My Uke composition for Commercial

Skottoman · Jun 11, 2010

Hi!
I've been asked to create a ukulele based music bed for a commercial/presentation. So here's what I've created. It's specifically designed to be a music bed for Voice Over, thus the lack of specific melody.

This was really fun for me to create, as I wanted to make a "hook" that was subtle and audible under the voice over. I think I've succeeded. Everyone that has heard it remembers the "doot dooo" and whistle melody. I worked with my favorite voice talent to record this...

I've been in the industry for a while making things like this, but this is the first one I've ever made that involves ukulele.

The funniest part is the chords are very similar to "Why are there so many songs about Rainbows" from Kermit the frog. Hahaaaa..

Click the link to hear the short clip. Great fun for me, as I haven't done this type of work in 6 years! Oh, and the uke is my Concert Koaloha...

Sounds great on headphones.

Cheers,
Skottoman

http://www.baileymusic.com/ukulele/ukemuzik_rough.mp3

browneyedalbino · Jun 11, 2010

Very enjoyable, and light-hearted sounding tune! The whistling and "doo doo doo's" are very memorable. Overall, I like it!

mds725 · Jun 11, 2010

Really nice! How about a "guess what product is being sold in this commercial" contest?

Skottoman · Jun 11, 2010

Haha! Thanks! You'll never guess what product this is promoting..... But you can try!

The direction from Marketing was "We need something that sounds like happy bunnies"

I've you've ever worked in a studio, you learn to "translate" marketing speak, and turn it into something creative.

I loved working on this little piece! Hope it sticks in your ears, because that was the idea!
Cheers,
Skottoman

revdrkate · Jun 11, 2010

Wow! Such fun. Great tune, great ukulele playing, fun percussion and delightful "doot-doots."

Mim · Jun 11, 2010

My husband says he could here something like: "This is Bob!" from the Enzyte (or however you spell it) commercials.

Uncle Rod Higuchi · Jun 11, 2010

Nicely done.

Very pleasing and uplifting.

Thanks for sharing it with us!

Keep uke'in',

happyslappysoong · Jun 11, 2010

Very quirky recording! Would love to see it fit the commercial =)

UKISOCIETY · Jun 11, 2010

Cool!

I want this as my "walking down the sidewalk" theme music.

ukuDaily · Jun 11, 2010

Please don't tell us it is for some new brand of "feminine product" to be featured on the Lifetime Network.

casarole45 · Jun 11, 2010

Great, and I really did visualise happy bunnies frolocking! =D

StereoJoker · Jun 11, 2010

I'm gonna be disappointed if it's the backing track for something lame, like paper towels or something. It sounds too neat (really, it does!) to be wasted on a grape-juice-cleanup scene.

The commercial should have dancing and folks wearing pork pie hats.

shwee · Jun 11, 2010

It sounds so catchy and fun! I really want to see the commercial that it's going to be used in!

Skottoman · Jun 11, 2010

Wow~! Thanks for all the great comments!

Well, it's not really a commercial (Like a TV commercial), but more of a promotional commercial video for a tech company in Silicon Valley. The product has something to do with password management.

I know, boooooooring, no feminine hygiene products, no male enhancement products, not even a paper towel or toothpaste.

That said, it's one of the things I do, to take stodgy tech companies run by people in blue shirts with khaki pants, and make their products sound cool.

So that's what I've attempted to do. I have to do another one but this time the theme is more EVIL. (As opposed to happy bunnies)

Even I have been whistling/singing that little riff in my head all day! Guess that's what happens when you listen to it over and over like I do when I make stuff.

Thanks again for the awesome comments!
Cheers,
Skottoman

KevinFL · Jun 11, 2010

I really like it...it sounds great! And it doesn't matter if it's for paper towels or passwords, it's cool that you're making music others will hear. Personally, the first thing that came to mind was Vagisil...has that happy, clean, fresh feeling to it. I guess that's why the bunnies were so happy.

mythidiot · Jun 12, 2010

I loved this. It was very fun to listen to and I could see this as a back track to many things, its very versatile.

"We need something that sounds like happy bunnies"

I'm in marketing too and this made me laugh because I've said stuff like that to my designers before. I'm really good at hand gestures accompanied by sound effects to describe what I want something to look like.

...one of the things I do, to take stodgy tech companies run by people in blue shirts with khaki pants, and make their products sound cool.

Me too! The first thing I did out of college was an auto paint chip repair video... not as glamorous as I was expecting

phanzo · Jun 12, 2010

UKISOCIETY said:
Cool!

I want this as my "walking down the sidewalk" theme music.

:agree:

Fantastic tune my friend. I truly enjoyed it. Well done. I hope it's a big hit with your client!!

lambchop · Jun 14, 2010

I love the intro particularly - is that one ukulele, or several layered? It sounds so thick - it really catches your attention.

On another related note, there are so many commercials, particularly for softer products (not sure what that means) or home products; every time I hear them I think, yes, one more chance for people to hear its beauty. There's a Samsung refrigerator commercial featuring Hey, Soul Sister.

Thanks for letting us hear this! Mike

Skottoman · Jun 14, 2010

lambchop said:
I love the intro particularly - is that one ukulele, or several layered? It sounds so thick - it really catches your attention.

On another related note, there are so many commercials, particularly for softer products (not sure what that means) or home products; every time I hear them I think, yes, one more chance for people to hear its beauty. There's a Samsung refrigerator commercial featuring Hey, Soul Sister.

Thanks for letting us hear this! Mike

Thanks for the comment!
Some info on the recording...

Rhythm ukulele is recorded 2x, one panned out to each side.
There is one more additional lower single note picked uke line being played under the second portion of the song. Matches up with my voice doing the lower "doot doos".
Ukulele is KoAloha Concert. Everything was recorded mono with a Sennheiser MD421II Dynamic Cardioid Microphone.
Mixed with ProTools and just a hint of reverb added to some stuff.
Extra percussion is sourced from Apple GarageBand, and individually arranged in ProTools.

Cheers,
Skottoman

rock_and_roll_camera · Jun 16, 2010

Really nice tune, like it! I'd have to go with the majority and say I thought it was forsome kind of intimate female product, or perhaps baby products? Still, regardless of the context it will be played in, it'll be played and thats cool that not only are you creating sweet ukulele music, but people are hearing it too! Really, well done! Can't wait to hear your EVIL number! How does one go about making a sweet, innocent little uke sound the tiniest bit EVIL? We shall wait and see!...

My Uke composition for Commercial

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