Turning lockdown into music

it sounded really good I don't think there was anything specifically wrong with it as far I can tell it was pretty perfect.
My only criticism maybe is that you seem to stay in the same type of relaxing world in a lot of pieces there is nothing really wrong with it but it seems to be your comfort zone. I think it would be good to try to expand your harmonic vocabulary and maybe try to write different kinds of vibes just so you don't get too stuck to one.

 

liszt un sospiro comes to mind(I recommend listening to reminiscences de lucrezia borgia which there is some beautiful melodies in and reminiscences de don juan, reminiscences de norma or just any piece by franz liszt. Every piece that he composed is a masterpiece and a lot better than what even some of the other greats can compose he was a super virtuoso) I also recommend studying some ravel he was a master composer and orchestrator. But just spend time studying any of the greats such as Stravinsky, Chopin, Debussy and so on. As I believe what Mike Verta once said in his masterclasses. You become like those you are with.

 

Nice piece Duncan!

Initial thoughts:
Great melody and lots to play with. What you write towards the end with the horn counterpoint you need to introduce that language or simply more counter ideas earlier with the strings playing the melody. Since we've already heard it you can start introducing the counter melody or counter harmonic devices, to help give our ear some fresh ideas to grasp to. The change in orchestration is fine and since the piano is keeping the rhythmic motion going forward, perhaps sustain winds or brass with an ascending motion upwards on off beats could be just enough. It can be aggressive or slow, meaning every chord change on an offbeat could happen on beat 2 and hold, then change on the next beat 2 or the one after depending on your phrase. Smooth voice leading will help add some richness to what you have. Then, when the strings/horns counter melody and small development you have at the end will really blossom and open up. Like two ideas finally dancing together.

Imagine as your strings (your melody) and your horns (counter melody) are duet singers. At the end they are singing and dancing with each other. However, before you should introduce the horns (or another instrument like winds doesn't matter), and let it just support the strings to help push us for this ending you've set up.

The other thought is with this piece in general you're very comfortable with introducing and landing us on the phrase on the beat. It's necessarily and overall not a bad thing but it does become really predictable which by 2 mins in it can become a bit stale depending on who's listening. Things to think about.

Great piece, happy you're posting consistently. Keep it up.

Cheers,
Dillon

 

I haven't posted anything lately but every couple of days I'd come here while eating my lunch and see you posted a new piece. It's so great to hear improvement in such a short timespan. Whatever you're doing in your studies, you're doing it right, so keep it up.

I don't have a lot to add regarding the piece, I would agree with much of what Dillon said. I would just provide another viewpoint to his advice because I think he was writing in terms of this being a 2-minute piece.

I was expecting it to go on at 2:10. I never look at the waveforms or the progress bar when listening to pieces here, as that distracts me from the piece and can set expectations, and then objectivity goes away. And it's a precious thing, as you're only really objective on the very first, blind listen.

I think it's a great start of the piece. A great exposition part. It's just missing a development part and then a recap part . This can easily be a longer, much meatier piece. I wouldn't necessarily change anything in the first two minutes, just continue. I was expecting it to turn dark and then over time become more frustrating (that's how I feel about this whole situation). That's also a good contrast since the first two minutes are... I wouldn't say relaxing, as there's definitely some tension there... "a bit eerie" is a description I'm looking for, I think. "Peaceful, but...".

You can then climax and finish it however you think this whole situation will unfold. Does it go to shit? Is there a happy ending? Is the world forever changed? How do you feel about that?

Just some food for thought; you can always come back to it later if you don't feel like continuing now. Off the top of my head, it reminded me of two pieces, both different but similar in the eerie atmosphere they have: Vaughn Williams' 5th Symphony, 1st Movement, and Ramin's Light of the Seven. VW's 5th Symphony 1st Movement captures the development part well, and Light of the Seven captures the eeriness throughout better (while it doesn't really develop that much horizontally).

 

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0iNu3rsWFZ0YrHVtf3okSy

This is a good place to start listening. You'll find a lot of Hollywood composers in here, not in name but in inspiration

 

Hi Duncan,

Honestly, just listen to the playlist Aaron provided. You'll hear it almost every piece I have no doubts. However, if you want a rough and dirty of the first example off the top of my head. Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, the Miniature Overture. Listen for about 30 secs from where I linked. You'll get the idea of how the harmony is helping to push the melody forward. It's just another idea/tool for you to play with. Composing is a craft, and we all need more tools in the shed so to speak.

Furthermore, Tchaikovsky and Mozart did this stuff all over their work. The idea is just pushing your phrase forward more with syncopation and harmony. You can also try at the piano your melody/chord with your right hand, and in your left hand play a separate chord on the off beat. Together these chords could create clash/tension or just a beautiful I don't know 13th chord for example. Just have fun with it and push your music forward more.

Mate, you sound like me going back 6 years. All I listened to was Williams, Goldsmith, or anyone from the golden age of Hollywood. If I can give any powerful lesson is start studying the masters now. Find your one classical composer who you can relate to musically, or who you can understand, or out of everyone else they are your favorite. I couldn't write a single idea for more than a few minutes without knowing how to keep it tangible. I didn't know how to plain and simply to develop music. If it wasn't for my quest to learn how to develop, and the help from my mates Aaron and Alexander here on this forum, I'd never of written long-form compositions. Point is, if you're willing to start, keep posting on this forum as there are many people here willing to listen and give feedback.

If I'm free I'll be happy to give any shit advice I can.

Cheers,
Dillon