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My first track blending String Samples and Real Strings...

Discussion in 'Critique & Feedback' started by Luke Johnson, Jul 11, 2017.

  1. #1 Luke Johnson, Jul 11, 2017
    I thought as I've just joined here I would share a piece of music that I wrote recently. I also shared this on VI-C and Soundboard recently but as this is a different site with different people I thought "why not?". Sorry to anyone that has already listened to it. Anyway...

    My sister got married in May and she asked me if I could write the music for her to walk up the aisle to. And she didn't want to hear it till the day (no pressure then)! Obviously I said Yes and instantly in my head I thought it would be a piece with just Piano and Strings. I chose Piano because I wanted a percussive instrument without having to use actual drums and I also wanted it to be intimate so Piano and Strings felt like a good combination. It also needed to be no more than 90 seconds as the time it takes to walk the aisle was roughly that.

    I'm not classically trained and I'm actually a Rock Guitarist (although I've been attempting to start stretching my musical wings whilst studying an MA in Professional Media Composition) so I found writing this to be a challenge. I'm sure to the brilliant composers on here, it's probably quite offensive to their ears especially as I have only just started to study music theory and harmony (so I have probably unknowingly broken many theory "rules" if that's a real thing) but any feedback would be welcome.

    I wrote the Piano before the Strings and I didn't use a Click. Once I was happy with the Piano and the performance, I created a Rubato Click track as I felt the best approach to give an emotive feel was free form playing. I wrote the String parts using samples and attempted to harmonise some parts but my lack of Harmony knowledge is a little limiting at this point (although I am trying to expand my knowledge at the minute) so I have to be honest, I have no idea what I am doing and just play and write by ear.

    I actually managed to get someone to play Vi, Vii, and Cello (didn't have time for a Vla and felt it didn't need a CB) so it's my first attempt at trying to blend sampled Strings and Real Strings and have no idea if I have done it well but the live playing has certainly injected some life into the music. I have to say it was a joy working with a live player and will hopefully do more in the future.

    Anyway, here is a link if anyone fancies having a listen to it



    Thanks!
     
    Kaan Güner, Claude Ruelle and Alexander Schiborr like this.
  2. #2 Alexander Schiborr, Jul 11, 2017
    Last edited: Jul 11, 2017
    Hi Luke,
    I have listened today morning to your track and honestly: While I like the composition and mood, I stepped into the following question: Was your sister sad about her marriage? Don´t get me wrong..I think it is a good track, but it feels from its mood a bit "sad". One thing..or story which I have to tell here: I was comissioned to write an uplifting dance folk track last year for a show and the director came to me and gave such feedback: Man, that sounds not very uplifting..it sounds more sad.. And I thought to myself: "Wtf.. did he listened to my track or someone´s else music? There are all over the place major chords" So why he feels sad I thought. In the end I found out a simple answer to it: The arc of melody didn´t had any tendency to go "up", and the instrumentation was a bit heavy at times. Although I used major chords most of the time, the whole piece didn´t felt "light" and going for something happy.
    So by saying that: I think your melody has a tendency of going down. Whilst that is legitime and without any problem when you finish a melody, like from Dominant 7o to Tonic, which can feel resolving and satisfying, I would say: Be careful with that. Also your chords seem to follow this tendency.
    Other than that: This is just my personal feeling, and I can be totally wrong and again: I like your track and I guess your sister was fine with it, but yeah, that is my opinion. I hope you don´t mind, and all cool: Best wishes to your sister with the marriage :)
     
    Kaan Güner likes this.
  3. #3 Luke Johnson, Jul 11, 2017
    Thanks for your opinion Alex. My sister actually loved this piece. I went for the heartfelt emotive jugular. She didn't feel sad. Nobody did which was an utter relief. I thought I kind of got the emotive quality correct considering the context is to walk up the aisle. Really interesting how we hear vibes so differently and yeah things are obviously cool man. No problem at all.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg and Alexander Schiborr like this.
  4. #4 Alexander Schiborr, Jul 11, 2017
    Yes, I mean: It is not the typical totally sadness, but it is a bit borderlined for me. It is very subtle here..maybe I need some sun to cheer up.lol :D
     
  5. #5 Luke Johnson, Jul 11, 2017
    Yeah. You need to lay off the Horror Movies haha
     
  6. #6 Rohann van Rensburg, Jul 14, 2017
    Great piece!

    I personally didn't find it sad either, and found it appropriately "emotional"; a wedding is a highly emotional event. There is some degree of bittersweetness, with parent(s) giving their daughter away, a realization of the passage of time (a child having grown up), starting a new life etc. It's filled with exuberant joy but it comes with change -- obviously for the better, but there's certainly a mixture of emotions.
    To each their own, but I find thinking of minor and major tonalities as purely "happy" and "sad" to be a bit boringly reductive, no? Not implying that's what Alexander is saying, but it just made me think is all.
     
    Luke Johnson likes this.
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