Don't pay attention to the stupid "waveform" image above, it's just there trying to be pretty. Here's a bit of totally useless messing around with music, with story telling in mind (as always for me).
Tonight I felt like playing a bit with the woodwinds. Here's a simple line of oboe (which is of course copyrighted and that you should NOT rip to use anywhere else:)):
1-Oboe
Then I added a bit of piano to kind of "cue" the Oboe melody, and a bit of harp in the background. It starts to sound a bit like a mother/child relation ship to me :)
2-oboe+piano+harp
Here I tried to replace the harp by a gentle celesta part, it now sounds a bit as if the scene was more set in childhood (but obviously the focus wouldn't be the child itself or else I would swap the oboe for a "cuter" lead; so the result sounds more like "childhood" than "child" to me.
3-oboe+piano+celesta
So finally I droped the celeste and re-put the harp instead for more "readability" and a warmer sound. I droped the piano as well and I doubled the oboe with a flute and finally added a simple part of backing strings chords to make the result sound "fuller" and more emotional (the string section is the most emotional tool in the whole orchestra I guess). Ho by the way: flute + harp = pure magic ! (easy I know but it works just so well).
4-oboe+flute+harp+strings
I think the flute and oboe playing in unison just sound so wonderful, they have such a strong narrative power ! And I intend to use this combination a lot. :)
It's past 2 in the morning and I would really like to build a true "tiny tutorial of basic orchestration for dummies" right now, but tomorrow I have to go to my faaking job, where I feel as useless as an unijambist in an ass-kicking contest. I'm always thinking that maybe when I have the guts to quit I'll have more time to put my back into music and orchestration and my piano lessons a lot more, but I know I'm gonna end up doing everything but that... Still playing too much Mame and trying to improve my BlitzBasic skills (for the good of the world though! :)). I'm just so depressed right now.
I'd rather kill myself than live a whole life knowing that I never was the composer I wanted to be. I have to convince myself all again that this is what I do, this is what I am, a composer. But the last five years at Lameloft really had a negative impact on my self-confidence and actual ability I guess. Anyway nobody ever reads the bullshit I write here, but it just feels somewhat relieving to write it down :)
Everything but the piano => Garritan Personal Orchestra
Piano => Malmsjo Piano from Artvista (which is my secret weapon for a convincing orchestra/piano mix with no effort)
