bjornpdx Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 I was trying for a classical piece like a string quartet and I came up with this, a composition for bassoon, cello and two violas. Bassoon? Yeah, I just liked the sound of it. Bassoon from NI Woodwind Solo Cello and violas from Kontakt Orchestral factory library I've done some semi-classical pieces before but nothing like this genre. Maybe not all that good but it was fun to do. Thanks for listening 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Douglas Kirby Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Good job Bjorn - you should do some more of this type of composing- it sounded quite good to my ears. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhonoBrainer Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 Cool! I think you might look at reverb spaces. The bassoon is in a small room? But there is a little hall reverb on the strings? You might kill all the reverbs on the Kontakt instruments, and feed all the instruments into a thumping great concert hall with a small amount of predelay. If you haven't done that already? Or, something else entirely! It's a pleasant meander, and I found myself pleasantly adrift. Until the ending, which needs a warning sign "Bridge Out Ahead" cheers, -Tom 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Sprouse Posted May 17, 2020 Share Posted May 17, 2020 (edited) This is beautiful, Bjorn! I loved the (quasi) surprise ending. My grandfather played the bassoon .A very ODD instrument, no? Edited May 17, 2020 by David Sprouse 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornpdx Posted May 17, 2020 Author Share Posted May 17, 2020 Doug, Thanks for the encouragement. Don't know if I'll do many more like this one. Tom, Yeah I agree on the reverb. Should have done that. The sudden ending is a comment on the capriciousness of life, its seemingly incessant nature revealing itself to be merely ephemeral...nah, it wasn't going anywhere so I decided to end it. David, Thanks. The bassoon is an odd instrument and I'll include the oboe in there too. There's something about their sound that's very appealing to me. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry Gerber Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 18 hours ago, bjornpdx said: I was trying for a classical piece like a string quartet and I came up with this, a composition for bassoon, cello and two violas. Bassoon? Yeah, I just liked the sound of it. Bassoon from NI Woodwind Solo Cello and violas from Kontakt Orchestral factory library I've done some semi-classical pieces before but nothing like this genre. Maybe not all that good but it was fun to do. Thanks for listening Hi Bjorn, I am always extremely reluctant to give feedback or advice to others. You've made a good effort. If I may share my experience (please take it with a grain of salt!) I would say listen carefully to the attacks and releases of your strings. Your bassoon sounds fine. Sampled wind hardly ever need the work that strings need to get that "singing feeling". The first thing I do is try find the right string sample for the passage. This might involve going through a half a dozen or more of samples to find the one that works the best, taking into account dynamics, tempo, phrasing, etc. After choosing the best sample-set, then comes the midi controllers to make sure the attack and releases also fit the phrasing. In the opening, the releases of the strings are too short; the phrase can be made more musical simply by making them a little bit longer so they don't' sound as though notes are being cut off too soon. I hope i am not overstepping my bounds, I am really hesitant to be critical of another's work and I don't generally receive constructive criticism often enough myself. But I think with a few tweaks of the string attacks and releases you'll get a better sound. String attacks are always slower than wind, percussion or even brass attacks, and certainly much slower than crisp synth timbres. Best, Jerry www.jerrygerber.com 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hidden Symmetry Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Enjoyed the tune. I love bassoon, a difficult instrument to master. I had a friend who became quite accomplished & remember her showing me how to make double reeds by hand. The sound always reminds me of her, glad you decided to use it. (Check out bass clarinets too, you may enjoy writing with that instrument as well!) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeeringAmps Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 On 5/17/2020 at 8:28 AM, emeraldsoul said: I think you might look at reverb spaces I would agree here, the overall soundstage needs to tie the whole piece together (and it certainly deserves it!). Wish I could "hand" you the answer, I own lots of verbs; but that "cinematic" soundstage still eludes me! 23 hours ago, bjornpdx said: The sudden ending is a comment on the capriciousness of life Was going to comment, but now I get it! 14 hours ago, jsg said: I hope i am not overstepping my bounds Jerry, I'm sure that Bjorn is quite appreciative of your comments and suggestions. Now if you could just help us all out with the "cinematic soundstage"... t 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjornpdx Posted May 18, 2020 Author Share Posted May 18, 2020 Jerry You're not overstepping bounds; I appreciate your comments and suggestions. This piece is more of a first draft, getting my feet wet kind of project. I didn't bother much with articulations and I don't think the factory library I used even has them. When I get back to this project I will certainly refer back to your suggestions and I thank you for that. Hidden Symmetry Thank you for your comments. I tried playing a real clarinet a while ago and I gave up. A bassoon or oboe is probably even more difficult. tom When I return to this project I'll experiment with reverb (and articulations and some kind of overall structure). I have a lot of trouble getting reverb right. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lynn Wilson Posted May 18, 2020 Share Posted May 18, 2020 Bjorn, I'm really impressed by your versatility-I never know what to expect from you. I like where this is going, and the mood you created with this piece. Obviously, there's a lot of details to make a complete chamber piece sound real, but I'd be proud of this if it were mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makke Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Beautiful composition and arrangement. Enjoyable ambiance and sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wookiee Posted May 19, 2020 Share Posted May 19, 2020 Not bad Bjorn, there is lots of excellent advise given above, you did a good job though on this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now