Romantic Gold Christmas

[Ray Kemp]

No! I've no shame putting up this excruciating crass tune and calling it seasonal but.

Come join me in a fest.

Ha!

BTW the Gold is East West Gold Symphonic Orchestra (stage samples only)

Update 3 Monday 9th Dec
Ok I've added a third version where I've done something impossible in a notation app by adjusting the attack especially on string parts.

[Adrian Allan]

I thought this was quite an effective little seasonal piece, but I have a few comments to make.

To begin with, are you aware that the melody at the start is almost identical to the "Fairytale of New York" another Xmas piece ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCr30OVMjHA

0:48-54 In my opinion the harmony here needs to be really brought out/' reinforced on this nice little ascending sequence. If I saw the notes I might be able to pinpoint exactly what I mean - but the bass movement implies chords that sound like they really want to be there. Same at 1:57. At 053 I really wanted to hear the harmony brought out - as the melody has taken us to another plateau.

Nice key change at 1.21 and nice bassoon counter melody.

I like the orchestration like the little flute trills, etc near the start.

So on the whole despite the similarity to another Xmas song (which I'm sure you can't deny) this is good. I just think that the harmonies need to be be brought out more at times, with rich string chords or clarinets maybe (or both).

[Ray Kemp]

Thank you Adrian,

You say little about this piece but a lot about your own hang ups. I was worried about plagiarism before you were born.
Not now!

Best Regards

Ray

[Adrian Allan]

I'm not really sure what this amended answer actually means.

I merely said that part of the melody sounds like the stated piece. You probably did this completely subconsciously, as we've all done before. I was never suggesting that you purposely plagiarised it.

Maybe somebody else could listen to both tunes to see if they think I'm being unfair in pointing this out.

Ray Kemp said:

Thank you Adrian,
You say little about this piece but a lot about your own hang ups. I was worried about plagiarism before you were born. Not now!
Best Regards

Ray

[Anne Goodwin]

Well, this is the risk we take both in composing and having the courage to present our work publicly as well as to step up to the line as a 'critic' and actually say something at all. I had not listened to this piece previously except for a few seconds of it so out of curiousity just now, I took a listen. I was not familiar with "Fairytale of New York" so, first of all, I must say that I am impressed with your knowledge of melodies Adrian. Even a familiar tune that you mentioned in another thread was not as familiar to me as I had thought so you're way ahead of me this way. Yes, there are obvious similarities between these two tunes being discussed here and as someone who critiques -- despite having a severe lack of credentials for doing so -- I do not think you were unfair in pointing this out. However, if you do it too often, you will certainly run the risk of annoying whomever you are critiquing. :) Everything, including commenting on the work of others', requires very careful balancing. All in all, Adrian, I think you do a fantastic job in assessing peoples' works and offering very helpful advice; and Ray, you are a superb composer and an amazing 'mixer' -- sorry, don't know the exact right term for that -- and now I have to go tend to a family supper!

[Dan and Deryn Cullen]

Well, the stage samples sound wonderful and I think you've used them very well. Overall a nicely crafted, well balanced piece which does exactly what it says on the tin. I think it's fair to say that writing something in a very particular style and genre always runs the risk of sounding like another piece in the same style.
Nice harmonies. Lovely use of major chords going straight to minor - the "pulling at the heartstrings" device as I like to think of it.

Deryn

[Ray Kemp]

Anne Goodwin said:

'mixer' -- sorry, don't know the exact right term for that -- and now I have to go tend to a family supper!

Anne,

Glad you've got the priorities right and I don't mean that as a chauvinist but as a family person also.
I prefer not to repeat your accolade in full as I consider it too glowing but I'm glad you approve. Thanks,

Ray

[Ray Kemp]

Dan and Deryn Cullen said:

Well, the stage samples sound wonderful and I think you've used them very well. Overall a nicely crafted, well balanced piece which does exactly what it says on the tin. I think it's fair to say that writing something in a very particular style and genre always runs the risk of sounding like another piece in the same style.
Nice harmonies. Lovely use of major chords going straight to minor - the "pulling at the heartstrings" device as I like to think of it.

Deryn

Deryn,

Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you enjoyed what is really just a simple platform for remind myself of EW Gold as a sample library I've not been looking at lately. It may be long in tooth and have quite a bit of competition now but with a bit of effort it can still sound musical. Even if it never competes with real musicians, it certainly blows away entry level vsti's like GPO.

[Ray Kemp]

Adrian Allan said:

I merely said that part of the melody sounds like the stated piece. You probably did this completely subconsciously, as we've all done before. I was never suggesting that you purposely plagiarised it.

Thanks for pointing that out Adrian

[Roger Noren]

As a performance in the noble art of making MIDI music, I would call this splendid. There is only a few occasions where I hear artifacts: at 0:45 a brass note sticks out, 1:02 the strings' decay is cut, at 1:57 there is some strange things going on with a reed instrument. But apart from that, you have really made a good work to get EWQLSO sound great in a field where it perhaps not so often is used, in the romantic non epic genre. Do you use keyboards to enter you notes, clicking or both?

As a composition I don't find it quite as interesting. There is no strong melody as I percieve it,. Without the bells (which get a bit boring in the end), it could just as well have been a piece about spring with its merry woodwind trills.

In case you want to know - I didn't react of it being similiar to "Fairytale of New York", but a little to two ther pieces: "I just called to say I love you" in the first chord progressions and "Spartacus" where the major goes to minor. But no real hang up.

Roger

[Ray Kemp]

Roger Noren said:

As a performance in the noble art of making MIDI music, I would call this splendid. Roger

See, I've cut out all the other stuff and that allows me to reply, the bit I liked.
Roger, that is all this ever was. Just an exercise with EW Gold. Thank you kindly.
A doodle where my main concern was trying to create a believable space and depth with the single position stage mics.
From this I've decided not to bother buying the close and concert mic samples as an add on.

Ray

[Roger Noren]

Ray Kemp said:

Roger Noren said:

As a performance in the noble art of making MIDI music, I would call this splendid. Roger

See, I've cut out all the other stuff and that allows me to reply, the bit I liked.
Roger, that is all this ever was. Just an exercise with EW Gold. Thank you kindly.
A doodle where my main concern was trying to create a believable space and depth with the single position stage mics.
From this I've decided not to bother buying the close and concert mic samples as an add on.

Ray

Alright, if that was the only thing you wanted feedback on then. I would appreciate if you write that beforehand so I don't have to bother about the rest..

[Ray Kemp]

Roger Noren said:

Alright, if that was the only thing you wanted feedback on then. I would appreciate if you write that beforehand so I don't have to bother about the rest..

Roger my friend,

Thank you for bothering to review my tune here.
If, you bothered to read my header and subsequent replies to other reviews, you could note my acceptance of weak composition being used as a platform, testing my ability to create a recording using EW Gold as the sole sample library in this production.
Pointing out similarities to others' compositions is an issue for the listener, not the composer, especially when the links are as tenuous as those put forward here.

Ray