Gijs

Done!

I decided I will never attempt to make money with music/art anymore. I promised myself to refrain from any actions that might hold the promise of making money with music/art. I came to this drastic conclusion, because I realized how much my longing to make a living from music was pressing on me. My musicmaking progress would usualy follow the same path. I would start out realy loving making music, but as the days go by I feel more and more pressed to try to make money. Since it's so frustrating to do so with out compromising I felt more and more irritated, even to the point of me feeling apathic towards others when I was occupied with music. By this point I would stop doing art for a few days. I would feel much better and then return to making music. The process continued again till I felt I had to stop. I couldn't realy figure out what the problem was. I recently realized I would feel like this because of the frustration of working my ass of without any kind of possibility to make something out of it. Do you recognize this? If so, how do you handle it? And if not, how come? I decided to get money out of the eqaution. I feel greatly liberated, but also a bit sad, since I will never life from art. I have plenty of other options, so my choose doesn't require any major changes. Still, I ended a dream. A very frustrating one, but still a dream.

You're added!

Added!

Ok, your on there!

Yes, that's actualy the idea behind the list This way we can keep track of eachother on YT. Consider yourself a Sonstuffer on Youtube! I added you.

Added

Added and subscribed!

I'll add you to the list and I'll subscribe to your channel.

Thanks, Tom! I'll add it to the list. Let me know what your experiences with this competition are!

Your welcome. That's the whole idea of this thread. The Original Song Contest is a great competition. I understood they where btween seasons at the moment. I'm not sure when they start again. Mystonian is also a great contets. Let me know what your experiences are when you participate!

You have a great sound. Vocaly and on the guitar. Would you like me to add you to the Songstuffers on Youtube list? (http://forums.songstuff.com/topic/23817-the-songstuffer-on-youtube-list/page__pid__154912#entry154912)

I added your youtube channel to the list. And I subscribed to you.

Here are my reflections on a first piece concidering the methode's I metioned in the OP. Here's the piece (It's a piece for two voices. In this case two piano voices). : Analyses It starts with an introduction of the main theme in the highest voice. This voice is playing solo. A solo is the strongest way to focus attention to a voic. I think it's realy important to give both voices time to introduce themselfs. The strongest way to let a voice get to the foreground is by letting it play solo. Aftee the highest voice plays the main theme solo the lowest voice does the same. The highest voice does play a few notes to keep te attention of the listener high. I didn't realy do this very well. I ment to repeat the maintheme by playing only the most important notes, but it's not realy obvious I tried to do that there. This gives a bit confusion as to whether the voices is telling something new and should get the full attention. This goes even stronger for the highest voice, since we are naturaly inclined to give it our attention. After the two voices introduced themself the highest voice repeats the main theme again. This time the lowest voice plays only the last part of the main theme. It's a partial repeat, but the effect is the same of repeating the main theme in it's entirety. The highest voice plays some elaborations on the main theme, while the lowest voice keeps repeats the first sentence of the main theme and later the main notes of the main theme (during the second elaboration on the main theme by the highest voice). Following is an elaboration on the maintheme by the lowest voice, while the highest voice plays the last part of the main theme. The elaboration of the lowest voice isn't realy done very well. Because it lingers a bit it doesn't really attract the attention like it should. I could have played some ornaments there. That way the focus would have gone to the lowest voice more strongly. The attention does go the lowest voice when the dynamics go up. Then the two voices grab the attention one after the other in a rather quick succession. The highest voice grows in dynamic and thus taking the foreground. Besides the grow in dynamics there are nomerous chromatic notes that grab the attention. The elaboration (rather weak one, since the main theme is not realy recongniseable) ends with a long trill. The lowest voice takes the foreground, while the highest voice repeats the last part of the main theme again. The elaboration of the lowest voice isn't realy strong aswell, since the main theme isn't realy recognisable here either. Now there is a little part where both voices are in the foreground. I triy to play them in strict counterpoint rules (predominantly 3th and 6th between the voices). There are probebly a lot of mistakes, so the effect is rather weak. After this there's a alternation between little solo leading us back into the main theme. The highest voice introduces the main theme again (In E major). The lowest voice repeats it, while the highest voice plays the last part of the main theme with some variations. Then follows a sequence of alternation between the voices having little solo's. This folllowed by the two voice playing chords simultaneously (in C# minor with a c natural in the scale). By playing the same the piece gives an effect of consolidation of the voices. Atleast, that was the idea. Now there is a part where the voice play in (an attemp to) strict counterpoint. The lowest voice has an accompaniment-like feel. This isn't a good thing, since it suggests it's the baackground voice, while I didn't want it to be that. I could have done this better by adding in some ornaments in the lowest voice. That would have broken the accompaniment-like feel. The lowest voice turns into a solo after this. The highest voice repeats the last part of the main theme in a spreas-out fashion. After a little alteration between the voices, a little solo of the highest voice leads to the main theme again (in A major), played by the highest voice. The lowest voice repeats a falling segment it played a few bars earlier (during the alternation of the voices). By playing something from before the cadens the lowest voice gives the feeling of not complying to the highest voice, who is playing the main theme again. The lowest voice doesn't want to go back yet. This effect is a little weak, because the falling segment doesn't really have a strong character to it. I could have made it stronger by making it sound more "angry". For example by playing in C# minor. By repeating the last part of the main theme (it's biggest charasteristic is that falling last note) there a sence of consilidation. This is a nice part of the piece for me. To bad that falling segment of the lowest voice didn't realy work ou. otherwise the consolidating effect would be much stronger. Now the highest voice plays an elaboration while the lowest voice plays the last part of the main theme with some variations. The highest voice ends in a long trill, while the highest voice plays an elaboration. After the trills, as the lowest voice is still elaborating, the highst voice plays variations on the last part of the main theme again. The piece ends with simultaneous chords and a final cadence by the lowest voice. Reflection The are a couple things I could have done better. There are a few instances where I forgot the main theme material and played some random notes. This is bad for the clarity of the piece. Esspecialy when this happens in the background voice. It forces the listener to pay attention to something new. In general what this piece realy misses is a deep ineteraction between the voices. I tried to play "by my own rules" in this piece. The interaction between the voices isn't realy there yet. I will try to better this in my next piece. Stay tuned.

There are a couple of musical style I realy enjoy. In chronological order: Baroque, Romantism and the 60's. My development as a musicwriter are centered around my attemps to combine these styles. I'm developing a methode to do so. I will descripe this methode in this opening post. It will be under development constantly. I hope to discover something new to add in on a regular basis. In the following posts I will post (a link to) a piece/song I wrote in order for me to discuss what it's relation is to the progress in developing this methode. Here's the methode: Eclectic counterpoint 1. Introduction The syle of music revolves around the interaction between two or more voices. All voices have a distinct lyrical character. They "come together"in the piece and interact. They go thru all sorts of interactions and influence eachother thruout. 2. Clearity The goal for the composer is to keep the interaction clear. The listener should be able to distinquise between the voices without having to strain to much. Mulitple voices The essence of eclectic counterpoint is to let several melodic voices sound simultaneously. However, the listener will only be able to focus on one voice at the time. To keep a sence a clearity a single voice has to clearly be in the background or in the foreground. There are several tips and tricks to do so. The foreground The most powerfull way to get a voice to the foreground is by a solo. Clearity is no issue in this case. The background A voice can assume a background role by repeating harmonies or melodic intervals. A strong way to stay in the background is by repeating the main theme. Background and foreground simultaneously The fore and background voices can sound togetehr by the use of strict counterpoint. Don't overuse this technique, because it will strain the listener. From back to fore ground To bring the focus to a background voice you can: - Play ornaments. - Play enharmonic notes. - A change in dynamics. 3. Segments of the piece/song In this chapter I will discuss the diffenent segments of a piece/song. The introduction It is important to give all voice the time to introduce themself. The strongest way to do so is to give all voices a solo in the introduction. This way the listener can get used to the existence of multiple voices. The cadens It gives a strong effect to cadens with a solo. The ending A final cadens with a solo also gives a strong effect during the ending. 4. Methodes of interaction In this chapter I will discuss different methodes to achieve certain types of interactions. Disagreeing A sence of disagreement can be achieved by: - Denying a modulation by one of the voice towards a second voice. - Denying a thematic change.

I quess what the OP ment was: Hey guys, if you like instrumental music, listen to my piano cover! Whether or not we like intsrumental music in general is probebly not what he had in mind. I'm not sure, but still pretty sure. If you are going to answer the general question it's think it's important to keep in mind that instrumental music is kind of a extremely broad subject. There has been instrumental music for as long as we humans make music and it has come to us in numerous ways. I could either write a book about it or say: Yes, I do.

I had a conversaton with my father a while ago about music in general. At one point the conversation plunged into the inevitable subject of commercial music. We both came to the conclusion that there is a destinction between art-music and commercial music, but it's very hard to draw the line. A little background information: When my father was a teenager he was a big fan a John Lennon. His first big musical cruss was on Imagine. There might be a thruth in saying his love for popmusic started when popmusic was on it's best. Like many of his generation, and also of other generations, he feels that it all went downhill from then on. He and I both have a aversion against music that is made soley to make money. We can both realy enjoy music that is a product of artistry. We started to try to draw a line between the two, but it proved to be difficult. I think many agree when I state that Sgt Pepper is more artsy then Biebers new album (if not: why?). But, when Brithney sings the vocal part of Baby with all her heart, shouldn't the singing part of that song be considered art, but the rest of it not? If Rebecca Black thruly felt Friday was a song she could poor her heart in (she's a teenage girl and it's not uninmaginable that she felt connected to the song right?) isn't the vocal part of Friday a piece of art? If the bassline of Ushers You make me wanna is played wholeheartedly isn't that bassline art? But, what is art in popmusic (and in general)? When can we consider a piece of music art and when can't we? What do you think, can we draw a line between artmusic and commercial music in popmusic? And if where?

Yes, that's defenitly the problem. I had my mic placed right next to the computerfan. I did a recording in another setting before and the problem of the his wasn't there. I never understood what the difference was. It makes perfect sence now.... haha. Well, thanks for the help guys! (You too, John)

Yeah, see. I'm at a point where I don't really know a lot about a the terms and such yet. So, in order to noet get overwhelmed to much, I tend to ignore the detailed information and focus on what I can comprehend at the moment. But maybe a lot of other readers found your article to be very helpfull. You never know, right?

It's a low end usb-mic. It's MXL studio 1.

Sorry, John. Didn't mean to ignore you! I think I didn't respond to your post, because it's so jammed with information that I couldn't encompass it when I read it. I was busy tingling with the denoiser at the time. Seemed like a great solution. I should have read your post more carefully, because the solution was already in it..... Forgive me... Haha..

Yes, that's the source of the hissing. It's standing next to my computer and it's recording the computersounds. The hiss is far less after I put it futher away from the computer. Good call!

Hello members, In this thread I will make a list of contests you could enter with your youtube musicvideo's. If you know of any that are not in this list, please post a reply to this thread. If you have any experience with these contests be sure to share them with us! Youtube original song contests: Mystonicrecords http://www.mystonicrecords.com/ Original song contest http://www.youtube.c...inalSongContest Kozmic Dreams Popular Song Event https://kozmickonstr...ORM-_ep_86.html ..more to come....

To me there is actualy but one rule in music that ought to be followed (just my opinion): Part writing. Whatever you do, make sure all parts/voices/lines are complete on their own. Can you listen to the drums alone without thinking: "Huh? Why is there a bar missing out of the blue". Or: "What a strange change al of a sudden". It may sound simple but it's far from it and it is done wrong almost all the time. When people write chords they often think: This chord sounds nice after this chord etc. They forget that they are actually writing 3 or 4 (depending on the chords) melodic lines that tend to form chords, but in essence they aren't writting chord progressions. They are doing partwriting. They bass goes up a fifth and down a sixt for example. This is not nice most of the time, but it isn't realy noticed since it's a chord structure that's being percieved. I think partwriting has a huge influence on how well a song works. If it's done badly you can hear the song "not working very well". If it's done wright they song makes sence, no matter the genre. I think Beethoven's late string quartets are the perfect example of the importance and power of good partwriting. The chords in his 'songs' are often strange and certainly unconventional, but the song works to an profound extend due to the almost perfect partwriting. And the songs Beethoven wrote are not that different from what Abba or Queen or Britney Spears do/did in essence. They combine melodic lines. You could argue that Beethovens songs are more elaborate and profound, but in the basis they are the same. All harmonic music is. So, to the OP: Study partwriting. Haha, I'm sorry if this is a bit of topic, but I hope it will give you something to digest. Now or in the future.