Ase's Death ( Top40 Radio smash??)

[DavidK]

OK, maybe not

This is kinda strange. Its the middle mvmt of an 18 minute piece, the outer mvmts are fairly straight-forward. This one is called Ase's death, the key word being DEATH. Any comments are welcome, in particular I would like to know if this makes any sense at all to you. Its rather abstract.

No drugs were consumed in making this recording. Feel free to consume yours. Music by Grieg, from a suite called Peer Gynt.

Ase's Death

 

[rayc]

My Fav Grieg THANK YOU.
This is great David. There are a couple of either edits or pauses I thought a tad abrupt at 1.30 & 1.38 but that's just my taste & take on it I think.
As a stream the background bottom end fill is coming out more as noise - appropriate noise but less musical - I'm certain it the steamer.
When I shut my eyes to listen I flipped straight into the assisted death scene from Solyent Green - I know it's not the same piece but it had the same effect on me, peace, pain, weariness & loss all tied up together.
Conceptually it works beautifully.
Do you plan to add your violins to the piece or leave it as electronica? I only ask as it works very well as is. Then again, real tension & vibrato from your fingers would add even greater depth.
Certainly makes me want to go downstairs & tune up m'cello for a saw along session - something I will do when I've secured the MP3 though not tonight (10.52pm at present & the cello is WAY out of tune). I'd only learnt the intro to this piece when my 'cello teacher moved away.
I'll comment again when I've had a chance to listen to the MP3.
GREAT STUFF.

 

[ido1957]

This Grieg piece is coming along nicely.

Excellent playing - it flows really smooth from start to finish.

You've made this part sounds like its being performed a large choir of voices. It has a wind-like quality to the sounds...maybe like flutes or some kind of woodwind would make.

The piece invokes images of darkness, shadows, and a solemn sadness.

This piece would fit well in a movie soundtrack. It feels like the ending of a story; the part where people just stare and think silently to themselves. (About the trajic death of Ases originally I suppose).

Very dark and powerful piece.

I need to refer back to your previous post to get the order of this Grieg thing. Then I can put together the parts you've played to see the progression...

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for the listens, Ray and Gerry.

There are a couple of either edits or pauses I thought a tad abrupt at 1.30 & 1.38

Good ears. There are a lot that need fixing and will be fixed. Its not done by a long shot.

As a stream the background bottom end fill is coming out more as noise

Good ears #2. Its noisy in general and not exactly my intention. They are noisy patches. I may find different ones or mess with eq. A few are intentional.

Do you plan to add your violins to the piece

It would be sacrilege (sp?) NOT to add violins to this.

Bottom line: this is SOMETHING like how it will go. I have no idea what its going to sound like. This is the FEEL.

You've made this part sounds like its being performed a large choir of voices.

I think of this peice as a combo of heaven and hell, heaven being voices, but distorted ones. I have a lot more tracks of electronics that I have muted, they may or may not be added.

 

[sikter]

Well done, David, as always!
I don't know what else to say.
Maybe I should say that I've seen Grieg's house. It is located 7 km south from Bergen.
which is the most beautiful town in Norway.

 

[gbav]

Wow i loved this. I really hope you post another version when you add the violins. Those pads sound great. When you said abstract i thought I was going to have a real hard time following but I found this quite easy and enjoyable to listen to. As far as mix goes I have no idea, it sounds really solid to me. Thanks for the listen, really enjoyed this quite a bit.

Take care

gary

 

[Dogman]

Interesting. The sound is really good, but this piece builds a bit too slowly for me....I'd like to hear it again when you add some strings, to see if that changes the overall feel enough for me. If this were playing behind a show, or in a movie, I'd have a different feel for it. The visual would keep me thinking about the music more.

The sounds are good, but it's not holding my interest very well at this point.

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for the listens Sikter, Gary and Ed.

The sounds are good, but it's not holding my interest very well at this point.

Not really surprising. It's not particularly accessible at first. This is one of those classical pieces (IMO) that one has to live with and hear a bunch of times, then there is an epiphanal moment that one says "AAaaaaaah". In other words, its boring.

Ironically, the other 3 pieces that make up this suite have the opposite effect, they are hummable and much more well-known. Hopefully they will carry this one.

 

[cmhansen]

Not really surprising. It's not particularly accessible at first. This is one of those classical pieces (IMO) that one has to live with and hear a bunch of times, then there is an epiphanal moment that one says "AAaaaaaah". In other words, its boring.

I don't know. It kind of grabbed me right off the bat. But I love things like this and Barbers 'Adagio for Strings'. Anything slow with feeling. Thanks for sharing. Would like to hear the final version. Post when you get it done.

 

[chazba]

I agree with the others about the "noise". I think its the breathy quality in the vox patches. It makes the ensemble sound so dense that I coundn't easily distinguish the moving lines within the chords . It should be an easy fix though.

chazba

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for the comments, CM and Chazba

I agree with the others about the "noise". I think its the breathy quality in the vox patches. It makes the ensemble sound so dense that I coundn't easily distinguish the moving lines within the chords

Its a combination of

1. Noisy patches

2. A patch that sounds like noise

There are a lot more patches on here than you think, its heavily layered. I think there are too many. One patch in particular is basically a white noise-like patch. It sounded killa alone but doesnt make any sense with the rest.

All the Roland voice/choir patches are noisy. When you stack up several, it becomes SUPER-noisy.

Thanks everyone for the good comments. There is a lot to learn in the mp3 clinic, this place is VERY helpful. I can always tell here which of my pieces are "hits" and which are "misses", this one is a "miss". It needs some major retooling, the idea is good and the piece is good but it's not working in its current incarnation. I will try a version with strings, if this piece is done right it should be a lot more intense and its not working right now.

I think I am gonna scrap this and start from scratch. I dont often do that, but my perspective is gone and I need a fresh look at it again. Gimme a few days...

 

[XLR]

A good listen. I like the breathy quality and overall blend. A few spots where the attack or decay of an "Ahhh" is abrubt, but no big deal.

Sikter, I know what you mean about seeing a composer's house. When I was in Paris I walked by Satie's place and neighborhood... memorable and gave a different perspective to hearing and playing his music.

 

[DavidK]

Thanks for listening Tim.

I have been to Mozart's house in Salzburg. Its more of a Museum than house and very commercial.

I prefer seeing concert halls, thats where the real action is. I have played in the Musikverien in Vienna several times, and the history is incredible. Hard to imagine who has worked there, people like Brahms. I play in Severance Hall (Cleveland) one week a month, and there are pictures everywhere backstage of everybody over the years. Copland symphonies and Walton pieces were premiered there, and every artist since 1931 has played there. Its a VERY cool place. Ironically, I play for the Pops Orchestra there, so I am usually playing Showtunes or playing with people like Jewel.

 

[XLR]

... concert halls, thats where the real action is.

No argument about that. Different though... more dramatic, less personal.

 

[DavidK]

I have had this all wrong. It needs to be set in a church. Pipe organs, Choir, Bells, strings, etc. I was messing with organ on this and it sounds great, I will finish it in a few days.

 

[chazba]

Ooooo-yeaaaaaaah