Fair Winds!

Hello folks

Wanted to write some old-school, pirate movie type music - sort of in the Korngold vein - and a cheeky riposte to recent pirate movie trends (which I don't really like!)!

Do have a listen - I hope it takes you on a nice adventure! :)

Let me know what you think.

Thanks

Jamie

This may be one of the only times I say that a composition needs to stay in one place more. You don't have a score so I can't point out too many specific things but some of your modulations are a little awkward like the second modulation to F# minor. None of it was bad per se, it's an interesting way to handle a constantly moving adventure, but diatonicism can't hurt especially in the bigger areas; in contrast, the less "energetic" parts are quite lovely and focus on the scale with interesting changes nonetheless, with some exceptions:

• Going out of the first one to B minor, the appoggiatura in the oboe is a bit strange.
• The E minor modulation after that is also strange. 
• The violin solo had a weird passing tone going back to the tutti violin section.

Overall, it's quite good an carries the idea through quite well. Some transitional work might be necessary.
Cheers!

Thanks Monarcheon! Some good listening there!

I'd expected more criticism for my bassoon though! ;)

Also - the strange appoggiatura - adding a minor ninth to an augmented chord near a harmonic movement like this isn't so strange anymore, surely! I wish it was - I like me some strange! Plus I like the way the sharpness of the oboe makes the gentle unexpectedness of the note keen through.

And the solo violin weird passing tone? That's just my guilty fondness for Lydian/whole-tone tomfoolery again! ;)

But the rest of your criticisms are solid - I do jump about a bit!

I thank you!

Score?

Ah, no remotely presentable score for this alas, maetrowick. Just a messy, messy, untided score from the Cubase Score Editor spread over a million staves!

There was never really a chance of this particular one getting performed by an orchestra so I never had the incentive to create a nicely presented score.

Thanks for having a listen though! :)

I think you should take the time to do one. You never know what could happen.  It's definitely great listening but I would love to "see" what you have cooking on there.

At first listening, it seems more like an "overture" than a set composition...kind of like Monarcheon said.

Really enjoyed it :) It doesn't sound that pirate-ish to me though, not that this is a bad thing.

It does sound a bit all over the place but that didn;t bother me all that much. 

Loved the "cheesy" violin solo at around 2:40 

Thanks very much Dchrisanthako - glad you enjoyed!

I guess people have different notions of what 'pirate' music sounds like. For me it's music by the likes of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner for the old Hollywood swashbucklers of the 30s and 40s, and subsequently the more rollicking work by John Williams. For many others 'pirate' music is the sound of Hans Zimmer and his Remote Control studio, which of course is very different, and not really something I'm that keen on!

It IS a bit all over the place! :) I'm glad you liked its capriciousness! And its cheese!