An Orchestral (ish) Piece For a Friend

[H36T]

I've been uhh, reluctant to really post my original music anywhere because I haven't been the most confident in my composition skills but I want to reach more people so I want to get better! And that means being more vulnerable haha. So, here it is

 

Variation time stamps

#1 0:00
#2 1:52
#3 3:06
#4 3:52

The track's title is Variations on a Theme by Anthoney. The story behind it being a friend of mine had a tune in his head. He would hum it from time to time but it never went anywhere. He hummed it to me and asked if I could do something with it. I had ideas over some months but they never quite came together. So I decided to take them and create a set of variations.

There are about 4 "acts" or variations, with the last being the longest. I'm actually quite happy with the last one and the least happy with the first, both from a composition standpoint and a mixing standpoint. Concerning the latter point, rhe two were written months apart and in that time I had learned a lot about the features of my DAW and all the VSTs I have. I don't recommend dropping lots of money building a library of instruments first and learning later but that's another story entirely LOL. I almost think the last track could be a song in and of itself and I somewhat think of it as such.

Anyway, this has been a long intro post and I'd be glad to talk further about the composition and thought process but for now, if you care to listen to this 7 minute piece and discuss anything that stood out to you—good or bad—I'd be grateful.

 

Edited December 1, 2020 by HarlemHeat360
Added time stamps

[Wassup Thunder]

I found something I liked about each variation. The first had a strong jovial vibe with that rigorous percussion and brass. The second's dreamy vocals gave a sweeping, almost cosmic feel. I assume that the third variation is around the 3:00 marker. That one sounded kinda plucky and playful. I am most impressed with the fourth one though. It has a thrilling grand sound. I enjoyed the percussion variety that accompanied the bright, almost airy strings and choral parts. I can say that in general, it all has a pretty nice sound quality, and I believe you're making impressive work. Keep it up.

Also, I identify with spending a lot of money, and THEN learning how to actually make something good with it. XD
Side note, I often find it helpful to include time stamps of pieces with multiple movements/variations. Then reviewers can easily navigate it!

[H36T]

9 hours ago, Wassup Thunder said:

I found something I liked about each variation. The first had a strong jovial vibe with that rigorous percussion and brass. The second's dreamy vocals gave a sweeping, almost cosmic feel. I assume that the third variation is around the 3:00 marker. That one sounded kinda plucky and playful. I am most impressed with the fourth one though. It has a thrilling grand sound. I enjoyed the percussion variety that accompanied the bright, almost airy strings and choral parts. I can say that in general, it all has a pretty nice sound quality, and I believe you're making impressive work. Keep it up.

Also, I identify with spending a lot of money, and THEN learning how to actually make something good with it. XD
Side note, I often find it helpful to include time stamps of pieces with multiple movements/variations. Then reviewers can easily navigate it!

 

Thank you for the tip! I added time stamps for others. I am also grateful for your feedback. It really does mean a lot to me. I'm really happy you liked the percussion. Percussion is literally the bane of my existence and I struggle to really get the most out of it. I want to be comfortable making the sounds in my head be able to come through on the percussion side of things. I guess I'll need to learn more!