Long text alert: I want to tell you what's happening :)
Here’s the dwarf song from The Hobbit Chapter 7: Queer Lodgings!

Image: hqcovers.net
Full Official Audiobook by Rob Inglis: itunes.apple.com/us/audiobook/the…dged/id564609743
Text © The J.R.R. Tolkien Estate Limited 1937, 1965. HarperCollinsPublishers 1991.
The Hobbit Book: www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_…3Athe+hobbit+book
Music © Howard Shore, WaterTower Music 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, 2013, 2014.
Official Soundtracks: www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_…hobbit+soundtrack

It’s difficult to dip in and out of an intensely creative task, and still be able to realise your ideas. It takes doubly, triply long. But one positive effect is that every chapter brings ADVANCES.

THIS SONG: It took me a while to arrange this song (no musical background); I wanted to draw from different parts of the Hobbit OST and merge them with this classic Misty Mountains melody. It’s mainly just my voice, plus my hand tapping out percussion, and sound effects that I largely recorded myself. No instruments (see the fantastic version by ‘Clamavi De Profundis’ on YouTube), because the dwarves don’t have them in this scene. Hopefully you can imagine Bilbo nodding off to sleep, while the dwarves sit around the fire and sing… Let me know of any improvements for the final version on Chapter 7.
Thank you to @peter-shatwell for always looking over my music attempts, him being a trained and pretty amazing musician, and a valuable second opinion.
For this Dwarf Song, I pitched it 2 semitones lower than the original (see Ch 1). Why lower? I thought I could bring out the “soft Thorin voice” out more, because I interpret this song more distinctly as Thorin’s story; the way he feels the winds and the coming of the dragon as he looks on Erebor from well outside. It isn’t angry, but it isn’t hopeful either; the lyrics are dark, sad even.

THE HOBBIT SO FAR: With Ch 1 and Ch 2, it was the start of everything; the software, approach, the reading from scratch. In Ch 3, I specifically improved the narration and mic technique. After a year’s break, Ch 4 advanced narration, music usage, characters, and an insanely complex sfx arrangement, which was sadly smothered by a too-loud narration track. In Ch 5 I felt I even strayed into “actual acting”, and trialled a new recording approach. I think Ch 6 was the best balance of elements; music, voices and sfx at well-judged levels and timings throughout, plus a narration track that will hopefully stand the test of time. My approach isn’t the most efficient: I record a full draft reading, put all the music and some sfx to it, and then re-record the final narration and characters. This is to ensure my vocals match the overall way I’ve interpreted the scene. Ch 8 will have a new approach. My other projects and work have delayed Ch 7, but it’s giving me time to practise my Gandalf voice! I’m still not hitting the mark, but I’m closer every day.

MISSING CHAPTERS: Check the facebook link on my soundcloud profile for more!

Thank you all :) Your messages are great to read, and I love hearing from you! If I don’t reply, it’ll be because I want to reply with ACTIONS rather than words.

The Lonely Mountain Bare [Misty Mountains v2.0]

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nodnol

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