Orchestral piece inspired by Western film scores - feedback welcome!

[chelsea2608]

I've always been fascinated by the famous scores from classic Western movies. From The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein) to Once Upon a Time in the West (the great Ennio Morricone), these scores evoked vastness, hope and adventure through memorable melodies and beautiful orchestration. This is my ode to the classic Western film scores. I’d love any feedback that you may have, and I hope you enjoy it!

Click to read more...

 

[dhmusic]

Yo chelsea2608, this is awesome! Vastness, hope, and adventure, it's got it all.

Fantastic string work. Great use of dynamics in a variety of dimensions - expression, time, timbre. You have a strong grasp of thematic development here and it comes across effortlessly.

I'm struggling to find many spots that could benefit from some experimentation... maybe the exposed brass phrasing around 1:10 could alternate between longer and shorter articulations? Totally a taste thing of course.

One other spot might be the releases on the choir around 3:15 (I love this part btw). Maybe connecting the phrase there like at 3:30? But it might not make a big difference.

I'm gonna show this to my friend, it's super heartwarming and he's all about those 90's and 2000's family westerns/adventures... Or maybe he just really likes Shanghai Noon lol.

Keep up the good work!

Douglas

 

[Double Helix]

I agree with Douglas that the piece does not "need fixin' " It's fun, and I think it evokes the atmosphere you were shooting for
So take this as wholly optional: the opening percussion might be more dramatic by being a little deeper (not louder, per se, just more "in the chest")
Certainly makes me look forward to your next piece.

 

[chelsea2608]

Thanks Douglas and Double Helix! I’m glad you enjoyed it… good points around tightening up the articulations and adding more oomph to some parts for greater effect.

 

[Mistro]

Love this! Great work! I agree this is fun to listen to. I definitely get "Western Film" or some Disney movie vibes in an uplifting way.

 

[cbdohrn]

I've always been fascinated by the famous scores from classic Western movies. From The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein) to Once Upon a Time in the West (the great Ennio Morricone), these scores evoked vastness, hope and adventure through memorable melodies and beautiful orchestration. This is my ode to the classic Western film scores. I’d love any feedback that you may have, and I hope you enjoy it!

Great work, chelsea2608! Very evocative of the classical westerns. Such a rich orchestration with inspiring themes, calling for adventures in the vast lands. I love the partnership between Sergio Leone and Ennio Morricone. Once Upon a Time in the West is my favorite, with that lyrical vocal in the opening. Also the way they introduce the instruments with the characters in the movies like the harmonica man. Awesome to hear your ode to these scores!

 

[I like music]

I've always been fascinated by the famous scores from classic Western movies. From The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein) to Once Upon a Time in the West (the great Ennio Morricone), these scores evoked vastness, hope and adventure through memorable melodies and beautiful orchestration. This is my ode to the classic Western film scores. I’d love any feedback that you may have, and I hope you enjoy it!

Subscribed, is all I'm going to say.