intro ng search and know
ME: gets?
ME: parang napupunta sa fairy land
GP: tubig? HAHA
GP: pucha fairy land
GP: official terms
ME: hahaha, oo
ME: official term yan
ME: “do the fairy land treatment, bitch!”
ME: tubig na fairy land
ME: kse parang organic na babalik doon
ME: parang nag-didissolve yugn tunog
ME: from totally aggressive
GP: so yung “to all my questions” parang intro din
GP: haha, pucha
GP: sobrang makes sense
GP: tubig na fairy land = intro ulit
ME: hindi! kse intro is mabagal
ME: eto parang tubig nga
ME: parang flowing na mabilis
ME: parang search and know nga
GP: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
GP: ginawa ko yun?
GP: sige gagawin ko pag di ako inaantok
GP: sabi na nga ba ireregret ko na isang take lang binigay ko
ME: parang mala Kaibigan Song din ata
ME: parang ginawa mo din doon ata yon
ME: napansin mo ba yung josh groban broken vow transition sa intro na nilagay ko?
ME: hahaha
ME: as in right before the verse
ME: parang biglang merong kakanta “tell me her name i want to know….”
ME: hahaha
GP: haha
GP: slight
GP: same key pa

Conversation ended then… then later in the day

GP: alam ko na nangyari sa pag piano ko
GP: i usually kasi dont trust my singers to get my rubato – kaya ko pinupuno
ME: parang bale wala yung sabi ko na “diskartehan mo kse gets kita.” bwisit!
GP: exactly, haha
GP: wala kasi ako katrabaho ditong ganun
GP: kaya din hindi babagay yung voicing mo kse walang space for it – inangkin na ng piano lahat
GP: parang bagay sayo lower key; mas makakalaro ka
GP: do you wanna try it sa G? (5 half steps lower)
ME: pede, pero kung uulitin ko lahat, then gawin mo na din yung piano na balak mo ⁷ This was worth mentioning because the wonders of tech allowed me to change the key right there… but I preferred to use the “new” piano treatment we were now talking about
GP: exaclty
GP: super sparse na tong bago
GP: with an explosion sa gitna
GP: tapos tubig
GP: then fairy tale land
GP: hahaha
ME: tas basag basag chords pag sa itaaas
ME: yan yung naiisip ko sa first verse
ME: nasa high register yung keys, tas basag
ME: game game
GP: gusto ko naman pag gigil na eh
GP: yung magulong piano
ME: so pag magulo soaring voice lang, walang kulot?
ME: para complementary
GP: ok lang din meron
GP: wed have paid our dues na naman sa sparse beginning
ME: sige bahala na ano mangyari
GP: haha
GP: biruin mo
GP: rare pala yung sixth sense natin sa music
ME: ah talaga?
GP: itong inaattempt natin would have taken at least a week between two people ⁸ If we didn’t have our respective jobs/lives, etc. we’d normally be able to finish stuff in one sitting. I guess that’s the only thing I miss about high-school… all the time in the world to just jam and not worry about putting food on the table.
GP: pucha babangon na naman ako di na ko mapakali
ME: teka so kung bababaan ng 2 1/2 keys
ME: parang super baba na
ME: hahaha saya neto
ME: challenge
GP: yupyup
GP: saka ganda ng key
GP: sarap bumirit sa ending
GP: sssh recording
GP: haha

Conversation stopped again there obviously… then a few minutes later

GP: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh gets ko na yung tubig
ME: anobuzz
GP: haha ngayon lang kung kelan saving to midi na ko, pero check mo na rin
GP: yung tubig is something i did a LOT right?
ME: ye
GP: hahahahaha, gets ko na
ME: parang nagdidisolve into a flowing stream of notes
GP: antagal ko nang di ginawa yon!
ME: haha bakit di mo na giangawa? ganda kaya non
ME: ginawa ni chick corea din yon sa ending ng trio spain nila di ba?
GP: narinig ko siya sa isang cheesy song hahaha
ME: hahaha

Transfer of file messiah.mid complete (6:10:53 PM)

GP: check mo na rin kung feel mo yan
GP: nag reresist ako sa tubig
GP: haha

After I listened…

ME: HAHAHAHA
ME: TANGINA, PANALO!
ME: same wavelength!
ME: as in ang isa sa mga puna ko dapat sa luma was that jazz chord you did sa second verse
ME: it’s super nice pero mas ok kung ONCE lang gamitin sa modulation dapat
GP: yup – naisip ko rin
ME: galing galing!
ME: i love this new one – it sounds more pinoy na
ME: mas harmonic yung chords
ME: tas pagdating sa modulation diyan na yung bahid ng berklee
GP: saka sa “ive been looking FOR”
ME: ahlavet!
GP: haha
GP: yazz
GP: APIR!
ME: super
ME: as in nakakamiss ka pare – this is the shit i’m talking about
GP: haha wushu
GP: eh tignan mo kinailangan ko rin i shake off yung some stuff bago ko makuha yung tama
GP: sabi sayo rare to eh
GP: osha your turn matutulog na ko at magmamakaawa pa ako para sa work visa mamaya haha

My concern that point was that psychologically, I found it too low. I knew it was psychological because I have recorded songs that are low and they turned out ok – I guess it’s just that I’ve been so used to this being sung high that going down FIVE half steps was a drastic change.

I also found that original vocal approach to it (e.g. the first version) didn’t work as well; for one, this was much too slower. The “tension” or “feeling” of the original key was largely due to the stress it had on the vocals; being high and all… and the speed.

Now that it was this low and slow… it those same vocal lines sounded PLAIN AND BORING, doing some of the old “hagods” (“soul that’s been abandoned” & “my most unknown secrets”) so low sounded plain awkward

So I recorded the first verse only, sent the link and waited on GP’s expert opinion on the matter before moving forward.

ME: eto yung tunog ng first verse pag yung original key mo (2 1/2 steps down di ba?)
GP: yup 2 1/2 – or if you want to be more confusing about it… yung dominant nung original key ang bagong tonic haha
GP: GANDA!
ME: talaga? so psychological lang yung akwardness to me, it just sounds so low
GP: nope ang ganda kaya
ME: baka dahil lang nga super taas ng original key
ME: sige so tuloy ko nalang na ganito
GP: merun ka pa ba?
ME: la pa, nakatulog na ako non. after work ulit later tuloy ko
GP: haha ok
GP: na awkwardan ka talaga?
ME: for the song i guess – kse yung take me out naman parang ganon din yung key di ba?
ME: i mean yung range halos pareho pero ok lang
ME: siguro nasanay lang talaga ako na mataas tong kantang to
GP: mas gusto ko talaga yung lower
GP: more because mas felt lumalabas
GP: maybe i just prefer that range in your voice too
GP: galing mong basahin piano ko pota

So I finished it and came up with this:

By default, my nature will always make me focus whatever reservations I had during the recording (e.g. lousy mixing/mastering, rushing the bg vocals to get the song out of the door, etc. vocal insecurities as a whole, etc.) – so it would be futile to ask me personally if I’ll be happy with what I did. I can say I’m very happy with what GP did though; I’ve actually exported an instrumental version of the piano track hahahaha.

So at this point, I guess it would be pointless to try to convince myself the song with my contributions did it justice or not. “Music” ultimately will be judged by the public, not its creators.

Having said that, I present these two versions for public consumption… be gentle. hahahahahhaa