Kokomo - Beach Boys style

[DrakeM]

Latin music isn't my area of knowledge in Yamaha styles.

Does anyone have a style for doing this song or a good starting style to begin making a custom song style for this song?

Thanks
Drake

[motekmusic]

Hi Drake,

Fantastic song and love to play it.   Will try to upload the style that i use,, 3rd party, forgot the name of it,, may be one
of Eileens.. You might want to slow it down a little...  Hope it is a start.

cheers
elaine

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[pieterpan]

Drake,

Here's my version of Kokomo.

Regards <> Piet

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[Halesowen Kid]

Thank you Elaine & Piet....

[Toril S]

Thanks Elaine and Piet. I grabbed them too

[Halesowen Kid]

You're welcome to what I have....

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[Halesowen Kid]

And again Drake....

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[Halesowen Kid]

Last one Drake....

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[Toril S]

Thanks Halesowen Kid! I will use the MIDI to learn the song. Never played the Beach Boys songs, don't know why, maybe the climate here in Norway?

[Roger Brenizer]

I've attached several styles for you to try, Drake.  I know you'll most likely extract the parts you like from these styles, to make a very good custom style of your own. 

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[DrakeM]

Thank you everyone for sharing you ideas and styles for this song.

Several of the styles were the same but I found a couple very useful parts in these styles to use.

Now it is just a matter of learning to sing the tune.

Regards
Drake

[travlin-easy]

I've been performing this song for many, many years, using the PSR-S950s 60 Guitar Pop, second intro, "C" variation, tempo of 116. The secret to success with this song is the vocal harmonies, which are difficult to reproduce. I have a bullfrog voice, which means I had to find a harmony with some very high qualities - this is the biggest challenge. I used an external harmonizer, which did a reasonable job, but I still was unable to get to those really high vocal harmonies I wanted. The playing part is easy.

Good luck, Drake,

Gary

[DrakeM]

Hi Gary,

Before tackling this one I went looking for someone at YouTube doing the song solo on an acoustic guitar. Here is the video.:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S458G0urYww

I am not going to sing the song in falsetto like he did. But I used his video to see how he handled the part where the words "Kokomo" and "Aruba" occur at the same time.

Then I found this duet couple doing the song with just a guitar:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PplGSLLXOCc

Their voices are still pretty high but they have no lows, so I figure my low ought work too, we'll see. 

The custom style I have made pretty much nails the song. I combined part of the RumbaIsland and OrganBossa drummer patterns needed for the song and used the Bass that was in many of the styles posted in this thread and that got me set for the main two major parts to get the style done.

Learning the words was a big hang up yesterday running over the song. I have only heard this song done at weddings before by a DJ and I'm not really familiar with the lyrics like I am learning a country song.

Pop songs take longer, heck that song "PERFECT", I still haven't learned to sing it yet and that one's been almost 2 years ago now and I have a custom style for it. But I pull the style out every once in awhile to try it again and again. Hey, maybe someday ... I hope I'll have it down correctly. 

Regards
Drake