"Whoa, that's kinda different. Let's see where this goes."
"Okay...it's still going on. Getting kind of sick of it."
"Still pitch bending. Maybe this is a sonic experiment?"
"And...progression. A bit generic, but let's go with it."
"Oh, drums - cool!"
"...Really harsh drums. Starting to hurt my ears."
In the end, I think you've got the bones of an interesting song in there, but I'd like to here more complexity in the mix, and maybe more of a structure that I can follow and/or predict (at least a little).
First off, it may all be custom sounds, but it sounds like "I had $5 and was bored one day so I threw together some synth stuff". It just sounds like cheap synth doodling. There's no phrasing, there's no subtlety, it's just note note note note note note drums note note note. That's the most basic building block.
Second... where is this going? And why does it exist? I'm not saying this to be mean, but because those are questions that a: you should be able to answer, and b: that you shouldn't have to answer, because the music will do so. Playing with sounds is fine if you're doodling and maybe doing a sketchbook kind of thing, but it's not really a piece, it's just play time.
The scape of the piece seems to be "Random shit-bass line-bass line with harmony+drums-completely unrelated melody-completely unrelated piano part"
I don't know, the closest I can say is it sounds like doodling. We(being "an audience") don't want to hear doodling, we want to hear the result of doodling. Go in and figure out where it's going. Figure out why it exists, figure out what parts are helping it along that path, and what parts aren't. Figure out any new things that could help it along that path. It's an interesting sketchbook, but it's not anything more than that right now.
Some of the new stuff you added in is really interesting, but those fucking drums are so grating (and the progression under that part of the song so boring) that I have a hard time getting to the better stuff. Like:
- After the break at 2:00, the song comes back with a lot of energy. It's chaotic, and it feels like you're just messing around, but for a moment or two that actually kind of works.
- At 2:38, you break for another section, and that change is interesting. I like the song best when it's going places. Once it gets there, I don't really care for where it's taken me.
- The piano and pad break at 2:52 is something I like a lot. But then the song is over.
You take way too long to get to the interesting bits, your percussion is like someone firing a cannon at my ear, and you hold on boring parts for an eternity. When things change, the song catches my attention, but then it loses it again.
I would shorten the pitch bending intro. It's interesting, but only if it goes somewhere quickly. Otherwise, the listener is in limbo, and liable to write your piece off as AG wankery. I would also change the progression (dah dun dun dah, duh dah dah duh) of the first half of the song - it and the basic synth you've got running it don't really go anywhere.
But there are some good moments here, and I like those.
I would shorten the pitch bending intro. It's interesting, but only if it goes somewhere quickly. Otherwise, the listener is in limbo, and liable to write your piece off as AG wankery.
You know, my professors had a great quote that I think every composer should keep in their head always:
The first 30 seconds of your piece are free.
What they meant is that the audience pretty much cannot have expectations by the beginning of the piece. There's no way they can predict what's going to happen, and therefore you'll have their attention from the beginning until they can start predicting what's going to happen.
What this means is that you are completely free with how to start your song. You can do anything you want for the first pitch.
But the thing is? The 30 seconds after that aren't free. By that point the audience will know if they care or not. Which means those first 30 seconds, even though you don't have to do anything to get the audience to listen to them, are also some of the most important, because listeners will tune out that shit so fast if you don't give them a reason to listen. If by the end of the first 30 seconds I don't care what's happening next, or I already know what's happening next? You've lost me. I will coast through your piece if I'm in a concert, and I'll turn it off and listen to something else if its on my computer. Those first 30 seconds need to give drive and reason to everything, or you lose everything.
So yeah. Spending 30 seconds on pitch bending shit that isn't related in any way to the rest of the piece? Go ahead and do it if it'll keep me interested. If it's cool enough that I care what happens next? Awesome. If it's an interesting intro? Awesome. But make sure I care by the end of those 30 seconds. Otherwise? You could write the best piece ever written and if it doesn't start 'till a minute in no one will listen to it.
- The piano and pad break at 2:52 is something I like a lot. But then the song is over.
I really like that part as well, and it makes me wonder if maybe that should almost be your opening...I think I would personally try to work the piano as a beginning and have the pitch bending swell behind it as an emphasis that builds to the drums, but that is just how I roll.
Posts
Reminds me of Ross' soundscapes from Friends. (no offense)
listen to me now.
myspace.com/ctfdband [NSFW]
"Whoa, that's kinda different. Let's see where this goes."
"Okay...it's still going on. Getting kind of sick of it."
"Still pitch bending. Maybe this is a sonic experiment?"
"And...progression. A bit generic, but let's go with it."
"Oh, drums - cool!"
"...Really harsh drums. Starting to hurt my ears."
In the end, I think you've got the bones of an interesting song in there, but I'd like to here more complexity in the mix, and maybe more of a structure that I can follow and/or predict (at least a little).
edited for proper n't
water spirals the wrong way out the sink
actually i made every single sound from a default patch myself, drums and piano excepted.
http://www.vunlab.com/beat.mp3
Even if they are a custom patch, you should tweak them more so they sound more unique.
water spirals the wrong way out the sink
First off, it may all be custom sounds, but it sounds like "I had $5 and was bored one day so I threw together some synth stuff". It just sounds like cheap synth doodling. There's no phrasing, there's no subtlety, it's just note note note note note note drums note note note. That's the most basic building block.
Second... where is this going? And why does it exist? I'm not saying this to be mean, but because those are questions that a: you should be able to answer, and b: that you shouldn't have to answer, because the music will do so. Playing with sounds is fine if you're doodling and maybe doing a sketchbook kind of thing, but it's not really a piece, it's just play time.
The scape of the piece seems to be "Random shit-bass line-bass line with harmony+drums-completely unrelated melody-completely unrelated piano part"
I don't know, the closest I can say is it sounds like doodling. We(being "an audience") don't want to hear doodling, we want to hear the result of doodling. Go in and figure out where it's going. Figure out why it exists, figure out what parts are helping it along that path, and what parts aren't. Figure out any new things that could help it along that path. It's an interesting sketchbook, but it's not anything more than that right now.
- After the break at 2:00, the song comes back with a lot of energy. It's chaotic, and it feels like you're just messing around, but for a moment or two that actually kind of works.
- At 2:38, you break for another section, and that change is interesting. I like the song best when it's going places. Once it gets there, I don't really care for where it's taken me.
- The piano and pad break at 2:52 is something I like a lot. But then the song is over.
You take way too long to get to the interesting bits, your percussion is like someone firing a cannon at my ear, and you hold on boring parts for an eternity. When things change, the song catches my attention, but then it loses it again.
I would shorten the pitch bending intro. It's interesting, but only if it goes somewhere quickly. Otherwise, the listener is in limbo, and liable to write your piece off as AG wankery. I would also change the progression (dah dun dun dah, duh dah dah duh) of the first half of the song - it and the basic synth you've got running it don't really go anywhere.
But there are some good moments here, and I like those.
You know, my professors had a great quote that I think every composer should keep in their head always:
The first 30 seconds of your piece are free.
What they meant is that the audience pretty much cannot have expectations by the beginning of the piece. There's no way they can predict what's going to happen, and therefore you'll have their attention from the beginning until they can start predicting what's going to happen.
What this means is that you are completely free with how to start your song. You can do anything you want for the first pitch.
But the thing is? The 30 seconds after that aren't free. By that point the audience will know if they care or not. Which means those first 30 seconds, even though you don't have to do anything to get the audience to listen to them, are also some of the most important, because listeners will tune out that shit so fast if you don't give them a reason to listen. If by the end of the first 30 seconds I don't care what's happening next, or I already know what's happening next? You've lost me. I will coast through your piece if I'm in a concert, and I'll turn it off and listen to something else if its on my computer. Those first 30 seconds need to give drive and reason to everything, or you lose everything.
So yeah. Spending 30 seconds on pitch bending shit that isn't related in any way to the rest of the piece? Go ahead and do it if it'll keep me interested. If it's cool enough that I care what happens next? Awesome. If it's an interesting intro? Awesome. But make sure I care by the end of those 30 seconds. Otherwise? You could write the best piece ever written and if it doesn't start 'till a minute in no one will listen to it.
I really like that part as well, and it makes me wonder if maybe that should almost be your opening...I think I would personally try to work the piano as a beginning and have the pitch bending swell behind it as an emphasis that builds to the drums, but that is just how I roll.