I like the rhythmic variation. The rhythm at 1:15 is my favorite. As usual, your piano playing is excellent :D
I listened to the original version on youtube. Your improv sounds similar; you remembered the most defining melodies.
I should listen to christmas music from other countries more often. I've been hearing the same songs being played on the radio every year since I was born. This song sounds christmassy but it's also refreshing.
I wish my piano playing had been more excellent! I had to fix a mistake where I played all the notes in one hand wrong, at one point :V
But that's what you get for trying to improvise in such a difficult manner!
EDIT: Alright, I'm redoing this part - I don't even know if I've ever heard the original version, since it was written so long ago! But there are tons of adaptions all over the place :)
The basic melody is imprinted into my memory, since I've heard it so many times since I was 0 years old. I probably used different chords occasionally, though!
I'm sure there are tons of good Christmas tracks from all around the world. This, I found is simply a pretty fun one to play :D
Thank you for listening and for watching!
P.S. The rhythm at 1:15 is my favorite too ^ ^
I like the melodies and bass. I can't believe these are fl stock instruments; you mixed them well. I think one of the leads has too much distortion, but it's not terrible.
I can send you the FLP if you want for reference
Etherealwinds is one of my top 2 favorite NG musicians :D
It's very difficult for me to review piano songs because of my very limited music theory knowledge and the fact that I usually talk a lot about mixing in my reviews. This is actually my favorite type of music. I love anime style piano songs. I even prefer it over classical solo piano. The piano vsts sound amazing together. I think you should do it that way until you can buy a better vst. Did you change the key at 2:00? This is my second favorite song from you :D
Have you heard of ai otsuka? She's a Japanese pop singer but most of her songs are piano based. "Planetarium" is my favorite.
Thanks a lot! Sorry for the slightly delayed reply; I was actually talking to EtherealWinds right then and there :)
No worries, I honestly know very little of theory too. I just like playing, and that's pretty much it. I love anime style music as well. I really like Japanese music used for games, and movies in general. It's great to hear that the piano sounds is actually nice, not just to me. I should probably learn to redo it (it was pretty much a thing I just did in the moment). I'll think of what you said! But also, I think it'll depend a bit on what kind of a track I'm making :p
It's great to hear that you like this song! It automatically became one of my favorites. But I know I could still do a few things a bit better in it :3
I haven't heard of Ai Otsuka. But Jordi says that he has, and he thanked you for the nice words. I will check that track out later for sure, but now, past 10am, I should get some sleep.
Thanks a lot for listening, liking and reviewing!
EDIT: Oh, and yeah! I did change the key at 1:55 and 2:01 (twice in pretty quick succession, thanks to the chromatic descent in the left hand). I actually change the key at a lot of places, but that is probably the most noticable change :)
This is different from your usual piano songs because it has a more definitive melodies. Your piano playing is great as always. Maybe it's my computer speakers, but the piano sounds messy, especially in the lowest and highest frequencies. I like all those chords you used at the end! It loops seamlessly.
Do you plan to make a piano version of "Threnody of Innocence"?
It's definitely different from most of my piano tracks. The only similar one I can think of is my cover of the Battle Theme from FFX :)
Yeah, I think that for some reason, the transfer of the piano sound lost a lot of power/base sound. I think I may have had my setting mixed up a bit :p
With my headphones though, I feel like I still hear all the individual notes clearly.
Hmm, tough question. I won't say never. But it would be a really, really difficult track to make a solo piano version of. It already requires all fingers available to play it like it is, and the melodies for the strings are best suited for the strings. That said, it is possible to rearrage it so that the important parts shine through the piano. I will say that not for a long while at least, but it's something I'd like to do at some point. More importantly though, I want the track to get an upgrade in production at some point :)
Thank you for reviewing!
I'm amazed that you did all this in an hour! You made some really catchy melodies and it sounds so happy. I especially like the guitar that plays the chordal notes!
Haha, most of the melodies aren't mine. I enjoy catchy melodies as much as (may a bit more?) the next guy, but I could never think of this much stuff in an hour. I'm really glad you liked it! :)
I miss listening to your music. I love the way you can take random soundfonts and make them sound like they belong in the song. I also love the short sliding notes!
The song lacks an introduction. I like the drums, although they do sound monotonous and repetitive after a while. There is a decent amount of melodic variety; however, one of the leads played for the entire song, which became annoying. This sounds more like a combination of melodic ideas and drums than a song because there aren't any significant changes between the different parts. Most songs don't have an instrument playing for the entire duration. Instruments usually come and go, even the kick. My favorite part of the song is when the bell lead comes in. I like that melody the most. I actually like most of the melodies, but there isn't enough variety in the song to keep my interest. The instrument quality is a problem. I think you should search for free high quality soundfonts (try googleing "newgrounds soundfonts" and click on the first result) and maybe you can even buy a new vst. Alternatively, you can learn how to use your DAW's native synthesizers. I don't think a fade out was a good choice for the ending. Maybe you could have ended the song with the root chord or note. The mix is decent. I can hear all the instruments, but some melodic instruments are too loud, and the kick is too soft. The mix also sounds dry. I would have liked to hear more/better use of panning and reverb.
Thanks for the review :) Yeah, I struggle when it comes to effects and sound quality, I never know which dials to adjust and what exactly they do >_<
I love the selection of instruments. They sound very realistic. The guitar is relaxing and enhances the melodies well. The melodies are what I would expect from this genre, but they're still enjoyable. The percussion instruments are interesting. They also sound realistic and add another layer of depth to the song. Although the vocals are good, I think you used too many effects on them and consequently, they don't fit with the rest of the song. In addition, I think you could EQ the vocals' high frequencies a little more. I like the firework and horse sounds! I keep hearing new details with every listen. I think the volume automation was a good idea, but maybe you could have raised the volume slightly less.
Congratulations on winning! I added this song to my favorites after my first listen.
Thanks a lot BlueOceans. I am happy that you enjoyed my little track here! The guitar was a citaron which is a very medieval ancestor of the modern guitars. I have used a lot of instruments here which i didnt even know before this piece (i mean- have you ever heared of the nickelharpa for example? Crazy what great instruments existed in history which almost noone knows anymore these days.
Yeah i also think that i used too many effects on the voice. Like i wrote in other replies i am definitely not good when it comes to headphone mixing. Maybe thats a personal problem that especially i have. But if i am listening on monitors it just feels so damn different in comparison to the headphones while both claim to be linear and neutral ... :D
I also will adjust the general volume settings / velocities / expression in an upcoming polished version.
Thanks a lot for your congratulations! I wish you a great and happy new year 2016 and all the best
Chris
This is one of my favorite chord progressions. The song is very catchy! I like the melodies and counter melodies.
I miss listening to your music. Are you planning to make more songs?
It's quite a fun chord progression, isn't it? :D It's basically another super-major-catchy-poppy chord progression that I enjoy using XD
I'm definitely going to write more songs! I'm just going through a bit of a busy period in school right now, haha. Thanks for the review! :D
I like the new samples. Maybe the snare's sound could be shortened. The loop is very catchy and I like the chord changes. Did you play this live?
Hi. I'm an orchestral composer. For commissions and other inquiries, contact me here or at everratc@gmail.com
Age 27
United States
Joined on 10/9/10
Tomtarnas Julnatt - Piano Variations 
Victory 
In Love with the Wind 
Facing the Foe - Piano 
Xmas in the South 
Hectic Bells 
A Touch Of Snow 
O come o come Emmanuel 
Backwoods 
