Music to Fall Asleep While Reading a Book to (first CSSS composition)

[davidhewitson]

Hello! I've benefited a lot from reading the thoughtful feedback threads in this forum, I'd really appreciate some comments and critique for a short piece I wrote today.

MP3 attached and it's on Soundcloud too:

I used Bernard Herrman for the horns, harp and other bits and pieces, Emotional Piano for the keys and 8dio Claire for the clarinet.

Can you please give me some constructive criticism? Thank you!

Click to read more...

 

[BlackDorito]

Intriguing textures and sonority ... the sounds are a bit distractingly immediate for me. It wanders a bit harmonically - I-IV-V-vi-etc .. familiar progression that we are expecting to resolve. My ears don't need simple resolution .. but I could not tell what direction you were meandering in. To add structure, perhaps change the key center for a stretch, then return. Remember Aaron Copland's basic reactions to music:

- tension and release
- density and transparency
- a smooth or angry surface
- the music's swelling and subsiding
- its pushing forward and hanging back
- its thunders and whispers
- length, speed, etc.

These are good things to vary. Cheers.

 

[davidhewitson]

Thank you BlackDorito, these are all really helpful comments and ideas! I hadn’t heard about the Copland basic reactions before, ‘a smooth or angry surface’ is great. It almost sounds like he’s describing nature, maybe I can learn from that.

I’ll admit I really love simple harmonies and folk melodies, and I wanted to create a kind of pillowy womblike feeling in the second part, like listening to a lullaby in the bath.

I’m gonna experiment with creating more tension and interest so that the warm brothy cosy stuff (bad description??) can come as a relief


Cheers

 

[Vladimir Bulaev]

Just a beautiful piece!