The Loneliest Shore
Entry for The Crow Hill Composing Challenge: Mallet Piano.
The video is a still photograph, of my local tidal pool, animated to video using Runway, looped in iMovie with the various filters.
Instruments:
Burns Guitar (KG70). Crow Hill Co.: Vaults: Mallet Piano, Guitar Hive, Nocturnal Gestures, Glass Strings, String Murmurations, Key FX, Demon Drop, Concussion Drums, Dot Alison-Dulcet Voice, The Vertical Piano. Spitfire Audio: Abbey Road One. Logic: Red Line Kit, Indonesian Gamelan Gongs. NI: Empire Breaks. Arturia: Mini V, Buchla Easel V, Mini Freak V. FutureAudioWorkshop: SubLab.
Hi everybody, new here. I’m Erik Meijers, I just started publishing music under the name MEEER. Last year I finished a one-year course in audio engineering and music production (At Sound Education Netherlands). In march I will follow a six week course on composing music for games with Jason Graves. I just discovered the crow hill company and I’m very curious about everything and everyone involved here! Anyway, having learned how to properly produce a piece of music I thought it would be fun to enter this challenge. It’s a sort of jazzy piece which evolves into a more orchestral arrangement. Hope you like it, comments are appreciated. Cheers!
Hi Erik, nice piece!
Gave me a sort of Zappa vibe.
Best of luck!
Really nice, I can totally imagine this as a soundtrack to a cozy indie game
Excellent and epic track KG! Loved the video too. 
Thank you so much fentiman2!
Really nice track Erik! Good lucki with the course in March. 
Wow!! Very cool… sounds like it could be a Nintendo Game Amazing production quality and great composition!
Hello everyone,
For this challenge, I created a composition where the mallet piano could shine in a dynamic way -I used the Crow Hill Company’s piano rack FX to give each mallet piano track a distinct quality. Thanks for listening!
Hey up,
Here’s my entry into the Mallet Piano Composing Challenge. I’ve used 4 instances with slightly different effects throughout the track as well incorporating the amazing Glass Strings library. Played around with adjusting the tempo during different sections and introduced some snare and timpani (bit of a departure…). Name of the track is “No Responsibilities Whatsoever”.
Enjoyed listening to many of the other entries. Cheers!
Hi All!
Here is my submission. Everything melody wise is from Mallet Piano, some with various FX to create different sounds, some CrowHill Rack FX too.
The only additions are sub(ish) bass from Vaults Chorus Synth to back up the mallet piano bass. And a sprinkle of Vaults Wavering Choir in the end sections.
The percussion is all Demon Drop and a little Vaults Studio Drums, (except the ‘ticking’ hits which are the mallet piano strike) The ‘buzzy’ bass sound is the distortion from the Demon Drop kick.
In terms of stepping out of my comfort zone, I tried using a couple of extra time signatures and mixing them (to a degree). So you should find 4/4, 7/8 and 3/4 in there hopefully.
For engineering I tried to be a bit bolder with decisions on EQ and volume of various parts that I’d normally dial back more.
For the Melody and backing tried to be a bit random and on the fly, didn’t re-do many takes and didn’t adjust much midi at all. Similar for the percussion, where midi is more out of step than I’d normally allow, seems to add a nice swing maybe?
I also tried not think about scales at all and went as off kilter as felt workable (though you can sense there is a scale in there somewhere for the dominant parts)
Hope you enjoy!
Sounds rad, Leigh! Best of luck in the competition!
Sounds great! I second what KG said about the Zappa sound. Awesome job!
Love the transformation of the instrument! That was a big part of my submission, as well. Great job! One of my favorites on here, for sure!
Hey, Crow Hill Crew!
When the challenge was issued to “think outside of the box”, I decided to take the beautiful and subtle Mallet Piano and turn it into an industrial catastrophe. Not wanting to leave the wonders of the Mallet Piano out completely, I had the grime of industry slowly give way to the otherworldly elegance of the Mallet Piano to finish things off.
All sounds, including percussion, synths, and effects, are derived from the Mallet Piano. No other sound sources were used to create this piece.
I imagine a character walking through a grungy nightclub to reach his apartment, which is on the second floor. As he reaches home, the sounds of the club have faded and he sits down to play at his piano. I hope this conjures images for you, as well! If so, send me a reply letting me know what!
Brouillard Composed by Patrick East
Hey!
So here is my submission for the Composing Challenge.
I’m going to take you for a car ride with me in cold cold Canada.
The instrumentation is the Mallet Piano, winds, a guitar and a couple of other sounds.
I used the piano in 3 different ways. In the first part of the piece, I use it a rhythmic kind of pulse. Then I use it more as a melodic lead. And at the end more like a traditional piano the lay down chords.
Overall the piano inspired me a nostalgic toy (I don’t know if there is such a thing) but that’s what it inspired in me. So I went with a piece that springs a old memory but a good one.
Anyways sorry for my bad english (it’s not my first language) and I hope you enjoy.
Cheers
Pat
Thanks for the ride Pat; really enjoyed it!
Beautiful scenery and beautiful composition, Pat!
Bonni - la rurtina de sawa (8)
Hi! I made this piece for the challenge, it’s about my dog, Sawa. She’s playful, so the mallet piano suited the vibe perfectly.
Thanks for listening! 