mpj-

Hey guys. I really need some help here.. I'm currently arranging strings for a danish pop-singer, and this track is very much like Christina Aguileras "Hurt". Very dramatic down-tempo ballade. Its gonna be recorded with a full - wellplaying - pop-band (gtr/piano/bass/drums/backing vocals) and then the strings will be layed on afterwards by top-top-pro players from the danish radio. I've asked for 2 violins, 1 viola and a cello. The form is like; Intro (piano/vocal) 1. Verse (piano/vocal) 1. Bridge (same) 1. Chorus (same) (interlude between 1. chorus and 2. verse) 2. verse (entire band comes in here) bridge 2. chorus C-part (that goes crazy, and ends up quiet!) Last chorus and ending. Pretty typical pop-scheme. So far i've arranged the strings to first enter (they play a TINY role in the intro), at the first bridge up to first chorus, and the first chorus is beautiful spread-out harmonies in the strings. (no doubling) A solo violin between 1.chorus and 2.verse. I'm done with the C-part aswell, but the rest is non-existing. I really need some input here, but since i can't post anything due to the track hasnt been recorded yet, and copyright and her label and so on its gonna be tough. Can you recommend anything? Like famous good string arrangements on pop-tracks? Special techniques? Ideas that always work? Just about anything. If anything is unclear please ask, and I'll do my best to explain! Thanks!

Very well done! This is great work. Great theme, great sense of the different instruments interpretation of the theme! It works very well. I love the dynamics in the violins when the first climax appears! Second climax (2 semi-tone modulation) is maybe a bit cheesy, but hey! That works for film, and it surely does the job fine! Is it on purpose that you did not include any dynamic-markings in the score? (although the orchestra plays them! :D ) Out of curiosity; What sequencer do you use for this? And especially, what samples are used for this? Great job! Regards, Morten

Hi there! You did very well! You've hit spot on, and i can almost hear "Goodnight, my love" being whispered out between the lovers lips. Hah! Great going. I do tend to agree with Nightfly, though. Somekind of "pointer" in the music as to where we are going. (That becomes easy once you get the picture that you are composing to). Maybe a cresc on a cymbal and some dynamic will do the trick! So you used GarageBand? Does GarageBand contain so fine samples? Is this purely a GB-recording? M

Hi Bruno! I think you've done a very very good job composing this suite! It's clear that you've been studying the genre for quite some time. I completely loved your love-theme! Action-theme: I dislike the "back-beat" of the drums in the start! It sounds like a rock-tune and not a ambience-soundtrack-tune. The movement in violins and the "um-ba"-bassline reminds me of an "evil-cirkus", haha! 1:18 VERY GOOD transition from climatic forced music to piano accompanied by "stress-drums". Finally a question; In what program did you compose this? And is this GPO? Thanks! Regards, Morten

Hi there! I really enjoyed listening to your music! Particularly the village theme day! I have a few questions for you, and i hope you'll answer them! First off; How and in what environment did you compose these tunes? In a Finale-like program and then GPO, or in a sequencer like Cubase with VSTs? Secondly; how is this music getting implanted in the game? are these files going to loop while you are in that musics-domain? Or are you making "endlessly-loopable"-files? Please tell me! Thank you for your patience. Regards, Morten

I like your music very much! You have a great sense of the ambient and the general feeling your music generates. It sounds clich

You should check out the theme from the TV-series "The Persuaders". Its a great theme, and i think you'll be a bit surprised. I have it in an awful midi-recording, that does not live up to the real recording but I'll post it anyway. That is what your theme reminded me of.. Regards, Morten Persuaders.mid

I really like this piece! Very light and dancing! Great orchestrated. - I like your use of glockenspiel. M

I need to listen to it a few times more before i come with a serious reply, although there are many bits of it i really like! But, what program did you use to make the mp3? Is it Garriton Personal Orchestra? Or is it something else? Regards, M

This is a great piece! Reminded me abit abit of some of the 1920'es gypsie-jazzband thingies you'd often hear played by Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli! Very good! M

Hey there! I'm on myspace too. www.myspace.com/mpjdk

Could anyone please answer this question as I am in the same situation as Dan! Thanks, M

Qccowboy: What a great reply! Thanks. M

Thanks for all those kind replies! I loved every bit of it. We are doing a full recording (audio+video) on a DVD, and if you would like me to, i could rip the scene for you to see me conduct the orchestra? Maybe it will even be a (lot) better recording?! M

Hi there! I REALLY like your work! PLEASE, do post more when you get it done. Great orchestration! M