The Long Way Home (flute/piano/orchestra)

[davidstiles]

Hi everyone,

I just thought I'd share this orchestral piece I've been working on.

https://soundcloud.com/davidstiles/the- ... -orchestra

Any comments or suggestions for improvement are more than welcome!

[nineofkings]

Melodically interesting. I liked the shift about halfway through (with the pizzicato strings). I'm not sure if it's because of the samples' attack time or what, though, but at times (especially near the beginning) the flute and strings sound like they're lagging behind the piano. Cool piece!

[Frantz]

Excellent. You are clearly in your element with orchestral music. With lots of dynamics and a good sound library you avoided the common pitfalls of sounding like it was made on a laptop.

This piece rambles from idea to idea in a pleasant and unpredictable way so the title is appropriate. Very nice work.

[TrekStar]

outstanding beautiful composed! alto flute & strings Sound superb. big thumbs up!

[davidstiles]

Thanks for your comments, nineofkings, Frantz and TrekStar! And I'm glad you all enjoyed it.

I see what you mean about the lagging in the first section, nineofkings. I thought I had sufficiently quantized/corrected it after the initial playthrough on the keyboard, but I guess I messed up in a few places. I'll have to see if I can tweak it a bit.

[Allomerus]

Got some lovely sounds David!. Really enjoyable composition. Well done!
A few melodies touch on other pieces... Cool. Nice journey!

NB: Is the flute at 0:30 the right note? Or is it just me...

[davidstiles]

Thanks, Allomerus! And good ear with respect to what is happening at 0:30.

Here's what you're hearing:

Flute: A flat
Violins: B flat
Violas: G
Basses: E flat
Piano: E flat/G/B flat

So yeah, it's a bit of a strange sounding chord - basically an E flat major triad with an A flat thrown into the mix. I had wanted it to sound a little unsettling, but it might be just a bit too bitter.

I just went back to my DAW to play around with it and moved the the Piano and Violas off the G and onto the E flat and A flat, respectively. It's definitely a sweeter sound. I'll have to think about which one I like better. Thanks for the feedback either way!

[annode]

Hi David.
For me, the 1st 3rd was way sappy. I could envision hearing that in maybe a Lifetime TV movie for women. Not a bad thing. The 2nd half was not sappy but still Lifetime movie material.
Have you tried selling your music?

[davidstiles]

Thanks, annode! Glad you liked it.

I have not tried selling my music, although I'd probably be interesting in trying at some point. I've generally felt that I still need to get in some more practice before I take that step, but it's good to hear that this stuff is sounding like it could plausibly have some kind of commercial use.

[annode]

Thanks, annode! Glad you liked it.

I have not tried selling my music, although I'd probably be interesting in trying at some point. I've generally felt that I still need to get in some more practice before I take that step, but it's good to hear that this stuff is sounding like it could plausibly have some kind of commercial use.

Yes, I thought it could. Later that night after hearing this post, I took notice to the incidental music in a film on TV[think it was "The Misfits"] and it brought me to think of your style. Might be worth looking into the logistics of the profession.

[seismic1]

Lovely, "full" sound. Nice composition with a lot of variation, but still managing to sound "integrated". I loved the piano and its dynamics.

Good work

[davidstiles]

Thanks again, annode. I'm definitely thinking about looking into it.

And thanks, seismic. Glad you enjoyed it!