Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey folks,

I've been looking for and working toward a "county jangle" sound. I wrote this number last week and mixed it this weekend. I'd like your thoughts on the tune if you have the time.

Big Hearts Fall Hard.
http://frogsmusic.com/mp3/Big_Hearts_Fall_Hard.mp3
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Chapman Jones (c)2006 ASCAP

I've got you on my mind today
You didn't leave me anything to say
You said goodbye, you closed the door
You had a ticket, I sat on the floor

Sometimes it's best to move along
and don't look back, right or wrong
I can't deny it, my hearts exposed
That's what I get, I suppose

Big hearts fall hard
Big hearts fall hard
And if you wonder
Why it thunders
Big hearts fall hard

[Melody Break]

I'll climb upon that horse again
Ride the love trail to the end
Through the desert on a starry night
Reins in hand, I'll hold on tight

Big hearts fall hard
Big hearts fall hard
And if you wonder
Why it thunders
Big hearts fall hard


Appreciate your comments. And as always, thanks for getting this far!

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I like it. Us country/folky people don't get an awful lot of press on the forum (probably because we can't play 32nd notes, and growl and clank make us think something is wrong with our amp...)

I've been fooling around with some similar stuff and interjecting Ric-12 jangle is an interesting exercise. I like the expansion across the audio "stage" during the intro and breaks, but I'd like to see the twelve on the left and the rhythm guitar on the right reeled-in closer to center during the verses. The twelve, in particular, is an attention-grabbing sound and can be distracting when it's way over on the left during those times when the listener is supposed to be listening to the lyrics. You'll also find that the general sound of both instruments is richer if at least some part of their sounds are coming out of both speakers. It also makes for better listening if you happen to be moving around in the room while the song is playing in the background. Stereo separation is a great thing, but it's easy to get carried away with it. I've also found that it sometimes allows me to put out a muddy mix without really knowing it.

If I dump everything into the middle and get mud, I know something needs to be cleaned up before I start spreading the parts out across the stage again. Just about every high-end studio I ever saw had a ****** little box containing a single, small speaker (often a 6x9 oval automotive speaker) on the wall or sitting on the control board. Before you declared a mix officially done, you turned off all the big-buck monitors and listened to the tune through the ****** speaker. It both simulated the sound of what at that time was a typical car radio and it also really made a muddy mix that needed more work obvious.

The only other thing that bugged me a bit was the tone of the little lead guitar riffs during the verses. I like that soft tone, but I felt like I wanted to clean it up a little more and give the notes a little more definition.

Fun ain't it?

Hey Todd,

Thanks for taking time to post insightful comments.

I understand what you're saying. And after re-listening to this in the daylight your notes make perfect sense.

Now, lets see what I can do.

Big Hearts - Phase Two

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Sweet tune. I could learn a thing or two !