1. Didja accidentally blow through the whole, "We're using our real names" thing on registration? No problem, just send me (Mike) a Conversation message and I'll get you sorted, by which I mean hammered-into-obedient-line because I'm SO about having a lot of individuality-destroying, oppressive shit all over my forum.
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One Composition a Day Until We're All Dead

Discussion in 'Tips, Tricks & Talk' started by Mike Verta, Mar 21, 2020.

  1. Some typical, asinine, stupid shit on VI-C actually gave me a good idea just now:

    One Composition a Day Until We're All Dead

    I'm going to improv a piece - just whatever - every day until the apocalypse as a hopeful combination of inspiration for others to get writing, and mini composing tutorials. Really, there's nothing else for me to do except, eat, masturbate, and die. So stay tuned. Piano tuner's coming in 2 hours!

    _Mike
     
  2. Looking forward to it! Videos of you writing are masterclasses in and of themselves.

    I'll commit to writing at least one melody (and hopefully accompanying chords a day). Also need to finish some pieces, no excuses now!
     
    Martin Hoffmann likes this.
  3. Love the motivation.

    Yeah, we just got "locked-down" over here. Starting Tuesday everyone is to stay at home.

    Maybe I could start a thread and once a week just dump the composing for the week.

    What's really awkward is I am going through a divorce, and now I am looking at 8-12 weeks of shut-down with the ice-queen.

    The "Shagin-Wagon" lost it's wheels for you too? Sorry to hear that. One friendly tip: You might want to add sleep to that list.
    You're going to get pretty cracked out otherwise. Like the first clip below

     
    Martin Hoffmann likes this.
  4. Although I've had to stay in California because my son's mom didn't want to leave, I got my wagon the fuck out of here; she'll be safer elsewhere. We have an infinitely better, fully-armed and sustainable alternate setup in Florida.
     
  5. I actually hang here around and shit practice black metal vocals, yeah. What else to do..no projects, nothing going on, so I do things just not to go crazy. Germany has a lockdown too and more is coming probably later today. So yeah being in my 4 walls here 24/7 right now, studio = living = working = workout room, 12 square meters 24/7. I am fine with it. My wife is here too, she is not working also, so, yeah. It is all good. We have a toilet paper xD, and 2 bags of rice. All good.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.
  6. @Mike Verta would you prefer everyone dumps their stuff in here or separate threads? I'm guessing you don't really care but I think having everyone share and interact in one place will be slightly more effective in encouraging each other to keep writing.
     
  7. I'm on board with this. We are in a mandatory lockdown here in Argentina, too, and nothing going on as well. I already transcribed a couple of things these last couple of days and have written a two or three small themes.

    I better get a routine with some working out and stuff, too. I think this is gonna be a while.
     
  8. Yeah, feel free to dump stuff here!
     
  9. Sure :D Lets dump the shit that I have recorded the last 2 days :D So, mainly fun, practicing falsetto and growls, playing guitars on Amps cranked up to 5 o´clock (Randal Satan),trying to learn fingering bass guitar (I played only with a plectrum in the past) and hammering drums on my midi keyboard :D. It just is fun xD



    Lyrics attached:

    Infected by invalid behavior
    While capturing the stench of divine putrefaction
    Confess to slavery for the world savior
    Give praise and inhale the corruption

    The enfeebled provides the fool
    The disabled provides the tool
    The apathetic demands the affection
    To those suffering from their own satisfaction
    Devour in self-deceit, conjure the righteous plague
    Testify today´s contradiction, glorify tomorrows deed
    Inconceivable moral priest, hide in preferable dress
    Invite to another pleasure feast, the concealment of joyful laughter

    The enfeebled provides the fool
    The disabled provides the tool
    The apathetic demands the affection
    To those suffering from their own satisfaction

    The decrepit innocence of your correctness and well-chosen
    Elicits the source of the need for immediate forgiveness
    Submit to no grace but the spiteful of your disease
    Apply to join the unlimited disgrace and a settlement in the skies
    And turn the confusion among your children into self-stimulation
    The incarnation of your prostitution, the true Evil in disguise

    Original by Dimmu from 2001.
     
  10. This is a great idea! Because of my work I'm actually more busy now than usual, but I'm going to try to get in at least one composition here before we're all dead.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.
  11. #11 Rohann van Rensburg, Mar 22, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2020
    [​IMG]

    Was that a complete Dimmu cover, or was some of it original?
     
  12. See, why can't I get stuff like this for Unleashed? I was way more interested in this than 95% of the submissions. I was staying in it just to find out what the hell was coming next. I think this thing has a lot of what makes music music in it - strong feelings.
     
  13. Well here in capital of Croatia, Zagreb we had two pretty strong earthquakes (5.4 and 5.0 Richter) early in the morning (stronger earthquake than that happened 140 years ago) and it was awkward because of all that #stayathome madness and on the other hand some people were waken up by debris falling from the ceiling so they obviously had to leave their homes. Thankfully no one died but the town center mostly, is pretty damaged, not sure how many people exactly won't be able to return to their homes.
    Now we are waiting for Godzilla
     
  14. It's interesting how often really powerful music can be completely polarizing. You either are into it or not. No middle ground.

    You know I respect the skill and craft you have. You also know, I am sure, I can't listen to more than 20 seconds of this stuff.

    Mike wants more submissions like this for Unleashed, and I would rather watch people with leprosy have a breakdancing contest than hear more songs like this.

    Such is life.
     
  15. #15 Alexander Schiborr, Mar 23, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2020
    I think this sort of sound is very specific and probably most people are more interested in orchestral or 80s synth writing when submitting their material to you. Probably once in a blue moon such stuff can be refreshing for sure.

    @Doug Gibson Mate, I completely understand that. And there is no such thing that you have to like it anyways. Maybe I would think different when this part of music would not be so strong in my veins. And that comes that I grow up with it (90s). And for me personally as much as I love 1940s Korngold, and so many other things there, and my Jazz studies, I take always breaks from it and just do then this type of thing. When I go back to orchestral thingys, I feel refreshed. I keep that balance between both worlds and I really think that it helps me to stay creative. At least that works for me. PS: I get a used TD 10 from Roland these days, it is a drum sampler from early 2000s that I would like to use for the shells here, for keys I used a Korg N364, X5 D, and a Roland Super JV 1080. That is just fun recording stuff with such older hardware and believe it or not: I think there is really great sounds still in these units, not everything, some stuff sounds very dated but other things are really great, like pads and atmospheric evolving soundscapes or arpeggiators..
     
  16. Ahh, don't know why but that put a big smile on my face. :)
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.
  17. @Alexander Schiborr Well, that certainly put me in the mood for an apocalypse! Intense stuff! Admittedly this type of music isn't entirely my jam either, but there are several things I can appreciate about it nonetheless. First and foremost, I can tell you had a blast making it, and ultimately that's probably one of the most important things, isn't it? (By the way, do you give your neighbors a heads-up before you record those vocals or do you just let them think you're summoning demons?) Did you play in the drums at full tempo or half tempo? Because if it's played in at full tempo, you gotta have a broken wrist on top of the sore throat by now (smart strategy that, destroying your throat before COVID-19 can haha)

    @Marko Dvojkovic that sounds pretty bad! Thankfully no one's hurt. If you do see godzilla at some point, please record horizontally and not on a potato if you can, that'd be great!
     
  18. #18 Zdeněk Kameník, Mar 23, 2020
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2020
    Wow, what a nice cover, Alex! Your vocals rock!

    PEM was Dimmu Borgir's best album by far and firing Nick Barker (together with Vortex and Mustis) was their biggest mistake. :)

    Always loved the intro from this album:
    (rewind to 0:00, because for some reason YT cannot do that)
    Although now, after all those Mike's classes, I see its limitations. Which actually applies to like all symphonic black metal I used to listen to, it's symphonic for using orchestral sounds, but the compositions are not symphonic at all. :D With knowledge from Mike's classes I sometimes have this urge to buy Shreddage and make some symphonic black metal that actually has more symphonic structure. But honestly I found the use of guitars rather limiting, the more I practise composting, the more I love having various sections that can take over various parts of the composition and make it more interesting and colourful. (Or maybe I'm listening to Herrmann's Northwest way too much. :D)

    I used to listen to metal like 24/7 in my teens and early 20s. Then I stopped. But now, I'm kinda returning to it. There's this thing I still love about good metal, its energy, zest, verve, its vigorousness. Plus nothing beats Children of Bodom riffs, melodies and solos. :)


    F**K YEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAH! :D
    (If I'm not online for quite some time, I didn't pay for the internet and bought Shreddage instead. [​IMG])
     
    Mauro Pantin likes this.
  19. To clarify, no, I don't listen to a lot of this type of stuff, but it was committed, and interesting and engaging to me. Those are not optional qualities, in my view. And, I almost turned it off shortly into it figuring it'd already said it's thing and then it re-engaged. That's kind of the magic formula - something you expect; something you don't. However it plays out.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.
  20. I actually grew up listening to most of that stuff. Not that much on the black metal side (I'm more of a thrash, prog, and metalcore guy) but still... I then studied jazz in college and was somewhat forced into listening to other things, which was a great thing in hindsight, I have a broader palette of stuff I listen to now.

    But I still have a nice collection of those records. A lot of Metallica, Megadeth, Pantera, Lamb of God and Opeth gets played at home. Living in a city as chaotic as this one, picking up a guitar and playing those tunes is a great way to vent.
     
    Rohann van Rensburg likes this.

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