Broke My Ribs

[lord_carbo]

My final project for AP music theory: compose a 5+ part piece of any substantial length. Well this is my project.

If I had another two weeks, this thing would be perfect. Alas, it's due in eleven hours, and it's not exactly how I wanted it to be. Especially the ending, which is completely rushed: there's a sloppy transition between the slow part and the epic buildup part.

Oh, but it's not bad! It's wonderful, but it's not perfect. So enough talk. Here's "I Broke My Ribs Falling Off a Horse When I Was Eleven" by me.

http://media.putfile.com/I-Broke-My-...n-I-Was-Eleven

You may have to turn up your volume a bit.

Comments/critiques/questions encouraged.

Edit: Uploaded a new version. There are very few noticeable differences... but I had to make them in order to make the piece playable IRL. Some of them actually make the piece sound better by the computer, too!

[sleeplessdragn]

I loaded the page, ready to do some listening, then got distracted by a side ad for a video entitled "OMG I Think I Broke My Nose".

But damn man, how long did you spend on this project? Was this a semester long ordeal? It's quite good! You be ready for some UD college classes hands down in my opinion.

[lord_carbo]

It's hard to say how long I've been working on it. I'd say that I started on Thursday, but that would be a bit misleading.

I've been planning it for the past two months. The thing is, most of my plans are now just scrapped ideas. The one big thing that I knew I'd be using right after I made it was the main theme that you hear being played by the oboe in the solo after the introduction. Also, the part where just the strings are playing that same melody at half the speed near the end of the piece is taken directly from my scraps-- that is, the chords and the voicing.

The chord progression in the part where the French horn is playing the main theme up a fifth (i VI VII III VI N6 V) was planned out awhile ago. The part the strings play at the last 10 or so seconds I made up while riding in the car about a week ago.

As for everything else... this Thursday or later.

See, I knew I was going to use some of my scrapped ideas-- especially that main theme, which I absolutely fell in love with after creating it. I just couldn't find a way to put any of them together. But after creating that introduction on Thursday, I found out how to make that theme and a few of those other ideas work. And from there, I went on a creative spree and added everything else to the song. I've been working almost nonstop since Thursday.

[sleeplessdragn]

Originally Posted by lord_carbo

See, I knew I was going to use some of my scrapped ideas-- especially that main theme, which I absolutely fell in love with after creating it. I just couldn't find a way to put any of them together. But after creating that introduction on Thursday, I found out how to make that theme and a few of those other ideas work. And from there, I went on a creative spree and added everything else to the song. I've been working almost nonstop since Thursday.

Very superb work for only 3 days! I've trained myself to never scrap an idea, and really with the advent of the computer there isn't a need to anymore, ever. Even phrases that I create for specific songs that don't end up fitting, I still save them. And yeah, haha, I can't tell you how many midterms and finals I have failed because I had that stroke of inspiration the night before. I can't fight that **** man, can't fight it.

[lord_carbo]

*4 days: Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday.

And yes, inspiration can ruin everything. I have a short history paper due when I get into school, and I just started that an hour ago and finished it right now.