Dona Nobis Pacem is many hundreds of years old, it is a tune that originated from the Latin Mass and it is a liturgical canon taken from the Agnus Dei (Lamb of God), with Dona Nobis Pacem meaning “Give us Peace”.
I have played the ukulele for several years. It is a wonderful, sweet and unassuming instrument. The idea for doing this song took root in my mind as a counter response to all of the non-peace that the world seems to be filled with these days. And therefore, it is a simple, spacious melody given to the world which is so often busy, distracted and full of disagreement, disharmony, fighting and war. I also thought the idea of a ukulele playing together with a cello served as an excellent allegory to the dream of two opposite people, nations, cultures or religions living in peace and harmony together.
My arrangement of this is based upon the one provided by Mr. Ken Middleton (www.kenmiddleton.co.uk). I recorded the cello part using my Fender Marauder guitar running through a Roland GR-55 synthesizer into Logic Pro 9. The ukulele was recorded acoustically via an AKG condenser microphone through a Line6 UX2 audio interface also into Logic. Mixing assistance was provided by Mr. Michael Powers (www.michaelpowersmusic.com).
Click on the link below to listen to the recording. I hope you feel peace after listening to this song.
This is a page just for fun and for me because I have always sort of wondered what the answers are to these kinds of questions. So now, I will have a place to figure it out and keep track.
So here we go:
Beatles Last Live Concert:
Was it 1966 or 1969? Was it at Wembley Stadium along with the Rolling Stones, the Who and the Yardbirds or was it on the rooftop of Apple Records?
I haven’t been able to find any reliable source to answer this question yet. Except for Ringo, they all appear to be very close to the same height. I think Paul is marginally the tallest Beatle. Take a look at this YouTube video of the Beatles meeting Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali is 6’3”. So, my guess is:
There is a huge amount of valuable information for songwriters and struggling artists available to anyone with an internet connection. Just for stumbling on this web site, I am even offering you free stuff for songwriters and musicians not to mention free downloads of all of my music.
Blue Angels flying over Seattle’s SeaFair
My attitude is that we all should help each other and because I think it goes with the spirit of aloha.
Besides my free stuff, here are some other examples to whet your appetite:
A second site with helpful info is TAXI. And with their permission, I reprint the following article on what you should and can say about yourself in just one page.
As someone who has looked through countless press packages and listened to hundreds of demos, my focus is very specific — I’m listening for great songs and I want to know a little bit about the artist and the songwriter(s). Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read a 20 page book of miscellaneous press clippings and scattered information, and that’s often what unsigned artists send in. I listen to four songs on the demo, and look through the first few pages of info/clips in each press kit. That’s it.
It seems amazing how many people put insignificant material in the front of the press kit, but if you page through to the end, you find out that this unsigned band opened for a major act last year for two legs of their tour, they pre-sell 200 tickets a show in their local area, their songs have been in five TV shows, their music is being played on 15 CMJ stations and two commercial alternative stations, they have press from local papers and music magazines, their e-mail database of fans is 5,000 and they’ve sold over 2,000 CDs on CDBaby.com, Amazon.com and more on the road. Don’t hide this info at the back of your press kit!!!
Present yourself on ONE PAGE that you put in the front of your press kit — and just send your one sheet with your demo. What info do you want to include on this one sheet? Give me every reason I should sign you at a major label, or use your song in a film/tv show, or ask a major artist to cut your song, or whatever your goal is. Keep your marketing pitch targeted to the person you are trying to impress (Music Supervisor, A&R Exec, Artist, etc.) and get it all on one page. Let’s get specific.
For artists:
Band name
Band photo
Names of band members, instruments, and ages
If you are a solo artist without a band, list the musicians on your demo
Where do you live? Where are you from?
Style of Music
Album cover
Track Listing w/timing
Songwriters
How many songs do you have written and how many recorded?
Band’s bio (under 200 words)
Upcoming Tour Dates
Well-known artists that you’ve opened for or toured with
Press quotes
CD Sales —how many have you sold and where are you selling them?
Airplay — any college or commercial airplay? If so, what stations? How many times did they play your songs? Could you get a quote from the Program Director or a DJ?
Local Gigs — Where do you play? How many tickets do you sell/pre-sell?
Film/TV uses; Advertising spots/jingles
Website URL
Online marketing — Hundreds of downloads at MP3.com? Been on the charts? Include a screen shot. Also, include information on other sites where you’ve successfully created a buzz
Number of fans in your database (e-mail and/or snail mail)
Contests/awards you’ve won
Sponsorships/endorsements
Video available?
Contact information / Management / Publishing
Other information — can be anything of interest. Are you related to a famous producer or artist? Is your neighbor the President of Clear Channel? Was your guitarist in a major band before?
For songwriters:
Name
Track listing on song demo w/ artist info & song timing
Names of collaborators
Photo
Bio – short, about 200 words. Where are you from? What instruments you play? Who have you collaborated with? What kind of music do you write? Influences?
Are you also a producer? Or an artist?
Cuts you’ve had with any major or local artists
Film/TV uses; Advertising spots/jingles
Press quotes
Quotes from artists/songwriters who have written with you
Website URL
Contests/awards you’ve won
Do you have your own studio?
Contact info
Publishing info
If you have amazing songs (most important) and a story developing too, present yourself as the professional that you are so that A&R Executives and Music Supervisors will find you, at a glance. You’ve worked hard — you deserve to stand out from the rest of the pile!
And it’s fine if you don’t have a lot to put on your one sheet right now. Keep playing, keep writing and collaborating; and treat your career like it’s a top priority. There’s a certain energy that surrounds artists and songwriters who are inspired to be successful and work very hard at creating opportunities and making things happen for themselves. Become one of these people. These are the artists and songwriters everyone wants to work with. And as you create your success story, add the highlights to your one sheet.
But not exactly Tulsa Time. But it is time to finish off the first half of this Dona Nobis Pacem duet.
I had to monkey around with the Cello patch settings quite a bit on the GR-55 to get an authentic cello sound and eliminate misfiring of notes, but now I think I’ve nailed it.
Here is the rest of the Cello part to Dona Nobis Pacem, which is now up on SoundCloud.com.
