Messages

I think that while it's important to consider how you'd like it to sound in terms of effects and dynamics, getting into playback on finale is in itself kind of iffy

Finale really isn't and shouldn't be the last stage of production for any piece of music that isn't just meant as a formative/educational experience for the composer (as in, something that won't be performed or fleshed out in a DAW). In the professional world, it's only ever used as a means to convey information to live performers, and even then, so much of the dynamic and stylistic decision-making is done in rehearsal, performance, recording, etc. (I guess it's possible that people might also use it to visualize a piece before working it out in a DAW, but even the few who would use notation software for that would likely be using sibelius to do so)

I do agree that, in a good recording, it would be ideal to have some sort of effect to signify the cavernous space, but I think that'd be much better represented by an ensemble-wide reverb than a single echo. An identical part at a lower volume an eighth note later would end up sounding pretty mechanical and arbitrary imo

Wow, our community sucks, lol

I like it! It really conveys the feeling you're going for, and the dips in volume where the strings drop out really work in your favor. I can also easily hear this looping into a cave theme for a game, even though you didn't specify that it was intended for that.

Some suggestions:
-Try to expand beyond using strings just like synths! They do sound pretty on unison-rhythm held long notes, but they're capable of so much more. It's not only good exercise to try to use more techniques on strings, but it could also suit this piece very well. Pizzicato, in particular, could work pretty well for this type of theme, and sounds pretty decent no matter what program you're writing in, imo.
-If you're ever trying to do this or something similar in an actual DAW (digital audio workshop, i.e. Logic, Ableton, ProTools, etc.), you might actually want to try some real synths; they can establish some beautiful textures for a setting like this.
-The brief major section right before the end seems kind of out of place the way it is now; you seem to have a pretty clear idea of the story you're trying to tell, and I don't quite see how it fits in. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts on why you put it the way you did; i.e. where that fits into the story. I can't tell whether you're trying to have that hit be him finding the treasure, waking up, or something else, but either way it seems strange going directly back to a minor tonality so quickly.

All in all, nice work. Keep it up; practice makes perfect!

Guys, why is there so much shit talking of instruments in this discussion
they're all equally inferior to euphonium

But actually, guitar is perfectly respectable. This is your secondary instrument we're talking about here; it's mostly a matter of what kind of stuff you want to do with it, assumedly while in college. I've often wished I played an instrument easier to play with others on a whim; nobody ever says "Hey man, wanna play some music? Go ahead and use my trombone," but about 50% of musicians that I know own a guitar. If people want to head to the studio/practice rooms and mess around, they've already got everything they need, but if I want to jam, that means going back home and grabbing my likely-worse-suited-to-the-genre instrument first. Making music is and should be a social experience, and outside of the orchestral realm (which sometimes we music majors tend to forget how small it truly is), guitar is the most social instrument.

That being said, if you're looking to join college ensembles, while both piano and guitar spots are often available (again varying depending on genre), they are much more competitive than instruments typically requiring multiple parts/doubling.

It's also funny that Jompa said he wishes he'd played trumpet, because I honestly often wish I'd played sax. It's probably the most "social" wind instrument, and more or less has a place in any group outside of orchestra and (some) chamber ensembles. And really, don't underestimate how awesome it is to play in big band/wind band. I've done it (albeit on different instruments) for eight more years than I've been playing in orchestra, and I still love it.

And as much as I love brass, I really wouldn't recommend it for a secondary instrument. While none of the instruments that have been discussed are at all easy to just pick up and play, brass embouchure requires a much more frequent regimen to maintain than most instruments (especially higher brass, but it's still important for low). You may also be disappointed in the lower level of technical ability (or velocity of notes, I guess, since "technical ability" is relative), coming from piano; valved brass is better in that regard than trombone, but still, in comparison to basically every other instrument group, getting around the range of the instrument quickly is considerably more difficult. The main benefit I would say they hold for you is that, in terms of college ensembles, they're much more widely called for, and so you wouldn't be limited by genre; trumpet or trombone work just fine in orchestra, big band, wind band, brass choir, and a decent amount of other chamber groups.

Percussion is similarly often called for. Idk why that seems to be the most shat on here. It's also one of the easier switches from piano, as your mallet instrument proficiency will already be pretty decent once you get the technique down. The main drawback is obviously that you're not going to have all of your own instruments that you play, but most percussion departments make their instruments perfectly accessible for their players, so meh.

Strings are great, and definitely my favorite instrument group to write for. But that's also probably because music education is largely orchestrally tiered, so it's what I know best, compositionally speaking. Just know that there are plenty of fine groups outside of orchestra/chamber string ensemble world, and you wouldn't really be able to be a part of them.

But yeah, that's my spiel. I still recommend alto or tenor sax most highly, but that might be because I want to live vicariously through your instrument choice. (It's also not too difficult to double on other woodwind instruments when you already play sax, so orchestra isn't entirely out of the question, but that might be a little too much commitment for a secondary instrument group)

Spoiler

[close]

Sounds like her husband had his goddamn priorities straight
I'd pick earthbound over someone who doesn't understand its value any day

^Sounds like 3/4 to me, somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

Mobile Adapter 1:
No, it's not 3/4, it's 4/4

Psssst
When somebody uses ^, they're referring to the post above them
Hell, they're usually referring to the one above them regardless, unless otherwise stated
(in other words, he was talking about MLF's piece, not his own)

At the store, I won the "Super Duper Extra Special Amazing Magical prize! It was a game! Yay! Also, my brother and I got 11 Dragonite codes because the store was closing up and it's the last day to get them. (Hope you guys got yours!)

*twitches at lack of closing quotation marks*

(relevant)

Here are my thoughts:

Macho Grubba is way too dependent on percussion. It'd be really hard to make work as a piano arrangement, so I'd say definitely not that one.

Dusty Dune Galaxy is also kinda dependent on percussion, and while you could technically do it without incorporating that, and just leave it as a much simpler arrangement, the bass itself is actually mixed pretty low in most parts, so it might not be incredibly easy for you to hear (though that may just be my shitty speakers).

FreezeFlame Galaxy probably wouldn't be too hard to hear, especially considering the repetitive background. However, it may get difficult at times, from an arranging perspective, to fit the voices together well in a two-hand setting. I suppose it's possible to just leave out the quarter note-eighth note, quarter note-eighth note background (in a compound meter), but considering the original piece itself is already kinda bare without its synths, I don't think that'd be ideal.

I think Deep Dark Galaxy could work well as a piano arrangement, especially considering that piano is already prominent. However, I don't know where you are in terms of ear training, so some harmonies might not be super easy for you to hear, as well as that background line starting around 0:19.

Overall, I think Drip Drop Galaxy would be easiest. It has the barest texture, so it's the easiest to hear individual voices in. For this, I think it's more a matter of hearing the individual notes within each instrument, such as within that syncopated, percussive synth line.

It mostly depends on what you're most comfortable with in terms of arranging. Are you stronger at hearing rhythms, or harmonies? Are you stronger at arranging than you are at transcribing? All important questions, ones to which you can really only find the answers by arranging more. Don't worry too much about whether you'll do it perfectly; any experience arranging at this point is good experience.

This debate has already displayed clear signs of toxicity, though. I'm with maestro.

it's quite valuable general life knowledge

^^
honestly everyone should have to take statistics, even if only to understand the fact that correlation ≠ causation

400 pages why.
But again, since women would be paid less to do the same job, why aren't businesses run entirely by women? It makes perfect sense from a business standpoint.

Maelstrom, 300 of those pages are country-by-country analyses, which aren't exactly necessary to understand the actual message of the report. There are many other pages that can be skimmed, as well. I would highly suggest that you go through the first 100 pages with an open mind, as while I'm not about to extend this debate further, you should know that your argument is both unrealistic and completely avoiding the actual roots and logistics of the wage gap.

Guess what? I got a 4 (out of 5) on my AP statistics exam! I'm really glad I got a respectable score, as this is going on my transcript.

Only 4/5? That's a P value way over 0.05, your result is statistically insignificant
yes I'm aware that's not even remotely how the concept of statistical significance is applied

Actually though, congrats. Stats is an awesome AP test to pass, because most colleges accept it as a specific general ed requirement, rather than just an arbitrary elective (or not at all) like so many others.

It's better to finish the projects first though.....projects are hard work of our members :p

Really not sure how an arrangement for a project involves more work than an arrangement for submissions lol

Maybe have one "Wario" section?

only 17 sheets fitting that category + very little mass appeal = meh


Great job getting this update out though. Came as a surprise to me, I'd gotten so used to new replies in that topic bearing no signs of progress that I stopped checking ages ago. I never did do A Kingdom In Chaos, did I

Update: I then had to wake up at 6am to let the dude more at fault into his room, only to find out his roommates had left his door unlocked

Some drunken kids (lol jk they're adults, one of them is actually 24) in my residence hall got into a fight while I was on duty tonight, so I had to spend almost three hours sorting it out and filling out reports

And I can't even sympathize with the party less at fault because he's also a major douchebag