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Selkione 🎵 - The Ascension Path's itch.io pageResults
| Criteria | Rank | Score* | Raw Score |
| Composition | #2 | 4.455 | 4.455 |
| Challenge | #2 | 4.727 | 4.727 |
| Overall | #2 | 4.159 | 4.159 |
| Creativity | #2 | 4.182 | 4.182 |
| Mixing | #7 | 3.273 | 3.273 |
Ranked from 11 ratings. Score is adjusted from raw score by the median number of ratings per game in the jam.
Title
The Mountain of Despair
Description
I didn't follow any particular plan when composing this piece. The intro came quickly with these triads in drop 2. It's something I never do, and I liked the sound. As for the rest, I just sat down in front of the keyboard and recorded what came to me.
I quantized some parts, but others were left as they were. Which gives it that imperfect look I like.
There is probably an unintentional influence from the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.
The mix is minimal: no reverb, just a compressor. I also added automation on the tempo to reinforce the human feel.
Plugins used
Radical Piano from Reason 12
Link(s) to your submission
https://youtu.be/NsqNgEpuSTk
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Comments
I liked the mysterious notes during the arp blocks, gave the melody the whole character.
Thanks, but in a way my composition sounds more mysterious than desperate :D
No biggie - the YouTube link wasn't working.
I like the beginning rumbling, sound. It comes back later, too. It reminded me of Final Fantasy Legend/SaGa tunes. The staccato in the middle and end give a great contrast. I really like this tune.
Thank you very much for your comment. I've been so immersed in Final Fantasy compositions that I compose under their influence without realizing it.
Hi, me again :D
Interesting approach for sure! It seems you switch from 4/4 to 3/4 (or 6/4, or 6/8, whatever, is the same anyway) e.g. at 0:46 and back at 1:22, which is that classical 'Selkione doing whatever he wants and getting away with it'. I never notice these things on the first go, which means you have once again stuffed it in perfectly.
I like how you switch these staccato chords off with this legato pedal arpeggiated theme (yeah, I am trowing all the musical terminology at you that I know, and that ain't much). It creates variety whereas only that staccato part would get annoying if you'd let it play it too long.
Now, I don't really get a Mountain of Despair feeling from this (although the legato part comes close), but that might be the muffled piano sound that makes things sound a bit shallow to me (maybe better for a jazzy casino vibe or something) or the staccato chords that give me different vibes. Either way, the song itself was great and really interesting and different from my usual 'follow the rules' style. Always lovely to hear! :D
Hi there!
Nice to read you as usual. Sorry for the delay. But I'm back on form.
Yes, you know me well, I like to play with signatures or tones. I find it hard to keep it simple :D
The "despair" aspect is perhaps not quite up to scratch, I grant you. I think I was a bit overwhelmed by the piano-only constraint. I'd be happy to try a jam like that again, I think I understand my mistakes and it's cool to learn.
I'll go and listen to your work.
A great composition! The themes both the melodic and rhythmical aspects are very clear, they are not overly complex and simple enough to be catchy and easily remembered.
One thing about this challenge for me is seeing what piano VST everyone used and how it works with their composition. Also, by being limited to only the piano one has to be more mindful of how "real" the playing sounds and some types of styles/compositions work without needing to sound real. For your piece, I think the composition is very very good. If you were to reorchestrate this it would still sound amazing. But, since it's solo piano and for me this piece works great as a solo piano piece I wonder how it would sound programmed a bit differently or played in real life. For me, there is a bit too much pedal and there are some parts that would sound super good with more staccato. The melody is super beautiful but I think some parts to be a bit clearer. Maybe it's the specific VST used, a bit too much pedal, or not having the main lines a bit more velocity would give it a bit more clarity. Video game music in general kinda "gets away" with a lot more since the visuals are not from real life but since this is a music jam only I tend to judge all pieces based on the music alone (and/or if the description gives something extra insight). Not sure if I managed to get my point across....
Lastly, I think this is really great and the composition in itself is very strong. It has a good balance of simplicity and more complex harmony/textures/moment. My only wish is that the programming sounded more real which would show how well written it really is.
Very good piece and I'll for sure listen to it more!
I love it when people take the time to write a detailed and constructive comment. I did put too much pedal to the metal and some passages can only be played with 4 hands. You're right about the lack of realism. I would surely have gained in sound by making it simpler.
Thanks for your enlightened comment.
This is great! The way it conveys the scene of a 'Mountain of Despair' is super clear and compelling, and the structure and flow of the music is also very interesting and engaging. I also like the variety of textures and timbres you introduce throughout the piece.
I often try to vary the textures in my pieces. It's not easy when you're limited to just one instrument. Thanks for noting that.
Your compositions are always great, and this one is really not obvious, which is not easy in such a "strict" challenge. I like the dark tone of the track, but I think that the mix is a bit too dark. The composition is enough to give a feeling of despair, and the loud low-end makes it a bit too dark. In fact, my favorite part begins at 0.52 when you're playing more in a high register, but remaining dark in the mood
After listening again, you're absolutely right. The mix is too muddy, I didn't know how to lighten the bass.
Thanks for your comment
There's one chord in particular that I really like that happens at 34 seconds and at 1:27.
It's also nice hearing a darker song as opposed to a lot of the ambient and mellow songs.
Thanks, it's my favorite chord too. Indeed, I went for a rather dark mood.