Do you use just Christmas Songs at Christmas?

[Guest guest]

Thanks Jeff. It's my first time hear that song.

[Guest guest]

It's YOUR display, do what you want. Especially for your first year.

This way, you get a feel for what people like in your area.

I would just go with maybe 1 non-Christmas song within your 10 song routine.

Keep in mind, not sure how you plan on using your channels, but even so, starting now to get 10 songs done will take you longer than you think, depending on what you are expecting your 'show' to look like.

Get started now on your songs! Start on a simple routine song first to get the feel of how much detail you want to use in your display.

I can spend as much as ten hours on a simple 2 minute song with over 100 channels.

[Guest guest]

Hmm, listening to some of the songs off the haunted bay site gave me an idea. I dont really have any Halloween decorations, but... I could use my strings of lights and lay out a piano keyboard, then sequence the lights to look as if it being played on a giant piano. Good idea or not :{

James

[Guest guest]

RichardH wrote:

There are lots of great Dance/Techno christmas songs out there where you can do some fancy stuff if you really want that kind of sound.

I posted, in another forum, an .avi of animation I'm working on. Probably more dance than techno. It got some interesting comments, like...

Circut party at the Griswalds.
you're nuts!
I pity your neighbors.
yay!
mental!

...sounds like I'm on the right track.

[Guest guest]

jmccorm wrote:

RichardH wrote:

There are lots of great Dance/Techno christmas songs out there where you can do some fancy stuff if you really want that kind of sound.

I posted, in another forum, an .avi of animation I'm working on. Probably more dance than techno. It got some interesting comments, like...

Circut party at the Griswalds.
you're nuts!
I pity your neighbors.
yay!
mental!

...sounds like I'm on the right track.

Can we get a link? Thanks.

[Guest guest]

bkdraft wrote:

Hmm, listening to some of the songs off the haunted bay site gave me an idea. I dont really have any Halloween decorations, but... I could use my strings of lights and lay out a piano keyboard, then sequence the lights to look as if it being played on a giant piano. Good idea or not :{

James

Great idea! It gets my vote. So how would you go about building something like that?

[Guest guest]

contactmike1 wrote:

Can we get a link? Thanks.

You've got a PM. I'm wanting to keep this one to myself until after the season. Then I plan on releasing the title/artist and the sequence itself.

[Guest guest]

roadnut wrote:

Thanks...you do bring up some good points. As much as I would like people to stop and see the whole show, chances are they will be slowly driving by...although it will make for some interesting comments as they tell their friends that some house they saw had line-dancing penguins!!!:laughing:

Use a great deal of care using non-Christmas songs. I can say it seems like a great idea to use non-christmas songs while its still summer but when the holiday gets here.... you'll know what I mean.

On that token, I believe if 10% of your show its non-christmas and no more, then you are OK... dont use a particular long version of cotton eyed Joe... get the shortest mix you can find. Sounds like an awesome idea - line dancing penguins, but remember to return to and keep most of your show Christmas based theme.

Lets say my lights always made my front yard resemble a discotech... in fact I have had many comments over the last 10 years that my light show blows away the best discos from Tampa to Orlando. But lets say in my first year I got carried away and put in songs like "Everybody dance now" and other techno stuff, mostly to show off what my lights could do... but then after a week of running it... I felt like my show was not Christmassy enough so I went back and deleted Everybody dance now from my playlist and ever since the only non-Christmas song I run is Beethoven's 5th disco version.

Here is an idea. If you want a line dancing style but not move away from Christmas. I have about 7 blue grass and hoe-down style Christmas songs, I could send your way and see if these might be a better alternative. Not getting on your case... I preached like this to another man who 2 years ago wanted to do his Christmas show with nothing but Led Zepplin, Molly Hatchit, Guns and Roses hard rock and roll songs because he wanted to illustrate his "animated guitar playing ropelight man" in his yard and I told him then... better to use hard rock Christmas songs then just run of mil Classic Rock radio songs.

[Guest guest]

jeffostroff wrote:

I'm doing Disney's Main Street Electrical Parade, and also the old EPCOT Illuminations orchestration that they used at night in the laser show on the lagoon in the early 90's called Festival of Festivals. I'll do a few Mannheim Steamroller and one or 2 Trans Siberian Orchestra (TSO).

For Halloween, I just completed an awesome 16 channel sequence for Wizards Of Winter, which I feel is better suited to Halloween than Christmas. Also doing Monster Mash, and This Is Halloween from Nightmare Before Christmas. My friend keeps telling me to do Michael Jackson's Thriller, but I don't know, not after all the headlines recently. Plus that one is over 6 minutes.

Some really good Christmas songs to use from Disney Parks is the Disneyland Paris Christmas Parade, Epcots Candlelight Processional is terrific. Both are 6 to 10 minute songs and are melodies with portions of a dozen Christmas songs in one. Would be perfect as an all in one song/short show. Plus Disney parade songs have a nice mix of slow to fast to slow again, using classic showmanship techniques of being very slow softly changing lights, then occassionally here comes the eye candy, then it slows down to repeat again.

[Guest guest]

Before I started designing what would go on each channel, I figured I would be able to do this Cotton Eyed Joe without a problem.

Well........it's amazing how quick I can fill up 16 channels! Actually, me being Mr. Short Term Memory kinda forgot how much stuff I already have in my front yard. So, that idea is out the window, but I'm toying around with other ideas for other songs.

Actually, one thing that does excite me is that I'm done about 5 songs already. Granted, I'm only doing about a minute, minute 20 of each song and16 channels doesn't take too long to program. On the otherhand, I have no idea how everything is going to look in the end. But at least the rough draft is done...once I'm pretty much finished designing the songs, I can always go back and start playing with them a little more. In the meantime, I'll be figuring out what to do for Halloween also (mmmm...maybe a little Cotton Eyed Joe....) LOL...

[Guest guest]

I want to do one to "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" "Wild Signals" The one where the guy on the organ "talks" to the mother ship with sound and lights. I think this would be a great one. Any one do a sequence to this one yet?

[Guest guest]

roadnut wrote:

Before I started designing what would go on each channel, I figured I would be able to do this Cotton Eyed Joe without a problem.

Well........it's amazing how quick I can fill up 16 channels! Actually, me being Mr. Short Term Memory kinda forgot how much stuff I already have in my front yard. So, that idea is out the window, but I'm toying around with other ideas for other songs.

Actually, one thing that does excite me is that I'm done about 5 songs already. Granted, I'm only doing about a minute, minute 20 of each song and16 channels doesn't take too long to program. On the otherhand, I have no idea how everything is going to look in the end. But at least the rough draft is done...once I'm pretty much finished designing the songs, I can always go back and start playing with them a little more. In the meantime, I'll be figuring out what to do for Halloween also (mmmm...maybe a little Cotton Eyed Joe....) LOL...

Well I have shown off my Beethoven's 5th in 11 circuits many times. Well here is a hint... There is nothing wrong with 3-way outlets have turning on multiple things with the same circuit. Well at least it works on mine where my entire setup is made like a kalidiscope, it allowed more to be done with fewer circuits.