Does This Sound Correct?

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

I'm working on a collaboration, and I'm usually confident with my composing skills. But I need a second opinion to see if this sounds correct to anyone else. I'm using other VSTs instead of one for a piano, but for this, I'm using a piano VST for better hearing with the treble and bass. This piece of music is in E♭ minor, 5/4 time, 110 BPM. Here's what I'm asking about:

The beginning has arpeggios, and to me, when it reaches the 11 second mark, the E♭ note that starts there sounds correct, because I think the off-kilter bassline helps. But I'm wondering if it sounds correct to anyone else.

At the 29 to 31 second mark, I added notes to ascend back up to the E♭ note, because without them, it didn't sound right to me. But maybe they could work without those notes? And I understand that at the 28 second mark, the Emaj13 chord is probably an odd choice for. That's really there to leave the music unresolved. But this is something I also am wondering about. Does the Emaj13 leading into the B6/E♭ at 32 second mark sound right to you? I'm trying to figure this out. Again, the track is meant to hold tension, which is why the chords at the end of each melody aren't being resolved.

[Master Mi]

At first, the composition sounds really interesting - it reminds me somehow of atmospheric NES game soundtracks from video games like Shadowgate in a more modern version. ))

When listening less intently, nothing stands out negatively, either rhythmically or tonally.

When listening very intently, I noticed a passage that sounds slightly strange, namely the transition from minute 0:29 to 0:30 (actually almost exactly at minute 0:30).
There seems to be a dissonant note in the chord that either doesn't belong to the key or where the notes within the key form a less harmonious chord that doesn't seem to be the best choice at this point, or the notes in the chord are even neighboring notes in the key (and therefore clash tonally with each other).

Just try increasing the interval in the chord a little according to the key, or perhaps try octavating the disturbing note.

Edited September 30 by Master Mi

[Uffe von Lauterbach]

On 9/30/2025 at 4:16 PM, Master Mi said:

At first, the composition sounds really interesting - it reminds me somehow of atmospheric NES game soundtracks from video games like Shadowgate in a more modern version. ))

When listening less intently, nothing stands out negatively, either rhythmically or tonally.

When listening very intently, I noticed a passage that sounds slightly strange, namely the transition from minute 0:29 to 0:30 (actually almost exactly at minute 0:30).
There seems to be a dissonant note in the chord that either doesn't belong to the key or where the notes within the key form a less harmonious chord that doesn't seem to be the best choice at this point, or the notes in the chord are even neighboring notes in the key (and therefore clash tonally with each other).

Just try increasing the interval in the chord a little according to the key, or perhaps try octavating the disturbing note.

You're correct. This is intentional, but I can hear the issue. I would like to have an Emaj13 chord there. I might have to change that section entirely or figure out what to do with that part.

[Master Mi]

@Uffe von Lauterbach

No problem.
There are said to have been people who once tried to create soundscapes with dodecaphonic music. ;)

But maybe let's approach it according to the rules of conventional harmony.

You wrote that the piece is in E flat minor.
This means that the following notes occur: Eb, F, Gb, Ab, Bb, Cb (B), Db.

An Emaj13 chord contains the following 7 notes: E, G# (Ab), B, D# (Eb), F# (Gb), A, C# (Db).

This means that only 5 of these 7 notes in the chord are part of the scale.
And that obviously creates this brief dissonant interlude in the soundtrack.

So you can either change the chord or the key to make this little passage sound more harmonious, although I would definitely modify the chord to match the key.


I created an audio sample with 4 little piano chords for ya (everything arranged from the lower to the higher notes).

Chord 1 >>> your Emaj13 chord that doesn't really fit your chosen scale (just for comparison) >>> notes: E, G# (Ab), H, D# (Eb), F# (Gb), A, C# (Db)
Chord 2 >>> a highly depressing chord (but fitting your scale) >>> notes: Eb, Gb, Bb, Db, F, Ab, B
Chord 3 >>> a little bit less depressing chord with a tiny spark of hope (fitting your scale) >>> notes: Eb, Gb, Bb, Db, F, Ab, Db+1 (1 octave higher than the previous D)
Chord 4 >>> a rather inviting chord with a slightly eerie undertone of impending death (fitting your scale) >>> notes: F, Ab, B, Eb, Gb, Bb, D#

It sounds like this:

 

Perhaps you should check whether one of these three chords would be more suitable for the critical part of your track.

...

Have fun and good luck with your composing. ))

Edited 1 hour ago by Master Mi