Land of the Unknown

I think what I'm trying to say RE: the lilting is that it'd be much better if it sounded as though it were in 2/2 rather than 4/4. I think that's what I'm trying to get at.

Originally Posted by rob1984

Now I've got my MIDI working I can post my opinion as promised:

Firstly, for a first composition that really is great! I don't know how old you are but I know my first compositions just consisted of a melody with no harmony. So well done, whatever criticism you get about it, don't forget this because it is a fantastic effort for a first piece.

The left hand can become a little repetitive but it doesn't bother me that much. There are other things which I'd look at first:

What software do you use to compose? I tell you why I ask; this piece could really do with some detailed dynamics. By this I mean the smallest details, such as changing the velocity of the first note in each bar so it's slightly stronger than the rest perhaps.

I don't know if you were thinking this as you wrote it but I think it'd sound good with a lilted feeling (where you can really feel the emphasis on the first and third beats of each bar) and to this end, I also think the whole thing would sound better at a slightly faster tempo. I was fiddling around with it in Sonar and increasing all your tempos by just 10bmp makes a huge difference.

Also, to humanise it further, I'd suggest adding small tempo changes throughout. It's a very mechanical piece and this could make a difference; it might even add to the dance-like lilting effect I'd like to hear introduced into the piece!

Finally, I don't know if it's my sounds, but the left hand drowns out the melody at times. It needs to be more in the background than it currently is; just a light accompaniment on which the melody can float.

I hope all that doesn't sound too critical. For a first effort this really is very good. Keep composing!

Hey,
Thanks for that, and I'm 15 by the way!

The software that I use to compose is Sibelius 2. I know this really isn't the best of software out there, and it could probably do with an upgrade either to the latest Sibelius (5, I think) or to Finale (haven't seen much of this). I'd rather stick with Sibelius for compatibility with school since a lot of my compositions are for coursework.

As you said about the emphasis on the first and third beats, I did include accents on the first note, but somewhere between .sib and .midi the effect has been lost.

The left hand is very repetitive, although I'm not aware that the left hand drowns out the melody, it is probably the MIDI file, again...

Thanks for the advice,
Ed

Very lovely piece... I don't have much to say, enough has been said already by others. It's a lovely progression, and you did a marvelous job tweaking the melody and changing it up. Left hand is fine, you can add another phrase or change one to have a different pattern in the left hand, but I find that it is fine how it is. And I agree with Robin, it's more pop than minimalist, this is actually the style I like to use when I improvise, so I connect with this very well. I'm glad I'm not the only one who does stuff like this.

From what I could tell, Rob was just talking about tweaking midi information for a more realistic playback. That's fine if you're going to promote your stuff using midis, but I say don't worry about it. Live performance does this for you.

This is so pretty I could listen to it all day.... or play it all the day. It seems simple, I would have a field day improvising with this material.

Nice tune and definately good for your first composition BUT....
I must say I have heard the chord sequence I-V-VI-IV a million times in other songs (usually pop) and therefore the parts where you used this sequence in C major were a bit boring to me. Listen to U2's tune "With or Without You" and you will realise this song is very similar (except in D major). U2 use it in other songs too, as well as Coldplay and a bunch of other artists. So therefore I was very relieved in the middle section where you modulated to a different key and used different chords for the harmony. Overall good job, but try to be conscious of when you are repeating chords over and over. Maybe aim for a bit more variation and surprise in your future compositions... but something like this does take time to learn and believe me my very first compositions were just repititions of a few basic chords slapped together with a melody on top.

Originally Posted by EnigmusJ4

Very lovely piece... I don't have much to say, enough has been said already by others. It's a lovely progression, and you did a marvelous job tweaking the melody and changing it up. Left hand is fine, you can add another phrase or change one to have a different pattern in the left hand, but I find that it is fine how it is. And I agree with Robin, it's more pop than minimalist, this is actually the style I like to use when I improvise, so I connect with this very well.

Ditto. And that's a good thing because it's pianistic, it's playable and it sounds like you understand the instrument you're writing for.

Originally Posted by EnigmusJ4

From what I could tell, Rob was just talking about tweaking midi information for a more realistic playback.

Parts of it were. My biggest point, about increasing the tempo was certainly not though. I really did think that just by increasing the tempo by 10bpm throughout it brought it up another level.

My other points were about realistic playback to some extent. However, my feeling that it should sound as though it's in 2 rather than in 4 mightn't necessarily be a playback issue:

It's difficult to tell whether something sounds like it's missing because the midi mock-up isn't detailed enough or whether it sounds like it's missing because the composer didn't think of it in the first place. So I can only point out what I think.

Ahh. New age piano music, nice music to listen to once in a while. It's awesome for a first try, and you got so many comments too, you're really fortunate. This piece reminded me of the first piece I wrote(it's on YC). That's because I used the exactly same chord progression as yours. But mine wasn't as beautiful. Not even close.

Keep up the good work. Looking forward to hearing more from you.

I have no advice for this song, sounds great! What instrument(s) did you use?....

Originally Posted by Sir Violinist1

I have no advice for this song, sounds great! What instrument(s) did you use?

Wow thanks, just a piano lol The standard sound on Sibelius