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Brass Chorale - Autumnal Equinox

Discussion in 'Critique & Feedback' started by Mattia Chiappa, May 3, 2019.

  1. #1 Mattia Chiappa, May 3, 2019
    Last edited: May 17, 2019
    Hello people,

    I recently purchased sample modeling brass and I wanted to have a bit of fun with it so I wrote a little piece for brass. I'm still learning to use it but I'm loving it so far.

    Any advice on either the mix or the piece is very welcome, thank you!

     

    Attached Files:

    Paul T McGraw, Eduardo Lopez and John Eldridge like this.
  2. #2 John Eldridge, May 5, 2019
    I remember those early days of first connecting with Sample Modeling instruments. I find the playability intoxicating. Just like acoustic instruments they make you work and practice to get results, but the reward is in that connection. Personally, I'm unable to be very effective with modwheel as controller to play brass idiomatically, but with EWI I find I can get closer. Thanks for sharing.
     
    Mattia Chiappa likes this.
  3. #3 Francesco Bortolussi, May 5, 2019
    I really like the vibe of the piece! There are a lot of good things with this piece!
    I'll give you some hot takes after listening to it 2 times. I don't have too much time to comment, so don't read too much into my criticism, I probably need more time to form a more educated opinion of it.

    I love the first minute: the statement is strong, and harmonic movements in-and-out of the original tonalities are right up my alley (except maybe that lydian thing 0:57, which kinda clashes with the colors that you established before and sounds a bit too sudden).
    In my opinion, the passage 1:05-1:30 is probably the weakest in the composition, it sounded a bit directionless in the harmony. The melody is okay, but after listening to it a couple of times I couldn't recall anything that was going on in that passage. I've just woken up, so it might have something to do with it :D
    I like that you repurpose the motif a lot (that shape in bar 5 for the trumpets), both as a melody and as an accompaniment, it strengthen the piece a lot and makes it cohesive!

    Very strong effort, congrats!

    I'm not the best guy to ask for any mockup advice, as it's not my strongest skill, but I think it sounds a bit too synthetic and you probably have to play around with the library more to achieve a more realistic sound. I wouldn't immediately know how to fix it (because it also depends on the effects/routing that you used), but there is definitely room for improvement!
     
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  4. #4 Mattia Chiappa, May 5, 2019
    Hi Francesco, thank you for your feedback, I'm really glad that you enjoyed the piece :). It was the first time I attempted to write something like this and I agree with you that it could be improved.

    Whilst I love writing with limitations, I often find myself struggling to keep the listener engaged. It's been pointed out to me that often at the one minute mark, I either break the piece by bringing it too far too soon, or I go the other way with an over simplistic approach. It's a fine line to cross and I'm trying to get better at that :) For the passage you mentioned, I was trying to restate the melody one more time with a different harmonic background. Maybe moving to more different material would have worked better.

    Yes, the performance could be better. I really did my best here but It's probably gonna take some time before I get used to it, nevertheless thanks for sharing you criticism, I couldn't agree more.
     
    Paul T McGraw likes this.
  5. #5 Doug Gibson, May 6, 2019
    Too muddy for my taste.

    Francesco is saying basically the same thing. What would really help bring out the lines you already have is to study up on
    "Lower Limits" of intervals, particularly for Brass.

    Screen Shot 2019-05-06 at 7.05.44 PM.png

    The music is nice. Just re-thinking the arrangement will give much more clarity and focus to the lines.

    Keep up the good work.
     
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  6. #6 Mattia Chiappa, May 6, 2019
    Last edited: May 6, 2019
    Thank you Doug! Having some sort of rule to follow is going to be very helpful!
     
  7. #7 Paul T McGraw, May 17, 2019
    @Mattia Chiappa I liked the composition. I played trombone for many years and found your writing to be totally believable and.characteristic for brass. I personally think the advice of @Doug Gibson is well taken. I have heard successful composers break those rules from time to time, (John Williams for one) but sticking with those rules will keep you out of trouble. I am not a fan of Sample Modeling. But I am a fan of Matttia Chiappa. Several really awesome tracks on your Soundcloud page.
     
    Mattia Chiappa likes this.
  8. #8 Mattia Chiappa, May 17, 2019
    Thank you Paul for your very kind words. I'm really glad that you enjoyed my music.

    Yes that little chart will certainly be very helpful. I never had any guidance and the little I know about orchestration is from transcription. Sometimes not knowing these common conventions can make the job very hard. At this stage I'm all in for a more systematic approach. Plenty of the time in the future for breaking the rules.
     
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