BlazingDragon's audio Reviews on Newgrounds

[Asian Workshop]

--NGAUC Review--

Oh man, if this piece were only fleshed out!

I think this is one of the most unique tracks in this round of the contest. The chord progression is colorful and there are lots of tasty sounds that catch my attention, like the wind chimes. There is some subtle noise in the background at the beginning...I'm not sure what it is, but I actually really like the texture it adds. Kind of like an old record player.

My biggest problem with this, obviously, is the length. At just under a minute and a half, there isn't much development or contrast. This piece almost feels like an extended intro, which is unfortunate considering how enjoyable it is. I wanted it to keep going, to hear where things would go. Outside of that, I have to agree with johnfn regarding the kick. I think it didn't mesh well with the track, and to me it was a bit overly aggressive.

Really cool stuff and I enjoyed it a lot! Just needs to be filled out more.

Score: 7.7/10

[Sledgehammer]

--NGAUC Review--

Good mixing on this track, but...There isn't a whole lot to mix. The track is sparse. Not a lot of melodic material going on, nothing particularly interesting in the chord progression, and not a lot of development. This isn't a bad track, but there's not enough going on to make it a particularly good track either. It's quite repetitive, and the ending gave me a sad face. :(

You might consider adding a contrasting section with a different chord progression in the middle, or adding rhythmically active counter-melodies to what you've got here. The melody that comes in at 1:00 is simple, slow, and repeats for a very long time. You could pit some nimble counter-melodies against that for contrast.

What you've got here is a decent foundation, but it needs more compositional depth to be compelling.

Score: 5.8/10

[Boundaries]

--NGAUC Review--

Dude, I LOVE the energy level in this piece! Within seconds I had a stupid grin on my face and was moving with the music. In that sense, this track was a welcome change of pace during the course of my judging for this round.

First, some of the things I like:

-The melody is catchy and rhythmically interesting, and I love all the little runs and turns
-Transitions were tasteful. I like how you started with chiptune style drums, added a four-on-the-floor kick, and then layered more increasingly complex percussion on top of that
-Contrast between sections. I love the rising falling tension around 2:30 and the vengeful comeback at 2:59!
-Loads of automation and shifting colors

Suggestions:
-The ending fade out could last another bar or two. For how energy-packed the preceding material is, I feel the track should either end with a bang or have a little more time to wind down. It felt a bit unbalanced to have the fade out occur so quickly.
-This piece seriously needs a B section. You've got a gut-punching aggressive sound that rips my attention to your piece, but you don't have enough contrast to keep the energy and my attention focused. There is a lot of development in the sound design and subtle details such as percussion, but that's icing-on-the-cake stuff. The foundation needs more contrast. There are loads of ways to achieve this, and here are just a few ideas: add a section with a different melody and chord progression, change tempo, change keys, drop out the percussion entirely for several measures, add a solo/improvised section, change registers, pass the melody between different instruments or octaves...There are a million ways you can achieve contrast. The important thing is that you have a section that is really different than what proceeded it, something that makes sense in the context of your piece but forces the listener to pay attention and be like, "Oh man, new material!" The more you can do to make your listener engage with the piece, the better. Write music in such a way that people wonder what's going to come next and cause them to ask questions of the music. Repeat something, lay a pattern, and just before it gets old, throw something entirely new at the listener to catch them off guard and laugh in awe of your genius! Writing interesting music is an act of juggling tension and release, surprise and predictability. It's reeling people in to a great story and keeping their eyes glued to you in expectation until the very last word.

You've got such an enjoyable gem of a track here, and I really want to rate it higher! There's that one critical flaw in the foundation though, that weakness in the form that holds this back from being excellent. Keep writing music, and try to think about your material from the perspective of a new listener. Keep asking yourself what you can do better, what you can learn from each track you make.

I'm looking forward to hearing more of your material down the road!

Score: 6.8/10

Adhenoid responds:

Whoa, thank you very much for your long and detailed review and suggestions! It really helps me getting the bigger picture!! I will keep making music and thanks for looking forward to it!!

Cheers! :D

[Counter-Cathexes[Piano]]

Your piece has beautiful chord progressions and pleasant melodic ideas. The first eleven seconds are particularly interesting in the way the piano line rises in an arpeggio and then falls in block chords.

The bulk of this piece consists of left hand arpeggios and sustained melodic tones. This lends to a airy, impressionistic atmosphere. I wish within that there would be more melodic development (like you start to touch on at 4:54). Try using more of the piano's range, and perhaps consider creating some counter-melodies. Varying the accompaniment pattern more might prove beneficial. The length of this piece would be more justifiable with more tension and release. I believe Chopin nocturnes to be a goldmine of ideas regarding melodic development.

You've got a beautiful framework down, and I'd love to hear it developed further. Looking forward to more of your music!

HeAvEn-SmiLE responds:

Hello!

Wow, I didn't expect to see that, this is a truly aspiring review, I'll be honest, and sorry to disappoint you: I just learnt to play the piano by myself that year, I have no official formation, So I'm not familiar with any of the vocabulary you just used.

But, I don't want to simply say that, so I took some time to fully understand the review, and this is a really impressive, informative and joyful review you just sent me there.

This version is actually the light version of what I would like to make, the sustain melodic tones are supposed to be mostly interpreted by a lyrical female singer, and there would be a lot of FX's inspired by Flying Lotus, Fergusson, Silent Hill, and Ed Harrison (strings, Atmospheric sounds etc.)

And yes, this version isn't finalized also, I understand that I'm acting as a repetitive goof for this one, and the version I can now play is definitely better, and the next version, that will be settled in the official soundtrack will be much different.

Now, I thank you a lot for your review as I'm currently discovering some of the Chopin Nocturnes to find some inspiration, also, the words you used, how you structured your review about the music is outstandingly one of the most honnest and aesthetic review I've recieved on NG, for that my friend, I can only thank you, but I'll find a way to catch up!

[In his darkened heart]

Did you perform both the violin and the piano parts? If so, you did fantastic! Just a couple minor timing issues, but very nice overall. I would love to hear this orchestrated. <3

Lumina33 responds:

Yeah I did this :) thanks a lot! :D
An orchestrated version could be very nice indeed!

[Crystal Cave]

I love your chord progression starting at 1:13, and the little piano riff in the background is lovely. I can totally imagine this in an RPG! :D

What's your musical background?

Lumina33 responds:

Hello, and thank you so much! :D
I didn't understand your question, what do you mean? :)

[a summer memory]

Ha! You love on those descending chromatic progressions almost as much as me! You also like borrowed chords (especially the bVI and bVII), my favorites. And the bluesy IV7 chord around :44 is a nice touch. Ooo, and a borrowed iv later on. <3

Lovely chord progression beginning on the vi at 1:16. I wish you would have improvised around those 4 chords longer. They give such nice contrast, but they also follow the style of the chromatic decension you use at the beginning of the improv. My favorite part next to that is when you repeat the main melody in a higher octave at 3:26. That's another thing I like to do!

Really nice improv. The best thing about it is that you found a melody and came back to it enough that it felt like you had a direction in mind. I'd be interested in hearing one of your really adventurous improvisations sometime. :D

I'll leave you with a fun exercise I like to spark creativity. Have someone else play four our five different random notes in a row on the piano (within an octave). Then use that set as a motif to improv around. Choose a rhythm for those notes. Try to fit harmony to them. It can be challenging, but I think it's really fun as well!

johnfn responds:

Thanks BD! You know how much I admire your improv skills... :O

I'll have to try out your improv exercise sometime. :) (I've actually been doing something similar recently, but with chords...)

[Rhythm of the Kong]

Man, this is fantastic stuff! I hope you get more followers here on NG. I think your stuff is way more impressive than mine to be honest. XD

You've got a new fan!

[Ruination and Lament]

I like the arpeggiated segment that references Moonlight Sonata. Cool! Also, nice use of syncopation in spots.

You've got some good ideas, and I like how there is a sort of building to the section starting at 1:53. That part feels like a climax. The part going from 2:10 until the end breaks the continuity though. It feels like a totally different piece, unrelated thematically, harmonically, and emotionally. It's like the piece is building and building and then falls a bit flat, especially with how the last note is the fifth of a major tonic triad. This makes it feel unresolved but it something of a strange way.

That aside, there were many good things, and you have a pretty good sense of counterpoint (multiple melodies interacting at the same time). Work on structure/development with future piece. Make sure it sounds like you have an intentional shape to the entire piece. Be sure that you can identify where you climax is, where your point of lowest energy is, ask yourself if your transitions add or detract, etc.

The point is: be intentional and ask yourself plenty of questions. This will help you improve.

Good job. :)

kilderstret responds:

Thanks for giving this a listen, I really appreciate it! I have to mention though, that I know next to nothing about music theory, so I had to look up a few of the technical phrases you've mentioned. :P

I have noticed the ending feeling a little off, but didn't really know how to proceed with fixing it, so I just left it as it was. I'll definitely take your advice and change it up a bit, maybe scrap it for something entirely different. Transitions and breaks are definitely my weak points, as I have trouble going from one melody to the next. I do like how the part at 1:42 turned out, if I may say so myself hehe. Plus I still have to learn to use the program itself, and the functions and whatnot.

Thanks again for listening and reviewing, they definitely help! :)