Composing a piece for the piano

[Lot]

I'm look forward to it.

 

[Coolydudey]

Here's a version; it's not very good though, so if you only plan on listening to it once wait a couple of weeks.

Again, a public thanks to rocco for his help.
https://app.box.com/s/8pwn3n1wyhtn71533g20

 

[Coolydudey]

A better version will be up in the next few days hopefully. In that one I've managed to bring out the musicality (lyricism) of the piece a lot more, it's almost got a different feel to it.

Also, my next piece is awesome. Beethoven. (challenge: decode the meaning of that last phrase)

 

[Lot]

I liked it. I also liked the touch of green sleeves. Got it's point across nicely. Congrats on another job well done.

 

[The Introvert]

Fantastic work! Excellent quality of the composition, performer, and editor!

I agree with this:

2. We should totally start work on a modest all-INTP album project

And, @Coolydudey , what equipment did you use to record? I've a few things I wouldn't mind doing, but I'm not quite sure where to start.

 

[Coolydudey]

Fantastic work! Excellent quality of the composition, performer, and editor!

I agree with this:


And, @Coolydudey , what equipment did you use to record? I've a few things I wouldn't mind doing, but I'm not quite sure where to start.

Thanks to everyone! I was not so happy with my performance personally though, I'll be getting my "better" version up today/tomorrow (something in this timescale anyway, maybe up to the weekend) so I hope you guys listen to that as well.

I just use a keyboard to record MIDIs that are then fed through some "software pianos". Essentially the MIDI is just saying play this note that hard at this time, and the software piano is just a recording of every note of a real piano at ten different strengths of playing a note. So these recordings (of the notes) are played (in sequence, at the right strength, according to what the MIDI says), a few effects such as a little reverb are added, and the final effect turns out to be extraordinarily realistic if done well. It's slightly more complicated than that, but that's basically it.

 

[The Introvert]

Thanks to everyone! I was not so happy with my performance personally though, I'll be getting my "better" version up today/tomorrow (something in this timescale anyway, maybe up to the weekend) so I hope you guys listen to that as well.

I just use a keyboard to record MIDIs that are then fed through some "software pianos". Essentially the MIDI is just saying play this note that hard at this time, and the software piano is just a recording of every note of a real piano at ten different strengths of playing a note. So these recordings (of the notes) are played (in sequence, at the right strength, according to what the MIDI says), a few effects such as a little reverb are added, and the final effect turns out to be extraordinarily realistic if done well. It's slightly more complicated than that, but that's basically it.

Ah, thanks.

I was hoping you actually had some kind of recording hardware setup; I'm looking to record guitar/possibly voice along with piano.

I definitely prefer playing on an actual piano (as opposed to a keyboard).

 

[Coolydudey]

There are some pretty nice keyboards out there. http://www.gear4music.com/Keyboards...Zzt|dc_pcrid_31113253999_plid__kword__match__

.....

In general, I'd agree with you about playing actual pianos, but I'd be curious to play one of these. I bet you it'd be miles better than your average piano at the same price, because they can sample pianos in the 100.000 range.

Still, you can do guitar through a MIDI the same way (it's not quite as effective though) and you can do good voice with a microphone around 100$ (the shure sm-58 for example).

 

[Coolydudey]

Yay, finally!

https://soundcloud.com/coolydudey60/coolydudey-piano

Guys, tell me more about what you think. Negative feedback sought after.

 

[The Introvert]

I like it.

It's neat how you incorporate bits of other pieces into your compositions.

Keep up the good work

 

[crippli]

Superb. I love the slowness, and the up's and downs. Without it getting noisy. I could fall asleep to this.

One of my great failures in life was to not learn the piano. I've tried at irregular intervals. I've learned somewhat to play with my right, and with my left hand. But together. No.

 

[Coolydudey]

You can now also download it if you so wish

 

[Coolydudey]

Made a couple of minor revisions and uploaded the new version. Nothing groundbreaking, you won't be hearing anything new. If you didn't download the previous one, this one has pedal sounds. If you hate it, then I'll upload that one again.

https://soundcloud.com/coolydudey60/piano-piece

 

[Coolydudey]

The next piece is going to be huge, at least 5 minutes... I've got so many ideas I want to get in there.

 

[Coolydudey]

Next piece almost done; I'm picking up momentum!

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Very enjoyable pieces. Do you give it some context or is it just a sountrack?

 

[Coolydudey]

No context really. Glad you liked them though.

 

[Coolydudey]

Next piece finished. about 6 minutes. Should get version up by this weekend. Will probably call "the journey". Do not know why I am talking like a telegram (minus the stops).

 

[Coolydudey]

Haven't got access to my piano for a while, could be a month before I upload. Sorry guys.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

No worry, If it matters, there is someone waiting to hear

 

[rjioej23]

Yes, will be cool to listen. Btw, in your signature it sounds like you've just split up from your girlfriend or something. Anyway, yes, more pieces please.

 

[Coolydudey]

Yes, will be cool to listen. Btw, in your signature it sounds like you've just split up from your girlfriend or something. Anyway, yes, more pieces please.

Haha no. Just getting to know her better actually. I'm in this sort of mood way too often.

Quote of signature so that this tangent is still relevant when I change it:

__________________
The following are products of my own thoughts, albeit not particularly original:

The moment you stop to think about whether something is beautiful is the moment it loses its beauty.

Life is so absorbing it's easy to let it fly by, missing everything that is important - like reading a book and not stopping to think about its message.

Letting go of something beautiful only makes it even more special.

People look to space, yet they fail to appreciate the earth.

 

[Coolydudey]

In addition to the next piece I will at the same time release a "best of" mash-up of some new ideas and the best ideas of the old pieces, all in the same style, all wrapped up in a very technically difficult (hard to play) format. Should be impressive, and very nice.

It should capture the essence of all three pieces which are all quite similar.

Then I can move onto completely new stuff.

 

[Coolydudey]

Just thought I'd give an update which I haven't done for a while. I decided not to do the mash-up, just slightly changed piece 3 in the process. Instead, piece 4 is a distinctly and only sad piece, featuring almost exclusively minor chords (what a challenge!!). Piece 3 will arrive around the 13th of January, piece 4 soon after (need to finish it).

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Haha! Great, I want to hear this exclusively minor composition.

 

[Coolydudey]

Soon we will have both

 

[Coolydudey]

argh, just downloaded the 5gb piano I want to render it with and accidentally deleted it!!! Here we go again, bear with me guys

 

[Coolydudey]

Sorry guys, just being incredibly lazy. Anyone got some spare motivation to pass around?

 

[The Introvert]

As far as composition?

Combine a Chopin Nocturne with a bassanova rhythm. Or something, I don't know terms. I know I fiddled with something like that and it actually sounded pretty cool. Don't listen to me.

 

[Coolydudey]

I mean in motivating me to record and upload two pieces I've finished

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

I can motivate you by the similar situation. I am finishing the practice of a piece in a week and I will likely record this for my friend, I consider sharing it here if I am pleased with the result.

 

[Coolydudey]

The main thing holding me back is the fact that they're actually quite tricky pieces (for me) and I can't easily get MIDI files I can edit myself in good time. Anyone here with the courage and experience to help out a bit, share the load? Basically, I'm just saying I'm really lazy...

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

The main thing holding me back is the fact that they're actually quite tricky pieces (for me) and I can't easily get MIDI files I can edit myself in good time. Anyone here with the courage and experience to help out a bit, share the load? Basically, I'm just saying I'm really lazy...

I make some piano midi files, what's the problem?

You have the sheets written? If it's on a program then it should be quite easy to transfer to midi. I thought that you wanted to perform a piece and the difficulty was in arranging the recording session.

If the piece is difficult, then midi will have poor samples if you want to record it.

 

[Coolydudey]

I don't have the sheets written and even if I did the end result would be very dry and expressionless. These pieces rely unbelievably much on plentiful and involved interpretation, so getting a recording of somebody playing is the only way to go. Now, I don't expect anyone to learn how to play them, and I do of course know best how I imagined the pieces at the time I was writing them, so it's only fit for me to do this recording (in MIDI, as I render them on software pianos). However they're tricky, so I make a couple of mistakes, and given I've only got a slow laptop to work on, it's pretty slow business correcting them. So I was just asking if anyone is up to the task of helping fix them.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

What is there for someone to fix if there are no sheets written and you were assembling the piece and there are some mistakes?

You mean that there are compositional mistakes? The work is unfinished?

Editing a midi file doesn't consume much resources, you just click on the corresponding part and add notes, for example in Anvil Studio, so I still don't see a problem.

 

[Coolydudey]

The mistakes are in the playing and are clearly self explanatory (can be fixed by anyone with a vague musical ear). I haven't tried editing the midi in other programs which may be the reason I'm finding it slow. Anyway, I explicitly stated I was being lazy so please don't give me that tone.

 

[Coolydudey]

Hey guys... I've been incredibly lazy. Got 2 finished pieces and 2 half-way through pieces I haven't been bothering with (one to probably finish very soon though), but got a good keyboard now, how much would you appreciate some more of the same? Enough votes of support and I might just pick my lazy ass up and record some stuff

 

[Lot]

Do it! As your patron, I demand it. Don't make me take off my powdered wig and give you a flogging.

 

[Coolydudey]

maybe one very enthusiastic person suffices...

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Ignoring my enthusiasm does you no good. I don't have to repeatedly post to uphold my support to this cause.

 

[Coolydudey]

True, but equally I was asking for expression of continued and renewed interest so we both have our right say. Thanks for bothering to write a line I guess...

 

[StevenM]

I enjoyed your piece. It flowed beautifully through a variety of emotive experiences. It sounded very mature and developed.

 

[Coolydudey]

Anyone here got tips to achieve a richer, fuller piano sound from a software piano? Like when you smash one of the bass keys with the pedal down and you get that deep, reverberating, satisfying tone? What I have is good but not quite there.

 

[Lot]

try adding an effect to it if there isn't a setting you like. Some light reverb, or echo maybe. What program are you using?

 

[Coolydudey]

sonar x3 with kontakt 5 (vintage D for now). For now just have fiddled with the settings of the piano and added a little reverb

 

[Coolydudey]

After what has been something of an editing marathon of a not so great performance, I have a version I deem satisfactory I should be able to upload by tomorrow. I will tweak a couple more things and fiddle with the sound before I upload.

 

[Coolydudey]

https://soundcloud.com/coolydudey60/piece-3

!!

 

[Coolydudey]

no comments on the third piece anyone? Anyone interested in the fourth (the minor one)?

 

[Lot]

no comments on the third piece anyone? Anyone interested in the fourth (the minor one)?

I really liked it.

The progressions and phrasings are very nice.

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

I will try to review it when I have more time, for now I have to say that the 3rd piece is interesting.