A.M. Van Vliet

Thank you for your comments! The advice about parallel fifths and harmony is interesting and helpful; I will explore that some more and be aware of it in the future. Thank you again! :)

Thank you so much for listening and for your critique. A lot of what you noticed I had no idea about, and it was very helpful. I will keep your observations in mind for future pieces, and if I decide to rework this piece. Thank you again! :)

:sadtears: That was beautiful.

sswave, Wow! Thank you so much! That info will be immensely helpful. I'm sorry I wasn't specific. I do have a "newer" Win XP PC (which will soon be a little "00s":D), but at the time of this piece in 2002, I was using the evil Win 98 pc. My new guy has 1 GB of RAM, but still not as good as yours, and I still notice problems with samples (the only app I currently have is Fruity Loops :P). I just really need to get a new sythesizer and other equipment. I'll be happy to play with the toys at school in Sept :laugh:. Truly, thank you again for the advice :nod:. EDIT: Sorry, the laptop I'm borrowing for net access is 1 GB RAM, my desktop is 512 MB. Even worse!

:D This is a very colorful piece! The whole time I felt the sensation of fluidity, of everything spinning and writhing in the deep. In the first part, I felt a sense of danger but then it became calmer and I suddenly imagined a documentary, like the Disney True Life Adventures movies. I really liked that strange, electric guitar synth coming in occasionally, like a wave breaking the calm. I also enjoyed the pacing, as it didn't get monotonous, and liked the question mark left at the end. Will there be more turtles in your future?:)

:laugh: Well, my pleasure! So, come on now. Where's that speech? :laugh:

Thank you! :D I have the opposite problem--it's a lot harder for me to write something serious! Thanks for your thoughts. Well, I was trying to tone down the activity from the first version, but another reason I didn't use more tracks was because of technological limitations. For some reason, my crappy Windows 98 PC would slow down if more than a certain number of tracks were played at the same time (which wasn't many), which also caused most events in a track to not play at all (I think the sound module actually might have been the problem). If I get better equipment, it would be awesome to rewrite this piece (again) w/ a little more character. :)

:laugh: You would be dead right about the synth samples! For most of my older compositions, I used a Windows '95 version of Cakewalk Pro Audio, and the samples were from a Roland Sound Canvas (not sure if that's the name of the model). But, I believe the samples for this piece were from my brother's cheap MIDI keyboard from the late 90s, which probably had most of the same library. :sweat: I'm really worried people won't look past the crappy sounds to the actual compositions, but I guess I don't blame them; they do sound silly! Thank you for the synth suggestions! I may try Independence Free. I looked at Omnisphere. Wow, it looks amazing! And if I save up, maybe I can afford it in ten years, unless I marry a doctor ;):laugh: Thanks again!

:DThank you! It's so funny; I NEVER thought about that "sneaking around" thing. That's cool! I love hearing people's interpretations. I'm happy you like it. Thanks again!:)

:DThank your for your thoughts. Yes, it is clapping. Originally, I wanted to use a castanet sound, but I think I just liked the more subdued, softer clack of the clapping (if that makes ANY sense). The cymbals sound like a good idea. Uh, fell free to laugh at me, but what do you mean by "noodle"? :veryunsure::sweat:

Thanks so much! I never thought about the "sneaking around" idea before, nor the jungle/tomb idea. That's very interesting! I appreciate your thoughts. :D

:happytears:Thank you so much! Thanks for sharing your experience. Yes, you're right that I shouldn't feel so embarrassed changing majors after all this time. I try to tell myself that life really has no rules on when and how I'm supposed to do something with it. I think I mostly feel my knowledge about the "science" of music is a little inadequate and I get embarrassed when I talk to people who've had lessons since childhood, but I think I'm starting to catch up a little. I will listen to your music some more so I can give a decent critique, as well as others. Thanks again!:)

This is a makeover from an earlier version. It is entirely electronic, er, MIDI, which got me confused as to what category to put this in. Anyway, I do have a completed version somewhere, as well as other works, so maybe I'll find them someday... :( Please let me know if it sounds too simple, or has too many instruments competing (that was the problem in the first version :sweat:) And anything else would be helpful. Thanks! :) Space Saga Returns.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Gee, I hope I'm submitting this in the right place :veryunsure:. This pop 6/8 ballad is from 2007. This version is a template for the final version (created for an electronic music class). I eventually omitted a few elements for the final version (which has vocals). My teacher never gave an indepth critique. So, please feel free! :) 01 YDN (study).mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Yay, my first post! This is an old Cakewalk composition (2002) but I never got a professional and unbiased opinion about it and would love to hear any thoughts. It is intended to be looped, so please disregard the abrupt ending.:) Xeno.mp3 - File Shared from Box.net - Free Online File Storage

Sorry I took awhile to look at this. Well, I don't have extensive analysis training, so I just listened and didn't read the score, so forgive me if I can't be very specific. I also do not claim to be an expert on symphonies whatsoever!:sweat: First movement: I believe you captured the ice cavern imagery very well, as I've seen in countless games and movies. The intro sets a very mysterious stage and makes me feel cautious as to what might be lurking around the corner. I liked the long periods of dissonance with pockets of resolve. However, at some points (probably because it's MIDI) the strings seem drawn out too long and I wanted to hit some kind of Panic button. However, if this was a movie score, the suspense created by the sustained notes would work well with visuals. I think toward the middle you had a Celtic theme playing, which gave it a more warm and airy, instead of cold and claustrophobic, feeling. I liked the use of fifths--very Celtic. The last thing I didn't like was at the end, as it felt like you were using root position triads for the I IV V chord progression (I could be wrong). Perhaps using inversions would help it not sound so mechanical. Before that part, maybe give the bass notes a little room, as chords played that low seem to create some dissonant overtones and make it sound jumbled and a little muddy. Second: I love the contrast from the first movement. It might sound nice with a flowing melody under the staccato feel. The fifths and Mixolydian are a very nice touch. But, at times there seemed to be too much dissonance without resolve. The last part made me smile. It would be nice if a reoccuring motif would play throughout this movement, as it seems a bit random, because I really enjoy the melodies you have in this part. Third: I like the sort of pentatonic feel at times. The drum solo in the middle was a bit out of place, maybe cut it a little shorter. I love the tension that leads up to the end, but I think it would sound cool to just end with the suspense at 3:23. Four: Oh, there's a celebration! The drone of the strings coming in is lovely. I love how it is building little by little. I literally got goosebumps! I was disappointed when the happiness ended so suddenly at :47. Would be nice to not have a rest before the next notes come in. I love the area near the end when the drums and horn (trumpet?) were talking to each other. I personally think, maybe at the end, it would be neat if you blended in some motifs from the first movement. It would be like a return home from the adventure.:D Overall, I am very impressed at your creativity and level of sophistication. You should be proud of yourself for this accomplishment!:nod::toothygrin: