why write a song or two

Stepping back to the early 60´s when I started me first band "The Leemoons" rehearsing and playing the songs that was popular at the time we  found ourselfs into proplem´s! Making av good cover of The Beatles - She love´s you, wasnt that easy at all. To many chord´s, to quick became an impossible mountain to climb. We did realise that we wasnt a good coverband, and started to write our own songs.

With our own songs noone could say that we didnt play it the right way. So in 1964 we had our own hit-song! "Åhh Carina" with lyrics in Swedish, well it could have been a great sucess but it was´nt.

Even if my biggest idols was Chet Atkins and George Harrison, I never became a leadguitar player, instead i alway´s play´d the rhytmguitar partly because I also was singing me heart out!

Ever since then I have been writing me own songs, now always in English. Suddenly some words pop up in me mind, words that in less then a minute become´s the chorus or the verse to a new song. Often this happens when I´m driving my car, or in the middel of the night when I cant sleep. It´s then a race to find pen and paper to write it all down.

Using what I already have written on me paper I struggle a bit to find the rest of the song, the story that I try to tell with me lyrics. Next step is to pick up me guitar and try to make those words into a song.

Normaly to write the first 8 to 12 bars Is done in a minute or two, but that part is used as a tinplate for the rest of the song. Finally the song including its melody and chords is ready. 

What is a good tune, melody song or what ever? For many of you it´s all about the beat, the leadriffs but to me it´s alway´s about the story, the lyric´s. Lyric´s that I do hope the listener will understand and save in his or her mind. 

Next step is always to make some kind of simple demo-recording, using the gear that i have. Back in the 60´s it was a simple Reel-to-reel taperecorder. Today it is a computer with a studiorecording program installed. By now my computer been upgraded with no less the 5 huge hardrive´s, filled with more then 500 recorded song´s!

So there I am, drumsection of the tune coming at the first step from some kind of drumbox. The first simple rhytmguitar on the next track followed by the bass. Up until the basstrack we are talking about simple basic´s. The bass is a different thing as it should give the song some kind of caracter. 

Next cue will be the first attemt to record the vocaltrack. I´ve already spent at least 2-3 hours recording those first tracks. Now it´s hard work, in singing, to get things right and to sing in the right key. 

How many hour´s have I spent trying to play the rhythmtrack in the right way? How many hours on bass and vocal. I dont know! One thing is clear to me. at the same moment as the song is ready on paper and play´d for the first time on an acustic guitar, in my head I know exactly how I want it to be as a ready comple tune.

How to construct a lead tune for the song? Well I dont know, in my case I try to include as much of the vocal melody as possible, playing in some kind of harmony with the vocal´s. Somehow I dont think that the leadguitar break is the song, it is rather a sort of upgrade of the song.

Most songs I write start of as a sweet ballad, that later is tranformed to something completly different. Using an acustic guitar as a tool when writing the song it´s very much singer-songwriter concept to start with. Later at recording stage, the acustic is back on the wall and electric guitars is used.

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Soon to being 68 I´m happy that we do have a band. "The Görans Garage Band" with its musicians. Göran on guitar and vocal, Elisabeth on vocal, Kjell on keyboard and BeatBuddy drumbox, Björn on bass and me on guitar and vocal. With this setting we rehearse and find the proper arrangement for the song. Kjell on his sparetime make´s a backtrack with the drumbox and some simple keyboard. A backtrack that I bring home and use in me own small studio. Making it sound like a proper demo for the band at next rehearsal. With a bit of luck we can play it in the same way, making it sound good.


What is a good tune, a good song, melody or what ever? To me it´s all about the lyrics, music is something to make the lyrics reach out to listeners.

So here is some of the songs that has been recorded, either by my self or with both bands.

"If I cant remember"
heres a song that I wrote to my old Swedish idol, Kent Anderzon from the band Swede Singers. By now he sufferes from Alzheimers deciese

https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180222-if-i-cant-remember

"drive-my-car" 
In hope to write a catchy tune, this was the result. Beeing a Jaguar freak natuarly the sound from a Jaguar F-type Supercharged V8 is included.

https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180119-drive-my-car

"Dont make him loose"
an oldie written to a freind of mine.

https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180204-dont-make-him-loose

"Is this Rock´n Roll"
Kjell wrote this 60´s style Rock tune

https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180222-is-this-rnr

"What is reality"
well what is reality, if you do look at people around you?
https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180208-what-is-reality-vocal-dem

"Joke of a man"
some difficulties in being a man falling in love with a much younger woman.
https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180222-joke-of-a-man

"Company sale"
my way of telling the story about Jim Burns and his guitarcompany.
https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180301-company-sale

"I know"
written a few day´s ago, to the love of my life.
https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20180301-i-know

"You are on my mind"
yet another love ballad.
https://soundcloud.com/mj-pbp/20171130-you-are-on-my-mind

Well theres a couple of those songs that is performed by Görans Garage Band. Some of em recorded with all members, some that has been recorded by me in studio.

Happenings at dare studio´s

A while ago since I wrote anything on me blog-site, but here at last. Winter and cold weather give me opportunites to spend time with music. So what has happened in my musicworld. 

Realising that I written lots of songs during the last 20 year´s, so many that I´m not sure that I remember them all. But then again when I see them listed on my computerscreen. 

When did I write that song? A question that pop´s up from nowhere every now and then. Not beeing smart enough to date them all already from me writing them. I started to  work on this time consuming matter. Opening each file with written music, well on most of em I´ve written the date it was written. So  after spending hours and hours, finally the job was done!

Me 50 watt Burns Orbital PA-amplifier

Yet another problem that has been with me for years by now is to get a proper sound when I record.  

As an ole man with a bit of know how regarding the use of different taperecorder´s. Some year´s back I started to use Audacity. Well there is for certain much better musicprograms on the net, but for one thing I found it, and it was free. Not to fotget it actually work´s similar to a reel to reel recorder.

Main 8-channel mixer unit

So I started organising every bloody amp in the studio, making sure they worked properly. The mixer used seam´s perfect but with an extra mixer I hade the perfect tool to use with a load of microphones in front of each amp. Testing it for the first time it was like a brand new sound. Earlier I didnt get the sound from aech speaker, using line-out on em. The sound was now much more alive.

Mixer unit for Amp microphone´s

The DB app in my phone, used as a tool to set up volume for each amp was a perfect tool much better then trying to listen in hope to get the same output from the amp´s.

Microphone´s set upå in front of 2 cabinet´s

Most microphonés used for the job is cheap one bought for less then 25 pounds, but so far they seam to work fine. Only problem so far has been the proper microphone for the Basscabinet, where I picked a mor exclusive microphone for the job.

Time spent with all song´s I´ve written made me realise that I have written ap 400 songs the last 15 years. Songs that only a few of them will ever be heard even if I recorded them all.

have a great day...you all. 

The amazing Swede Singer´s

There I was a teenager, well I was fifteen and everday I travelled to the nearby town to my job. The shop where I worked was a fantastic place, that´s for sure. The shopowner Mr B Caroluson was a self taught guitarplayer, with a great sense of humor. Even when He was struggeling with the economy of the his Musicshop.

So there I was learning how to sell different musicinstruments. Pianos those new electric organs that became popular, flute´s, saxophones and all other kind of instrument´s. Then there was guitars for the beguinners, and Electric guitars and amp´s. 

On the shopwall´s those cool guitar´s was hanging, waiting to be play´d. And natuarly I couldnt resist playing em. Me as well as all other youngsters who arrived like clockwork everyday at lunchtime. All of em trying to play the latest popular riff! Some did a great job with those tunes, some didnt but still they all was there. And sometimes they arrived back to the shop after school with the money to buy a new electric guitar.

 

Among all those wannabee rockstars was also many musicians that already was pro´s! Or at least was almost pro´s. They  show´d up sometimes and use to play some parts of a sweet sound tune. Among them was a couple of guy´s that was real good. They came in for a cup of coffey and musictalk. First of all they was real great musicians, second they made it their goal to be the Swedish Answer to American Four Freshman! They even took their singing one step further. Five guy´s singing in five harmonies......

So they buildt a studio, and rehearsed, over and over again. Until one day when they was invited to perform in a Swedsih Televison Show. The Swedish musicworld and critics, all said this is the best thing that has been done in our country. Two LP´s and a couple of 45´s was released. Possibly their music was to advanced for Mr & Mrs Smigh, so not that many was sold.

Those guy´s soon became my secret idol´s, right there beside the Beatles. Bought their first LP with a mix of songs performed in both English and Swedish. Spent hours with that vinyl on me grammophone trying to learn the different harmonies of each song.

-Hallo Carolus (me boss was called Carolus) we are planing to produce our own equipment. But we need to borrow some amps from you!! They didnt wanna buy em!! But natuarly Carolus who was a freindly guy said yes. 

The following friday all five of em arrived to the shop with a van. A van that an hour later was packed with different VOX amplifiers.

Come´s monday and there they was again, loading all amp´s back into the shop. Included was a bottle of whisky and a a cart of Camel without filter cigararettes. 

A couple of week´s later Kent Anderzon (why he spelled his name like that I dont know, natural would be Andersson with out a Z) He carried in a brand new guitaramplifier. A great looking thing made in teakveneer with similarities to the VOX AC50 combo. 

Among all other brands in amp´s we now also had the GROPE line of amp´s and at least locally on the westcoast they was selling. They hade the sound and the styling.

Kent as well as all of us grow older, got married and did have children. It´s then easy to understand that his daughter Pernilla became a singer. In fact she is famous, much more then Kent and the Swede Singers ever had the possibility to become. But one thing is clear she keep the heritage from her father alive.

During the year´s I called him on the phone a couple of time´s, him telling about those great days in the 60´s and his plan to form a new Swede Singers. Unfortinutly it didnt come true, instead He became ill, in Alzheimers decise. 

Following his daughter Pernilla on Facebook I see the latest news about her father. How he sometime seam to wake up when he is hearing music that he knows. When He and Pernilla sits down at the piano and plays some old tunes. Unfortinutly he escapes back to the shadows when the music stops!

Music can really do a big difference thats for sure. And He and the Swede Singers made a huge difference for me and still does.

Starting with a small Levin spanish, me job made it possible for me to buy an electric guitar and amp. So ever since I was ten I play´d me guitars. and often I play one of the ole Swede Singers tunes.

My fasination for their music contintued and today 50 years later I still play that old record every now and then. A few of their songs can be heard on YouTube.

Swede Singers - Exampensdag - Graduationday

So to Kent Anderzon and the Swede Singers - Thanks for all your music!

  

Signature Guitar´s ! ! ? ?

this page isnt ready yet, sorry.. will contintue as soon as possible.

What´s going on in the world of guitar´s? You as well as I may ask. For year´s your favorite artist have been playing a certain brand-style of guitar. that make´s you walk in to the shop to buy a similar. 

Fender Stratocaster / 

Buddy Hollie, Hank B Marvin, Eric Clapton, SRV, Yngvie Malmsten, 

Gibson LesPaul /

Les Paul & Mary Ford, Gary Moore, Billy gibson, Randy rhodes, Jimmy Page, 

Gibson ES345 / 

BB King, Chuck Berry, Larry Carlton, Alvin Lee, Dave Grohl, 

Gretsch country Gentleman - Gibson Tennesee Rose /

Chet Atkins,  George Harrison, Duanne Eddy, Eddie Cochran, 

Gibson Barney Kessel / 

Burns Marvin / 

Hank B Marvin, Bruce Welch, Mark Knofler, Elvis Presely, 

As a Burns freak - lover we connect the Signature Burns Marvin model´s with the legendary Hank B Marvin, who unfortinutly also play´d a fiestared Fender Stratocaster. But will this mean that the musicstyle of the early 60´s is about the only kind of music you can play on a Burns Marvin? or a Fiestared Stratocaster?

Guitar magasin´s produce articles and print revues of all kind of guitar´s. Telling what´s good or bad, but one thing that strucks me is as soon as a Burns guitar is revued they write about the typical Marvin twangy sound. something they dont do when revueing a Strat.

And what about the Gibson LesPaul? LesPaul himself playing 40-50´s evergreens not to forget Mocking Bird Hill. Together with Mary Ford. The LesPaul guitar has been used by hundreds of popular guitarplayers around the world, mainly a Roch´n Roll Blues guitar.

Chet Atkins will forever be connected to the Gretsch Country Gentleman guitars, but not long before he went to guitar heaven was sign´d to Gibson with a couple of signature guitars.

 Barney Kessel, yet one more legendary guitarplayer used several different guitar´s but mainly Gibsons. So  there was a signature model called the Barney Kessel. Only a few have ever seen him play that model?

BB King famous with his Gibson ES 345 named Lucille, a blues-player.

Weird Guitar

So I got me self a guitar that was really weird in me eye´s many years ago. Was about to buy a second hand stereounit, ended up with a guitar.

Painted white with a paintbrush and with some flowers on to it was a bit mad. Somewhere down the line the neck had been taken of and refitted but not as it was originally. No its fingerboard was now sett flat on top of its body. 

Somehow I fixed it and it wasnt that bad at all. In fact a cheep rather nice guitar. It didnt take long before I knew it was a 40-50´s Harmony Master. Built to be a cheap but fair guitar. 

In my ownership it didnt take to long before I fitted a pair of humbuckers that was in me scrapbox.  Years goes by, and every now and then that guitar is play´d.  Often with a new idea in mind. So one day it was sanded down, and did get a new metallic paint. spraycans made the job easy. Still I had the homemade wooden bridge, but one day - I thought.

Still it was a rather nice guitar to play, but not perfect in any sense. A new bridge might do the trick and make it an even better sounding guitar.

Finally e freind of mine show´d up with some kind of tun-o-matic bridge, and late the same evening it was fitted to the guitar. Tuning it properly took some time, then the result was amazing.

This cheep guitar was suddenly a real players guitar with a sound that was great. Must have been something like this that the great Les Paul when he tried out his first buildt electric guitar in the 40´s. Even if his first guitar containd a huge piece of railroad steel. 

Just realised that in total it had cost me 35,oo pound. Next step might well be a Bigsby!! But then again it might be to expensive.

Cat-o-tec in Stockholm

About time to write some more. 

Last week was spend´t in Stockholm, a town filled with the Eurovision song festival and loads of "Stockholmare!" Me Mrs and her daughters was i Amsterdam so what to do. Well lucky for me Stockholm is the home of some nice musicshop´s. 

First and close to where I live (when in town) is JAM-guitars and JAM-syntotec. Started at JAM-guitars only to realise that there was no guitar´s that could be bought with the money i had. Outside the sun was shining and outside the entrance of JAM-syntotec their staff was enjoying the sun and a fag.

Always freindly this is the shop for all kind of keyboard players.They have it ALL, and stuff´d in shelter I spotted a Casio Midi-saxophone! "That looks interessting" crossed me mind. Picking it up, and it did look the same as the one i already have in me music collection.

-It´s faulty!! I did´nt even got the chanse to ask how much it cost, before he told me. -If you want it you can have it, we tried to repair it but couldnt fix it.

-Thank´s!!!! a smile on me face, and the knowledge that this could be repair´d with ease. Exactly the same problem was found on the Sax I already had. So guy´s if you read this, a GREAT BIG THANKS!!!!

Next stop among the musicshops was Halkans, a dealer in vintage guitar´s of various quality. Sometime´s he also dig deep among old guitar´s, amp´s and part´s and find something special. This day it was two brand new never used Burns Flyte guitar bodies. 

And both a guitar and a bass neck to the same guitar. Here we talking about NOS part´s. Guitar´s that never was! He also hade two guitarneck´s that was used on both the Burns Bandit model and Hayman.

The next day I went to TWANG, but couldnt find a single guitar that was interessting. A month or two earlier they had a Burns Jazz Splitsound in stock. A guitar that was modified by Jens LeStrange some years ago with 18 different sound combinations in the selector.

A couple of week´s ago I found a Balalaika at our local fleamarket. priced at 3,oo pound it did look like a bargain. They may all look like a piece of art but most of them that I´ve seen is some shit made up only to fool tourist´s. Lucky for me this one was´nt. New strings and it did work fairly nice! But what a hopless instrument with only 3 strings!

Spring at last

Spring is on it´s way at last, even if it still might be cold during nights. Have to start with the Levin deal. a 1952 Levin archtop entered the premesis, but was in a hurry exchanged for a 1980 Burns Marvin guitar.

Per Gjörde´s cousin arrived with a faulty Burns Orbit Three amplifier, one that I will restore to former glory. At the same time a similar amp was wreck was bought just as spareparts. There is always huge problems today in finding the right components for those 60´s amplifiers but with this wreck some rare parts was found. It´s cabinet and one of the 12" speakers is now set up as a speaker cab and will be useful with me Orbit 6.

  

As usual we use Wednesday´s for rehearsal with our band "The Görans Garage Band". It´s satisfying to realise that we seam to be getting better every week. All the cover songs that we used to play is now long gone, instead we use only music that is written by our member´s!

To cover up for missing band-members Kjell have bought a nice gadget where drums and bass can be store´d and set up with ease. Natuarly that gadget will go to the bin as soon as a bassplayer and some skilled drummer show´s up. (Ringo we need you).

List of song´s that is rehears´d at this moment, and is about to find the final form-sound.

"Human memory" music/lyrics by Kjell J

a nice ballad

"50 fat & lazy" music/lyrics by Kjell J

have to call this one 60-80`s Rock´n Roll 

"Stay with me now" music/lyrics by Kjell J

"Dragons daughter" music/lyrics by Kjell J

some kind of weird music

"Is this Rock`n Roll" music/lyrics by Kjell J

well here it´s 60-70´s rock for sure

"Joke of a man" music/lyrics by MJ

weird ballad about ole man-young girl.

"What is reality" music/lyrics by MJ

blues-ballad

"Company Sale" music/lyrics by MJ

rockballad in honur of Jim Burns and Burns guitars.

"Butterfly" music/lyrics by MJ

sweet as honey ballad

Do I need more guitar´s? Well there´s alway´s room for one more, and for long I´ve been hoping to find a Burns bass. Either a Marquee or a Bison. Not one of the old one´s I rather prefer the new made by Barry Gibson. Suddenly a white Bison was on sale at Ebay, and with the help of me freind Bill, I was able to buy it. At this moment I´m waiting for the package to arrive. Not one package but two as Bill has taken the bass apart, in hope that it would not be ruinéd in freight.

For at least a year by now I tried to sell me nice acustic bass, but with no luck. A couple of days ago a freind told he was interessted in it if I would like to make a swap for his 12-string Höfner guitar. At this moment he have the bass on trial at his home, but I´m sure he will arrive at my place any day  now with the old Höfner.

Spent last evening trying to make a demo of a new song. At 2.45 this morning I gave it up, made a pre-Master on me Minidisc that I use in the Studio. Left the studio, went to the livingroom and started playing the disc on my HiFi system. Only to discover that the balance was´nt right. Next step will be to make a new  pre-Master with correct balance!

As often as possible me and me dear Mrs tend to wisit Fleamarket´s in hope to find some nice things. At the last one we wisited I found this nice Dinky Toy´s model car. Lady Penelope´s 6 wheel Rolls Royce. A little gadget with link to music, Burns and the Shadows.

A yesterday wisit to the scrapyard where this sound device was found in working order. Nice gadget to use with recording systems.

 3 x Burns Orbit Three. One of em with 3x10" the other two with 2x12"

Now back to the studio in hope to get a proper balance in me recording.