Composer Jam 1.0

Composer Jam is a 3 day composition contest. The objective is to compose a song following the guidelines and the (optional) theme below. I've never seen a game jam dedicated to score composers, so I don't know if there have ever been any, but I hope we'll be able to do this again, and do it frequently.

Optional Theme: Studio Ghibli

I've been a fan of Miyazaki's films for as long as I can remember. One of the most memorable things about his films is the music of Joe Hisaishi. So, your job is to get inspiration from soundtracks like Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, Kiki's Delivery Service, etc. and compose a ~3.5 minute song (if you can't reach 3.5 minutes, don't stress, just do what you can).

Guidelines:

1. Compose in 3/4 time.
2. Include a piano or a harp.
3. Feature a solo string instrument.
4. Use percussion sparingly.
5. Compose music thematically, so that its motifs could be used throughout a whole video game.

You don't have to adhere to these guidelines strictly. They're simply here to help get you started and perhaps get you out of your comfort zone a bit, if that's what you need to get started on something new, or to get that spark of inspiration. Any submissions are welcome, I only ask that you submit work that you specifically wrote for this jam—submitting previous work cheapens the experience for the others who worked hard to complete the challenge.

Criteria:

1. Melody
2. Harmony
3. Motifs
4. Rhythm & Pacing
5. Mixing & Mastering

People will be voting on your composition based on the above criteria, so try to focus on them while composing!

Purpose:

My goal is to foster a community for composers to share their music in a competitive, yet friendly way. I hope you'll all be encouraging and friendly, and willing to help each other out and ask questions. Most likely none of us are professional composers, which means we all have a lot to learn. After 3 days of composing and critiquing, I hope you'll all come away with a better skill set than when you arrived, and hopefully you'll get some exposure for your music—not only with other composers, but with indie developers and gamers as well.