First piece with CSS and CSSS

I'm surprised no one has commented here yet!

First of all, the regular disclaimer: I'm not a professional orchestrator or mixer. Just another guy with an opinion. I played your piece until you "lost me" and stopped there to note the time. At 1:24, I wasn't entirely with you anymore, mainly because I found the high strings to be... off-putting in some way. I can't really put it differently than feeling as though they're playing too high. Of course, that's not really true. They can play in that range, it just didn't feel appropriate to the piece (to me) at that time. It also starts to feel a bit MIDI-ish at around 1:10. Now, you could simply lower the violin part an octave, but obviously you've put the strings up so high for a reason...so I am not sure if that's the right solution. After listening a few more times, I think what's putting me off is the lack of dynamics. The high strings sound like they're really reaching, barely managing to hold the note together while the low strings are very...static in their sustained notes. Maybe ride the mod wheel a bit more there? Exeggerate the movement with the dynamics?

Having said all that, I found the entire 1st minute to be lovely and very enjoyable. I was completely with you there.

Another thing that stuck out to me is that it sounds as though every note for the strings is being played molto vib. Now you can't really control the vibrato all the finely with CSS and CSSS, but there's some change of timbre if you ride the modwheel more. So to me. this is an indication that you don't have many changes in CC1 between 1:10 and 2:00.

Overall I think riding the dynamics more could be a good start to get more flow into the piece. After ~1 minute, it starts to stiffen and becomes increasingly MIDI-ish. Perhaps also think about what you're trying to say with the violins playing up so high. They're a bit fragile and thin in that range, is that what you're going for? That brings me to something else. Overall, after about 1:10, I feel like there's a lack of "body" so to speak.

The ideas themselves are pretty solid. The transitions need some work, but most of all, it's the MIDI performances themselves that can use a little love!

Hope that helps! And remember, I am just one opinion!

 

Baghdad? I hope you make it back in one piece!

I liked your harmonies. Nice variety of tension and release. Harp and strings, great combination. Really, really liked the flute line. I know you were showcasing CSS and CSSS but to me the best thing is the flute. What are you using? Very nice tone quality and very believable most of the time.

Personally, I thought the strings were OK, but not exceptional. But that is not a bad thing. I've been using CSS layered with VSL lately and I like CSS. It has a very nice, sort of generic sound which I like. And as a result they can work well in most any situation. A non-composer is not going to notice the strings much anyway. I did not like the section with the brass. It sounds clumsy. But it is so short I don't think it matters.

I liked your mix. Why worry about whether it sounds like some other person's mix? Do you think the Berlin Philharmonic worries that the mix on their latest CD might sound just like the mix on a CD by the LA Philharmonic? I don't think so. Sometimes we get obsessed over trivia. I do it too.

To me the only thing your piece really needs is a stronger melodic line or motif. But that is just me. I get it that directors today do not want strong melody and strong motives, but I don't have to like it. Overall, good work I think.

 

I wrote a reply and I must not have posted.

Of course the answer to the question is A. Every piece of music I write sends me down an existential hole. Always find a flaw with my material, or my abilities. However, it is a great habit to develop the act of completing what you start. Just keep your focus on the music, and the craft aspects of composing and not yourself.

As far as your piece: I think your piano lessons are going to help a lot. The two things that stood out to me are
1.) abrupt horn shift: Really nice music, but it seems like another piece. I would put them in earlier so it feels more convincing when they enter.
2.) inner lines are not that interesting.

The section mentioned above did not really bother me.

If you give more independence to your inner lines, I don't think it will be a really hard fix. You can achieve a "sum greater than it's parts".

For example listen to this pretty simple piece by Thomas Newman. Uses horns too

 

Cool ! Getting there. I like the changes. I only had a chance to listen once, and only time for a brief reply.

Two points:

1. Cut the intro by half. Get to the melody quicker. Right now the harmonic changes are 2x2x2x2. Either just cut half, or go 1x1x1x1.

2. You need to push into the next phrase. For example @ 1:11 and 1:24 etc....... Use the dramatic silence thing once, maybe twice max in the whole piece. There is already a "natural" lull in the energy in the phrase structure at this point so "push" into the next section.
And get a few tricks for these "pushes". Don't just harp gliss it each time. 1;24 the flute could come back with a counter-melody. Where did it go ? Why did it leave ?

It's sounding nice and I like the changes !

 

Just some quick suggestions that will give a little more detail.

Treat this like a buffett: Take what you want, leave the rest behind
Let's start with the most important stuff. Ok. SO we have the 1st phrase of your melody.
(PS. If you ever get this played by a real orchestra, don't be an asshole - transpose it up a half step.)



Here is the 1st phrase. What are the most important notes ? Well the ones that get the downbeat (1.) and have the longest duration are the ones you are signaling are the most important.



Without having to think much about theory or anything else, I can take these notes and stack them to make harmonies from. ex.1



You can use any kind of "figuration" you want.


Just to clarify "figuration": basically nothing harmonically is changing, only the "pattern" (pattern fetish !!)


So this ex. is really the same as before. (yeah ?)




You can experiment with your own ideas. The reason I am suggesting this is that is it fore-shadows the melody and is directly related. This will help making your work sound more like one cohesive idea being developed.

You don't have to restrict yourself to only those three notes. So if you really like that Db you have, by all means you can include that.

So you could have (as one possible example) a opening like this:



Sound ex.


We take the 2nd part of your melody, we can also use that to end the intro. Again the main point is to connect cognitively the sections in the listeners ear. So for example the ending could look like



See then having the eb on the harp hands off well to the flute as our ear is already focused there. Then the intro stuff can go hand in hand with
the melody. When you return to this, you can write another counter line so you are not just literally repeating.

Of course, you can still fill it out with all the string section so it's full

 

Just have to say I really appreciate you putting yourself out there for critique, lots to be learned even from listening and reading the advice on here. I'll have to stop riding on the courage of others here soon and post my own stuff (yikes).

 

If you have never had a close look, check out Firebird - opening movement - by Stravinsky. It's in Ab minor.

It's a very specific color, for a very specific reason. Orchestration also relies on the overtone series. The open strings ( as in sympathetic reasonance) creates the most full sound. Ab minor means they have to keep any of the other strings from ringing. Thus the most dark and stoic color.

When Stravinsky "brightens" his theme that began in the low basses but gets passed to the woodwinds, he modulates to G major. Have a listen.
It really is quite a striking color shift between keys.

So if you have a very clear compositional reason for doing so go ahead. If (and I say this in a friendly, with a smile on my face way) you are "wanking it", as the Brits would say, with your sample library.........that's a no go.