I've been working on some music for some potential video games, and want to know if you think I'm going in the right direction with themes etc. I've only really composed for myself, a bit of home-shopping TV and the odd jingle here and there, but videogames to me is one step away from drama or feature film score. Be as blunt as you like, but I'm quite proud of these so far...

Cheers

LINK: http://soundcloud.com/jamesmulvale/infamous-adventures-showreel

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How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

Not sure what aspect you're asking about - I do like it. I'd love to be more blunt but it depends what scene/mood each bit is for. There are nice spooky bits and grand bits but the point is their appropriateness to what's going on in the game, or what you're trying to express. Seems to do "pensive" really well!

There's a bit early on where it's threatening and spooky but there's a backbeat groove - leaving out random bits of the groove would make it a lot more threatening - though again I don't know if that's what you're intending.

Also, for that section you could use wackier harmony - as it is there seem to be things that are tonally straightforward, nice tunes in nice normal keys but played in a sinister way and with bits stuck on in wrong keys to get the effect - obviously that's fine but there might be more effect to be had by using augmented chords, whole-tone scales, or even just random clusters.

I love the strings harp and oboe bit. Especially the way it gives way to the rock'n'roll!

On the whole though, can't really criticize without knowing what the intention is.

PS that waltz from 1.49 to 2.20 is great - really characterful, lots of unexpected twists in the harmony. Beautiful.

The biggest thing I noticed from the tracks was a disappointing lack of technique in the composition. Melodies that aren't harmonised properly (i.e., not a deliberate jarring effect), lack of harmonic direction, doubled mediants and octaves in outer parts... everywhere.

Have you studied composition or are you entirely self-taught?

In terms of direction I think you're definitely going the right way, especially when it comes to ambient "wandering around looking for a quest" music.

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Composer;
www.ogonline.org

I'm sorry you feel like that. I was self taught, but studied composition at university in 1998. I think it's just my style more than any lack of training, I prefer John Adams to Bach in terms of harmony with plenty of doubled octaves, and dreaded parallel 5ths and medians.

I got the job anyway. So there's that

PS I notice you studied at Leeds, did you know Prof. Derek Scott?

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How appropriate, you fight like a cow.

Edited by JMulvale (05/11/11 12:05 AM)

Interesting twist to this thread - "wrongness" in some form is essential in music - Bach after all is full of dissonance that resolves or doesn't in specific ways - avoiding parallel 5ths etc isn't a universal moral principle, it's only a rule of thumb for that kind of music, same way as rules of grammar only apply to one language.

"Lack of direction" in the harmony might be intentional - depends what the composer's trying to say. To me it gives a certain effect, though the fact that nowhere in the whole track had any real movement means maybe it's intended for a video game where the music doesn't really want to get in the way or be too interesting, and I don't mean that as a sarcasm.

Sometimes total novices can write superb stuff for a particular purpose, lack of technique in itself doesn't mean you'll necessarily write crap. And lack of complexity isn't necessarily a drawback - think of Kurt Weill, total genius but used deliberately limited harmonic vocab to give a specific effect of cheap music-hall or even barrel organ, but with "wrong" or simply unexpected harmonic moves that produce fantastic emotional twists.

I like the general vibe, I just thought in places there was a lot more you could have done in the writing - again stressing that it depends what effect you were trying to get, e.g. a lot of it is vaguely aimless pensive staring-into-space, if that was intended then it's succeeded. If there's a more threatening or more exciting aspect you wanted to convey for any part of it, I reckon you could perhaps explore more adventurous harmony.

Anyway, having asked for constructive criticism ("be as blunt as you like"), you haven't actually taken it too well with that ya boo sucks reply. Basically if you thought it was excellent as it was then why ask for opinions.

Thanks Raph, that's more what I was after really. I just thought the other guy was just being a bit of a troll implying that my lack of technique and poor harmonies were due to a lack of training... The challenge was not to write a theme, as such but to work an already established theme into areas of the game that a player might be sat on for a long time. Nothing too theme-y or striking, and loopable. Since I have had the design brief now, the pieces are going to be implemented, they are all around a minute long and loop.

You definitely have something there with the harmonies, I am looking again at the harmony of the different pieces and adding extra parts here and there, but it can't be too busy. I never think my work is that good, I'm always trying to be better, but being insulted rattled me. Sorry, won't happen again!!



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How appropriate, you fight like a cow.