Memories of summer

Hey man, good stuff! The spicy dissonance 11 seconds in doesn't quite fit the otherwise simpler harmonic vocabulary you are using throughout the entire piece. If you have to use that, I would recommend saving it for much later in the piece in a richer harmonic context.

 

Hi Niko,

Very simple, and nice. Here is some gentle feedback as you're still in the works and I don't want to hinder your creativity.

I have to agree with Mattia that the chord at 11 seconds you should save on the second time. Don't give away all your juicy chords in the beginning otherwise you'll have no room for development later on. Or, if that is your starting chord the next or more than likely the following time after the next I hope is an even juicer chord. I really like your harmony choices so please don't misread.

1:33 is a very nice build. Great! However, this could be more of a mixing thing or orchestrational, but I'm not sure who takes the melody after 1:33. I get lost and am not sure where my focus needs to go.

Very soft and simple orchestrations you've got going on which by no means is wrong, just be careful of how "blockish" your orchestration is sounding at the moment, specifically after the 1:33 mark. You have some rich harmony and it would be a shame to just have block chords on every downbeat change, but however start shifting those harmonies with beautiful voice leading and counterpoint. Now, don't misinterpret as you have some dense chords, and you're having a lot of fun with your brass harmony and strings playing off of each other. However, if you listen back to notice how your chords really just change on the downbeat of every measure which comes quite predictable at times.

You had some nice 8th or 16th note repetitions building up to your 1:33 mark and I'm not sure where they went as I can't hear many winds perhaps because of the mix, but you could continue this idea or play with it more after the 1:33 mark.

I'd personally mess more with cc1, 7, 11 to help get a bigger dynamic range. Also to help bring out those nice horn parts you've written. I like how soft in timbre they are playing but the surround elements are bit too loud and dominating.

 

If the horn takes the melody some rethinking on balancing, focused mixing, as well if you wanted to a pickup note or two to the horns will help our ear refocus to what is taking over the melody. Also, doubling Horns with celli or bassoons will help, or doubling anything that goes well with horns if your orchestration is thick and the horns are getting quite buried. I'm not sure if you write by notation but always feel free to post the notation, many of us hear read scores very well and can narrow in on your exact problem areas if there are any.

Of course! You always want to have forward motion in your music. Otherwise, you'll listener will start becoming bored, distracted, and daydreaming away which isn't what you want. You want to always keep their attention. Don't do too much however at first, just like saving the "juicy" chord for the second or third time, this "bigger orchestration" you want to be bigger but don't throw all your tricks down at once. Especially, if you plan on extending this piece again, perhaps a development, and in the recapitulation BAM! Your biggest most profound and sexiest statement of your main melody. Always building the forward momentum, climbing to that wonderful climax. You're on the right path, just keep going.

Piano will be a nice touch if that's what you want. Joe Hisaishi who I'm a huge fan of this has wonderful orchestration with mixing piano with orchestra, or where the piano acts as the soloist or vocalist in a sense and the orchestra ever so compliments it. Also, your composition and your piece so choose how you want to start your piece. Perhaps you should ask what your story is and what you're trying to convey to the listener? Are we sitting down on a bench in a forest or are we about to charge into a battle of a thousand orcs? Soft strings can be nice, or winds, or even a soft brass chorale, or even solo piano. It could be anything but it all depends on you. I know that's not a straight answer but just think about what your story is and what we should be imagining when listening.

I'm glad you found some of the comments useful. Looking forward to your revisions or future pieces. Happy writing.

Cheers,
Dillon

 

At 0:46 for example feels like you're making a "cut" where I would expect a "transition". Ask yourself how many aspects there are that you have control over (melody, harmony, rythm, orchestration etc.) and check how many of them you are changing at the same time. Could you keep more of them familiar instead of changing them all at once? Maybe introduce one of the new orchestrational colors sooner and keep another one for longer? Give us a clearer anchor in the rythm?
I don't know what the best way to solve it here is, but I agree with the feedback that it feels disconnected, as if you're stopping one thing and starting another, instead of a fluid development from one into another.