Game Over Theme-String Quartet

At suggestion, I've tried changing my original organ to a string quartet. Personaly, I think it's a lot better as the melody is clearer. I'd love to hear a live recording of it since all my songs I've tried only on a midi or live piano.

Game Over Theme-String Quartet

Upon first look at your score, your viola range is IMPOSSIBLE. Violas only go as low as an octave below middle C on a keyboard. As far as the music, it's ok, could be better.

Hi Melodic!!

Great to see that you're trying new things. The trick of this suggestion is in the ARRANGING not just copying it out into the instruments :P The string quartet works differently to the organ. It's a platform to add little flourishes and everything :)

I might post a little example in a few days if I get my English essay handed in :unsure:

And as for recordings. The best way is to get a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and samples, as a live recording costs $10000 for a 4 hour session with a decent orchestra.

I think you nailed the feel of a game over theme. Very slow, sombre, sad, simple. All great "S" words!

My only suggestion is that you shape one of the viola (or maybe cello) lines at 0:14-15 a bit smoother. Right now, it violently juts out of the nice writing underneath.

Thanks for sharing, melodicSmiley! Keep writing!

Peace on Earth,

-John

Hi Melodic!

Welcome to YC. :)

I think CheeseLord has really nailed what I wanted to say, which was that you haven't really re-worked this for strings so much as copied over the original and spread it across the instruments. It's not technically wrong (besides some range issues which maestro noted for you, watch out for that!) but it's kind of cheap and un-idiomatic. You'll learn as you continue listening and practising your writing though, so don't worry.

For now all I can suggest is that you pick up a decent orchestration textbook (Adler's is fantastic, Rimsky-Korsakov's is available online) and really learn about the instruments you're writing for. Listen to their examples, understand how they work, and study how they've been combined in the past. All of these things will empower you to write more convincing and compelling music for them.

And make sure to keep writing while you're at it — it's practise, not study, that will ultimately get you where you want to go. Also, keep letting your fellow composers on here know what you think of their work as well — commenting helps keep the place going. ;)

Adler's is fantastic, Rimsky-Korsakov's is available online)

Good find and good orchestration advice.

The best way is to get a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) and samples, as a live recording costs $10000 for a 4 hour session with a decent orchestra.

He wouldn't need a live orchestra for this piece. All he needs is a decent string quartet for an hour and he would have a nice recording of this track. That would cost only a few hundred.

The DAW is still the best option because it's unlikely you'll want to shell out $300 each time you want to write a string quartet.

Peace on Earth,

-John

It sounds very good. It gives off the impression of a "game over" very well. Everyone before me has pretty much said the most important things, but I have something to add.

For me, the ending was too soft. I thought the song was over prematurely. Even if I liked the quiet ending it felt extremely sudden.