Hey there, my friends! It’s your buddy, Davood Faramarzi, also known as David Far—a proud independent Iranian musician and songwriter!
A photo of me and my old friends (Old Mic and Guitar)
This song is called "Blame." It’s an acoustic piece that delves into personal reflections on life’s twists and turns, drawing from experiences in past relationships as well as observations of the world around us. Recorded straight from the heart, it carries an emotional depth that resonates with the challenges and complexities of human connection.
I’m not quite sure how to begin talking about this song. I wrote it a long time ago, and it carries a lot of meaning for me. It’s about a person living in a difficult situation, one where the struggles are overwhelming and often ignored by those outside that environment.
Let me try to explain and open it better, Well, The song highlights the harsh realities faced by people living in war zones, under sanctions, in dictatorships, in strict religious regimes, or with limited access to social services—circumstances often unimaginable to those living outside such environments. It also reflects how some people, far removed from these hardships, struggle to understand or empathize, often preferring to avoid confronting these truths to preserve their own comfort. Writing from the character’s perspective, He chooses to remain silent about his struggles, not wanting to burden others or disrupt their sense of ease. Despite this, I invite the audience to listen and form their own opinions freely.
It’s a reflection on both the weight of silence and the emotional distance people often maintain when confronted with the suffering of others.
Let's break down the song's Composition and production.
I first recorded this song with my old devices and instrument, (Mic: Alctron MC002 and My older Guitar: Ibanez V50NJP BK)
Alctron MC002 is a Chinese Mic, but it was good with my budget, I can even say, it was more than good, like perfect! It had a great quality, but after my last upgrade, I started using Rode NT1.
Image Source
The Ibanez V50NJP BK may not be the best acoustic guitar, but it holds a special place in my heart as my first instrument (My father bought it for me in my first year of university, even though he didn't want me to become a musician, haha!). With its low action, it was incredibly easy to play, making it feel like my first musical companion.
Over time, I've created many great songs with it. It's a completely acoustic guitar with no pickup, so I had to rely on a microphone for recording, which taught me a lot about capturing acoustic sounds. Experimenting with mic positioning allowed me to learn how to get the sound I needed, whether by adjusting angles or distances for the best result.
My soundcard was the M-Audio Mobile Pre 2, a device I have a history with. It performed flawlessly while recording this track, thanks to its excellent built-in preamps.
Alright, let’s get back to the composition and production story of this track. I started by playing power chords in standard tuning, but since I played the chords open and also hit the three open strings while holding the power chords, I felt the need to change the tuning to better suit my vocals for this song. That’s when I switched to D Standard tuning, where all the strings are tuned one whole step down from standard EADGBE. The tuning looks like this:
D - G - C - F - A - D
In standard tuning, the chord progression for the verses is C - A - F - E, and for the chorus, it’s C - E - D - C. However, with my guitar tuned to D Standard, the same frets produce different chord names: for the verses, it becomes A# - G - D - D#, and for the chorus, it’s D - F - E - D.
For the melody I played over the riffs, I used a technique I developed experimentally and made my own. I play it like this: I press the melody notes firmly while lightly muting the other strings. This creates a unique effect where the muted strings produce a subtle percussive sound, complementing the clear melody. and then I also added a stereo Ping-Pong Delay with ambient Reverb.
To give the drums more power, I layered an additional kick and snare sample over the EZdrummer tracks. This added extra punch and depth to both the kick and snare, enhancing their impact in the mix. For the intro, I added a tabla that plays alongside my acoustic guitar, creating a unique blend of rhythm and melody to set the tone for the track. and for chorus parts I also added an extra Snare sound which adds an alien vibe.
Next, I added strings to the chorus to make those sections feel more dynamic and expansive. For the vocals, I layered high-pitched backing lines, all sung by me, along with fry vocals (a technique that takes years to master, but in a short time I was able to reach the whisper fry level, which was enough for my recordings). I practiced these vocals in the quiet room of my studio, where the silence helped me focus without disturbing anyone and made the process more comfortable (It was like if you wanna create a Zombie sound haha). The final result is a blend of rock and metal vocal styles, adding intensity and texture to the track.
For the bassline, I used the Modo VST plugin because it loads quickly and delivers a realistic sound. I also recorded electric guitars for the chorus sections to provide support and depth behind the fry vocals.
and at the end I added all the FX which I created them from my own recorded voice, reversed them or added delay to some parts. you can hear a reversed sound in the intro too which it is an FX created with my vocal and guitar sample.
There’s something about the mood and vibe of this track that reminds me of The Cranberries. I believe their influence may have subtly shaped my approach during the recording process, with certain elements of their sound naturally finding their way into my own style, without it being intentional.
Listen on Spotify:
I hope you enjoyed listening to my music.
Peace and Love!
Cool song. You really made the most of what recording gear you had. Knowing how to use it can be more important than having the latest toys.
I really feel lucky that I've lived in places without oppression and violence when so much of the world struggles to get by. I know some people may still complain about the situation here, but at least they are free to do so.
Thank you my friend for listening and giving me your kind feedback. Somehow, I learned to live like this, and recently I even changed the way I think, I am trying to think positive and always be ready for worst situations, but at the same time I look at the future with hope,that I can finally make things better.
But I am not sure if I can change the way I write songs 😂 cause my writing is usually emotional or about a cause, or physiology of society or life and human. And sometimes as I also mentioned before. I write free like if the words just come to me and I am writing them on a paper, it might sound funny, but it is like how prophets were taking messages, it is a feeling like that, I dont wanna say I am doing a holy thing but it is like an energy that comes to me, not every day and not every moment so I see it as a special gift.
My own song-writing tended to be silly stuff, but I've just not been so inspired in a while. I am proud of some songs I wrote, but it's hard to say where they come from.
No way, man! Even if you call your writing silly, it’s actually one of the best approaches I’ve seen in rock music. So many artists have written things in wild, unconventional ways, and later, it all just made sense. It doesn’t need to follow some strict, mathematical formula—creativity thrives on chaos! So trust me, you’re doing great, my friend. 🙂
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