Messages

Phemar,

Could you post the time at which the altered version of the theme starts?  I think I know, but I just want to make sure.  Thanks!

Thanks!  Yes, the idea is that you'd use at least two versions of the same theme in one cohesive piece.

It occurred to me that I forgot to mention why on earth you would ever want to do this in one of your compositions anyway.  There are three main reasons that I can think of:

• Thematic consistency.  In other words, different parts of your piece, or different discrete pieces that you write, have the same main themes that the listener recognizes.  This helps your music to "stick together" better.  Those of you who (like me) enjoy the Battle for Wesnoth may be interested to note a recent post on the music forums about exactly this topic.
• Symbolism.  In many different types of music, but especially film music, certain characters, scenes, activities, etc. are represented by their own theme.  When these characters/scenes are in different states -- happy, fighting, romantic, etc. -- the theme will metamorphose as appropriate.  For example, everybody* recognizes the Darth Vader theme from Star Wars, which appears several times throughout the film in different guises.  Or for an example in classical music, take Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev.  The "Peter" theme is stated pretty plainly at first, but appears many times throughout the piece -- for example, as a pastoral theme while Peter is wandering through the woods, and as a grand march at the end during the big parade to the zoo.
• Subliminal messages.  Sometimes a composer will take a well-known melody and use it in a subtly altered way in his own music in order to subliminally conjure up emotions in the listener.  For example, in Jonah, A VeggieTales Movie (hey, don't laugh, I have a five-year-old son), the hymn There's a Wideness in God's Mercy, which compares the wideness of God's mercy to that of the sea, is used in various different places.  This subtly reinforces the images (mercy, and the sea) that the film is trying to convey.

* Not really everybody.  Your mileage may vary.  Not applicable in all jurisdictions.  See store for details.

OK, lecture over.  Hopefully folks enjoy doing this!

Not bad at all!  You captured the "polka" style, and it does sound somewhat Mexican.  And as far as I can tell (though I'm no expert at brass instruments), I think you stayed in the range and ability of all your instruments -- although the high E would be difficult for amateur trumpet players.

Not a lot of time to elaborate here (my wife wants to get on the computer ), but here are a few quick thoughts:

• The bass line is rather repetitive, and it takes a while to get into the piece.
• To make it sound more Mexican, I would definitely add some ornamentation, especially some passages with a few fast notes.  Trumpets playing in thirds is typical for traditional Mexican music, and would fit well into this piece.  Try listening to some mariachi music to get an idea of what I'm talking about.
• Some of the percussion seemed a bit over the top -- especially the frequent cymbal crashes.
• I was surprised to hear the chimes.  That instrument didn't really seem to fit with the others.

Hope that helps!

[Contest Rules]

Most tunes, in any genre, contain melodies.  Often, especially in film music or classical music, the same theme will appear multiple times but will sound different in some way each time.  This month's competition challenges you to write a cohesive musical composition that uses the same melody at least twice, in two different ways.

Here's an example.  (I'm using my own music, not because it's so wonderful, but rather because I know I won't get in trouble with copyright restrictions and so forth. )

• The winning piece from the Monster Under the Bed tune contest (4/17-5/14): Under the Bed (remastered version)
• The Rock-a-bye Baby theme from the first part of the piece: Rock-a-bye Baby Theme
• The monster theme from later in the piece: Monster Theme

Does that monster theme sound familiar at all?  Perhaps if I put a few of those notes in a different octave: Monster Theme Revealed

Yep, that's right, it's a mangled version of Rock-a-bye Baby again.

Contest Rules

• Submission must be at least one minute long
• No restrictions on genre
• Submission must contain at least one theme (of any length) that appears at least twice in the piece, but sounds different somehow (see below for suggestions)
• Submitter must provide the start time within the piece of both the original theme and the metamorphosed version(s) of the theme
• Submissions will be evaluated based on how different the metamorphosed version sounds from the original, cohesion, instrumentation, and interest.  Due to low voter turnout in past tune contests, I will unilaterally select a winner sometime shortly after November 16.

Some Ideas

Here are some ideas for how to alter a theme:

• Change the speed.  This can, for example, make a march sound like a dirge.
• Change from major to minor or vice versa.  Major keys tend to make a piece sound happy; minor keys make a piece sound sad.
• Change the octaves of some notes (Stravinsky does this all the time), or the entire theme.
• Change instrumentation (along with other changes).  Saint-Saens turned a light, fluffy minuet into the Elephant theme in Carnival of the Animals by moving it down three or so octaves, moving the melody to a double bass, slowing it down, and changing the accompaniment.
• Change the time signature.  Danny Elfman did this in the theme music to Mission: Impossible.  The original theme music to the TV show was in 5/4; Danny Elfman's rearrangement used two bars of 4/4 instead, along with different percussion, to achieve a more modern feel.
• Repeat certain notes, or leave certain notes out.
• Reverse the theme, or flip it around the x axis (as it were).  Bach does this all the time.

I'm sure you can think of other ways to change your theme around.   But above all, have fun!

Thank you for the honor!  I have an idea for a competition and plan to get it ready and post it tonight or tomorrow.

Warning: Long-winded and pompous reply to follow! 

Pretty nice, especially for a first attempt at a piano piece!  I'd say it does fairly well at evoking the mood you're trying to accomplish, although I didn't pick up any hints of snow.  That could be done with, say, a celesta or glockenspiel, or a bit more emphasis on the relative minor, especially in high piano chords.

I agree it's a bit long as it stands, but it would be a good length with some alteration.  The main fault that I see it is that it doesn't really seem to have much direction -- it just keeps going on.  There is some nice variation on the main theme, and there's a little change in the main chord sequence at around 1:15, but that doesn't last nearly long enough.

Some ways to add interest and direction are:

* Alter the length of notes in the accompaniment.  For example, switch from eights to sixteenths.
* Alter instrumentation.  Add instruments (to increase tension), or add an obbligato on top of, or a new accompaniment part under your theme (to add interest).
* Alter the rhythmic pattern of the accompaniment, leaving the chord sequence the same.  You do this with the left hand at around 1:30, and it works nicely.  But it stays in the new pattern for too long too.
* Get suddenly softer at some point, then get louder and louder (with some variation) until you hit at least a local climax.
* Alter the chord sequence during some section.
* Change to a different key, including the minor.
* Start an entirely new section with a new theme, then work back to the main theme.
* (more for classical music than new age/light music) Modulate through different keys, slowly decreasing the number of bars (then beats) between each successive modulation, until you reach a big climax in the main key again.

If you want to keep the piece largely as is, I think you could still do so, but you need to vary at least the instrumentation in that case.  In this case, my suggestions would be:

* Elongate the four-measure "bridge" section at 1:15 to around sixteen measures (ditto with similar sections repeated later) -- and preferably not by repeating the same sequence over and over.
* At around 1:30, where the left hand goes into the arpeggiated pattern, add some backing strings, with maybe some oboe on top.  You add some right near the end of the piece, but that sounds a bit out of place, since the rest of the piece is piano solo.  (I know, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, Saint-Saens' "Organ" Symphony, Lauridsen's Chansons des Roses, and undoubtedly other well-known works have done this, but those composers are masters and know how to get away with it. )
* Bring in a few more instruments by around 2:02.
* Use the pedal more on the louder piano section at 2:37, and add most of the instruments you plan to use at this point.  I'd suggest strings playing sixteenth notes in octaves, not very high, e.g. GGF#F#GGDDBBAABBDD (repeated, altered as per chord sequence).  Make it loud but not too loud (maybe just "forte", save the loudest for later). 
* On the second repetition of the louder piano section (~2:40), change something.  For example, add some higher strings playing longer notes, similar to how you have it in the second section.
* Before the return to the softer section at ~2:50, put some kind of pause on the dominant D chord -- with instruments still playing held notes, but a break in the constant pattern, to give closure to the climax that just occurred.
* Make the second half of the piece starting at ~2:50 notably different than the first section in some way -- different instrumentation, different rhythms, different patterns, something.  Otherwise it just feels like you're repeating the piece twice.  Again, yes, some famous classical composers can get away with this (and some can't but do it anyway).
* At the recurrence of the louder section at ~4:15, put some timpani on the bottom G, some strings playing high fast notes, etc.  I really like the little pause before the piano comes in at that point.
* Again, needs something different the second time around at 4:27.
* If you're going to repeat the louder section yet again (~4:41, where the strings currently come in), you really need to vary it somehow.  Put some trumpets in playing a theme-like accompaniment on quarter and half notes, perhaps a restatement of whatever you put in at 2:40.  I don't the strings you have here right now are effective -- they're basically playing one note and don't seem to add much.
* Again, at 5:04, put some kind of break between the end of the climax of the piece and the start of the next section by elongating the D major chord.  Make the following section a quiet solo piano again (like it is now).  Maybe make the left-hand pattern even simpler than it currently is.
* Instead of fading out, my preference at the end would be to play the original theme again simply, just once, and come to a proper close on a G major rolled chord.

Hope that helps!

Audio:
http://www.galluzzo.net/eric/music/Voyage.mp3

Scene:
A grizzled old soldier takes his sailboat out to sea.  He savors the gentle breeze upon his face, the tang of the salt upon his lips, as he lies in his well-worn hammock.  The undulating waves soon soothe him to sleep.

As he sleeps, he dreams of his past, the battles he has fought, the trepidation he has felt.  The old soldier, so used to sleeping outside, does not even notice as the first raindrops begin to fall upon his face, and the wind begins to blow more and more strongly, pushing his boat out to sea.  He dreams that he charges into battle, and waves and waves of men begin to crash upon him.

Suddenly he awakens to find that the waves are crashing upon his boat.  He mans the deck, fighting the waves for a time.  But he soon realizes that his fight is futile, for he is not an expert sailor, and the waves are much stronger than he.  So he humbly bows his head and offers a prayer to God Almighty, as the waves crash about him.  As soon as he has finished, as if in answer, a towering wave smashes his boat, and he plunges down into the water.

The sea is calm, the gale has passed.  Pieces of driftwood float up onto the shore.  Lying upon one piece of driftwood is the old soldier, who slowly rises and offers his thanks to God for preserving his life.

Sorry for the lack of update!  Bartimaeus is unable to host the next one, so I've asked Jens (the close second-place winner) if he will do so.  I'll let you know as soon as I hear from him.

[Best Theme:]

Thanks for voting, everyone!

First, the unmasking....

• #1: Rurbuncle - Soft Piano and Strings - Jens
• #2: Rurbuncle Melancholy - Hammerite
• #3: Flower in the Swamp - Questionable
• #4: Disharmony - InCreator
• #5: Rurbuncle - Pastoral Melody - TwinMoon
• #6: Rurbuncle Forest - Bartimaeus

Next, the results!

Best Theme: #6 (unanimous, with four votes)
Best Mood: #1 (unanimous, with four votes)
Best Loop: #5 (with two votes)

And the grand prize winner, taking Jens' vote into account, is...

Grand Prize: #6: Rurbuncle Forest

Congratulations, Bartimaeus!  I look forward to your next contest.

Well...since we have six entries but only three votes (!), I'm going to extend the voting deadline by one day.  So voting will now end Saturday June 14 11:59pm EST.

[General comments:]

OK, here's my long-winded and pompous post.  As George Bernard Shaw said, "He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches."  And as I've heard before, "He who cannot teach, becomes a critic."  So with that disclaimer....

• Best theme: #6
• Best mood: #1
• Best loop: #5

General comments: Wonderful variety of styles -- it was hard to compare apples to oranges!  I was hoping someone would use an English horn ("an instrument so named because it is neither English nor a horn" -- David Barber); I thought that instrument would communicate the mood very well.

#1: The good: Great overall.  Loved the sound of children playing.  Great mood -- melancholy with a touch of hope and nostalgia, just what I was after.  The neutral: Not much of a theme as such, which works fine with this particular track.  The bad: A bit too short, and not uniform enough, to loop without it being obvious that it's looping.

#2: The good: Pretty decent mood, and good, non-obvious looping.  The bad: There wasn't much musical interest; the samples kept "clicking" rather annoyingly; and I'm not sure the "modern" feel quite matched up with the antique feel of the orphanage scene.

#3: The good: Nice "country" feel, pretty good mood, and great work with the portamentos and instruments in general.  The bad: To my ears, at least, it sounded more like a desert road scene than a rustic orphanage.  Also, it seemed to loop two or three times within the MP3 itself, making the actual loop itself too short to be effective to play for a while.

#4: The good: Interesting panning; decent mood; and long and uniform enough to loop effectively.  The bad: It seems to be basically two chords repeated over and over again, without really going anywhere.  Also, it felt more like a sci-fi soundtrack than an orphanage scene.

#5: The good: Great overall.  I liked the instrumentation, the subtle variation in time signature (4/4 with occasional 3/4 bars), and the folksy feel.  The looping was nearly seamless.  The bad: Although it did seem "nostalgic," to me it didn't feel very melancholy, as the screenplay had dictated.

#6: The good: Very nice.  Decent orchestration.  This was the only one where the theme got stuck in my head for a while after I listened to it.  Great "hope amidst melancholy" by mixing the F major sections in with the D minor main theme.  Good looping -- long enough not to need to be uniform.  Actually, I really liked the musical development, building up to the entry of the strings, and the higher piano nearer the end.  The bad: It seemed too dramatic at times for background music for a simple orphanage scene.

OK, the contest is closed!  Please commence your voting.

Anyone can vote; everyone should vote for at most one candidate in each of the three categories.  In the spirit of constructive criticism, voters are encouraged to say what they liked and disliked about each entry.

You have five days to vote; on Saturday morning (Eastern time) I will announce the winners.

InCreator,

Thanks for pointing that out!  I've altered the prizes accordingly.

Bartimaeus,

I've got an account there but I'm pretty sure I didn't enter a credit card number -- I selected the "free account" option, whatever it was called.  At least, if they start charging my credit card, I'll be mighty upset.

In other news, I just added entry #6 above.  Just two days to go!

Entry #5 added for your listening pleasure.

Entry #4 added today!

Updated original post with a new entry...enjoy!

Thanks!

I've updated the original post with a new entry.  Keep 'em coming!

Funny -- I grew up in northeastern Kansas (Lenexa, to be exact) and am now in Cincinnati, OH, USA.  I lived for five years in Great Britain (Wolverhampton then Cambridge) in between.  I've enjoyed pretty much everywhere I've lived.  Cincinnati is pretty boring if you're single, but now that I've got a wife and kid, we enjoy it pretty well.   Also, the arts here are great considering how small (2mil-ish) the metropolitan area is.

I just updated the original post with the first entry that's already come in, as well as the fact that you can PM me instead of emailing me a link to your entry.