bsbray

His late string quartets make me full out hard.

This guy plays so amazingly clean that it annoys me that he plays such crap music (imo). http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=67...9&q=DragonForce Start that video at about 3:20. It shows a close-up of his hands in a little box while he's playing. >.<

You know, you got me thinking with this. I've always considered the priority with game music to be to portray a particular relevant mood, but it would probably make more sense to try to evoke this mood from the listener than try to force it upon them. I still don't know if I'd go with a "hypnotic effect" with a battle theme, but I guess that's just a common difference of opinion or whatever there.

Nice! :thumbsup: By battle hymn to you mean this plays during battles? If that's the case, the only thing I would point out is that the intensity starts dropping off just before halfway, and goes past halfway before picking back up again. But if it isn't a battle theme then I don't guess that would matter. Awesome job either way.

Just keep listening to and writing music. I bet you'll eventually grow out of it on your own. Going out of your way to sound new just doesn't seem like it would result in anything sincere.

Well, I was thinking it had something to do with the lack of straightforward or stable emphasis on 5ths or 4ths or etc to give the harmony more orientation, but now I'm thinking it might be because the harmony hugs the rhythm of the melody too much earlier in the MIDIs. Maybe it's a combo of a bunch of little things. But I think the third time there's a pause in harmony around 7 seconds, something sounds odd about that. Maybe just the way it drops off and the harmony that it drops off on, I'm not sure. But that pause sounds oddest to me. The rest I think would sound alright if you put it in the development of a piece and built up to it.

Personally, I like music from the Zelda series better than FF's, or any other games really, but then again, I've never played the FF games, but only listened to the music. Maybe this has something to do with it? At any rate, Japanese RPGs always seem to have the best music anyway. Here's a theme from Oracle of Seasons that I love: http://www.midishrine.com/kaffeblo/gmb/Zel...fStarmruins.mid It's repetitive, so don't expect development or anything in the MIDI, but the atmosphere it creates somehow strikes me as beautiful. Same with Song of Storms (a lot of you guys probably have heard this), and this Temple Ruins theme, also from Oracle of Seasons: http://www.midishrine.com/kaffeblo/gmb/Zel...templeruins.mid And here's an old school overworld theme from Tales of Phantasia: http://www.fantasyanime.com/legacy/top_overworld.mid

Are you guys that came up with some material going to post it? I butchered up the melody and came up with a few sketches that I can play around with in spare time. I guess I'm allowed to post rough sketches on here? o.O They're nothing substantial and it looks like you're cancelling so it I don't suppose it would matter. You should recognize where the beginning of the 'melody in A' thing came from (most if it's not in A btw), and the nocturne thing is a variation derived from the second measure, and the sundance bit is just the measures of your melody that outlined a maj7 chord that I connected to one another for something to come back to, to maybe make something out of in an old dance form. This is the kind of butchering I had in mind when I asked you if it would be in agreement with the rules, Nick. Otherwise it would've been too awkward for me to vary the whole melody. I was writing a decent amount of material last weekend and playing around with maybe orchestrating it, until I realized how much material 10 variations would be, even if most of them were only a couple minutes long, lol. So yeah. Maybe next year I'll post some completed variations and point back to this, and maybe some of you other guys can do that too. I'm at least interested in how you treated it so far. Note that by sketch I mean totally unfilled-out bits of melody and transitions to other themes not included. _01__Variating_Competition__Melody_in_A__brief.mid _04__Variating_Competition__Sundance_.mid _02__Variating_Competition__Nocturne_maj7s__brief.mid

Actually, this really brought to mind some of my favorite music from the Zelda series when I heard it. The scales and key changes you use give it a really fresh sound imo, and the harmony parts come across mystically. I love that sound. I can look at it one way, and see the form of the piece as a kind of abstract extension to the mysterious sound of the piece, and so artistically not a problem at all. In fact, I probably wouldn't be listening to it over and over again if it didn't come across as so enigmatic to me. But at the same time, I wish there was another version that was more drawn out and developed, just for musical entertainment, outside of games. Not necessarily more traditionally ordered, with a more traditional form and all that, because I don't think that could be easily accomplished without compromising the feel of the form you have now -- I'm starting to LOVE that. But if there were just more to listen to, I guess. :-/ Also, I think decreasing dynamics at the end would make that more effective, rather than a swelling of sound as if at the end of a dramatic symphony or opera. As a listener, I'd rather it be more like the voices had suddenly had their attention captured and quietly slipped off into another realm just as easily as they had entered at the start of the piece, if that makes any sense, lol. Awesome job! XD

Do you want just the melodies of the 10 variations, or do you want essentially the whole piece without harmony? Because I'll give this a shot, but I'm writing it out in whole to get the melodies I want. I'm not sure whether you want just to basic melodies of each variation, or the repetitions and developments and all or what.

Lol, that is nice. When the trio slipped back into the menuetto I couldn't help but grin. I think you have it in thinking that it's a beautiful contrast. Probably just me, but parts of the trio reminded me of Autumn Leaves. Definitely an entertaining combination with the classical stuff. ;)

Yeah, that was the one way I could see modulation being useful. Otherwise, it seems like something that isn't really necessary but we sometimes feel obligated to do nonetheless, you know what I mean? Long-term modulations anyway. I still think the effect of changing key has a really nice immediate effect.

Modulating to different tonal centers seems like something predominantly Western. I've read of thoughtful classical Indian composers being appalled by changing tonal centers at concerts, and getting up and leaving. I don't understand exactly what such people have against changing tonal centers, but then again I don't understand why we do it in the first place. Changing modes, while keeping the same tonal center, I can understand more. It offers a change in the harmony of the music; a new flavor. But when it comes to changing from C ionian to G ionian, for example, what is the use or novelty besides the modulation itself? I know the assumption that it is supposed to create excitement or tension, even if the listener is not aware of it, but what is there to objectively support that notion? The only real use I can see, is to shift the range so that different timbres can be used for certain intervals, but how often do composers actually modulate for that reason? Any insight? I would be appreciative to learn of something I'm missing here.

I think the links are down; can you post some more?