The Return [WIP]

[Frederik.Sjölund]

Hello there fellow musicians!
There has been a long time and no posts from me in this section.
Tonight i started with a tune and i thought i'd try to use some of my new samplings for it. Such as bagpipes and whatnot.
Anyhow, please let me know what you guys think of it. Crits and comments are always welcome!

http://www.freds3d.com/wip/the_return01.mp3

Cheers!

[Strunch]

I think this is one of your greatest pieces so far. I gotta get me that EW RA lib, step =)

It's a little late now, I'll see if I can (presume to) add something more constructive soon! =)

[Krummhorn]

Hi Frederik ...

What a wonderful new creation ... I like how the 'whatnots' inter-twine (was that flute and oboe perhaps) and carry on the theme. The percussion is present but doesn't dominate over the musical lines. I'm always brought down to my knees for bagpipes - something unusually haunting about them for me, always sends shivers down my spine.

Looking forward to hearing further updates on this wip ... thank you for sharing this with us.

Lars

[corno]

Hi Frederik,

Your pieces are beginning to take more and more shape, which is quite nice to see/hear.
You now also elaborate more on your themes which is also great.
As the others I too look forward to see this piece progress.
At this time I have only a few comments: in the beginning you might want to consider "timing" the snare drum a bit - in some places you have both a "double hit" on a beat while there's a roll going on - ideally, I think, it should only be the roll in these places - it'll give the part more "edge" (my thoughts anyways ).
At the end I could use a little more "bravour" - the cymbal roll is a great effect, but after that it seems to want to "stay alive" but the instruments playing can't seem to hold the "steam" up. A method could get a high pitched flute or string instrument to play your theme in octaves with the bagpipes, and maybe use a "forcefull" counterpoint to really "drive" the piece forward... and maybe some more "waves" of snares/cymbals (rolls) with some "floating" chords in the midrange heard just above the bagpipes.

Anyway... just some thoughts...

Nice work... keep it comming!

[Frederik.Sjölund]

Thanks guys.

Thomas: You should get the EW RA. It has some really nice instruments

Krummhorn: Thank you! The "whatnots" that carry on the theme is actually a form of irish flute and a "Hardang"-fiddle or something like that. Dont remember what it was called. And then the flute gets replaced with a 19th century guitar of some sort

Corno: Thanks, good sir. I do like it when i come up with a theme i can use. The main melody is usually one of the hardest thing to come up with for me when i make music. I believe i agree with you on the drums, although i haven't fixed them yet in this update im about to post. In this new version i attempted on creating this "bravour" with some French Horns in the end of the piece. But its still not holding up the "steam" yet. Im going to try a few more things on this tune as soon as i get more time.

Anyways, here is an update of the tune:
http://www.freds3d.com/wip/the_return02.mp3

Cheers, mates!

[corno]

Hi Frederik,

Progress is being made I hear...
The addition of the horns at the very end is making the end stronger which is good, but as you youself noted, not strong enough yet... it also, in my mind, has to start a lot earlier - around 3.13 where you put in the tubular bells I would try to put the "guitar" countertheme in some horns perhaps - maybe with an additional "hornfifth" or expanded in a fuguelike way - I'm not quite sure how it will sound, but that was one of the first things that came to mind. Besides that the horns at the very end shouldn't, as the piece is now, play after the bagpipes have stopped - the finishing "touch" with the snare drums is nice though.
The last thing I'll mention tonight is perhaps thinking a little about the more "practical" side of bagpipeplaying - not that I'm an expert in that field at all... but the part beginning 0:50 where you take the bagpipes up an octave or so doesn't seem quite right to me... - the normal bagpipe range is only a little over 1 octave I think - from reading this, among others: http://www.bagpipeworld.co.uk/FingerChart.htm.
I like the "interlude" with your intertwined guitar/whatnot/hardang (whatever's in there) - even though the guitar/plucked sound is a rather radical change with all the (windy) bagpipes in the beginning.
The weaker bagpipes in the "background" towards the end is also hit "spot on".

Some nice ideas for sure, but still room for "improvement".

Keep up the good work, it's almost there.