Pirate's Cove

First attempt at making game music. Used Sib 6 and GPO 4.

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That was a nice little piece. I like the rhythm of the work.

Could you add into your post what Libraries you used and what program this was composed in. This will help everyone decide if they like what they are hearing in the way of samples, etc.

Ron

Thanks for the post!

I used sib 6 to score and gpo 4 for the libs. Will update the post above.

I enjoyed this quite a bit.

The color is interesting, and the rhythms never tire. Good job, here! When the clarinets enter later in the piece, the pitches sound somewhat random, more like chance music. I'm not sure if this is what you were originally going for, but it's just an observation I made.

It ends rather abruptly, you might consider extending the piece, or ending it with the root to give it more closure.

Everything else sounds pretty good. I like the use of the cello and bassoon to carry the main ingredients of this piece. Nice work

Thanks for the comments! I really appreciate them.

The clarinets later on are supposed to be kind of like the clamoring of pirates chatting up before the contrabass (the captain) tells them to get back to work. It sounds a little chaotic, but it has some sort of method. If you look at the score the second clarinet sort of mimics the beginning.

Also, since this I imagined this piece to be played as background music in a video game, it is supposed to loop and be cheesy

I have a few ideas to expand this piece, but that is for another composition. I'll leave this one be. Arrrrrrrr

hey there,

I like the feeling this piece expresses.

I think the cello line in the start, starts to get annoying (well the last 2 notes of the melody) after a repeat of 3 times, it would be better to not only make changes in the beginning of the melody line, but also in the end, by going upwards in melody for example.

Greetz,

Hugo

I like the "yo-ho-HO" rhythm of the piece, sounds very pirate-y indeed! Nice job with that! :D

It's a good thing to conserve instrumentation in pieces like this, but at measures 11-34, only having the violincello and bassoon play the entire time leaves out some color that could be added. For instance, when you start at measure 11, every 3rd or 4th measure from there until measure 34, have another of your instruments there add just a little detail and color to the piece: maybe the clarinet could just double the bassoon or cello, or have it accent a particular phrase, etc., it'd be up to you. Just a thought! ;)

Thanks for sharing, nice work! :D

Interesting opening ostinato. I'm not sure if I feel the random bits of harmony between the two the clarinets at the part. The ostinato would sound a lot better with just one line.

I think the bassoon ostinato should be a bit more interesting by itself. If it's boring, it affects the entire boring-ness of the tune above it.

Don't repeat your cello melody so many times. Maybe twice, and then its second theme. Perhaps you can write a theme in between them.

I like the clarinet and bass part.

Needs more of a pirate feel. The 6/8 feels good for the sailing aspect but it doesn't specifically say pirates when you hear it. When you think Pirate Cove, is it the Pirate's clubhouse? Is it a mysterious cove of treasure? Think about those details and you'll be able to add more detail and variety into your piece.

It's a pretty solid track for your first time making game music,

-John

Pay attention to what John said, he's given you some excellent suggestions, Sergio.

Beyond that, you've executed a cute little piece, but it's based a lot on layered and repeating ostinatos and the instruments are often playing the same roles throughout. It makes for a lack of variety and leads to some stagnation in the listening experience. I think what this needs is some significant thickening of the orchestration to bring it some life — maybe try adding more instruments and paying more attention to what each one is doing at any given time and why. It will not only help you write more interesting lines for the instruments, but also help you think in terms of the orchestration as a whole rather than as a bunch of layered individual items. You need to be able to see it both ways in order to produce truly compelling work.

Just some more thoughts for you to consider as you continue. Keep composing, keep sharing, and make sure to comment on other peoples' work too! :)

Thanks for the comments! I've been incredibly busy as of late, and haven't been able to post or compose as much as I would like. I will rewrite a few things and read more on effective uses of ostinato, voicing, etc.

I originally intended this to be a duet between the bassoon and cello, but it grew and grew and the clarinets were added. I hope to keep it as minimum as possible, since I am trying to learn the 'less is more' approach instead of throw everything that makes sound approach.

I have a lot of learning to do, but so very little time :( To those of you who are music majors, allow me to say how envious I am of you!