What's new

Lyrical piece with EV and EC.

Robert_G

The End is Near
Go easy. This is my first piece I've had the guts to share since I first got a DAW around Christmas. Its quite lyrical though. Lots of inspiration for this song, but it is my own composition.

Emotional Violin (set as 1st chair) (and layered with HW Strings Legato)
Emotional Cello
L&S Chamber Strings sustains
Venus Choir layered a bit with Clara
EW Flute Legato
Grandeur Piano

Apprieciate any feedback

<iframe width="100%" height="300" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src=""></iframe>
 
Hi Robert. It's a nice track, well done.

In terms of feedback on composition, the main thing I notice is lack of solid themes. I can hear them in there, but really your job as the composer is to bring them out so they are more focused than what you've got at the moment. The hard part is to keep the various layers supporting each other and not wondering away to do their own thing, which is I think what happened in this piece. My advice, especially for where you are at, is: pick the main melodies early, stick with them (and develop them), make sure the chord progressions support them, and keep consistently going back to those melodies without letting other ideas distract. Think of the emotion or story you want that melody to evoke, and focus on achieving just that. (This advice is as much for myself too!).

I'm hardly one to comment on mixing, but the first part had me expecting something more orchestral, less up-front. When the solo strings come in, it was a bit unexpected how close they were. Also the solo cello is dominant in volume. Sometimes that is fine, but the piano dancing around in the background at a much softer volume compared to the string parts doesn't work IMO. This is both an orchestration and a mixing issue, you've set the piano to be a background layer in terms of volume, but it is still very busy and distracts from the closer instruments. Pick the instrument you want to be dominant in volume and let that one carry the theme, don't have the softer mixed instruments be so busy, use them instead for texture.
 
Hi Robert. It's a nice track, well done.

In terms of feedback on composition, the main thing I notice is lack of solid themes. I can hear them in there, but really your job as the composer is to bring them out so they are more focused than what you've got at the moment. The hard part is to keep the various layers supporting each other and not wondering away to do their own thing, which is I think what happened in this piece. My advice, especially for where you are at, is: pick the main melodies early, stick with them (and develop them), make sure the chord progressions support them, and keep consistently going back to those melodies without letting other ideas distract. Think of the emotion or story you want that melody to evoke, and focus on achieving just that. (This advice is as much for myself too!).

I'm hardly one to comment on mixing, but the first part had me expecting something more orchestral, less up-front. When the solo strings come in, it was a bit unexpected how close they were. Also the solo cello is dominant in volume. Sometimes that is fine, but the piano dancing around in the background at a much softer volume compared to the string parts doesn't work IMO. This is both an orchestration and a mixing issue, you've set the piano to be a background layer in terms of volume, but it is still very busy and distracts from the closer instruments. Pick the instrument you want to be dominant in volume and let that one carry the theme, don't have the softer mixed instruments be so busy, use them instead for texture.

Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to my song and give me an honest review.
Being someone who has never presented a composition for critique, I had no idea what to expect. I tried to critique it myself, wondering where I could grow and learn from it.

Strangely enough (and in a very good way), your critiques are pretty much the same as how I would have critiqued the piece. I was just really unsure...being inexperienced in this sort of thing.
So even though there are a lot of critiques in your post....at least I see them too...and that shows I'm understanding where improvements are needed. Thank you for that.

The issue with the piano is that I recorded myself playing the piano...I made the piece up and liked it enough to make the composition with it....but then I got ambitious and added a lot of other stuff.
When it was all done....I kept second guessing myself on whether the piano was too busy like you said....it's good to have confirmation that my initial thoughts were correct. My ambition and the work I put into the piano melodies clouded my judgment in regards to the fact that piano texture (instead of melody) would have been better.

Also, you're right about the melodies....probably could have saved half the melodies for another piece...and been just fine.....another thing I was constantly second guessing. Keeping the dominant instruments dominant and not letting them get lost or clouded in is something that I will take to heart with my next piece.

As for the solo instruments...I wanted them upfront and center....but again...the busy piano took from what I was trying to do with the strings. Glad you pointed that out.

Thanks again for your input. I know most people here are busy and don't have time to listen to all the tracks newbies like myself bring in, so I can't tell you how appreciative I am that you took the time to listen and critique me on it.

Us newbies aren't going to learn without guys like yourself, so please take to heart how appreciated your time is to me and others when you take the time to critique us.
 
No worries Robert, was my pleasure to listen.

Take what you've learnt and apply it to a new track, and then the next track after that, etc. Keep going and you'll only get better. :)
 
Top Bottom