# Embertone: Stranger Themes Composing Contest



## Embertone

We're thrilled to announce a different kind of music contest: Stranger Themes!

Create a short original theme and submit it to our website between now and March 31 to enter. On April 1st we’ll open the pool of submissions for you to choose someone else’s theme and show off your kick-butt arranging chops by using it to create a composition of your own.

Make your theme count! If it’s used in any of the winning compositions, then you ALSO win! Check out www.embertone.com/strangerthemes for details.


----------



## desert

Okay, now this game changing!


Creative competition

Talented Judges
and these prizes are insane! The Willy Wonka of samples 

*Over $11,000 in Gear and Prizes

Grand Prize Winners

Arranger

Theme-Writer

Avid Sibelius
Artiphon INSTRUMENT 1
ReelCrafter: Free 6-month subscription
Embertone Golden Ticket: All products for life

Avid Sibelius
Shure MV88 iOS Mic
ReelCrafter: Free 6-month subscription
Embertone Golden Ticket: All products for life

2nd Place Winners

Arranger

Avid Sibelius
Komplete Kontrol S25 Keyboard (NKS Ready!)
ReelCrafter: Free 3-month subscription
Embertone Silver Ticket: All current products

Theme-Writer

Avid Sibelius
Shure MV88 iOS Mic
ReelCrafter: Free 3-month subscription
Embertone Silver Ticket: All current products

3rd Place Winners

Arranger

Avid Sibelius
TouchKeys DIY Kit
ReelCrafter: Free 3-month subscription
$100 Embertone Store Coupon

Theme-Writer

Avid Sibelius
Shure MV88 iOS Mic
ReelCrafter: Free 3-month subscription
$100 Embertone Store Coupon

And a bunch of Spotlight Awards for those who show extra creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, and superhuman Embertone MIDI prowess:
TEControl USB MIDI Breath Controller
Recording Session time with renowned multi-instrumentalist William Arnold
Masterclasses with Award-Winning Composer Mike Verta
1 Year Subscription to Music Tech Magazine
Embertone “Mystery Ticket” (Ooo!)
Embertone Instruments, & Discounts*


----------



## ModalRealist

...my visions of a smorgasbord of piano-played melodies to pick amongst stand rather shattered.

Did half the entrants not even read the entry instructions? A good 1/3 of the themes I've listened to so far break the rules by featuring more than one instrument (in the "theme" phase). Another 1/3 just about count as eligible under the rules, but hardly seem like _themes...!_

And why do I keep finding really weird four-minute long remixes of classical tracks?!

Oh well. I'll persevere to try and find at least one good thing amongst the randomly-served 1700 tracks. I'm sure there's some gems in there. Here's to hoping, anyway...


----------



## Andrajas

The amount of themes submitted is overwhelming, I agree that some are very low level. How about we here at VI tell which melodies we did so we can pick from each other?


----------



## AdamAlake

Andrajas said:


> The amount of themes submitted is overwhelming, I agree that some are very low level. How about we here at VI tell which melodies we did so we can pick from each other?



Well, I did two, Reunion and Criminal Mind, but there does not seem to be a search function so I doubt anyone will find them based on this data. I finally found a theme I want to develop amongst the sea of arpeggios, not yet sure what style to use, though.


----------



## Andrajas

AdamAlake said:


> Well, I did two, Reunion and Criminal Mind, but there does not seem to be a search function so I doubt anyone will find them based on this data. I finally found a theme I want to develop amongst the sea of arpeggios, not yet sure what style to use, though.


Cool, will try to find those themes!
Yeah without that it may be a challange hehe. My submissions would be number #355 and #353


----------



## ag75

So many themes! For what it's worth mine are #1107 and #1114. 

If you command F then type in #1107 and or #1114 you should be able to find them. thats the best way to look them up by number.

Cheers.

This is fun!


----------



## mwarsell

Are we allowed to discusss them like this? "I do yours, you do mine"
?


----------



## mwarsell

I think not?


----------



## mwarsell

It seems someone sent 30 themes and named them "Theme 0" to "Theme 30". Very imaginative.


----------



## Mundano

Andrajas said:


> The amount of themes submitted is overwhelming, I agree that some are very low level. How about we here at VI tell which melodies we did so we can pick from each other?





AdamAlake said:


> Well, I did two, Reunion and Criminal Mind, but there does not seem to be a search function so I doubt anyone will find them based on this data. I finally found a theme I want to develop amongst the sea of arpeggios, not yet sure what style to use, though.





ag75 said:


> So many themes! For what it's worth mine are #1107 and #1114.
> 
> If you command F then type in #1107 and or #1114 you should be able to find them. thats the best way to look them up by number.



that's against the rules and runs to not qualifying... maybe you're already disqualified because of this post.. :(


----------



## AdamAlake

Mundano said:


> that's against the rules and runs to not qualifying... maybe you're already disqualified because of this post.. :(



Posting what theme you did is far from being against the rules, read them before scaremongering. There is a rule about misleading/threatening other contestants which your post seems to be breaking, though.


----------



## Andrajas

mwarsell said:


> Are we allowed to discusss them like this? "I do yours, you do mine"
> ?





Mundano said:


> that's against the rules and runs to not qualifying... maybe you're already disqualified because of this post.. :(


Point me where it says that? All we do here is to tell which themes we wrote. Its up for each individual to choose what theme they want to arrange. I'm not telling anyone to pick mine and I will pick yours.


----------



## Andrajas

they have included a theme number search field now, so its easy now to check each others themes


----------



## thov72

what is the order in which the themes are presented? The ones with most likes first???
ok no, loaded the page again...totally different....seems quite random.


----------



## GULL

thov72 said:


> what is the order in which the themes are presented? The ones with most likes first???
> ok no, loaded the page again...totally different....seems quite random.


There is no order but you can mark favorites


----------



## Mundano

AdamAlake said:


> Posting what theme you did is far from being against the rules, read them before scaremongering. There is a rule about misleading/threatening other contestants which your post seems to be breaking, though.


so do i understand the rules... 
Exactly this "There is a rule about misleading/threatening other contestants"


----------



## Mundano

As a musicologist I reject the "low level" opinion. It has an air of superiority and arrogance, so like "why others compose so bad? My compositions are better". Errr..no need. Every expression of art is valid.

As a musician I see each melody/chord as an opportunity to create and arrange. It's by the arrangement the challenge to do it creatively and to reach a "level" of taste to be elected as "good" music/production by the judges (and the common opinion )..


----------



## ModalRealist

@Mundano: I don't think anyone was trying to say, "why are others composing bad?" More: "why are others not putting in more effort"? There are many "themes" which have been submitted that do not follow the rules (e.g. by using more than one instrument); there are many which are not in the spirit of the competition's setup (e.g. by not being "concise", but many minutes of elaborated and developed piano arrangement); and, there are many which appear to have had very little time and thought put into them (e.g. spat out on a piano patch with little to no musicality). I agree that it is on the "arranger" in this context to 'find the value' in the themes one is listening to, but the real annoyance is that, since so many submissions fall under one of my previous comments, it takes unnecessary time to find those which _have _had more time, effort and artistry put into them.


----------



## ag75

I'm assuming because they have added a search engine to find themes by their respective number they are encouraging people to share their themes. Why else would you need to look up a theme by it's number?


----------



## thov72

let´s wait for embertone to clarify this.....


----------



## mverta

Mundano said:


> As a musicologist I reject the "low level" opinion. It has an air of superiority and arrogance...



As a musicologist, your rejection of people's opinion on quality has an air of superiority and arrogance.


----------



## lucky909091

I missed the deadline. 
Can I participate in the second part of the contest, anyway?


----------



## airflamesred

lucky909091 said:


> I missed the deadline.
> Can I participate in the second part of the contest, anyway?


Yes, but you will need a pair of wading boots!


----------



## Embertone

Hey everyone!

I don't know why I have not been receiving notifications that this thread is active, let me immediately answer the questions that seem to be raised here:

(1) Please do share your themes with others- by announcing here, on social media, or even at your local brewery . There is no rule intended to stifle that kind of collaboration ( and doing so would be against the spirit of this contest anyway).

(2) We randomized the tracks for fairness. We don't want the first or last themes to get more traffic than others. We added a search function and a "show all" function so that users can zero in on specific themes.

(3) If you didn't submit a theme but want to make an arrangement, go for it! The only thing you'll miss out on is the chance to win the theme-related prizes.

(4) A comment on the quality of themes. I would caution everyone not to judge so quickly-- what may initially seem like a crappy theme may be a jewel... it can be hard to distinguish between poor craftsmanship and bad sampled pianos 

(5) we wanted users to submit single instrument themes... but it was only a suggestion. Those who submitted fully produced pieces...didn't really understand what we were asking for (or understood but didn't care anyway).

(6) if you come across a theme that seems to be against the spirit of the contest, please let me know!

And yes, the user that created 30 themes and named them 1-30... that wasn't our favorite decision. 

Have fun!!

Alex


----------



## AdamAlake

Embertone said:


> Hey everyone!
> 
> I don't know why I have not been receiving notifications that this thread is active, let me immediately answer the questions that seem to be raised here:
> 
> (1) Please do share your themes with others- by announcing here, on social media, or even at your local brewery . There is no rule intended to stifle that kind of collaboration ( and doing so would be against the spirit of this contest anyway).
> 
> (2) We randomized the tracks for fairness. We don't want the first or last themes to get more traffic than others. We added a search function and a "show all" function so that users can zero in on specific themes.
> 
> (3) If you didn't submit a theme but want to make an arrangement, go for it! The only thing you'll miss out on is the chance to win the theme-related prizes.
> 
> (4) A comment on the quality of themes. I would caution everyone not to judge so quickly-- what may initially seem like a crappy theme may be a jewel... it can be hard to distinguish between poor craftsmanship and bad sampled pianos
> 
> (5) we wanted users to submit single instrument themes... but it was only a suggestion. Those who submitted fully produced pieces...didn't really understand what we were asking for (or understood but didn't care anyway).
> 
> (6) if you come across a theme that seems to be against the spirit of the contest, please let me know!
> 
> And yes, the user that created 30 themes and named them 1-30... that wasn't our favorite decision.
> 
> Have fun!!
> 
> Alex




Excellent, thanks for the clarifications.


----------



## thov72

ok then...., there are so many themes, some strange, some not 
I´ve only listened to a few, including those of ag75 
if anyone wants to listen to mine:

398


----------



## ThomasNL

So does this has to do anything with stranger things?


----------



## ModalRealist

@Embertone: thanks for the clarifications.  Great contest idea, it has to be said.

For anyone still looking, my melodies are at 1375, 1380, and 1381.


----------



## ThomasNL

Guys, watch out when listening to #580, it is very loud and piercing. I do challenge someone to make something with it, even though it is not my theme.


----------



## desert

So many piano themes!! I thought my flute would be more original #1349


----------



## mwarsell

I guess it's ok to tell which themes are whose.

Mine are

#294 to #304.


----------



## P.N.

Oh, cool, it's great to know that people can still enter as an arranjer. I wanted to submit something and i just forgot...
I still didn't hear the themes. Some people are saying a lot of the themes are bad. Isn't it just a case of "any simple melody can be morphed into a memorable orchestral moment?" 

Cheers


----------



## ghobii

#787 is mine.


----------



## Kaufmanmoon

desert said:


> So many piano themes!! I thought my flute would be more original #1349


I only own their Flute so that was the way I went also
#306


----------



## premjj

Embertone said:


> We're thrilled to announce a different kind of music contest: Stranger Themes!
> 
> Create a short original theme and submit it to our website between now and March 31 to enter. On April 1st we’ll open the pool of submissions for you to choose someone else’s theme and show off your kick-butt arranging chops by using it to create a composition of your own.
> 
> Make your theme count! If it’s used in any of the winning compositions, then you ALSO win! Check out www.embertone.com/strangerthemes for details.



Can I submit an arrangement even if I did not submit a theme of my own ?

_Edit: Question answered. Just read Embertone's post above. _


----------



## AdamAlake

premjj said:


> Can I submit an arrangement even if I did not submit a theme of my own ?



Yes.


----------



## Jdiggity1

Thanks to everyone sharing their theme IDs. I now have a list of themes to avoid.

Suckers!


----------



## premjj

T


AdamAlake said:


> Yes.



Thanks Adam  
Just read Emberton's post above with the clarifications, after posting my query.


----------



## Mundano

mverta said:


> As a musicologist, your rejection of people's opinion on quality has an air of superiority and arrogance.



you are right, this is bullshit


----------



## Embertone

We're enjoying everyones' themes! Can't wait to hear all the arrangements that come in. We'll keep our eyes here if there are questions/issues too...

<3


----------



## Kejero

Definitely found a few nice ones in there that could make for some very cool music. Hope I'll find the time to do some arranging!

Here's mine (more like 2 or 3 ideas in one): # *827*


----------



## Kejero

ThomasNL said:


> Guys, watch out when listening to #580, it is very loud and piercing. I do challenge someone to make something with it, even though it is not my theme.


Ugh. Too many notes.


----------



## Haakond

My themes are;
#1050
#1051
#1053


----------



## Phryq

I'm a bit confused. So you (Embertone) would prefer us not to share our themes, however it's not against the rules. (I keep seeing people sharing, but I'll stay strong and refrain).

I also noticed many themes that seemed to have not taken a lot of effort... Now I'm thinking, I should have just written 100 themes, or 200! Then I'd have a 1/10 chance of winning 

Honestly, the big prize I'm wanting is the Embertone Software for life. Then I'll constantly be nagging "when are you gonna make me something new?", haha.

The iOS mic would also be nice, and the keyboard. Actually, *all* of it!

Ok, enough greed, back to composing.


----------



## Jdiggity1

Phryq said:


> I'm a bit confused. So you (Embertone) would prefer us not to share our themes, however it's not against the rules. (I keep seeing people sharing, but I'll stay strong and refrain)...



Embertone said this: "Please *do* share your themes with others- by announcing here, on social media, or even at your local brewery . There is no rule intended to stifle that kind of collaboration ( and doing so would be against the spirit of this contest anyway)."


----------



## Phryq

Jdiggity1 said:


> Embertone said this: "Please *do* share your themes with others- by announcing here, on social media, or even at your local brewery . There is no rule intended to stifle that kind of collaboration ( and doing so would be against the spirit of this contest anyway)."



Oh great! Somehow I read "don't"


#1424 Alone in my Chair

#1378 Village by the Ocean

#1359 Swan River

#1351 Larks

#1139 Somewhere under the floor

#1135 The Socratic Snake

#1133 Rafting with the Larks

#1131 Cleopatra's Salad

#1130 *Chocolate Secret*


----------



## Phryq

Here are a couple that were written by my 10 year old student (he sang it to me, and I notated it, while trying to stuff some theory into him).

#1124 Cathrine the Great (we're reading her bio)

#1123 Shoehorn (he likes to play with a long shoehorn and pretend it's a sword)

#1128 *Black River*

#1127 Starry Night

#1101 Across the Atlantic

#820 Crying Chickens

#333 Wandering Soldier (Chords are
F, Gdim7/F, Eb, D. Gm, C, Gm, Gm/D. C, Fm, Bb, A. Dm, G, Dm, Dm-C7 (last bar has 2 chords, so it ends up back on the C7 "5 of F", making it easy to return to the beginning harmony).

#338 Round Walker
midi https://www.dropbox.com/s/ozziw6xe90i0ner/4 Round Walker in C 2.MID?dl=0

#752 Skipping Soaring

#753 Funeral for a Star

#754 Ragged Jimmy

#755 Sailing Through the Clouds

#813 Nightly Stroll

#816 Sneaky Spider (I made a midi file with chords. Don't know if this will actually work. I was worried that some of my themes will have harmonies that are difficult to 'lift'. So is it ok for me for upload midi files, or just write which chords they're based on?)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuqyteg82n12xqe/Piano 9 Sneaky Spider.MID?dl=0

#332 Astroid's Friend

#270 Scarlet

A couple of mine are too long really, so I guess you could just take a phrase from it. Please just choose it and win!! haha.


----------



## sp_comp

Is there a trick to downloading the themes? I click on the 'download' button and it just opens the track in a new tab with no option to 'save as' or anything like that. 
Am I missing something? Is it the browser I'm using? I'm using Safari


----------



## dtcomposer

Phryq said:


> Here are a couple that were written by my 10 year old student (he sang it to me, and I notated it, while trying to stuff some theory into him).
> 
> #1124 Cathrine the Great (we're reading her bio)
> 
> #1123 Shoehorn (he likes to play with a long shoehorn and pretend it's a sword)
> 
> #1128 *Black River*
> 
> #1127 Starry Night
> 
> #1101 Across the Atlantic
> 
> #820 Crying Chickens
> 
> #333 Wandering Soldier (Chords are
> F, Gdim7/F, Eb, D. Gm, C, Gm, Gm/D. C, Fm, Bb, A. Dm, G, Dm, Dm-C7 (last bar has 2 chords, so it ends up back on the C7 "5 of F", making it easy to return to the beginning harmony).
> 
> #338 Round Walker
> 
> #752 Skipping Soaring
> 
> #753 Funeral for a Star
> 
> #754 Ragged Jimmy
> 
> #755 Sailing Through the Clouds
> 
> #813 Nightly Stroll
> 
> #816 Sneaky Spider (I made a midi file with chords. Don't know if this will actually work. I was worried that some of my themes will have harmonies that are difficult to 'lift'. So is it ok for me for upload midi files, or just write which chords they're based on?)
> https://www.dropbox.com/s/tuqyteg82n12xqe/Piano 9 Sneaky Spider.MID?dl=0
> 
> #332 Astroid's Friend
> 
> #270 Scarlet
> 
> A couple of mine are too long really, so I guess you could just take a phrase from it. Please just choose it and win!! haha.


I went through and found about 60 total that might work for me. I think one or two of these were on there. That's kind of funny.


----------



## sp_comp

I tried it with Firefox and that seems to work now


----------



## Phryq

dtcomposer said:


> I went through and found about 60 total that might work for me. I think one or two of these were on there. That's kind of funny.



Yay. I hope that doesn't mean only a couple of mine were any good. Actually, composing these was a lot of fun.


----------



## sp_comp

there are so many tracks on there that aren't even themes. Just chord progressions or one synth tone. I'm looking for MELODIES!


----------



## Phryq

sp_comp said:


> there are so many tracks on there that aren't even themes. Just chord progressions or one synth tone. I'm looking for MELODIES!



Mine are all melodies ^^ check them out


----------



## AdamAlake

Almost done with my arrangement of #1228 Hero Rising, I wonder if the composer posts here?


----------



## kmlandre

I had posted these earlier, but it seems they disappeared. Like others, mine all tend towards a distinct melody, for those who prefer things that way...

106 - Flying Theme
120 - Star Pirates
923 - Alien Love Theme
975 - Determined Toy Soldier
1019 - Birthday Song
1163 - Eastern European Donkey Race
1273 - Coming Home
1274 - No Home in the Stars


----------



## desert

Geeze everyone wrote a lot of melodies.


----------



## Dear Villain

The floodgates are open and the melodic themes are flowing. I pick theme 20485482 (although 583948592 was a close contender!) 

I think that this contest illustrates the alarming scarcity of composers.


----------



## tonaliszt

Phryq said:


> Here are a couple that were written by my 10 year old student (he sang it to me, and I notated it, while trying to stuff some theory into him).


I was almost certain you had to be 18 or older to qualify for this contest?


----------



## Kejero

True - http://www.embertone.com/StrangerThemes_LegalDraft5.pdf
But technically the kid's participating by proxy, so... whatever? 

Besides: it's an important lesson in music to learn that rules are meant to be broken


----------



## Phryq

Oh shoot. Well, I pinky-promised him he would get the prize if we won...

We can say they're my entries, and he's just a muse. He's made of very old molecules if that counts for anything.


----------



## Phryq

I'm listening to all the themes in this thread now. The themes posted here are all good... I feel much better now (compared to listening to random themes from the site). Are we allowed to orchestrate more than 1 theme? Is this a traditional orchestration thing? Or can I win with some kitchen noises, a clarinet, a synth, and a viola?



Mundano said:


> you are right, this is bullshit



As a bull, your dergoatory use of my fertile products has an air of speciocentricity.


----------



## Haakond

Phryq said:


> I'm listening to all the themes in this thread now. The themes posted here are all good... I feel much better now (compared to listening to random themes from the site). Are we allowed to orchestrate more than 1 theme? Is this a traditional orchestration thing? Or can I win with some kitchen noises, a clarinet, a synth, and a viola?
> 
> 
> 
> As a bull, your dergoatory use of my fertile products has an air of speciocentricity.



I think you can orchestrate as many as you want! I've already downloaded two themes I want to orchestrate.
You can do whatever you want to do. Just use one Embertone instrument in your arrangement, and you are good to go


----------



## Drakken

Wow, so many entries! Looking forward to hearing what comes of this arrangement-wise.

If anyone wants to take a listen, mine are:

1669 - Frontier
1682 - The Brave
1693 - Music Box Mystery

The first two are clear melodic themes done simply on a piano; the last is pretty self-explanatory. All should be pretty easy to work with.



ModalRealist said:


> @Embertone: thanks for the clarifications.  Great contest idea, it has to be said.
> 
> For anyone still looking, my melodies are at 1375, 1380, and 1381.



Particularly enjoyed 1375!



mwarsell said:


> I guess it's ok to tell which themes are whose.
> 
> Mine are
> 
> #294 to #304.



294 is beautiful.



Haakond said:


> My themes are;
> #1050
> #1051
> #1053



Quite liked the Magic Forest one


----------



## airflamesred

I was going to give this a miss but Phryq's #1424 has caught my ear.


----------



## Mundano

Phryq said:


> I'm listening to all the themes in this thread now. The themes posted here are all good... I feel much better now (compared to listening to random themes from the site). Are we allowed to orchestrate more than 1 theme? Is this a traditional orchestration thing? Or can I win with some kitchen noises, a clarinet, a synth, and a viola?
> 
> 
> 
> As a bull, your dergoatory use of my fertile products has an air of speciocentricity.


My air of ethnocentricity influence me to choose latin american labeled themes, but my air of german musicologycity says to me pls do the melodic ones with traditional dominant cadence, but my air of celticiticity tends me to do the "braveheart" epic ones and now i am confused... should i make the Zappa thing?


----------



## aderhim

I think there are some great themes, it's just a matter of how much time you need to find them :D

The good thing about posting our entries here is that we can give some extra information (I was a bit disappointed when I realized that track descriptions weren't visible to the public)

So here it goes:

#1202 - Blue Midnight (Piano, 140 bpm)
*#1203 - Breathtaker (Pad, 140 bpm)*
#1204 - East Chicago (Piano. A bit jazzy, a bit Middle Eastern, a bit gangster?)
*#1205 - Genius Working (Zither, 140 bpm)*
#1206 - Legends (Guitar, 150 bpm)
*#1208 - Lights & Bytes (Kind of retro-cool sound, 140 bpm)*
#1209 - Neon Lights (More pseudo-retro coolness)
*#1210 - Old Stories (Piano, 120 bpm)*
#1211 - Playing with Lions (Pizzicato with the wonderful Leonid Bass)
*#1212 - Scanners (Some trippy stuff, 120 bpm)*
#1213 - String Theory (String ensemble instrument playing shorts, 160 pm)
*#1215 - The Green Violin (Yep, violin solo, 140 bpm)*
#1217 - The Last Call (Chapman Trumpet, 140 bpm)
*#1218 - Traces (Plucked piano at - surprise! - 140 bpm)*
#1219 - Trombone Solo (Such an imaginative name)
*#1311 - A Noble Cause (Brass ensemble instrument, 160 bpm)*

A bit of a mixed bag really but feel free to come play with them if you want!


----------



## SJSharky

I finished my arrangement and really enjoyed working on it. I believe this is the first time I actually finished a full length song using virtual instruments only. So my thanks to Embertone and whoever wrote the theme #18, Shadow Mask, for inspiration! If I have the time, I will have a go at another theme.

I assume it's okay to link to the submitted arrangements as well, since they're already public and easily searchable. Any feedback and constructive criticism (or nonconstructive, diss all you want! ) on things to improve upon for future compositions are welcome.



For the purposes of this competition, I favored both submitting and favoriting really simple themes/melodies that allow the arranger to take it to a whole new direction or level (mine are #334, No One Enters and #376, Morning Passes). When I was choosing ones to arrange, there were some really beautiful piano pieces I skipped, because they already felt like a finished song. Though I'm sure a more adept arranger than me will do justice to those as well.


----------



## AdamAlake

Embertone said:


> We're thrilled to announce a different kind of music contest: Stranger Themes!
> 
> Create a short original theme and submit it to our website between now and March 31 to enter. On April 1st we’ll open the pool of submissions for you to choose someone else’s theme and show off your kick-butt arranging chops by using it to create a composition of your own.
> 
> Make your theme count! If it’s used in any of the winning compositions, then you ALSO win! Check out www.embertone.com/strangerthemes for details.




Question, should the email subject be the entire title (Embertone Stranger Themes 2017 - The Savior of Mirkwood by Adam Alake) or only the track name (The Savior of Mirkwood)?


----------



## Embertone

AdamAlake said:


> Question, should the email subject be the entire title (Embertone Stranger Themes 2017 - The Savior of Mirkwood by Adam Alake) or only the track name (The Savior of Mirkwood)?


Entire title please- thanks!


----------



## AdamAlake

Embertone said:


> Entire title please- thanks!



Thank you, glad to know I did it correctly.



This is my submission, for anyone interested.


----------



## Phryq

Is this correct?


----------



## airflamesred

This competition does seem to have ended up with an inordinate amount of entries in 3/4 time. Not complaining, just wondering if the waltz is, perhaps, the better vehicle for a melody.


----------



## AdamAlake

Phryq said:


> Is this correct?




Correct, also a very nice arrangement, enjoyed it.


----------



## AdamAlake

airflamesred said:


> This competition does seem to have ended up with an inordinate amount of entries in 3/4 time. Not complaining, just wondering if the waltz is, perhaps, the better vehicle for a melody.



Jokes on you, mine is 6/8.


----------



## Kejero

So, anyone else wants to post their arrangement(s)? Finishing up mine this weekend. Curious to hear what everybody did with this.


----------



## ulrik

Kejero said:


> So, anyone else wants to post their arrangement(s)? Finishing up mine this weekend. Curious to hear what everybody did with this.


This is my attempts to arrange:


----------



## DanielC

Phryq said:


> #1133 Rafting with the Larks




Hey was this recorded with Herring? Thanks!


----------



## ulrik

DanielC said:


> Hey was this recorded with Herring? Thanks!


No, there was no fishy in there , if you're referring to the main melody it was played with Embertone Recorders


----------



## Kejero

ulrik said:


> This is my attempts to arrange:



Very nice!


----------



## DanielC

ulrik said:


> No, there was no fishy in there , if you're referring to the main melody it was played with Embertone Recorders



Oh sorry, was referring to Phryq's theme #1133 Rafting with the larks mentioned a couple of pages up, I am attempting to arrange it. 

I enjoyed the vegetarian Waltz a lot though


----------



## Phryq

DanielC said:


> Oh sorry, was referring to Phryq's theme #1133 Rafting with the larks mentioned a couple of pages up, I am attempting to arrange it.
> 
> I enjoyed the vegetarian Waltz a lot though



Yes, mine was using Herring. It's my favourite VSTi in the world. I *love* it... can't get over it. Almost everything I write uses this instrument.

But Ulrik's orchestration was also really good! Those recorders are great! And I never heard Chapman Trumpet, also nice!

What are the guitar and bass?


----------



## ulrik

Phryq said:


> Yes, mine was using Herring. It's my favourite VSTi in the world. I *love* it... can't get over it. Almost everything I write uses this instrument.
> 
> But Ulrik's orchestration was also really good! Those recorders are great! And I never heard Chapman Trumpet, also nice!
> 
> What are the guitar and bass?


Thank you Phryq! Both the guitar and the bass is from the "Swing more" library
I also love the Herring Clarinet, I used it in my version of "pg 02"
Cheers!


----------



## DanielC

Yes, it is really good, makes me want to get it, or perhaps a real clarinet  I hope I haven't completely ruined it with what I did to it...


----------



## Phryq

DanielC said:


> Yes, it is really good, makes me want to get it, or perhaps a real clarinet  I hope I haven't completely ruined it with what I did to it...



The way I see it, I don't *need* a real clarinet because of this. I'll get a real something else, and use Herring.

But what do you mean "what you did to it"?


----------



## Kejero

Well, here are mine:

*The Beginning of Something Great*
Original theme nr 1374.


*Breaking from the Trail*
Original theme nr 65. I don't think this is what the original composer had in mind (actually I have no idea what chords they imagined), so I took the melody and ran with it.


----------



## ulrik

Kejero said:


> Well, here are mine:
> 
> *The Beginning of Something Great*
> Original theme nr 1374.
> 
> 
> *Breaking from the Trail*
> Original theme nr 65. I don't think this is what the original composer had in mind (actually I have no idea what chords they imagined), so I took the melody and ran with it.



Beautiful done Kejero! I really like the dynamics in "Breaking from...." Good luck in the contest!


----------



## DanielC

Phryq said:


> The way I see it, I don't *need* a real clarinet because of this. I'll get a real something else, and use Herring.



Is it easy/fun to play (Herring)? Think it is almost on my spare cash list...



> But what do you mean "what you did to it"?



Arranged it, didn't end up as mangled as I first thought though


----------



## Phryq

Herring is super easy. All I do is turn off the built-in reverb to use my own (as I do with any instrument). There's not much to tweak actually, but you don't need to; it sounds perfect.

Very little is perfect in this world, but we do have Reaper and Herring.


----------



## airflamesred

Phryq said:


> Herring is super easy. All I do is turn off the built-in reverb to use my own (as I do with any instrument). There's not much to tweak actually, but you don't need to; it sounds perfect.
> 
> Very little is perfect in this world, but we do have Reaper and Herring.


Tis indeed very, very playable, though somewhat RAM intensive.
I still don't get the Charmer, I get nothing out of it.


----------



## Phryq

I keep fearing I got the winning email, but am missing it somehow!!

Of course, I don't expect to be the winner, but you know how it is... I'd love to get the Theme-Writer's prize. Mostly the Golden Ticket, and I'd give the iOS mic to my student; he loves to improvise on guitar/piano and record himself (and has an iPhone).


----------



## airflamesred

Should be some news soon, I'ts been a fortnight.


----------



## Phryq

Maybe it's a difficult decision? I'm now wishing I'd made more arrangements.


----------



## Kaufmanmoon

I never had time to do an arrangement in the end but managed a Theme. Good luck to all who's in it to win it


----------



## AdamAlake

No need to rush, the judges are busy working composers.


----------



## SJSharky

It says in the rules that winners will be announced on May 23rd, so still some time to go.


----------



## Phryq

Oh, I must have missed that. This is actually the first composing competition I've ever done.


----------



## airflamesred

email from Alex at Embertone - Results very early June.


----------



## thov72

Results are in. Congrats Kejero!!


----------



## ulrik

Congratulation to all winners!


----------



## AdamAlake

Well deserved winners, those are all excellent arrangements.


----------



## Kejero

I just found out, awesome 

Hey does anyone happen to know Tris? Lemme know!


----------



## Embertone

Kejero said:


> I just found out, awesome
> 
> Hey does anyone happen to know Tris? Lemme know!


Hey Kejero - I believe Tris signed up for the Facebook group. Here's a link to join it:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/329579167456421/

OH and CONGRATS!!


----------



## desert

Embertone said:


> Hey Kejero - I believe Tris signed up for the Facebook group. Here's a link to join it:
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/329579167456421/
> 
> OH and CONGRATS!!


Cheers for the competition, Embertone! Hope there's many more to come :D (where I win)


----------



## Phryq

Congrats to all winners!


----------



## ulrik

Agreed, congratulations to all winners!


----------



## Erick - BVA

Congrats to the winners!
I wish I'd seen this thread while I was working on themes and arrangements! Oh well, always next time (I hope there is a next time). 
This was honestly one of the coolest contests I've ever taken part in, or ever heard about for that matter. 
I only wish I could be less stubborn and actually listen to what the contest is, instead of doing my own thing and not trying to play into the theme (pardon the pun) of the contest. I find that generally that is the case. After feeling depressed that none of my work won or got an honorable mention, my wife made a unique observation which kind of made me realize why I may never stand out in a contest (unless I humble myself and try to learn something). I tend to go for uniqueness, but not overthetop uniqueness, so it's just traditional enough to not stand out, and not quite crazy enough to stand out in a unique way. In other words, I need to either own my uniqueness and go all the way, or try to learn and change my writing style for whatever circumstance I am in (in this case, the contest).





I would love some honest critiques of my arrangements.


----------



## Kejero

@Sibelius19 Keep doing your own thing! It sounds absolutely great. The best relationship advice also holds true for writing music: just be yourself, don't try to please someone else. You shouldn't try to guess how someone might like you to behave and change your behaviour accordingly, just to get them to like you. Be authentic! I don't know how else one could keep doing this work.
And when you've pitched your demos, sent your tracks off to your clients, participated in a contest: move on and don't look back, don't sit around waiting for an answer. Begin a new adventure!

And along the way, some people will be absolutely blown away by something you wrote, while others won't bat an eyelid. Personally, I love your "Concerto of the Night", but your "Abstract Stasis" doesn't do much for me.

And personally, between my own two submissions, I like the one that _didn't win_ better ("The Beginning of Something Great"). I had about completely dismissed the other piece ("Breaking from the Trail"): I almost didn't finish and submit it because I'd gotten bored with it, and it didn't end up like the vague idea I had when I started writing it. I dropped it about 3/4 of the way through, and started on the "Beginning" piece, thinking "If I've got time left, I'll get back to the 'Breaking' piece and finish it". I guess in more than one way, I'm pretty darn lucky that I won that first prize! But the point is: don't beat yourself up over it. I too have been completely ignored by the jury with every 8dio contest I've ever participated in. And you know what, I didn't do anything differently for this contest. I just wrote my stuff the way I like to write my stuff. The fact that I won this time and you didn't win, doesn't _mean_ anything.

I wouldn't give this advice to everyone either; I think some people who call themselves composers should never touch an instrument again. But judging from your Soundcloud page, you got nothing to worry about.


----------



## AdamAlake

Kejero said:


> @Sibelius19
> 
> I wouldn't give this advice to everyone either; I think some people who call themselves composers should never touch an instrument again.



That is an ugly statement. How are they to improve if they never touch an instrument again?


----------



## Kejero

AdamAlake said:


> That is an ugly statement. How are they to improve if they never touch an instrument again?


I'm aware it's completely and utterly politically incorrect to say this, but some people are just really _really not good_ at writing music. Or at playing an instrument, or painting, or programming, or playing soccer. And no amount of training and practice will ever elevate them to a decent level. I'm one of those people by the way. If you'd look at all the skills in the world, and compare the stuff I'm _completely hopeless_ at, against the few skills that I have a chance at developing, the numbers will tell you I'm a big fat loser. I just don't subscribe to this notion that it's ok to tell everybody they can be and do anything they want, as long as they set their mind to it. I'm all for big ambitions and dreams, hard work, dedication, and passion, but I'm also big on utilising your own strengths and accepting your own weaknesses.

(On a side note: I'm sure that dedication and years of practice is enough to elevate anyone to a half-decent level though!)

Obviously when I say people shouldn't touch an instrument again, I'm aware that I'm in no position to tell anyone what to do; _of course_ they can touch instruments as much as they want. I just prefer not to be around to bat any eyelids.

On a final note: I haven't _actually_ come across a whole lot of people that I actually felt this way about. I was merely stating an extreme to clarify a point


----------



## Erick - BVA

Kejero said:


> @Sibelius19 Keep doing your own thing! It sounds absolutely great. The best relationship advice also holds true for writing music: just be yourself, don't try to please someone else. You shouldn't try to guess how someone might like you to behave and change your behaviour accordingly, just to get them to like you. Be authentic! I don't know how else one could keep doing this work.
> And when you've pitched your demos, sent your tracks off to your clients, participated in a contest: move on and don't look back, don't sit around waiting for an answer. Begin a new adventure!
> 
> And along the way, some people will be absolutely blown away by something you wrote, while others won't bat an eyelid. Personally, I love your "Concerto of the Night", but your "Abstract Stasis" doesn't do much for me.
> 
> And personally, between my own two submissions, I like the one that _didn't win_ better ("The Beginning of Something Great"). I had about completely dismissed the other piece ("Breaking from the Trail"): I almost didn't finish and submit it because I'd gotten bored with it, and it didn't end up like the vague idea I had when I started writing it. I dropped it about 3/4 of the way through, and started on the "Beginning" piece, thinking "If I've got time left, I'll get back to the 'Breaking' piece and finish it". I guess in more than one way, I'm pretty darn lucky that I won that first prize! But the point is: don't beat yourself up over it. I too have been completely ignored by the jury with every 8dio contest I've ever participated in. And you know what, I didn't do anything differently for this contest. I just wrote my stuff the way I like to write my stuff. The fact that I won this time and you didn't win, doesn't _mean_ anything.
> 
> I wouldn't give this advice to everyone either; I think some people who call themselves composers should never touch an instrument again. But judging from your Soundcloud page, you got nothing to worry about.



I really appreciate the compliments and the advice! It has been a big boost to my determination. And by the way, Congrats on the winning arrangement! Very nicely done.
I happen to agree with you on the talent thing. I was actually getting really annoyed by this YouTuber who would spam my email with videos about how anyone can be successful in music if they put their minds to it (and she is actually successful). Of course, you draw more people to your page, and thus more YouTube revenue, but I think it's a false, almost disingenuous idea to peddle. You need to be honest with yourself and others. And if you are not self-aware enough to realize there is just no talent, then maybe someone needs to tell you? I know, not politically correct, but honest. I am not saying this from the angle of an elitist. I am completely self-taught from an early age and have no haughty ideations of superiority in composition or orchestration skills. If anything this has caused a great deal of self-criticism and self-doubt --for better or worse. Sometimes I do feel like one of those people who needs to quit. It's my passion though. I can't quit.


----------



## Nesciochamp

Kejero said:


> I just found out, awesome
> 
> Hey does anyone happen to know Tris? Lemme know!



I was scrolling through this forum (you know how it goes). Just wanted to say congrats Kejero, you did a really nice job. 

Groet,
Nipduif


----------



## Kejero

Nesciochamp said:


> I was scrolling through this forum (you know how it goes). Just wanted to say congrats Kejero, you did a really nice job.
> 
> Groet,
> Nipduif


Thanks!


----------



## Atarion Music

Idk.....it feels sketchy LOL


----------

