Symphonic Rock

Hey everyone, I just registered here, so I thought to post some of my work, it's kind of hard-rock maybe even a bit of progressive metal sound to it, with kind of symphonic arrangements (well not really, they are all done with a keyboard but you know..)

Anyway, here is a link to myspace page where you can give it a listen: The Talekeeper on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

come on guys, I need some pro' comments :D

woa you're good writer so you can upload it to youtube and you'll get the comment

it was really cool at first but then I started wanting some sort of change to make it sound less predictable. Your harmonization is very well done and choice of instruments was nice too. Did you record the electric guitar yourself, if so, that's some crazy skills there dude! :) Keep making those tunes cause they're great!

ehmm, thanks guys.. well this is actually my first try at symph-rock style...

Ehm.. not it's not me playing the guitar.. I wish I was tho' :D

I played drums and keyboards there and one friend of my played guitar for me.. i wrote it all tho'

Just some quick comments:

Introduction: It doesn't entice me very much, but it does a decent job into going into the next section.

However, I don't feel like your transitions are solid. They just occur and kind make the piece feel a bit to disjoint, but not to much. Another thing is that it got pretty repetitive. Most of your ideas where out by a minute and half, the rest was just repeating what you wrote but without any new depth to it really.

Yet, it's still a nice piece. I think with a bit more focus and some more creative you can have an epic piece.

Just some quick comments:

Introduction: It doesn't entice me very much, but it does a decent job into going into the next section.

However, I don't feel like your transitions are solid. They just occur and kind make the piece feel a bit to disjoint, but not to much. Another thing is that it got pretty repetitive. Most of your ideas where out by a minute and half, the rest was just repeating what you wrote but without any new depth to it really.

Yet, it's still a nice piece. I think with a bit more focus and some more creative you can have an epic piece.

Cursive, I appreciate the constructive criticism, but I have to stand up and say I wanted it to be repetitive. I wanted a solid mainstream ABA form. And about the transitions, I realize they kind of.. well stick out, but the thing is that I really spent a lot of time working on them.. and I just couldn't waste any more, I had to get it done, so that was the best I could come up with at the time. And to be honest I don't really know how to make it more part of the song. My brain just stops working there.

There's repetitive and then there is unintentionally repetitive. I have my doubts you intentionally made the whole piece to be static and lacking in dynamics, but if you did...why?

Secondly, transitions, they can be tricky little buggers, but I find doing a map of the music works well. Kind of like when you were a kid and had to do plot maps when writing a short story (if you had too), writing the ideas out in words and connecting them, might be beneficial. Either way, it's going to have to be a monster you'll have to tackle one day.

But anyways, it's good stuff still.

Ahhh... well... still I don't quite understand how to make it more dynamic...

Did you mean the playing is lacking dynamics, or the way it was written? If you could explain this a bit, it would really help me.

And about the transitions... I just don't know... the verse-chorus part, are basically almost made of same chords so they should work good together... but I too have the feeling that it just doesn't quite stand together the way it should. And I'm a drummer too... transitions should be my area of expertise.. I'm ashamed :D

When I say lack of dynamic I mostly mean the piece experiences no change. Which is fine for some type of music, but personally when I think of symphonic rock, I think of music that goes through many phases and structures. It really goes back to how I feel it's static, but it has plently of potential.

wow very catchy and nice. over used chord progressions but still very good.

since this seems to be the only thing you've posted here, I guess it's the only thing I can base my opinion on.

it's ok.

it just sounds like generic background music.

were you TRYING to create a mood? an atmosphere? a feeling? evoke some emotion?

whatever it was, it obviously didn't work in my case.

I don't think this is bad. it's just bland and repetitive to me.

I know this is going to sound like some sort of "revenge" post. but it's not.

your piece really did absolutely nothing for me.

And yet, listening to my own work, I DO feel something, even if the INTENT was not to evoke any particular feeling.

So not all music will evoke a response - or a similar response - in all people.

And to "understand that a composer was NOT aiming to evoke any feeling in particular" changes nothing about how YOU react to a piece of music.

There's a lot of music I really enjoy, and that evokes a strong visceral response from me, yet I am quite aware that the composer wrote it to fulfill the requirements of a form, and not the requirements of some emotional response.

Less piano, more rock... seriously. Neutering it just makes it straight up pop, and diminishes the difference between sections.

Your guitarist should watch what notes he's tapping -- something sounded off...

A melody might have been nice... or something that wasn't straight eights... I mean, this could be retooled a bit into a minimalist piece, to be honest...

Sorry if this comes off negative, I think it can be salvaged for sure, but it'll take a bit of work.

Hmm, I have a few things that I'd do to the piece.

First of all, in the first guitar-like-solo-thingy, I'd get rid of the pianoloops. It just ruins the guitarplaying there.

Also, in some of the bridges (well, I think they are), I'd take different chords. I think thats the biggest problem of the piece, the chords are almost constantly the same, which makes the transitions not sound like transitions because they are simply something different on the same base... I think

I'll listen again to this in the afternoon, maybe I'll have some more comments.

And to "understand that a composer was NOT aiming to evoke any feeling in particular" changes nothing about how YOU react to a piece of music.

There's a lot of music I really enjoy, and that evokes a strong visceral response from me, yet I am quite aware that the composer wrote it to fulfill the requirements of a form, and not the requirements of some emotional response.

Yeah, Qc, I begin to get what you are saying. Looks like the magic of music is that it can mean so many different things to so many different people. I always thought there should be a point made trough the music...

I thought the piece started to get really interesting when the 1st guitar solo started, I guess the second verse.

I think the piano was a little repetitive, eg. it just seemed to go round and round in arpeggios.

I had to listen to it a few times to get into the chord progression, at first it seemed to juyst jump from minor to major to easily and abrubtly, but I actually quite enjoyed it, especially if it was your first attempt!

I thought the piece started to get really interesting when the 1st guitar solo started, I guess the second verse.

I think the piano was a little repetitive, eg. it just seemed to go round and round in arpeggios.

I had to listen to it a few times to get into the chord progression, at first it seemed to juyst jump from minor to major to easily and abrubtly, but I actually quite enjoyed it, especially if it was your first attempt!

Well yes, this is pretty much my first finished work, I've done lots of semi-finished tunes, but it seems I can never get myself to finish one. I don't have much free time, so its quite a battle for me to dedicate myself to a work completely. I'm thinking about doing a remake of this tho... now that some of you pointed out some bad sides to it...

Yeah that'd be cool to hear a remake of it ^_^ Have you ever heard of the program 'Reason'? It has some pretty decent piano and string sounds in it, so it'd make the whole thing sound a little more professional ^_^

lol it's the hardest thing to finish a song! I hate songwriting! Except when i love it :P haha I guess you just have to write and write, even if you don't finish it, something good will come out eventually!

Yeah, I heard of Reason, but I'm currently exploring Fruity Loops, I find it more suiting to my needs.

This whole thing was done with a keyboard, electric guitar, bass and drums. I'm actually quite happy how it came out given the fact that it was recorded in my living room. :D

Phantom - I enjoyed your song very much. I think you would write really well for video games. :)

Phantom - I enjoyed your song very much. I think you would write really well for video games. :)

thanks kobi :)

Yeah I used to use fruity loops, it's a pretty decent program, basic to use.

:D

PhantomOftheOpera do you write a lot of lyrics, i have a voicoso ( i think its spelt like that) but i would like words in it, pm me if you can THANKS!!

It was alright but I lost interest after a while. I think it'd be nice if you put a modulation in the middle, or even better, a tempo change.

It was nice that you broke it down to just the piano towards the end, but it was just repeating the same pattern and some variation would've helped to maintain my interest. The same goes for the arpeggiated guitar parts.

Are you a fan of Sonata Arctica, Stratovarius, Altaria and the like?

Because it most definately would fit that kind of sound.

and I am really impressed.

I can just hear words over this and it would be a very "epic" song (quite literally, considering that is the term usually used to describe the genre)

Aside from my bias against sweet picking, I really enjoyed the guitar solo, I'm impressed with the entire thing honestly.

As mentioned before, the chord progressions were nothing new and spectacular, but regarldess it was a good, very solid, tune.