# Christopher Siu - Once Upon A Romance (Official Audio)



## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 14, 2019)

Hi friends, today I wanted to share a new original piece of mine with you. 

This track represents a turning point in my musical journey. Up until this point, I have composed and produced upbeat, exciting, and (hopefully) catchy themes reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy and Disney. 

For this piece, I channeled my inner Disney princess and dreamt up a new theme that I hope will envelop you, warm you up, and take you to a different dimension before carrying you back to reality. It's an honour for me to be able to create the style of music that I love, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds.

Thank you, and please enjoy!


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## batonruse (Mar 14, 2019)

I did indeed enjoy, well done Christopher and I hope you produce an "Inside The Score" for this piece. Best


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 14, 2019)

batonruse said:


> I did indeed enjoy, well done Christopher and I hope you produce an "Inside The Score" for this piece. Best


Indeed, the breakdown for this piece is coming! Stay tuned for next week


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## AlexanderSchiborr (Mar 14, 2019)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Hi friends, today I wanted to share a new original piece of mine with you.
> 
> This track represents a turning point in my musical journey. Up until this point, I have composed and produced upbeat, exciting, and (hopefully) catchy themes reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy and Disney.
> 
> ...




I enjoyed the track but I tell you that the track isnt cohesive as it breaks style. Maybe you know that,other than that: the first minute is sweet and I appreciate the effort.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 14, 2019)

AlexanderSchiborr said:


> I enjoyed the track but I tell you that the track isnt cohesive as it breaks style. Maybe you know that,other than that: the first minute is sweet and I appreciate the effort.


Thanks Alexander. I’d love to hear your thoughts on what I could do better, and how you would’ve kept more in style!


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## ryans (Mar 14, 2019)

Hi Chris, 

Good work on this. Your mix is very clean, but I think, slightly lacking in low-mids and lows... which is resulting in a thinner overall sound and harsher upper mids... This is a subtle and nitpicky thing.. But it was my initial impression.

Thanks for sharing!

Ryan


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 14, 2019)

ryans said:


> Hi Chris,
> 
> Good work on this. Your mix is very clean, but I think, slightly lacking in low-mids and lows... which is resulting in a thinner overall sound and harsher upper mids... This is a subtle and nitpicky thing.. But it was my initial impression.
> 
> ...


I appreciate the feedback Ryan. Thanks for listening!


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## sostenuto (Mar 14, 2019)

Many good segments. Prefer strings, then horn early. 
Just becomes stronger, louder after 1:15. 
Much capability throughout. Not so much Romance ….


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 14, 2019)

sostenuto said:


> Many good segments. Prefer strings, then horn early.
> Just becomes stronger, louder after 1:15.
> Much capability throughout. Not so much Romance ….


Appreciate the feedback man!


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## markleake (Mar 16, 2019)

Very nice track, Chris. The others are right though, it is mixing genres somewhat. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it does contrast a lot with the delicate sound you start off with for the first minute. As soon as the bass drum hits, I was like... oh no, that doesn't belong there. Especially that specific drum with so much bass tone (Berlin Percussion?), IMO the Spitfire bass drum for this is more suited here, but even then maybe not the best idea. But still, the tone of the track changes to long sustained ensemble strings, less delicate tone, more strident brass. If you could soften it a fair bit, have fewer players, fewer parts, replace the percussion, remove the military style portion, etc, then it would suit better. But then you may not have much track left. I still like it, but yes, the first 1 minute works better I think.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 16, 2019)

markleake said:


> Very nice track, Chris. The others are right though, it is mixing genres somewhat. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing, but it does contrast a lot with the delicate sound you start off with for the first minute. As soon as the bass drum hits, I was like... oh no, that doesn't belong there. Especially that specific drum with so much bass tone (Berlin Percussion?), IMO the Spitfire bass drum for this is more suited here, but even then maybe not the best idea. But still, the tone of the track changes to long sustained ensemble strings, less delicate tone, more strident brass. If you could soften it a fair bit, have fewer players, fewer parts, replace the percussion, remove the military style portion, etc, then it would suit better. But then you may not have much track left. I still like it, but yes, the first 1 minute works better I think.


Thank you for your thoughts, that makes a lot of sense. The bass drum is actually from Cineperc, which definitely comes with a lot of bass. I’ll keep this in mind for the future, thank you!


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## JMJ33101 (Mar 18, 2019)

Wonderful 1st theme in the beginning! I think for Romantic pieces percussion should be limited to Timpani, cymbals and maybe small delicate percussion like triangles or Celeste. And for the stronger return of the 1st theme when the Violins and trumpets play, I’s suggest putting the Cellos under them so that it supports the main melody and also so that the Violins don’t get lost with the trumpets. The piece has very good structure!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 18, 2019)

JMJ33101 said:


> Wonderful 1st theme in the beginning! I think for Romantic pieces percussion should be limited to Timpani, cymbals and maybe small delicate percussion like triangles or Celeste. And for the stronger return of the 1st theme when the Violins and trumpets play, I’s suggest putting the Cellos under them so that it supports the main melody and also so that the Violins don’t get lost with the trumpets. The piece has very good structure!


Thanks very much for the detailed feedback!


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## Seasharp (Mar 20, 2019)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Hi friends, today I wanted to share a new original piece of mine with you.
> 
> This track represents a turning point in my musical journey. Up until this point, I have composed and produced upbeat, exciting, and (hopefully) catchy themes reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy and Disney.
> 
> ...




Chris:

I enjoyed your piece. A very complex orchestration. Your String lead was very realistic. What String Library are you using? How long did it take to get that work done?

Joe


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 20, 2019)

Thank you Joe! I mainly used Cinematic Studio Strings here


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## Seasharp (Mar 21, 2019)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Thank you Joe! I mainly used Cinematic Studio Strings here



Ok great. I have Cinematic Strings 2. Still working on getting an upper string sound I like.


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## eph221 (Mar 23, 2019)

Sounded vaguely familiar, yet different. Nice one!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 23, 2019)

eph221 said:


> Sounded vaguely familiar, yet different. Nice one!


Thank you!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Mar 28, 2019)

The first part of the breakdown is now live! In this we discuss the theory and melodic/harmonic choices. Please enjoy!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 4, 2019)

Hi all, this is part 2, where I’ll discuss the orchestration and arrangement behind the piece  enjoy!


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## eph221 (Apr 6, 2019)

I'd recommend getting a masters in music education, it wouldn't be wasted on you because of your talent and intuition. it would give you a firm footing on how to present this stuff. I'm always envious of good educators, it's not easy.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 6, 2019)

eph221 said:


> I'd recommend getting a masters in music education, it wouldn't be wasted on you because of your talent and intuition. it would give you a firm footing on how to present this stuff. I'm always envious of good educators, it's not easy.


Thank you! I’d love to know what you think I can do to improve my presentation.


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## eph221 (Apr 6, 2019)

It's an art that's developed over time. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start. Have you thought of being an educator?


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 6, 2019)

eph221 said:


> It's an art that's developed over time. Honestly, I wouldn't know where to start. Have you thought of being an educator?


I’m actually a full-time piano/theory teacher, so I’m always open to suggestions for improving.


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## eph221 (Apr 6, 2019)

Well, maybe you already have a masters, didn't mean to criticize unjustly. Different schools teach different things. What I noticed about your presentations are that they're more stream of consciousness rather than organized in a way that ticks the boxes of a large number of watchers and listeners. I think you'd benefit from learning about abstraction and the philosophy of teaching. Learning about different learning styles. Learning about human psychology. Did you know you can actually give a lecture that can tick the boxes of all four jungian pesonality types? Psychology is something that's near and dear to me :D:D Didn't mean to criticize your style, but you have so much talent I think you could have a broader audience. I don't know whether you watch Adam Neely, and I don't know whether he knows all of these things, but he does them, consciously or not. There's no hidden meaning in this.


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## The Darris (Apr 6, 2019)

Great production Chris. Since you seem to be taking criticism, I do have some suggestions. 

I've noticed that in your writings, you love to shift the main melody to different orchestral textures and you love to modulate a lot. You tend to modulate via some sort of counter point from the main lead melody. However, this can be a bit confusing for a listener. Be sure to "prime" those counter point voices and help lead the listener away from the main melody so you can prepare them a bit for the modulation. 

There were a few transitions in this piece that were rather confusing because my ear lost it's foundation of what I was supposed to be focused on. It's okay to keep the same lead instrument such as the horn section controlling the direction of the melody. Just remember, if you want to shift focus, you need to lead the listen musically to that voice. Food for thought. 

Best,

Chris


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## The Darris (Apr 6, 2019)

Also, as much as you love to write in this idiom, I'm more curious to hear you step away from the broad, sweeping, Disney style and experiment in other areas. That's just me though. 

Cheers,

C


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 6, 2019)

eph221 said:


> Well, maybe you already have a masters, didn't mean to criticize unjustly. Different schools teach different things. What I noticed about your presentations are that they're more stream of consciousness rather than organized in a way that ticks the boxes of a large number of watchers and listeners. I think you'd benefit from learning about abstraction and the philosophy of teaching. Learning about different learning styles. Learning about human psychology. Did you know you can actually give a lecture that can tick the boxes of all four jungian pesonality types? Psychology is something that's near and dear to me :D:D Didn't mean to criticize your style, but you have so much talent I think you could have a broader audience. I don't know whether you watch Adam Neely, and I don't know whether he knows all of these things, but he does them, consciously or not. There's no hidden meaning in this.


Not at all! I appreciate your feedback man. I’ll have to look into these 4 personality types :D


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 6, 2019)

The Darris said:


> Great production Chris. Since you seem to be taking criticism, I do have some suggestions.
> 
> I've noticed that in your writings, you love to shift the main melody to different orchestral textures and you love to modulate a lot. You tend to modulate via some sort of counter point from the main lead melody. However, this can be a bit confusing for a listener. Be sure to "prime" those counter point voices and help lead the listener away from the main melody so you can prepare them a bit for the modulation.
> 
> ...


Many thanks Chris. I’m sending you a message to discuss this further, if that’s okay.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 6, 2019)

eph221 said:


> Well, maybe you already have a masters, didn't mean to criticize unjustly. Different schools teach different things. What I noticed about your presentations are that they're more stream of consciousness rather than organized in a way that ticks the boxes of a large number of watchers and listeners. I think you'd benefit from learning about abstraction and the philosophy of teaching. Learning about different learning styles. Learning about human psychology. Did you know you can actually give a lecture that can tick the boxes of all four jungian pesonality types? Psychology is something that's near and dear to me :D:D Didn't mean to criticize your style, but you have so much talent I think you could have a broader audience. I don't know whether you watch Adam Neely, and I don't know whether he knows all of these things, but he does them, consciously or not. There's no hidden meaning in this.


And yes, Adam is awesome! There’s a few of his videos I absolutely love, including the ‘Harmonizing Sax Soli’. God that’s beautiful. 

For this second part of the breakdown, I tried a slightly different approach, going through one section at a time and trying to highlight some key areas. I definitely could have gone down the more in-depth route, going over each instrument combination, discussing midi data, etc., which very well might have been better for this! I’ve done this previously for my other pieces, so just wanted to try something new and more streamlined  

But like I said, any feedback is much appreciated, so I apologize if my reply seemed like I took offence to your comment. Thanks again!


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## eph221 (Apr 8, 2019)

bless you heart! :D:D


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## muziksculp (Apr 8, 2019)

Hi Chris,

Great piece, and explanation videos. Thanks for sharing this.

I always enjoy watching your videos, and learn a lot from your analysis of the piece, both harmonically, arranging, and orchestration perspective.

Here are a few questions for you. 

Q1. How long did it take you to write, and produce this piece ?

Q2. Do you have any tips on how to go from a chord progression to individual string voices when working in a DAW (basically a good, and fast technique to distribute the chord to the individual string sections, (V1, V2, Vla, Cel, DB) ? Maybe you can make a video tutorial series dedicated to this specific topic.

Q3. Do you have Perfect Pitch ?

Thank You,
Muziksculp


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## Gingerbread (Apr 8, 2019)

Chris, I love learning from your videos and music, you are very generous with your time and talent in sharing your knowledge. It's helped me in developing my skill at composing and orchestrating, and I really appreciate it!


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 8, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi Chris,
> 
> Great piece, and explanation videos. Thanks for sharing this.
> 
> ...


Thank you! I'd say it took me around 15 hours combined to write and produce this piece. In general, I treat violins 1 and 2 as the melodic and harmonic leads, while I use violas and celli for more countrapuntal sections that enhance the overall section. The basses I use for harmonic support and/or the fundamental bassline. Hope that helps! Great idea for a video series.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 8, 2019)

Gingerbread said:


> Chris, I love learning from your videos and music, you are very generous with your time and talent in sharing your knowledge. It's helped me in developing my skill at composing and orchestrating, and I really appreciate it!


That means a lot to me. Thank you so much for watching! Please let me know if you ever have any questions.


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## MOMA (Apr 9, 2019)

This was a treat! Great arrangement and some really good melodies. I was curious about your choice of strings - did you alter your priorities when shifting from up beat to more romantic styles?

Best to you
MOMA, Sweden


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 9, 2019)

MOMA said:


> This was a treat! Great arrangement and some really good melodies. I was curious about your choice of strings - did you alter your priorities when shifting from up beat to more romantic styles?
> 
> Best to you
> MOMA, Sweden


Thanks Moma! I mainly used CSS for this one - I felt the more retro tone of the strings catered itself well to this style.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 10, 2019)

Hello my friends - welcome to the final section of the breakdown, where I discuss the mixing/processing I applied. Please enjoy


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## eph221 (Apr 11, 2019)

That was a treat! Thanks for taking the time to do this and sharing.


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 11, 2019)

eph221 said:


> That was a treat! Thanks for taking the time to do this and sharing.


Thanks for watching


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## ChrisSiuMusic (Apr 11, 2019)

muziksculp said:


> Hi Chris,
> 
> Great piece, and explanation videos. Thanks for sharing this.
> 
> ...


Did you just update your post to include Q3? Haha I didn't notice that there before. But yes, I do! It comes in handy sometimes


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## muziksculp (Apr 12, 2019)

ChrisSiuMusic said:


> Did you just update your post to include Q3? Haha I didn't notice that there before. But yes, I do! It comes in handy sometimes



haha... I had a feeling you had Perfect Pitch, but I wasn't sure. Now you confirmed it. Oh.. I think I had the three questions on my initial post.

Thanks for the feedback.


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