Hello Audio Sex,

I am currently in the process of composing some background music for a video game that I'm making and I wanted some advice on my composition skills. Any kind of criticism would be appreciated.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1R4ON6Przs2CaxfLOa6tIbAEx8J5hBZs1

This piece was scrapped and is not going to be used in the game.

Thank you

 

On principle not bad.

I think less velocity for most of the notes would make it more emotional.

 

Ok but are the ratios of quiet to loud notes good ?

 

Since our perception is not linear, this is very hard to predict. It's highly probable that different notes and/or parts need different attenuation. It's an emotional thing, at least I can't do this with a calculator.
But I would start with selecting all notes and pull them down and listen to the different notes and parts and get an impression where to lower them more and where less. You know what I mean?

 

There are certainly nice parts in this piece..
..but first my "suggestions":

It certainly should be what No Avenger said. Dynamics (from ppp to fff) and how you change it (gradually crescendo/decrescendo ..or abruptly) is just a part of composition. If you were talking about technical aspect (velocity curve) make sure that it's set on your controller or DAW or VSTi in a way that suits your playing style. I personally wouldn't change the velocity manually, unless it's just a note or two sticking out. I was doing it in the past myself.. and usually failed. It never feels/sounds natural - just play it again, and again..;)

My purely subjective opinion about your work as a whole.. I would say that it's a "work in progress". There is an important aspect in composition - the form. I feel a lack of structure, it is more like (nice) pieces put together.

Two examples: you start with a Ab key and have a nice harmony sequence to IV II V-the dominant that brings you back home (0:25), where the octaves start. I would repeat this cycle one more time (and yes, at the beginning the playing could be softer, but the octaves are louder anyway..). Instead you go for (sort of) modulation to Eb (..it could work later ofc), but I feel kind of lost.

Ok, after that you stay on Eb Db switching, which is nice, as to me they sound like subdominant-dominant of your main tonic (Db-Eb-Ab). I feel like this part (the repetitive chords) is a bit too long, before you actually go to Ab. Especially because after that a lot happens. And, of course you need some kind of ending..

Don't get me wrong. Nice parts, but the whole picture lacks a bit of "musical form" to feel like a "composition" <- the meaning of the word..;) You should definitely work on this and post! At the end it's art and it's yours'..

 

Thank you for your feedback.
I will definitely work on the structure aspect, even though I kinda made it like that on purpose (I wanted different sections that would repeat in game) but I guess that doesn't work when you just want to hear the song as a whole

 

Last edited: Sep 9, 2019

Btw how did you know that it was not played live ? @No Avenger

 

I agree regarding the velocity aspect ratio.. also you seem a little aggressive on the keys in parts of the composition.. well done for your effort always nice to hear the piano being played by a real person |

 

Thanks for your feedback.

Well.....about that ......

 

1. Overall it will become a nice composition - it is ok already.
2. If this was played by hand, then the fingers are a bit too stiff at times (only practice can help, and knowledge about the sound of stiff fingers)
3. But I guess this is not the case. Am I right you did time bpm/automation?
4. Is the game to be developed in the Fantasy or Girls corner? If so, the composition will fit, I guess.
How many compositions have you done before this one?


edit_ OMG, @TaxiDriver did spread some insight into knowledge here! Very nice! I advise to follow that road ;)

 

Emotional perception of dynamics, note length & timing.

 

It's an adventure game (similar to an old school legend of Zelda) and this song was going to be used in a small village on top of a snowy mountain but it didn't fit.
I have done a lot of compositions before I have already done 5 just for this game alone.

 

thats cool...
on which platform ?

 

Currently I'm just developing the game for PC and I don't really have the resources to port it to consoles.
But things could change in the future.

 

pls pm me a link when you done...