Upon Green Hills (WIP)
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soundandfury
- Posts: 10
- Joined: April 23rd, 2009, 9:49 pm
- Location: Cambridge, UK
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Upon Green Hills (WIP)
So, having been an avid Wesnoth player for several versions (and a cornet player for several years), I decided to have a go at writing some music for the game.
Most of the Wesnoth music seems fairly restless (which is fair enough for a game with "Battle" in the title...), so I decided to write something a bit more laid-back: "Upon Green Hills (A Pastoral Poem)". The version linked to is unfinished; it stops after about 2:10 which is really too short, but I think I need to devise some more thematic material if I'm to extend it further without it getting overly repetitive.
Of course, gentle pastoral music always runs the risk of becoming 'an unobtrusive sonic backdrop'; I think I've managed to avoid this, but obviously I'd like to hear others' opinions.
Other things: I'm not really experienced with digital audio; I can usually coax a decent sound out of my sequencer (MuseScore on Ubuntu) and soundfont (FluidSynth) but I'm aware it's not hyper-realistic, especially as I'm relying on the reverb and mixer built into MuseScore rather than recording each track and using a DAW to create the mix. (I read West's guide on pan and reverb and it really made a difference :)
Examples of my previous compositions live at http://jttlov.no-ip.org/music.htm, though many of the older items on that page are MIDIs.
Most of the Wesnoth music seems fairly restless (which is fair enough for a game with "Battle" in the title...), so I decided to write something a bit more laid-back: "Upon Green Hills (A Pastoral Poem)". The version linked to is unfinished; it stops after about 2:10 which is really too short, but I think I need to devise some more thematic material if I'm to extend it further without it getting overly repetitive.
Of course, gentle pastoral music always runs the risk of becoming 'an unobtrusive sonic backdrop'; I think I've managed to avoid this, but obviously I'd like to hear others' opinions.
Other things: I'm not really experienced with digital audio; I can usually coax a decent sound out of my sequencer (MuseScore on Ubuntu) and soundfont (FluidSynth) but I'm aware it's not hyper-realistic, especially as I'm relying on the reverb and mixer built into MuseScore rather than recording each track and using a DAW to create the mix. (I read West's guide on pan and reverb and it really made a difference :)
Examples of my previous compositions live at http://jttlov.no-ip.org/music.htm, though many of the older items on that page are MIDIs.
Last edited by soundandfury on April 6th, 2011, 4:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Tyler Johnson
- Music Contributor
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- Joined: April 20th, 2008, 11:47 pm
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Re: Upon Green Hills (WIP)
Just downloaded it. I'll have a listen and post comments on it later. Welcome to the forums!
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soundandfury
- Posts: 10
- Joined: April 23rd, 2009, 9:49 pm
- Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: Upon Green Hills (WIP)
I've extended it with a new middle section, which is meant to represent a village dance with the church bell tolling away in the background.
The new version lasts 3'42", and is (in the structural sense) complete. It is not, however, finished; there are still a few bits I'm not happy with.
One thing I'm unsure about is the bell part in the opening; I'm worried that it weakens the sense of key too much, and that it sticks out a bit.
Also the transitions to and from the new material could probably use some work.
[edit: I've changed my mind: I am happy with how the transitions sound. Apart from possibly some jiggering with extra reverb, it's finished]
The new version lasts 3'42", and is (in the structural sense) complete. It is not, however, finished; there are still a few bits I'm not happy with.
One thing I'm unsure about is the bell part in the opening; I'm worried that it weakens the sense of key too much, and that it sticks out a bit.
Also the transitions to and from the new material could probably use some work.
[edit: I've changed my mind: I am happy with how the transitions sound. Apart from possibly some jiggering with extra reverb, it's finished]
Last edited by soundandfury on April 6th, 2011, 4:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Upon Green Hills (WIP)
Seeing as no one has said anything maybe I can prompt some opinions. Apart from the cracklyness/quality of the file, I think it's fantastic, it's got a lovely mood, atmosphere and plenty of movement, it isn't however battle music, but it would go perfectly over some parts of the story telling or even menus 