WIP Zelda, Southern Face Shrine Theme.

[Skrie]

From the request sections. Soutern Face Shrine theme from Link to the Past.

http://skrie.danoli3.com/Southern_Face_Shrine.mp3

A very John Williams kinda remix I'm working on. (so don't go screeming JW cause I know it )

Hope you guys like it. Comments again are very welcome and will be taken into the final mix

I have some trouble rendering 2 instances of EWQLGold and Bosendorfer290 while

recording... so if you hear glitches or tempo faults I'm still working on that !

-Skrie

[Sil]

This has potential, so here's some things you can do to really bring out the motivic capabilities:

0:45

To really add to the second iteration of the horn theme, make the violins or violas double the horns in unison so that the sound is more full, and have trumpets echo the 3-note motif in the horns an octave higher (it should be obvious what I'm suggesting here.) I think you have violins doing something up high already, but it sounds way too quiet and unnatural. Lower the octave and increase the volume significantly.

It sounds like you've added a light choral hum in the background. That's nice, but I think a better sound would be some trombone triads fading in and out, or better yet, a trombone chorale that drives the harmony forward.

1:08

The ending to the horn melody is really dragging, so why not add some of those Williams-ish fanfares in the trumpets, similar to those in the piece this is inspired from. You know, triplet/16th-note staccatos and all that.

1:25

Oh, what a great opportunity to suddenly modulate to B minor instead of staying in F#! Trust me, put this section in B minor (up a fourth from the F#) and this piece's energy will increase 10-fold. Also, get rid of the piano and let trombones have the lead or something. Otherwise, it's going to sound really static and repetitive, not to mention subdued by the soft nature of the piano line.

1:45

By this point things have become too static and more Philip Glass-like than anything, especially given those exposed violin arpeggios and ostinatos. How about adding some winds to play some runs and give the violins an opportunity to play some strong lines and harmony? It's what they're best at.

There are a few other issues with the orchestration, such as odd timpani hits here and there, but what you need to concentrate on more is the counterpoint. You have a lot of voices available and a lot of room for some extra melodic material.

2:00

I don't think a soft piano interlude is the direction this piece was heading, but if you must go there, why not change up the key? Another way to bring out this section is to double the piano with strings on every note. Instead of a simple background tremolo, you could do something more Rachmaninov-like. Also, it's a great opportunity for solo winds to chime in once and a while with some motivic echoing of the piano line.

Keep at it. I like that you have a model in mind for how you want the piece to sound, so all I can suggest is to listen to even more Williams scores to get ideas for driving the piece forward (hopefully with more changeups in the ostinato.)

[Skrie]

Man , thx so much for this awesome reply...

I must admit I'm not too familiar with all the terms, but google helped me out on that

(I can't read sheetmusic you know... I'm just a pianist with a computer, a midi keyboard and a lot of imagination )

I've already done the trumpets. They don't sound too realistic when played fast... even

when I use a special stacato trumpet. But it's cool when mixxed with some cymbals.

I also did the modulation to B and it's awesome.

I've removed the choir after 1:20 and I'm gona add those Trombones you've suggested.

(if you could explain some more what you mean with those trombones, that'd be awesome)

I've removed the whole piano section... u were right it wasn't the right direction.

I'm still poundering on how to continue. But I'm happy the piano section is gone.

Here's a quick recording of the new trumpets and the modulation to B...

I also lowered the unison strings and increased the volume.

It's already a lot more lively and less static. Any suggestions are still very welcome.

(I didn't add the trombones yet on that last bit after 1.25... but I will in the future)

http://skrie.danoli3.com/newnew.mp3

-Skrie

[Sil]

Man , thx so much for this awesome reply...

I must admit I'm not too familiar with all the terms, but google helped me out on that

(I can't read sheetmusic you know... I'm just a pianist with a computer, a midi keyboard and a lot of imagination )

Don't worry about it.

I've already done the trumpets. They don't sound too realistic when played fast... even

when I use a special stacato trumpet. But it's cool when mixxed with some cymbals.

I think the reason it doesn't sound too realistic is because it's awfully high for trumpets. You have them on a B, C, and C# when the highest you want to go, especially for being able to play staccato, is G (an octave and a 5th above C.) Have them play in thirds (I think you're already doing that) at least an octave lower. Use note velocities to make the hits on the beat stronger than those off.

I also did the modulation to B and it's awesome.

I've removed the choir after 1:20 and I'm gona add those Trombones you've suggested.

(if you could explain some more what you mean with those trombones, that'd be awesome)

Good work. What I was suggesting with the trombones is to treat them like a choir. For example, you already have a choral backdrop at 0:43. Trombones, along with pretty much all brass, can do something similar, but fading in on one harmony while fading out on another. At 0:43 they would fade in on an F# minor chord and fade out in the next measure in D major. If it doesn't sound good, don't bother. Composing is all about the trial and error.

I've removed the whole piano section... u were right it wasn't the right direction.

I'm still poundering on how to continue. But I'm happy the piano section is gone.

If you ask me (never a bad decision) what you need is a contrasting B theme. Williams is great at these. Take Across the Stars from AotC for example. The B theme starts around 0:37 into the track and builds up to a return of A, making A more "rewarding" in a sense. The return of B around 2 minutes in goes through even more development and harmonic shifts leading into this march-like variation on A.

Using A Link to the Past as a guide, you can see which themes have prominent contrasting B themes. The Light World and Dark World themes especially. Some would even go as far as to say the Death Mountain theme is inspired by Williams. Anyway, the idea of how to structure your piece is simple: ABA. Typically, most music is a variation on this, sometimes even introducing a C theme. The contrasting B theme can vary in a number of ways: harmony, rhythm, instrumentation, even tempo.

At 1:30 you might want to change up the theme right away, because while repeating the main motif is okay, even in another key, the rest of it is too dragging to have so many appearances. It really sticks out and would act against you in the judging process.

Here's a quick recording of the new trumpets and the modulation to B...

I also lowered the unison strings and increased the volume.

It's already a lot more lively and less static.

Nice. I still think at 0:43 when the horns and violins are holding that note (it's an A) the trumpets should repeat that F# G# A theme. The effect in the end will sound like F#5 G#5 F#6 G#6 A6 because the A5 will be under the F#6. I know, it sounds complicated, so contact me via AIM if you want to hear it.

[Skrie]

Thx again, I can't wait till I can fix some more stuff in the weekend

I listened to some of ur music on the internet.. and it's awesome ! /bows

-Skrie