The Orange Tree, The Fountain and a Long Lost Love

[ChameleonMusic]

https://soundcloud.com/chameleon-music/ ... otten-love

Cities and memory: The 'Orange Garden' project - due for release Spring 2021

citiesandmemory.com/orangegarden/ (Original Field Recording)

Rome's Orange Garden is extraordinary - a spiritual place of deep significance to so many people over hundreds of years.

My Musical Intentions With This Particular Piece:
Starts with a gently sweeping, dreamy soundscape that is 100% created from the awesome original field recording - so many possibilities in there! Granular synthesis and sampling techniques have been used on nearly every sound from the recording (including the mechanical noises - turned into deep, gentle booms).

At around 90 seconds, an acoustic guitar enters and the mood changes. In my mind the story moves from a nebulous set of memories where you can almost (but not quite) pick out individual sounds from the garden, to a more definite musical 'moment' accompanied by the gentle sound of the fountain (again - processed via granular synthesis). Other sounds from the original recording heard behind the music include the first percussion entries at 2 minutes - created from layers of various sounds, including the gravel footsteps.

The musical story rises and falls, led by the warm tone of a xaphoon (single reed wind instrument that has similarities to the more well-known duduk).

A battered old dulcimer takes on the melody for the contrasting section before dramatic live vocals and a duduk join with the xaphoon as the main melody returns.

As the guitar fades away, the narrative slips back into a more ethereal dream-state to finish.

[vurt]

the field rec processed bit..
oh my
nice guitar too
ok, the rest too, im not listing them again, you just did that!

not sure im feeling roman? but then im not sure id know, even if i did? how does it feel to be roman?

very emotive, sexy even.
you come here often?

[aaron aardvark]

ChameleonMusic,
Thank you for the reviews! Now your song: Nice intro. There used to be a lot more orange tree orchards in Southern California. But then real estate became too valuable and then they mostly went away. Your entire song sounds very nice and pleasant and relaxing. I could easily picture this being in a movie. Everything is very well done. . This reminds me of an ambient/pop group that was popular in the 90's: Enigma.

[ChameleonMusic]

the field rec processed bit..
oh my
nice guitar too
ok, the rest too, im not listing them again, you just did that!

not sure im feeling roman? but then im not sure id know, even if i did? how does it feel to be roman?

very emotive, sexy even.
you come here often?

Oh maaaaan, two unicorns and whatever else that was next to them (my eyes couldn't make it out)

People are so gonna 'talk' now ya know!

Cheers for the feedback - appreciated as this was a change of direction from my last two hybrid, symphonic pieces!

[vurt]

some sort of brass horn

[wagtunes]

Excellent, just as I expected it would be. And that's kind of the problem when you're THAT good. People kind of expect it and take it for granted.

It may not be fair, but it's life.

It's these times I'm glad I'm not that good. What a burden.

[ChameleonMusic]

ChameleonMusic,
Thank you for the reviews! Now your song: Nice intro. There used to be a lot more orange tree orchards in Southern California. But then real estate became too valuable and then they mostly went away. Your entire song sounds very nice and pleasant and relaxing. I could easily picture this being in a movie. Everything is very well done. . This reminds me of an ambient/pop group that was popular in the 90's: Enigma.

Thanks for the feedback Aaron!

I've always associated California with Orange trees - real shame that they're disappearing.

I remember Enigma very well - thanks for the comparison! Producer Michael Cretu who led the project still runs it solo , I believe?

[vata44]

The dynamics, color, and depth... OMG

[markkuja]

Cool! Interesting track with different parts. Beautiful melody lines... nice soundscape. Pleasant ambiance.

[ChameleonMusic]

some sort of brass horn

Appropriate - as I was once a trumpet player! trying to get back into now, but it's proving bloody hard work!

[ChameleonMusic]

Excellent, just as I expected it would be. And that's kind of the problem when you're THAT good. People kind of expect it and take it for granted.

It may not be fair, but it's life.

It's these times I'm glad I'm not that good. What a burden.

Cheers Wags - glad you enjoyed it!

[wagtunes]

Excellent, just as I expected it would be. And that's kind of the problem when you're THAT good. People kind of expect it and take it for granted.

It may not be fair, but it's life.

It's these times I'm glad I'm not that good. What a burden.

Cheers Wags - glad you enjoyed it!

What's not to enjoy? You do music for a living, right?

[donkey tugger]

As always, really, really well done.

Now..with me nitpicker guitarist head on..

The acoustic has a lovely sound but is a leetle bit static and 'mechanical' (for wont of a better term), both within phrases and over time - the latter being more noticeable as it stays at the same level in the crescendos. Mebbe just nudge some of the notes here and there (particularly in picking there's always a little bit of internal 'swing') , tweak some of the velocities, and/or automate the high end eq a little (that's saved my bacon many times when I decide that I want a louder bit to be a quiet sensitive bit- what, with these fingers? ).

As I say, nitpicking. Johnny Non-Muso won't be none the wiser, or give a toss!

[ChameleonMusic]

Excellent, just as I expected it would be. And that's kind of the problem when you're THAT good. People kind of expect it and take it for granted.

It may not be fair, but it's life.

It's these times I'm glad I'm not that good. What a burden.

Cheers Wags - glad you enjoyed it!

What's not to enjoy? You do music for a living, right?

Ha! I try to!

32 yrs - part-time music / music tech teacher and lecturer (retired May 2020 - weird timing, I know)
26 years running Chameleon Music, my composing / sound design business alongside the above...low level income each year, but worth it...that is until the Pandemic!

Retirement from teaching was planned before Covid hit with the intention of taking the composing up to a full time business to supplement my pension...staying patient on that one...I'm happy, keeping locked down and safe...maybe sometime this year I can re-launch it all, but at the moment it's all ground to a halt on the professional composing front! But, I know that there are worse situations out there by a long way so I have never whinged about it...well not much anyway!

[ChameleonMusic]

As always, really, really well done.

Now..with me nitpicker guitarist head on..

The acoustic has a lovely sound but is a leetle bit static and 'mechanical' (for wont of a better term), both within phrases and over time - the latter being more noticeable as it stays at the same level in the crescendos. Mebbe just nudge some of the notes here and there (particularly in picking there's always a little bit of internal 'swing') , tweak some of the velocities, and/or automate the high end eq a little (that's saved my bacon many times when I decide that I want a louder bit to be a quiet sensitive bit- what, with these fingers? ).

As I say, nitpicking. Johnny Non-Muso won't be none the wiser, or give a toss!

DT - ALWAYS nitpick away at my music...I appreciate it from people like you who I know do it 'from a good place' as such!

The acoustic guitar, as I think you realise from your comments was played live on my keyboard - it's actual 2 layered sample libraries in Kontakt.

bit static and 'mechanical'

i think you have a valid point there...I eventually copped out cos of time and copied and pasted bits instead of my original intention of playing the gtr live all the way through...i suspect that I've overdone the quantize very slightly...I have a 'control freak' gene that needs taming from time to time! NOTE MADE for next time - thank you!

the latter being more noticeable as it stays at the same level in the crescendos.

It actually does rise with the crescendos, but I think it could definitely be a little more without a doubt...agreed!

tweak some of the velocities, and/or automate the high end eq a little

Yeah, it's not responsive enough in some ways - especially at the high velocity end...I did sync the filter to open more at the top end, but it could've been pushed a little more for a more natural sound...again, noted for the future.

I don't think any of the above detract too seriously from the overall effect I was after in this one as the guitar is generally in the background once the melody instruments enter, but I will keep an ear on all this next time...and maybe take a deep breath and play it all the way through as well...it's a sod to do though...I can play the piano more than competently (hopefully anyway) but playing it 'like a guitar' is totally different and quite unnatural if that make sense?