What's new

"ROS" | Orchestral

Here's a piece I just finished. Happy to receive any sort of feedback on composition, structure, mix, orchestration, etc. I've learned a lot from the fine and fair people of vi-control, and submit myself to your lashings!

Thanks for listening!



PS: I'll list sample libraries used tomorrow. My wife is waiting to watch OA with me!

Not quite what I expected from the example you posted earlier, because that version came nearer the end of the piece, but I like very much what you did with it. Really, very lovely. Also great title.
 
beautiful, very intricate and textured. Love it! Got a bit of Danny Elfmann vibes. Or maybe JNH.
 
Not quite what I expected from the example you posted earlier, because that version came nearer the end of the piece, but I like very much what you did with it. Really, very lovely. Also great title.

Thanks, jbuhler! It’s been a very long, dark winter here.

beautiful, very intricate and textured. Love it! Got a bit of Danny Elfmann vibes. Or maybe JNH.

Thanks, whiskers! Glad you enjoyed it. I should probably listen to more of those two.
 
Last edited:
Really very beautiful, great listen to end a long day. I'l be listening again with fresh ears tomorrow.
 
Very nice.. (Thomas Newman for me).

Thanks, Illico! Thomas Newman is my composer hero, lol. His music is pure emotional alchemy, and it really resonates deeply. A huge influence, and I’m happy that’s coming across. (Anyone know an address where I can direct my fan mail? Ha ha.)

Really very beautiful, great listen to end a long day. I'l be listening again with fresh ears tomorrow.

Thanks, Chris! That’s a really nice thing to hear.
 
Very good. Nice strings (writing and sound.) I thought a key change would have renergized the piece midway (where the file is largest) and been easy enough to do. Piano also nice and seemed to work best when held and not followed by an eighth note with the eighths following in other instruments (which you did mostly.) Enjoyed the piece, it’s concept and execution. Looking forward to more.
 
Thanks so much, Dave! That’s quite encouraging coming from you. I will definitely try your suggestions on future pieces.

My initial sketches for this song had some key changes in sections that I ultimately omitted after I started getting a little bit lost in the process.

My lack of music theory is still a blind spot that I’m trying to address as its making the writing process more excruciating than it likely needs to be.
 
Great piece! (INFJ here) I agree with Dave about a key change. All it takes to do an effective key change sometimes is change one note or a chord to shift the tonal center.

But really, you have a very evocative piece here and a clear affect - so sometimes more fiddling isn't worth it. :)
 
My initial sketches for this song had some key changes in sections that I ultimately omitted...

Actually, once you’ve completed a section and then start a new section of similar or contrasting material (or even an exact repeat of the prior section) you can simply begin the new section in a different key. That can be as easy as selecting the midi and moving eveything up or down a whole step or whatever (pitched instruments, not percussion obviously.) As long as you don’t move too far where some instruments are moved into extreme ranges you can usually get away with that. If you have already recorded your midi to audio that’s a different story of course.

Back in the day a key change or modulation would be prepared by steering toward the new key center but modern ears are used to abrupt modulations and indeed expect them. So it’s something to keep in mind.
 
Great piece! (INFJ here) I agree with Dave about a key change. All it takes to do an effective key change sometimes is change one note or a chord to shift the tonal center.

But really, you have a very evocative piece here and a clear affect - so sometimes more fiddling isn't worth it. :)

Thank you, Morodiene! I will definitely try to start thinking about that more. I still don't know how @eph221 had me pegged as an INTP from this song.

but modern ears are used to abrupt modulations and indeed expect them. So it’s something to keep in mind.

Will do! Some common feedback I've gotten on past songs was that there wasn't enough grounding them or enough clear patterns to lock onto. So, I made a conscious attempt on this one to use more repetition and keep things simpler. With more experience and feedback, I'll hopefully find the right balance.
 
Last edited:
Some common feedback I've gotten on past songs was that there wasn't enough grounding them or enough clear patterns to lock onto.
That sounds to me like your extroverted intuition at work. (Another INTP here.) Personally, I thought you had enough textural and motivic variation in the middle section that lack of tonal variation didn't bother me, though you could have used that development to move tonally if you wanted to. Another place you could move tonally is at the very end, taking one of the afterthought statements in the coda out of key for a bit of tonal surprise in order to more emphatically set up the close. But I do think your piece works quite nicely as it is, and I very much like how the full version of the tune emerges from the development rather than being stated, developed or varied, and then returned to.
 
A treat! Impressive composition and arrangement indeed! I do have a question for you regarding the Joshua Bell – do you, like me, find this very hard to control? I have major problems keeping it in place and we just doesn't seem to get along. Any thoughts or tips?

Great piece!

Best to you
MOMA, Sweden
 
Top Bottom