PIANO CONCERTO #6 - 5

What can I say but "WOW!" My synth is smoking!

I have only a few suggestions for this absolutely wonderful piece, which, in my humble opinion, could be performed at any classical venue and be well received:

I would like to have seen more expression in the ending and beginning of passages (the end, in particular, is pleading for some expression), a bit more volume in the lower register of the piano, and perhaps a bit more expression in volume variations. The piano has a bit much stocatto at times where some smoothness would have helped out. The song seemed a few ticks too fast as well. Then again, I've learned that can vary for me, depending on how tired my brain is. I sometimes go nuts with that, speeding up and slowing down songs depending on when I listen to them. Some attention to quantizing would have helped as well. No piano player hits every key at the exact same time, nor would he or she want to. Please, people: Make it sound realistic!

Picky, picky, picky. This is one h*** of a work!

FIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVEFIVE!

FAR AFRICA - 4.9

Loved the rhythm and overall song! I'd have classified this as "ambient"

DA BULL - 4.8

What a gorgeous tune! My congratulations! I'd tweak this for a bit more variety and expression. It's a keeper!

TWO FACED - 4.7

LAST JOURNEY - 4.6

This is one of those songs that could have been pushed to a 5 had it not been so overly-quantized and lacking in expression. It was a toe-tapper, and should not have been. Overall, it was a very, Very, VERY nice piece. It just needed more attention to detail.

BACH STYLE - 4.5

I'd have been tempted to lean toward a five except for the usual details - towit: More expression in volume variation and more expression in the timing of passages. The ending, in particular, gets down on its knees and begs not to die so suddenly. Finally, some chords rather than just one note in the lower register of the piano would have given the piece a much more rich sound - critical for a solo piano.

Very nice piece! Keep up the good work!

GOBLIN MOUNTAIN - 4.2

This was a very pleasant song to which to listen. Some careful attention to quantizing and, most especially, to expression, may have pushed this to a 5 as well. The soft attack of the strings doesn't lend itself well to the stocatto of the tune. If your sequencer, or an editor you possess, allows, make the strings come on with a harder attack rate. Might work.

FOLLOW THE TRUTH - 4

SHY GUY - 4

MEET ME HALFWAY - 4

KNIGHTS TO BATTLE - 4

I would like to have seen this developed more, but understand it as game music, which necessarily limits its length.

I'd keep this piece and develop it fully.

As for the piece as general music, some notes/chords would have been more effective with a just a bit more stocatto. It is too much locked into march-step quantizing as well. HOWEVER, I really liked the composition! It was VERY nice work.

PHOEBE - 3.8

This was a bit long for the variety in passages. A bit more variety, rather than what seemed cut-and-paste, might have pushed it higher.

WHY, WHY DO YOU LOVE ME? - 3.8

I really liked this song. Some work on the quantizing and expression would have elevated it over a 4. It was somewhat overly long as well. This is a song worth keeping and tweaking!

ALL I'VE GOT - 3.6

I'm beginning to sound like a broken record, I know - but this otherwise very nice song is terribly over-quantized and lacks any attention to expression. VERY nice tune - but ya gotta kick your sequencer's butt or it will kick yours.

NO LOVERS, NO FRIENDS - 3.5

This song would have been a 4 but for some details.

The bass line is a bit overpowering, burying the piano and sax. Being able to hear, especially, more of the piano, would have added some harmony to enhance the jazz progressions. A bit more expression in volume variations, and some "pregnant pauses" between some phrases would have added even more interest. It was overly repetitive at times as well.

If this was my song, I'd certainly keep it and tinker with it for a while.

Overall, a nice very piece!

JAZZ MATAZZ - 3.4

This song started out nicely, then lost me. I never got a feeling for what was going on, and where it was headed.

FEVER DREAMS - 3.4

The structure of this song seemed to fade in and out. It would grab me, then lose me. I was impressed with the attention to avoidance of over-quantizing, but would liked to have seen more expression. This was a very interesting piece which begs the composer to bring it on home.

SOUL HEIR TO A FORTUNE - 3.3

This was very nice, but there was absolutely no apparent attention paid to dynamics. This could have been at least a 4 with a bit of TLC.

STREET BEAT - 3.2

I judged this as game music or a cinematic backgound since that's what it sounded like. I liked the beat (the theme of the song) - BUT: Every single percussion instrument is hit at the same microsecond, all volumes are the same for all instruments, and the piece therefor very badly lacks realism. Overly quantized, blah, blah, blah. Coulda woulda shoulda had a much higher score. Read the sequencing tips on this website for some input. I'll e-mail you a re-edited sample, comparing your first 12 bars with those bars tweaked so you can pull it up and study it.

PHANTOME - 3.2

TWO DAYS BEFORE TOMORROW - 3

Highly unoriginal. HOWEVER: The piece was nicely done, with a very nice use of volume dynamics - one of the elements of expression that so many midi composers ignore. Had the guitar arpeggios been more complete and wider-ranging, and some timing expression added, I might have been tempted to give it a 4. If I was doing this as an arrangement, I'd certainly keep it and play with it more.

NETA II - 3

I really liked the attention to detail in volume expression. This piece lost me at times. I can't put my finger on it, but it seemed to need more unity. Still - a very nice composition.

BIG CITY BLUE - 2.9

Not a bad piece to which to listen, but overly (and underly) quantized, and under-orchestrated. Sounds a bit monophonic. More harmony would have helped. Attention to detail could have pushed this song way up in my judgement. Don't just enter notes. Edit them one by one. You let your sequencer tell you what to do, rather than telling it what to do. I'd call it a keeper and work on it some more.

ONCE UPON A TIME - 2.8

I don't know quite what to say. Obviously a lot of work went into this piece, but it didn't quite work for me. Nice use of volume expression, but it is a toe-tapper. The greater problem (I think) is that the progressions just don't quite work. A much lesser problem, but still a problem to note, is that the danged trumpet is just too loud. Some progressions would start out nicely and then just not resolve in an appealing manner. I was reminded of a game we'd play when we were kids - take the Sunday paper comics and each kid would read one sentance from one strip, followed by another kid reading a sentence from another strip, and so forth. At times it was hilarious. This song is like that. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

LITTLE MARCH - 2.6

It rather hurt me not to give this a 3, but: I would really have liked to hear the orchestrated version. Perhaps I got hung up on the word "march". Nobody carries a grand piano in a marching band. Nice tune, and may have been much better orchestrated as a band piece.

THE ASSAULT - 2.5

I dunno why I liked this, but I did. Knowing myself, I should not have. I think the sycopation was a nice touch. What the piece lacked was a melody line or some kind of melodic counterpoint. It sounds like an accompaniment rather than a full song. Keep on sequencing!

CHOCOLATE PONIES - 2.4

I really wanted to give this composition a 3 just because it's so danged cute - but it's far too repetitive. John Phillip Sousa is quoted as saying of Bach, "God - how that man could pad." Not entirely fair, but I do wish sequencers had limitations on cut and paste. If you cut and paste, EDIT what you pasted for variation.

FACE OF THE MOON - 2.1

Great start, but you lost me as the song went on.

HALLOWEEN 1331 - 2

Too much cut and paste with little variation.

CHOCOLATE GERBILS - 2

I suspected you may not have been fully serious with this piece - but I rather liked it.

THE THE - 2

I started to enjoy the ragtime and then the forces of nature blew it away.

I SMELL DEAD PICKLES - 1.9

At first I thought that nobody your age could write something like this. Then I remembered my own episodes of psychosis. The song was rather fun at times.

INTERSTELLAR COMMUNICATION - 1.8

Just when I thought the song was going to take off, it died. Interesting mixing of rhythyms.

KILLING TIME - 1

Sounds like something that could be fun to jam to - but where's the jam? Seems like the lead guitarist went out for pizza and beer.

ENTROPY - 0.1

Almost well named. Had this begun with some semblance of a composition and then, creatively, melted away due to entropy it might have worked.

SHAVIN' THE BEAR

Recuse

ROADSIDE RAINDANCE

Recuse

REQUIEM FOR AMBER

Recuse

OTHERS

PERCUSSION - 1.0

VALSE ROMANTIQUE - 2.9

Very nice attention to note timing and volume expression! Nice piece but could have used some timing in phrasing as well. Somewhat odd sounding to my ears, but that may be a cultural thing.

PAJARO DEL FUEGO - 3

I really probably should have scored this higher, just based on the work that went into it. Picky, picky, picky: What's with the bell? It's highly distracting and doesn't seem to fit. Overly quantized, and the stocatto guitar doesn't fit well with other notes and chords that should have been more stocatto as well. That seems to be a problem with strings. If you can, make the attack rate on the strings harder, and shorten the notes. More attention to the timing of phrases would have helped.

IT'S ALL RIGHT - 3.1

Pleasant, and a very nice tune to which to listen, but didn't turn me on. The closest I can come to saying why is that it just seems too bland. It's overly long for the variety.

VERY nice tune. I suspect others may score it more highly.

ROCKING CHAIR - 3.3

This is an absolutely charming tune. I happen to know that you are European, and your command of this type of music is impressive. The composition was worth at least 4 points, but the performance was - well, you know.

Classical/Cinematic/Orchestral

Requiem for amber...C [3/5]

In some ways I felt that the piano part was a bit thin. The first minute was very brooding. I liked the organ part at about 1.15minutes. My ideas for improving this piece would be to add some bass strings to even out the piece and make some changes to the tempo, maybe speed it up in some places. I liked this, it was very chilling, but in some places the dynamics were too loud or too quiet and I had to adjust my speakers a few times.

DaBull...A [4.5/5]

My first recommendation for this would to be to use a different brass instrument with a firmer tone. When the percussion came in it sounded fantastic. The use of the pizzicato strings was well done. Overall there was nothing really to criticise...this is a brilliant piece. Towards the end I noticed that the piano piece went on a bit, but I still enjoyed it a lot.

Face Of The Moon...C [3/5]

I liked the start of this a lot, with the brooding strings. The piano was quite heavy when it joined in, and some of the notes seemed to clash. After a while though this had me captivated. I thought the backing strings around 1.40 were too loud and drowned out the other instrument - was it a bagpipe? This is a good piece but I think it needs some work, on dynamics especially.

Little March...B [4/5]

:) Happy! A very cheerful piece. If anything, make the piano less 'thumping' in places, as it sounded a bit like the 'player' was trying to destroy something :) I liked it a lot, but it needed padding out a little bit, maybe with a glockenspiel all the way through playing harmony.

Shy Guy...C [3/5]

The strings at the start of this were nice, though the change from strings to piano didn't go very smoothly. The piano part was very beautiful but the panpipes clashed a lot and gave an overpowering effect. I would suggest cutting out one of them, changing the dynamics or the instrument.I really liked the end bar of the piece.

Meet Me Halfway...B [4/5]

Nice opening sequence, and I liked the tambourine. The percussion was very interesting yet neat and rhythmical. I thought at 2.04 the change to indian/asian music was too quick, but I liked the theme. It was really exciting. The percussion all the way through this piece was the highlight for me, but the whole song was good.

Bach Style...C [3.5]

I must confess I know absolutely nothing about classical forms and what makes one piece of music great and another worthless. But in my opinion this was nice...nice, but slow. I think the tempo needs to be increased. I tried it on Sibelius and I thought it sounded more interesting with the tempo raised.

Piano Concerto #6 Mov 2 Op38...B [4/5]

I liked the strings very much at the start. The piano was very loud but when I turned the volume down it sounded better. I also noticed that in a couple of places the flutes clashed. I didn't like the dischords starting at 1.58. Overall this was a very nicely done piece though with good use of instrumentation.

Chocolate ponies and icecream castle...C [3/5]

I liked the overall feel of this...played live it would be very good. But the strings sounded very plastic and droning. If you had kept the woodblock percussion going it would have given a more definate beat. Also another section was needed to break the mood up, maybe a solo from one of the instruments. As it was the theme kept repeating which got quite boring. This has potential though.

Entropy...[D] 2/5

Forgive my stupidity but I have no idea what Entropy mean. I really think this is a bit random...the opening chords were nice but just got annoying after 1 minute. I guess you did this on a keyboard? Sorry but this was, to me, painful. In some sections, at the start and about 2.10, there were some nice melodies.

Chocolate Gerbils...D [2/5]

I think this would have belonged in the experimental category...the piano at the start was good but throughout it drowned everything out. I would also advise changing the backing chords around a bit to give a fuller sound.

Goblin Mountain...B [4/5]

Firstly, I think you should have the violin a tiny bit quieter for the first few bars and use a different guitar with a bit more reverb. Other than that this is a very cool celtic piece. I especially liked the unusual rhythms you put in in places. Oh, and a snare or bass drum keeping the beat would have been usefu as well.

Last Journey...A[5/5]

This is a very long piece, but worth the time to listen. Played live it would be fabulous. Especially, I liked the harp and piano. But overall there was nothing I disliked about this moving piece. My only comment would be for you to use a few more dynamics, to make it very obvious.

Fever Dreams...B [4/5]

I actaully did like this...but even though it was for piano only, you could make use of the midi program by adding something to pad it out slightly. If you don't want an full orchestra fair enough but some bass pizzicato strings to compliment the bass line of the piano would sound good. Also I noticed there were not a lot of dynamic changes in it.

Once Upon A Time...B[4/5]

This was nice but I found in the first few bars the horns clashed. I would either tone them down or use a softer instrument. There were some beautiful melodies but I wasn't so keen where the music stopped and then started again...it fractured the mood. The ending was very well done.

Percussion...A [4.5/5]

Happy percussion? Very happy! I really liked the main theme. For what it was, it was the best I have heard in ages. Some cymbals or something in the background would have made it even fuller.

The assault...C[3/5]

All the various parts of this were good, but together they sounded slightly jumbled. The ercussion line in particular seemed a bit unsteady. I liked the instrumentation and backing chords but overall it didn't give me the impression of terror.

Valse Romantique...A [5/5]

This was very classical, and most pretty and romantic. The pauses between some notes seemed a bit strange and it was distinctly lacking in dynamics. I don't think this needed any more instruments though: it was a brilliant piece.

Del Fuego...B [4.4]

I loved the latin feel to this...I'm sure a lot of hard work must have gone into this. I especially enjoyed the parts the cellos had. Again, more dynamics needed.

Band/Rock/techno.

Killing Time...B [4/5]

In some places yes, the percussion did need a bit of work...but this is real rock (as I know it) and I love it! Interesting 'Western' touch though ;) I think a tune going on over the guitar repetition chords would have done this a lot of good.

Phantome...D [2/5]

This sounded curiously disjointed at the beginning and I was waiting for it to spring into action. I was rather disppointed in the end by the droning bass line, which seemed to drown everything out. Overall, this had potential but nothing seemd to happen in it for long periods of time.

Phoebe...B [4/5]

I liked the opening piano part and the percussion was quite good, though a bit too heavy. Maybe using a different instrument instead of the violin would have been better, perhaps a flute or a transposed cello - not practical but I find it sounds quite good sometimes. At 2.47 this really rocked!

2 Faced...A [4.5/5]

I don't know what was the story behind this but it was a very paranoid sort of opening. After that the guitar and percussion really went well together. Even the flute fitted in, to my surprise :) This is one of the best pieces I have heard this contest because it has individuality but at the same time is not too wild. Parts of it reminded me of Bon Jovi's 'It's My Life'. Overall, very good, but at 2.50 I noticed the flutes clashed a bit.

Shaving The Bear...B [4/5]

Umm...I don't really get the whole bear thing but the music was great! Please, which ale was this ;-) The strings were a little too loud, and I think that maybe making some of the not tremolo would have helped as well. I liked this, but I really think it needed a slower part to it - maybe to symbolise the bear hanging his head in shame...the percussion was very good.

Halloween 1331...A [4.8]

This sounds really good...a great mix of scariness and technology :) I liked the bells and the overall weird effect was totally halloween-ish. I noticed that the volume did not chnge a lot...it seemed to stay the same quiet volume all the way through where I thought in several places (2.55 for example) you could have raised the volume.

Sole heir To A Fortune...B[4/5]

I liked the changing dynamics at the start of this, and the overall tune. I've seen the [rather worrying] lyrics already but I'll still give the song a good grade because it's really catchy and fun to listen to. What I would suggest is to change the instrument with the main tune to something less quavery, like a flute.

Follow The Truth...A [5/5]

Very nice. Nice piano part, nice percussion, nice strings. I can imagine you getting to the top of the charts some day with a piece like this. If you do, don't forget me ;-) My only complaint is that I think it ends rather too quickly.

Out of time...B [4/5]

The start to this was a bit strange...something in the instrumentation seemed slightly strange. But I really liked the tune and the percussion was very good. You also used very good rhythms. I especially liked the section at 2.20 leading up to the theme again.

Knights To Battle...B [4.5/5]

Nice starting, except it was quite hollow. I would suggest a timpani to beat out the rhythm. After that, the percussion was excellent, and the piece was rich and vibrant, exactly how I'd imagine. Good, but the 'loop' fractured the mood.

I smell dead pickles...C [3/5]

Umm...interesting title ;) No, it's never too late to get into midi. This is good, but you need more practise at timing. There were several small gaps between notes which are a bit off-putting...but it's a good first attempt :)

All I've Got...B [4/5]

I liked the echoes on this, and the overall tune is good but it felt like something was missing. Maybe a steel guitar could have been added?

It's All Right...C [3.5/5]

I really liked this...a really laid back almost jazzy song. Very nice. After a while the bells started to annoy me and nothing seemed to happen for ages which got kinda boring.

Experimental/New Age

Roadside Rain dance...C[3/5]

The chords were too loud, they overpowered everything in the song. I couldn't hear the percussion, I couldn't hear anything except for the chords! But then it got better with the guitar part and it had a nice returning melody. Weird as this was it made me feel cheerful. I noticed that there were not a lot of dynamic changes.

The The...D[2.5/5]

I liked the discords at the beginning of the piece. It had a very paranoid feeling to it. The use of dynamics was a bit harsh, and in some places I couldn't hear all of the instruments clearly. 1.50 almost made me laugh out loud but it shows a really good melody. Overall this was a bit wacky but fun to listen to...once.

Interstellar Communication...E[1/5]

Ow! My head! Umm...the percussion was nice...some of the instruments a *bit* whiney.

Street Beat...B [4/5]

I liked the main theme of this, but the drums were very loud, I would advise toning them down a bit. I was nodding along in time with this which was a good sign...just add a guitar track maybe, tone the drums down a bit and you'll have a really good piece there.

Other

Why, why do you love me?...B[4/5]

The cymbals really drowned out the tune at the start. The actual tune was very nice with good use made of the dynamics, and instruments especially the strings. However the persistent cymbals got on my nerves very quickly .I would advise you to keep all of the tune but delete the percussion line and start again on it.

Far Africa...D [2/5]

This was nice, but not as vivid as I would expect from an African trip. Some tom-toms in the background would have jazzed this up no end, as would a few less bird chirps and a new tune. The ending was very good though!

No Lovers, No friends...C[3/5]

The tune to this was nice, though not very emotional. The guitar seemed to be playing the same chords over and over again; maybe some changes could be made to the guitar and the percussion when the main tune kicks in again? Other than that this was a good piece.

Jazzmatazz...B[4/5]

I loved the piano run but the discords sounded a bit strange. The percussion was very good...the whole song was very original. I liked the use of the whistle in the percussion. Maybe some strings backing up the piano would have made it more 'whole'...and more dynamics all the way through. But you're right...it's very catchy ;-) Well done!

2 Days Before Tomorrow...B[4/5]

Nice, wistful tunes and good use of dynamics but the notes seemed to clash in places which gave a rather strange effect. Reminds me of the Beatles 'Yesterday'.

Big City Blue...C [3.5/5]

I really liked the percussion to this, the tambourine especially. The instruments sounded strange though...I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. This really confused me but in a good way.

Rocking Chair...C [3/5]

I didn't really like this...the instruments annoyed me and the whole thing sounded quite jumbled. However there were very nice parts which were fun to listen to. The glock (I think) was too loud...

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ORCHESTRAL, CLASSICAL, CINEMATIC

==========================================

Requiem For Amber

3.8

DaBull

4.0

Fat brass works beautifully. Arrangement is tight.

Face of the Moon

3.7

Reminds me of something from Vangelis.

What's with the plinking at the end?

Little March

3.5

Shy Guy

3.6

Meet Me Half Way

4.1

Bach Style

3.2

Piano Concerto #6 Mov2 Op38

4.7

Chocolate Ponies And Icecream Castle

2.7

Redundant.

Entropy, Op. 125

0.5

Chocolate Gerbils

4.0

Goblin Mountain

4.2

Neta 11

3.5

Last Journey

4.4

Fever Dreams

4.3

dead and take my contented smile with me to the grave

2.9

Percussion

3.1

The Assault

3.4

Valse Romantique

3.9

Pájaro Del Fuego

3.2

(just following intro) Simplify.

=========================================

BAND, ROCK, TECHNO

=========================================

Killing Time

1.5

Phantome

3.7

Phoebe

4.1

Two Faced

4.9

Shavin The Bear

5.0

Halloween 1331

4.8

Sole Heir to a Fortune

3.5

Follow the Truth

3.9

Progressive and interesting.

Out of Time

2.9

A bit vague and uninteresting. I got bored.

Knights to Battle

4.0

I Smell Dead Pickles

2.5

All I've Got

3.6

It's All Right

3.9

==========================================

EXPERIMENTAL, NEW AGE

==========================================

RoadSide Rain Dance

5.0

The The

3.7

Interstellar Communication

0.5

This stinks.

Street Beat

3.6

=======================================

OTHERS, ETHNICAL, JAZZ

=======================================

Why, why do you love me

2.5

Far Africa

4.5

No Lovers No Friends

4.4

Jazz Matazz

3.1

Two Days Before Tomorrow

3.0

Would have scored it a 4+, had it been an original piece.

Big City Blue

3.4

Rocking Chair

4.4

My focus is in composition, not the midi performance.

For GM listening I used first the 4M emu soundfont and then, for fine comparision between the better ones, Merlin sound font. For XG I used Yamaha syg100plus soft synth.

ORCHESTRAL

Requiem For Amber = 4.35

Very interesting mood. I like very much the "impressionism" it provokes. Remembers me Cesar Franck chorals with organ. A high quality work. Lacks more melodies variations and creativity in my humble opinion.

Da Bull = 4.30

Face of the Moon = 4.30

Little March = 3.70

Shy Guy = 4.50

The dialog of the flutes(?) was amazing, beautiful. Lacks more orchestration in some parts. Should be developed.

Meet me Half a Way = 2.50

Bach Style = 4.0

Piano Conc. #6 Op 38-2 = 4.90

Almost perfect (for me... :-).

Sometimes the accompaniment plays exaclty the same melody and notes as the primary instrument or the chords are somewhat obvious, following the melody, instead of creating a dialog or some kind of counterpoint. That was the only thing that annoyed me a little. Very creative and beautiful melodies very well concatenated. Lacks mystery and surprise.

Icecream Castle = 2.50

A comic one. If instead of repeating the same 10 bars you create one or more theme variations based on what you did, it could be a great hit.

Entropy = 2.6

Enjoyable...

It balances between a stupid joke and a great originality.

Chocolate Gerbils = 2.0

May I ask you a cookie next time? :-)

Goblin Mountain = 4.0

Neta 11 = 4.9

Wonderful. Powerful. It has feelings.

Very strong modern classical style. One of the most originals composers I have seen lately. Its dissonances fit very well. I hope and want to see more compositions of this guy, because it has an amazing modern style that should be developed. This music tells a story, because it has start, middle and end phases in a long description, what is very hard to accomplish (it is not based on short melody fragments all concatenated, like Tchaikovsky music, for example).

Last Journey = 4.9

Emotional and mysterious music. Has feelings. It has problems in midi performance. With more midi work it could be better. Must be played by a good soundfont to get it or a full live orchestra. Midi is not enough for it.

Fever Dreams = 4.5

Great composition. Remembers me some kind of improvisation. I didn't get very well the melody sequences, it was a little confusing (just like an improvisation).

Once Upon a Time = 3.0

Percussion = 3.0

The Assault = 1.5

Valse Romantique = 4.75

Very sensible. Has beauty. Has life. It has everything a music should have. I don't give it 5 because it is a piano solo work.

Pájaro Del Fuego = 4.9

Beautiful.

It has midi performance problems, most of them in percussion and bass instruments I guess (probably because of hardware used), but as usual I will not lower my score because of midi (read software & hardware) deficiencies. A beautiful music, very strong and full of life. Should be played by a full orchestra. Midi is not enough for it.

BAND, ROCK

Killing Time = 2.0

Phantome = 2.0

Phoebe = 3.5

Two Faced = 3.80

It shows dominance of electronic music. However, it does not say anything to my heart. Reminds me a lot of other similar musics based on popular rock songs, same accompaniments, same styles, same percussion, same patterns. I liked the flutes part.

Shavin the Bear = 4.0

Amazing starting! And very fun ending. It is unstable (mix of good and poor passages) and probably should be more developed (reminds me a not finished work).

Halloween 1331 = 4.50

The beginning is wonderful. After the incredible mood, it repeats too much some patterns in a mechanical way. The choral effects are great. It remembers me some mechanical created Rebirth (a computer software) patterns.

Sole Heir to a Fortune = 2.0

Follow the Truth = 4.15

Out of Time = 3.85

Knights to Battle = 4.0

I Smeal Dead Pickles = 1.90

All I Have Got = 3.85

It's All Right = 2.80

EXPERIMENTAL

Rain Dance = 1.80

The The = 3.50

Interstellar Communication = 1.5

In fact, it remembers some kind of communication between ETs, or some radio station out of tune. However, sorry, but I am not an ET to understand this one ...

Street Beat = 3.0

OTHERS, JAZZ, POP

Why do you love me = 3.25

Far Africa = 3.0

There is pattern repeated with some "sound effects" around and a simple chord progression. Sounds mechanical as a composition that could be composed by a computer program or Casio keyboard. Good, nice to listen, gives a true Africa mood, but not enough to compare it with more elaborated ones.

No Lovers No Friends = 4.30

Jazz Matazz = 2.50

Two Days Before Tomorrow = 2.50

Big City Blue = 2.85

Rocking Chair = 4.70

A very charming tune.

ORCHESTRAL, CLASSICAL, CINEMATIC

================================

"Requiem For Amber" 2.5

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The combination of piano, horns and church organ is quite unusual.

The piano introduction, romantic in style, reminds me of some Chopin`s works. On the other hand the main, organ part seems to be influenced by the music of J.S.Bach.

The composition itself is short, but fairly good in general. Its dark harmony and melody corresponds well with the musical form and the title. In my opinion it could serve as an introduction to a longer and more developed form. I think the file itself requires a little bit more after-editing (removing unintended notes, inserting some dynamic changes etc.). I would also add another track for the organ bass pedals. Left-hand chords could then be played in higher registers and would be more distinct to hear.

"DaBull" 3.7

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Good composition and instrumentation with a distinct spanish or latin touch, but a little too repetitive in some places. A few phrases in the middle part sound very familiar to me.

With this rich instrumentation the overall impression of the song could be better. The trumpet part sounds not live enough. Adding some modulations, especially at ending of longer notes, would make them sound more natural.

"Face of the Moon" 3.0

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Nice beginning, but I expected something different in the middle part. Instead you continue the initial sequence with less and less stress until the final fade out. Technically well done, but almost 4 minutes time is enough to expand the composition a little bit more.

"Little March" 3.0

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Nothing original, but technically well done. It reminds me of melodies heard sometimes in amusement parks, type of merry-go-round music, one could say. I guess, this composition was meant to serve this purpose. No reason to be ashamed of. It is a good work. Even the exact quantization is here fully justified.

"Shy Guy" 3.1

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The composition is not bad, but it does not belong to those I would listen to several times in a run. Very interesting delay effects of pan flute achieved by splitting this part into several tracks of different panning and shifting the notes in time. However, I would split also the violin part into 3 or 4 tracks on different channels instead of playing this instrument like a piano.

"Meet Me Half Way" 4.0

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Very good and rich instrumentation of this file. I liked the oriental (japanese? chinese?) motives in the second part. The ending is a little weaker than the rest of the song.

The only thing I don`t like in this file is the precise, machine-like quantization of all notes and their equal velocities. As a result, the music has not enough expression.

"Bach Style" 3.2

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The compositionn is fairly good, although it might be a little bit more developed. Adding a contrasting part with different tempo and dynamics would do this music good.

The piano part is composed very much in the baroque style, but I don`t understand why the accompaniment is played (sung) by the Synth Vox. Using of up to 7 voices in this part make me think you wanted to imitate some breathy registers of the church organ. At least at my sound canvas it sounds like that.

The weak side of this file is the lack of any dynamics. All notes have equal velocity (64) and they begin exactly at zero point (total quantisation). I would also change the ending. It`s too abrupt as if the pianist had to stop playing to answer the phone or something.

"Piano Concerto #6" 4.5

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You are a very talented composer. This concerto movement is very romantic in style, although I hear also some earlier as well as later stylistic elements there. Very good, precise editting work as regards tempo changes. I don`t know if you play piano, but the playing in of the piano part instead of inserting notes by hand would raise its listening quality. Also some expression controls added to violine parts would make them sound more natural. Anyway, one of the best compositions in this contest.

"Chocolate Ponies" 1.3

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I`m sorry, but I can`t give any better mark. The motiv you composed is good to start with.

You repeat it a few times and nothing more happens.

I would introduce some changes to make your music more diversified, for example add one or two new melody lines, change instruments, insert some effects or dynamic controls.

Practice makes progress, so keep trying. I`m sure your next song will be much better.

"Entropy" 2.0

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Very atonic and chromatic notes progressions. I am almost sure the whole part, or at least most of it, has been improvised and played in live as it was. I wonder if you would be able to play it live again from the staff. Anyhow, the file requires some more after-editing, removing unwanted notes etc.

"Chocolate Gerbils" 2.2

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The whole composition is too short to give it a better mark. It`s a good introduction to a contemporary classical piece of music, but the main part of it remains to be composed yet.

"Goblin Mountain" 4.0

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Very interesting composition, kind of ethno style (irish, celtic motives?). The first part is very clear, introducing the listener to the character of the song. In the middle part though, it seems as if you did not have the idea in which direction to go. A distinc solo part (violin or guitar) with a different rhythm pattern would be good in this place.

I would also add some reverb to the instruments settings and expression to the violin (it sounds a little too sharp in some places).

"Neta 11" 3.5

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After having listened to this composition I could not decide which mark to give, B or C.

I was somehow unsatisfied with the music. In my opinion it is a little too short for a classical piece. Before a clear direction of the music is crystalized, everything comes to an end. Not that I did not like it. It was very relaxing to listen to it. And one more remark: in some places (for example in measures 53-55, 59-62, 67-69 and 95) various strings play exactly the same notes, which makes that unpleasant flanger effect. You can avoid it by shifting one of the instruments by an octave lower or higher in the scale. With real instruments there is no problem, but MIDI devices are far from being perfect.

"Last Journey" 4.2

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Good example of illustrative music. I can imagine it as a movie soundtrack or background music illustrating pictures of nature phenomena, landscapes, sunrises, waves at sea etc.

The title suggests something different, but the overall character of this song is more optimistic than that. I like especially the interchanging darker and brighter fragments of this music. It is really very good as an illustration, but heard alone it lacks some sharper contrasts, which are sometimes needed to arise attention of the listener. Adding some reverb (60 - 70) would raise the listening quality of this file.

"Fever Dreams" 5.0

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It was a real pleasure to listen to this file. I used Roland Sound Canvas SC88 and Kurzweil Micropiano. With micropiano it sounded even better. I wonder which techniques you used to sequence this song. Very variable tempo and dynamics. The composition itself seems to be a variation on several themes. Their motives can be heard in the middle part.

I have nothing more to say - top quality from the musical and technical point of view.

"Once Upon A Time" 2.3

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It wasn`t necessory to write such a long song to put inside these contents. The ingredients of this composition are, one could say, diluted and very thinned here. A much shorter piece with thicker contents wouldn`t be so boring. Instead we hear a continuous sequence of mostly accidental or repetitive phrases.

"Percussion" 2.5

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The idea to use only percussive instruments is very interesting, but with the composition itself I am a little disappointed. It could have been a little longer with more variable rhythm patterns and dynamic. As for the sole percussive piece of music it is too simple and not enough diversified.

"The Assault" 1.5

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My first impression is that this song has been freely improvised. The second impression is that the notes have been only once played in with no after-editting at all. That`s why so many notes are out of rhythm here, especially the drums. The third impression is that this composition is mostly the result of accidental trials than a real composing work.

"Valse Romantique" 3.6

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It is walz, no doubt, although in the sequencer the rhythm is 4/4 measure. No matter, the whole composition has been played in live, so I`m sure the sequencer`s metronome was not in use. I like this composition and I think the title is in this case more than justified.

It`s a pity you have not corrected some evident mistakes, eaten out notes etc. It would raise the performance quality of this music. I have listened to this song on Kurzweil micro piano and, at least with this equipment, the left hand sounded to me too strong. I think also the sustain pedals were used for too large group of notes. Sometimes it produced unpleasant, dissonant harmonies.

"Pajaro del Fuego" 4.8

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Excellent music in the classical spanish style. Very good use of instruments and their arrangement. Some phrases used in the middle part (from around 39th measure) reminded me very much of Isaac Albeniz`s Suite espanola (Asturias). At least they are very typical to this composer. Very good job! I am not giving 5.0, because technically this file could be still improved. Velocities of the notes are too high (mostly 127). I had to turn my MIDI expander down by a half to listen without pain in my ears. I would also add some humanization and more tempo changes in the performance.

BAND, ROCK, TECHNO

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"Killing Time" 2.5

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It seems as though the vocal part or the main melody line has been cut off from this file.

The accompaniment we hear is OK, the bass line , the drums, guitar chords. All what we don`t hear in your composition is the melody and the more accented ending. Fading out of such a short piece is in my opinion not a good idea.

"Phantome" 3.5

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Interesting composition. Good bass and guitar parts. However, I would add some modulation and pitch bending here. The guitar would sound much more natural and expressive then. It seems you were not quite sure how to finish your song. Your ending is somewhat undecided.

Apart from that, the drums part should be played a little more powerful, I think. It is too weak and does not accent the rhythm enough. Very well done delay effects of several instruments reached through the repetition of notes with falling velocity.

"Phoebe" 2.0

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The initial motive is very promising. I expected you will develop it, but the rest of the song is in fact much weaker. As if you wanted only to put something in between just to fill the gap.

"Two Faced" 2.2

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Again the beginning promises something different. I don`t know why you have introduced so many dissonant sounds in the following part (flute or saw wave for example). They don`t fit in the overall harmony. The reason is perhaps the uncontrolled use of pitch bend, which is not always reset to value 64. It makes the following notes sound higher or lower as intended. Was it intentional? Personally, I did not like it.

"Shaving The Bear" 3.3

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Very interesting beginning with well done strings. Well sounding bass line and choirs all through the song. The guitar solo is a little less powerful as should be in my opinion. I would add here some audio effects. Unfortunately the ending lowers the overall rating of the song.

"Halloween 1331" 4.0

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Interesting composition - very devilish in character - and technically well done. Your modulated bells create a very original effect. The beginning is very good, but I expected the dynamic and tension created in the first part will grow further. Instead the middle and final part lose that impact and are in consequence less interesting. Nevertheless, my overall rating of the song is high.

"Sole Heir To A Fortune" 3.0

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Not bad music, though a little monotonous in places. First 4 measures are the best, also good is the fragment between measures 22 and 39. The leading melody is very nice, but it is overwhelmed by the accompanying instruments. Sometimes it is difficult to hear the melody line clearly. I would say the song is too loud in some places.

"Follow the Truth" 2.7

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The main motive is interesting, but the composition as a whole - too repetitive.

The final part sounds too familiar to me. Was it derived from the House of the Rising Sun or I am wrong?

"Out of Time" 4.7

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One of the best compositions in this contest, could be a little longer. I have listened to it a few times, with great pleasure. Why haven`t you submitted it in the jazz category? It has more jazz than rock elements. You have achieved a very interesting effect with pitch-bended notes in the brightness patch. The bass line is really good, though I wouldn`t shift it so far to the left channel, which is, in my opinion, overweighted.

My congratulations.

"Knights To Battle" 3.3

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Very dynamic, powerful piece of music, but why so short? 2:25 is not enough to develop such composition properly. You have also paid too little attention to the velocities of individual instruments and parts. Some graduation of volume, or better expression controls, would be an improvement.

"I Smell Dead Picles" 1.0

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Out of rhythm, out of tune and total disorder.This file should have been placed in the experimental category. It`s never too late for anyone to learn, so try again. I`m sure your second song will be much better if you make some editing of the notes you play in.

"All I`ve Got" 3.0

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The composition is O.K., maybe too short. As to the performance I have to say a few critical words. You almost forget that apart from volume, reverb, chorus and pan, there are lots of MIDI controls, that can improve the listening quality of your music. I have noticed that expression control is generally used very rarely by our participants. In your composition all notes have equal value (100) and, in addition to that, they are sequenced precisely at zero point. This makes midi music sound very artificial. Why not spend more time on editing and bring more life to the performance?

"It`s All Right" 3.9

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Very smooth composition with well arranged reed section and very balanced use of pitch bends. Everything here is technically well done, except that the dynamic could be improved a little bit. I think, the solo parts should be louder, especially the vibes. I would also work a little more to end this song in another way.

EXPERIMENTAL, NEW AGE

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"Roadside Rain Dance" 1.0

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All I can hear in this song is the overwhelming guitar noise. No other instrument can be heard at all. Additional delay effects make this staccato music almost unbearable to listen to.

"The The" 2.5

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Personally, I don`t like this kind of music, but of all the three files submitted in this category this one makes the most sense to me. The idea of this song is original enough to arise my interest. Contrasted dynamic, the overwhelming chaos unwinding into normal, tonal music was very interesting and funny. However if this is an experimental music, I would spend more time on editting each sound to receive the best possible result.

"Interstellar Communication" 0.5

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41 seconds of something which cannot be called music. It`s really an experiment in sound testing, nothing more.

"Street Beat" 3.3

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Very mechanical and repetitive, but in this case these features are to some extent justified. This music sounds as if it were played with an analogue synthesizer and not a MIDI device. Very original use of different instruments, sometimes very surprising.

Undoubtedly the best file in this category.

OTHER, ETHNICAL, JAZZ

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"Why, Oh Why Do You Love Me" 2.5

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This music sounds very familiar to me and is not particularly original as far as the melody and the harmony is concerned. Very annoying is the constant crash cymbal sound. It is far too loud. Shifting this part from C#3 to D#3 (ride cymbal) would be an improvement. I would also work a little more on velocity and overall dynamic changes.

"Far Africa" 3.3

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Interesting idea. African rhythms you try to imitate are well done, but not quite convincing. The song is too short to give a more detailed review.

"No Lovers No Friends" 3.5

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Nice composition with clear melody line of the sax and good piano improvisation (might have been a little louder). I also like the walking bass in the second part and the ending. The sax part would have sounded much better if you had added some expression controls and pitch bends.

Lack of expression and very levelled dynamics are the main weak points of this file, but the composing job was done very well. 3.5 for the composing job.

"Jazz Matazz" 1.0

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Out of rhythm, out of tune. I don`t see any idea in this music.

"Two Days Before Tomorrow" 1.8

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I`m not sure if this song can be regarded an original composition. In practice you take the whole melody line from the well known standard, changing only some phrase endings and varying a little the tempo. The interpretation and the character of the original song is left practically unchanged.

"Big City Blues" 2.5

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As for the blues, it sounds too mechanical to me. There is no real live in this composition and performance in particular. Blues is and always was very active, full of life and expression. Here nothing of it can be heard. All the instruments sound very flat. A few short guitar inserts bring a little life to it, but these fragments are too short. Why not give the guitar a leading role sometimes. I think the choir and sax playing parallel the main melody line was not a good idea.

"Rocking Chair" 3.7

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Very funny and original instrumentation. I like also the polyphonic structure of this composition and well composed melody lines of individual instruments. Maybe the dynamic is a little too steady for this type of music. I would make it more variable with louder solo parts.

ORCHESTRAL, CLASSICAL, CINEMATIC

Comments: This midi has a very nice use of organ with a somewhat haunting sound. I found the transitions between the themes a little rough, but the organ held it together, and the multiple voices were quite good.

Comments: This is a very impressive and powerful piece! The harmony was a little odd in some places, but I especially liked the interesting blend between orchestral Spanish sounds and techniques, and the drums and more electronic sounds. Very nice indeed!

Comments: It seemed to me that this piece wandered and was a bit repetitive, but it had did give a general background music atmosphere, and the use of low chords and bent notes was good.

Comments: Though I think I may have heard this melody (or at least a very similar one) in another piece somewhere, the bells gave it a nice twist.

Comments: Nice variation in the instruments carrying the melody, though I kept feeling like the strings ought to have come back in later. Through the first piano section, I think it could have used a bit more variation in the dynamics, and the ending seemed a bit abrupt, but through the middle of the piece the dynamics picked up nicely.

Comments: Interesting use of cadences in the beginning and instruments to give different styles. The drums seemed a bit too loud in the first half, and the piece seemed to wander with out particular direction, but it pulled together at the end.

Comments: This piece is definitely reminiscent of some J.S. Bach’s music, though I think the piano might have been used more effectively as a harpsichord because of the metronome-like quality of the piece.

Comments: This piece had a very real sound to it, and captures a lot of piano technique that is lost in a lot of midis. It built magnificently and had good structure, harmony, variation, and had several moods that it shifted in and out of beautifully. Wonderful!

Comments: Nice string harmony interspersed uniquely with the sounds of ponies running, though the string sections seemed rather repetitive.

Comments: This is an interesting piece. Most of it, though, sounds like randomly hit notes. On a couple of occasions the piece started to sound harmonized and melodic, but then it quickly went back to chaos, and ended rather unexpectedly. However, nice piano technique was captured in the midi.

Comments: The notation in this piece is superb. I found the repeating strings to be a bit much, but they were very effective in the beginning. Nice work (and the title gets a 5).

Comments: I love the rhythms in this piece. Nice use of accented upbeats and good guitar notation.

Comments: Good use of orchestral instruments, though the particular sounds used in the drum track sound a little out of place. The sections seemed to flow a bit awkwardly, but it seemed to be capturing different moods.

Comments: This piece does sounds like nice background music for a journey. Interesting combination of instruments that weave in and out. It seemed a little meandering, but fits the image.

Comments: Excellent use of the piano. Being a pianist, I would love to play this piece. It has a very bold and interesting style with and unexpected yet fitting ending.

Comments: This piece seems to wander around without heading in any particular direction. It has pleasant harmony, and I found it gives a general atmosphere like a long piece of background music, rather than shifting between moods for contrast. Nice use of orchestral instruments and polyphony.

Comments: Very novel composition! The rhythms were very good, in a minimalistic style. It shifted between sections smoothly and I liked the way the melody was carried by different instruments.

Comments: I found this piece to be a bit to repetitive, but the combination of harmony with the organ was interesting.

BAND, ROCK, TECHNO

Comments: I found the cadence repetition at the end to be a bit much, but it had an overall good sound.

Comments: Interesting beginning, though the base got repetitive when the melody was absent. I liked the contrasting sections and use of sound effects that tied the parts together.

Comments: Nice use of harmony and piano and contrasting, yet somewhat similar sections. Some of the chords were a bit weird, but the rest of it had a very nice feel to it. I thought the parts with just the piano carrying the harmony with the drum track were the best.

Two Faced Score: 5

Comments: Wonderful blend of synthesizer and orchestral instruments, harmonies, and melodies! Though the beginning is rather different from the rest of the piece, it flowed nicely, and I loved the echo effects with the flute and acoustic guitar contrasted and interwoven with the choppy electric guitar and other synthesizer instruments. Very fun listening music.

Comments: Interesting contrast between synthesizer and orchestral sounds, very upbeat and lively with nice electric guitar leads. The beginning and ending didn’t quite seem to fit, but the middle section was very good.

Comments: Outstanding use of standard midi instruments to create effects! I liked the way the minimalistic phrases built on top of each other to create a wonderful dark sound. Excellent!

Comments: Nice listening music. In some sections though, it sounded like there were two instruments both trying to take the melody in different directions without really being polyphony. I thought the ending happened a little to abruptly, but it had an overall nice sound with an interesting use of instruments.

Comments: I thought the drums were a little out of place in this piece, like they were always trying to lead to something that wasn’t there. The piano part was good, but a little repetitive. Nice melody.

Comments: The electric guitar sounded somewhat out of place with the other instruments, but the rhythms had nice variation and everything had an overall pleasing sound.

Comments: The beginning of the piece seemed odd with more lively electronic sound of the rest of the piece. Nice harmony.

Comments: Though the instruments in the beginning and end seemed random, the middle section was good, with a nice lively beat. Very good for a first midi, certainly better than my first midis!

Comments: The drums might have done with a bit more variation, and the ending was a little odd, but the melody and guitar harmony was good.

Comments: Nice easy listening piece. I liked the use of chordal harmony combined with the guitar themes.

Comments: Interesting and original use of instruments and rhythm. I thought the later sections of the piece were a little out of place, but they resolved quickly and created a nice change of pace.

Comments: This piece had interesting sound effects, but seemed to be mostly random, but it created interesting effects.

Comments: The bent notes created an interesting effect, though the piece was a little short. I liked the drum solo right at the end, but I think it could have been given more of a chance to develop.