Mahna Mahna/Tequila

Two tracks are in the process of being made. These songs are of course, "Mahna Mahna," and "Tequila." First I'll talk about "Mahna Mahna." I chose to include this song because of the fun, bright, happy feeling it has. It's a very simple tune, yet it's irresistably catchy. You can't help but tap your toes and hum along to the melody. The vocals are done by two special guests, who call themselves Sawyer Scout, and Herbert. The vocals have all been recorded, and now the music just has to be completed. While recording the vocals for this track, I found that the biggest challenge was timing. We recorded using a few different methods. Herbert tried singing along with the original video from the Muppets, Sawyer and Herbert tried singing themselves without the music, and they also tried singing with me on the piano. It's difficult to say which method worked the best, because each one had its own advantages and disadvantages. But I personally think that it was best with Sawyer and Herbert singing by themselves, just with the drum machine. The recording was the easy bit though. This track is going to require massive editing. It's going to take lots of time and effort to put this all together, but it's going to be worth it. I'm very excited to hear the final result.

The second track that has started production today is "Tequila." I chose this song because it's very upbeat and bouncy. My special guest, Herbert, does the vocals. Now the only word spoken in the entire song is "Tequila," but I wrote some lines that will be said while the music is playing. Herbert will motivate you to get up and dance throughout the song. It's going to be a lot of fun. There's a lot you can do with a song like this. It's easy to improvise on because it's so simple. Hopefully I can duplicate the energy that the original song had, while adding more to it. I'm very excited about this one. I've started recording the music to this song, and again, I've learned that timing is the most important thing with music. I've had to record parts over and over again until the timing was precise. It can be frustrating, and it requires lots of patience. I find it most effective to take little breaks every 20 minutes, just to get a chance to relax and think things through. I find once you return to hard work with a fresh mind, it's much easier to concentrate. I've never recorded with a singer before, so this was very new. Really, it was just like recording any other instrument. It was a new experience, and it was exciting. I'm also learning more about the audio editing program, Audacity. I'm getting better at aligning tracks, and removing white noise, which are two very important things.

I'm going to be working on "Tequila," alongside, "Mahna Mahna," for the next little bit. My goal is to complete these songs before the middle of November at the latest. Herbert will return to provide vocals for two more songs on "The Gramollie Experience." Everything is going very well so far. A special thank you to Herbert, and Sawyer Scout for all the hard work that was put into today's recording session.

NJ