I originally recorded this song with just piano accompaniment back in 2010 (based on an idea I had from 2007!). Well, my family will tell you that almost any time I'm driving the car I'm playing my own music. Why? Well, partly because I'm pretty darn sure that's the only time they ever listen to it. Another reason is that I actually like my music... that's why I wrote it that way! But the final reason is that I'm always trying to find ways to make it better, and that's what happened here. Of course I've listened to this song many times over the last 7 years, but a couple weeks ago as I was listening, I heard in my head how it could be with a whole bunch of additional modern instruments and a SICK BEAT, like some other stuff I've done in the last several years since I started using Reaper. (See my post My Quest for New Music Writing Software for more about that.)

I think my songs are really meaningful and musically rich to those who are willing to shut off all the other noise and give them full attention. However, in my experience that's not most people. Ok, actually in MY experience that's about three people. But, another challenge I think I'm discovering is that in my head I always hear extra things when I'm listening to any good music. Sometimes maybe I have a hard time putting down in the written music everything I hear in my head... I suppose I just expect people to fill in the gaps. This is all just theory, of course, because how could I know what other people experience?

Anyway, I do a lot of thinking about how to make my songs more appealing to the average person who doesn't really get music or is only half listening, and one of the ways that those big name music people do it is with a lot of variety in instrumentation. So, in this arrangement I've made a major instrumental change several times within each verse, and tried to make each chorus have a different flavor. The chord progressions for this song are not all that unusual, but I've tried to mix it up so each change sounds fresh and it builds to the end. Let me know if I've succeeded. Because I like it a lot. Also, I tried to make it so there's no 'dead time' when you're just waiting for a couple of beats before the next verse starts. I filled all those little places with some kind of riff, or I brought in the instruments early instead of waiting for the big downbeat to make drastic changes.

It features a wide variety of instruments:

• Percussion (Provided by Line of Legends from VST4Free)
  
• 3 different types of bass, which I alternate between or sometimes use together:
  
  
  • Acoustic string bass from Garritan Personal Orchestra
    
  • Funky electronic bass from the free T-Force Alpha Plus trance drive
    
  • Synthesized bass created from a Reaper plugin ReaSynth, which basically just gives you some raw wave forms and lets you so some basic modifications. This one is really just a plain vanilla sine wave with some sprinkles of square wave and a dollop of sustain and decay on top.
    
  
  
• Acoustic guitar (Thank you, Spicy Guitar!) run through a distortion amp plugin
  
• Piano (I wanted something different, so I used a new plugin called Skerratt London Piano, softened the attack and then ran it through a flange filter to give it some warbliness)
  
• Used several sounds from Crystal, my go-to VST synth for... well, anything awesome.
  
• The high swoopy toy piano with a rhythmic pulse is from the U-He Tyrell N6, which is modeled after old-school analog synths. This is probably the first time I've used this one.
  
• Super-fat brassy/dreamy synth (also from T-Force Alpha Plus)
  
• A trio of real sampled trumpets from Garritan Personal Orchestra
  

(verse 1)
It seems that usually in my life
I have not shopped around a lot.
Hit the bargain store, make a quick choice and out the door;
No point in asking for what they haven't got.

Thought I was getting by pretty cheaply
In only taking what came easy
But always going back to the bargain store to replace the thing that broke?
Another day, another deal; what a joke;

I am growing patient.
Patient, patient -
Patient, patient,
Growing patient.


(verse 2)
If I always settle for what I see
That's be all that there will ever be
But if I hold out, firm and strong
I know a better thing will come along.

Cuz the problem with instant gratification
Are the limited options for my satiation
And the longer it will take to get what I really want
If I am too short on patience.

(chorus)
So I am growing patient;
Patient, patient -
Patient, patient.
I am growing patient.

Because there's something really nice about
Getting what you...

(verse 3)
So take your time and shop around
And find the very best one in town
And when you find it, up and pay
Don't let the moment slip away.

Grab it tight, head for the door
Cuz you got just what you're looking for.
The best things in life are hardly ever cheap
You pay the price in work and sow just what you reap.

So I am growing patient;
Patient, patient -
Patient, patient.
I am growing patient.

No, you can't grab love
You have to grow it
You can't grab knowledge
You gotta get to know it
You can't grab experience
You gotta to go through it
If you want success,
You have to do it

And it may requre some patience....
Patience, patience,
Patience, patience, have some patience.
Have patience.
Yes, I am growing patient.

Because there's something really nice about
Getting what you want.