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February 02, 2012 - Got Funk?
For the gentleman rhymer; Got Funk.
January 30, 2012 - Promises to Keep
It is 2012, and I'm going to start posting more things... like... posting some sheet music when applicable.
The sheet music for this one is particularly bad, as it was not played in with a click track. All of the values are approximate, but you get the notes at least.
January 29, 2012 - Back from Vacation
Howdy all, I'm back from vacation as of... tomorrow, but I thought I'd post some stuff early!
Batty McFaddin - a fun piano piece for you silent film score people.
Overcast - Light-hitting disco. Because disco.
Organic Grunge - Oh yeah; distorted B3. You'll love this. Freaking awesome sound - cool drummering.
January 21, 2012 - SmartSound
I've got some major new functionality for a few of my pieces of music from my partner SmartSound!
For a limited number of pieces, you can get different mixes in ANY LENGTH you want. Most lengths have different mixes available, too!
The music is available under the same terms as exist here. Creative Commons, or per use licensing.
More and more music will be augmented by SmartSound each month.
Check them out - very cool, and always royalty free.
SmartSound! Seriously cool tech.
December 29, 2011 - Year-end Round-up!
First up, new music!
And here's a piece I forgot about: Witch Hunt. It sounds like those 60s-70s police action scores. Slightly dated, but still cool.
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Next up!
The Top 5 Most Historically Inaccurate Movies!
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And finally, Happy New Year!
December 16, 2011 - essentials part 2
Another scoring essential that works in a lot of contexts.
Deep Haze
And the best Top 5 list: The Top Five Strangest Movie Job Titles.
My personal favorite is number 4. I wouldn't want the job, but I like the idea.
December 07, 2011 - epic tuba movies
The title of this post should have semicolons. All words are unrelated.
Brightly Fancy. This was started as a tuba exercise. You'll notice that it has no tuba in it anymore. Sometimes they just get away from me. Good mix, though. Fun for show intros, easy to talk over. Adds energy.
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Another top five list!
Top 5 Movies that Prove Cell Phones are Evil
They seem to cause a lot of homicides.
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Some more epic, sort of slow burn epic pieces.
December 06, 2011 - It is the Season
Twenty one pieces of music that are at least sort of Christmas-y.
Short ones listed first.
0:49 Oh, Christmas Tree
1:08 Up on a Housetop
1:42 Jingle Bells
1:46 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies
1:46 Oh, Little Town of Bethlehem
2:02 Divertimento K131
2:11 Silent Night
2:18 We Wish you a Merry Christmas
2:19 What Child is This
2:21 Jingle Bells (Calm)
2:21 Jingle Bells
2:25 Angels We Have Heard on High
3:13 Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
3:57 Sheep May Safely Graze
4:02 Oh Holy Night
4:04 Angels We Have Heard on High
4:07 Deck the Halls A
4:25 Deck the Halls B
4:25 It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
5:05 Silver Blue Light
19:34 Wish Background
If you know of any other holiday-like piece in my collection, let me know, and I'll add it to the handy list!
Cheers, all.
November 20, 2011 - Stuff you Need
Hit the Streets
Hit the Streets v2
You know that kind of music that fills in the bits where you follow someone around?
Like if they're running out onto the street to buy watermelons...
or if they're collecting buttons for a... shirt...
or if they're diffusing a bomb...
You get the idea. Little dialog, heavy on action - but not super ninja action... just like... running errands action.
November 16, 2011 - The Last Stand of the Mechanolith
And today, there is a simultaneous release of the soundtrack with the film...
- Mechanolith
- Hero Down
These are really really epic when played loud. Like really epic. They out-epic the epic scores to many epic films.
epic.
November 09, 2011 - YouTube Copyright Claims Update
"I met with legal and we'll be contacting all these content owners today about their claims."
That's what I know for now!
November 08, 2011 - Unlight
I don't usually swing this way compositionally - but in this case, I'm actively trying to dish out some heebie jeebies. This piece hurts. It is really difficult to listen to... the first dozen times at least.
Lost of non-standard techniques all over the orchestra - most strikingly in the strings and brass.
Ends unsatisfylingly. :-)
November 07, 2011 - Music plus YouTube update
yes, music...
First off, a beautiful drone synth piece: Mirage
And next, continuing on the epic trail of "Five Armies", a bit of the aftermath: Death of Kings
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And a bit of a clarification on what's going on with the YouTube situation.
Here is the general problem: other publishers are claiming my music as theirs, and causing all sorts of panic by totally well-meaning content creators.
The problems are with very few pieces: Frost Waltz, Shiny Tech, Clenched Teeth, and pieces from Satie and Bach. If you avoid those pieces - you probably won't ever have any issues.
I've sent all of the information that I can to a rep at YouTube. He said that the publishers in question (the ones claiming my original music) are in violation of their contract and will be required to remove the pieces from the Content ID system.
The publishers who are claiming the public domain music I've recorded (Satie and Bach) are a little trickier. My guess is that they will be warned to actually CHECK each time a false match is contested.
I will let you know more when I hear more.
November 06, 2011 - Bad-Ass Soundtrack
Okay, you epic-film-score-loving peoples....
This is a recording that I'm quite excited about. I violated a few orchestral scoring rules in it - but it still works quite well.
Production notes:
This uses the new Hollywood Brass samples - but only 8 patches.
Strings are from Hollywood Strings
Orchestral bass drum is from Heavyocity "Evolve"
Winds and other percussion are from "Orchestra Gold"
Assembled in Logic Studio
November 02, 2011 - YouTube!
I just talked with a rep from YouTube.
They are now aware of the problem at a very high level, and I need to prep a document for them.
I have many examples that you all have sent me over the last few months; but it would be very helpful to me (personally) if you could send them to me again in this format:
Channel Name:
Link to Video:
Name of the Owner claiming a license:
Name of the Asset they are claiming was infringed:
Pieces of music you used from me: (if known)
Please, please get this to me by Thursday Morning (12 hours from now).
Thank you so much.
October 30, 2011 - Fantastic Music
Fantastic meaning coming from a fantasy.
These 2 pieces (plus one variant) were written for a puzzle game; Antrim Escape 3, which is on sale through October 31st in the app store. I'm sure many of you are already a fan of the series.
The titles of the music don't come from the game - they are just additionally appropriate.
The Snow Queen
The Path of the Goblin King (and a faster version)
October 29, 2011 - Solo Bass Project
Interesting pieces done live on a solo bass.
Over Under
Jarvic 8
Wet Riffs
Bicycle
I started these recordings a while back, the plan was to write as other composers using techniques I don't usually use.
The story: This was music from a bass player who was from Canada, now living in Brooklyn.
While these compositions were worked on for a while, they were all recorded on one afternoon - before a scheduled live performance later that night. The live performance never happened.
October 28, 2011 - The Carnival has Arrived
Three and a half new pieces of a sort of Brazilian-style drumming ensemble music!
Lagoa v1 - 109 beats per minute
Lagoa v1 - 130 beats per minute
Leblon
Suvaco do Cristo
October 08, 2011 - At least there is some explanation...
I received a fantastic explanation of what is going on with the Youtube Content ID Match system with at least some of my music (typically the ones that Sony and Universal are claiming rights to).
False Content ID with Classical Music
Thanks, Will!
I'll try to keep everyone here posted as to the goings on of this battle - hopefully, this will cause a change in the "right's holders'" policies. If it does not, then I can at least provide everyone who gets hit by this the details of how to go about fixing it.
October 05, 2011 - Dear Internet Sleuths
Seeing as how YouTube is being very slow about this, I'm going to start talking directly with publishers.
One big one that many many people have complained about is "the Self-Help Hypnotherapy Store".
If you are them, or know them, or can get me a contact there, or find an email address - please email me. I found a phone number online - but no one answers.
Getting these guys to stop will halt a full half of all the problems people have reported.
October 03, 2011 - that one kind of music
You know the type... you've just completed a big action sequence, and your main characters are talking in quiet voices about what all happened, and what it all means, and what's next... and you get THIS kind of music in the background as a stark contrast to the heavy brass and percussion of the previous scenes.
You can also listen to these on their own... they generally are simple constructions with complexity coming from the extended and thin chords.
Pensif (my personal favorite of the bunch)
Facile
Calmant
Avec Soin
Cheers, all.
September 27, 2011 - New Site for Music
You can pick up about 80 pieces of new music from Leafy Lane Productions (Tom Cusack) over in England.
I hope that keeps you all busy for a few hours. Quite good stuff, and fantastic preview experience! :-)
September 25, 2011 - Electronic; also orchestral
Chipper Doodle, and Chipper Doodle v2 are a few of my new favorite happy electronica pieces (just slow and faster versions)
Our Story Begins is an orchestral overture to... whatever you need an overture for.
September 25, 2011 - Delay
Sorry about the delay for new music. I've been working on some great new projects.
Should be back with more very soon!
Chee Zee Caves V2 This time, no brass. It has quite a different character.
September 12, 2011 - ISRC Codes
If you don't know what an ISRC code is - feel free to ignore this post.
I am now able to assign ISRC codes. I plan to assign them to each piece on my site, but it is a slow process. Right now - less than 1% of the pieces have codes.
If you need a code for a specific piece, just drop me a line, I'll get that piece of music a code in about a day.
September 07, 2011 - Cut and Dry
Cut and Dry - This is the second, and probably last (for a while) modern mix piece. These are remarkably difficult to do - and this isn't even close to being "club quality". I'm leaving this sort of thing to the professional producers in the future.
I would now like to exchange the compressors for my trusty reverb.
September 03, 2011 - Cut and Run
What have I been doing? Production experiments. Modern pop music is something I get requests for - and the production techniques used are very dissimilar to orchestral productions, so I decided to try.
Holy man; they are very very different. This test turned out 'ok'; not too bad for a first try. There are so many compressors in this project joined in crazy ways to help get this sound - and it isn't near up to modern production standards.
Feel free to add your own lyrics and remaster this. You'll probably need some more multi-channel compressors.
August 21, 2011 - A confusing idea
Okay. There is new music - but it isn't here.
It is music that I wrote - but I am dedicating this to the Public Domain, so They are on the other site:
Oboe Rock Thing - written just last week.
Stratosphere - written in 2005; used to be on incompetech, now has a better home, and a completely free license.
August 09, 2011 - New Music Tuesday
Epic and Orchestral
Heroic Age - big and awesome
Constance - restrained and edgy
The Pyre - deathly serious
Invariance - 2 tempos in one file - choose whatever works for you.
Cheers, all.
August 04, 2011 - Big Announcement - Sort of.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Yesterday, I made a bunch of new music in the style of late 70s / early 80s bad sci-fi.
Rather than posting it all here, I decided to release that music into the Public Domain.
Exciting, huh?
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Public Domain confuses people. Especially on a site known for Royalty-free music. So I opened up a new site that has only Public Domain music on it.
Please Be Nice to the new site; Do not download the entire catalog today.
If the site is offline when you read this - Someone tried to download too much at once, and it was shut down.
Sorry.
There are about 400 pieces of music up there. Many of them are very similar to each other. You don't need them all right now.
If you would like them all - email me, and I'll get you on a list and send you a giant zip file sometime within a week or whenever I can get my act together. (it is like 2.6 gig - so also email me if you know how to move a file that big to a bunch of people)
70s Sci-Fi in the Public Domain
August 01, 2011 - The Cannery
Aggressive, humorous, bright, and intense. Yeah, there is only one piece of music like this on my site... I'm pretty sure.
July 29, 2011 - Not sure what these are
These are both synth-heavy pieces...
Wallpaper is round and bouncy.
Cipher is lush and catchy.
The mix has some headroom in it - I recommend you turn it up to get hit in the chest with the kick drum. I might release a compressed version for people with sub-optimal speakers.
This was mixed for something like a flat full-range system. In reality, the best experience is in my studio in Brooklyn. So... let me know if you want to stop by to listen to it.
July 28, 2011 - Other Music!
Yeah, I can't do everything. I do have a new sponsor who does quite a bit more. Bonus points for human readable licenses. If you've looked at sites that advertise "300,000 Tracks!" or whatnot, you're probably aware - that's not the best plan if you're just trying to get your production done. Shockwave-Sound doesn't do that (thank the gods). They have a reasonable amount of findable music.
I am not an affiliate for them - buy or do not, I don't really care. But do go take a look. I'm here to help everyone!
They work with a smaller number of talented composers and release a few new hand-picked tracks each week, rather than allowing anyone to upload anything like many other sites do.
You can visit Shockwave-Sound.com to download more royalty-free music.
July 16, 2011 - Presenterator
Presenterator - New music for powerpoint presentation.
July 07, 2011 - Fiverr Experiment
Fiverr.com is an interesting site. There are a bunch of things you can get for $5.
What did I get?
This: I will record an excellent guitar solo for your music within 24 hours for $5
The result is the end solo in I Feel You - a sort of dreamy 80's fusion rock piece. Whoever this is did a pretty darned good job for $5!
Recommended!
And if you haven't looked at fiverr.com for other things - check it out. Fun stuff.
July 05, 2011 - Game Loops!
Today! Today only! Four pieces of music that were sitting on my desktop unfinished for a long time because they weren't going anywhere... So I turned them into pieces that are designed to not go anywhere... Game Loops!
You can loops them for backgrounds to anything you like, of course...
I can't figure out how to link to them directly - so here are the titles:
- Funk Game Loop
- Bassa Island Game Loop
- Wah Game Loop
- Slow Ska Game Loop
You'll have to find them yourselves... Sort of like a hidden object game, but with text in a database... and without the fun.
June 26, 2011 - More testing with West African Drums
Quasi Motion - I'm sorry. I don't know what this is. It just got away from me. I like it... but I really have no idea what it is.
Slow Heat - This is a more straightforward piece that fills in a gap. I don't have anything similar to this... I've been listening on repeat for a while. I'm a fan.
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oops. Forgot to announce this one.
June 23, 2011 - PseudoPolkas
Though I can't imagine this ever being played at "Polka Days", it is super bright and catchy.
How do you classify something like this? Is it a polka, or is it electronica?
I put it under "Polka". Give it a try - you'll be happy.
June 14, 2011 - Polynesian Fusion
At long last, a new collection! All percussion, all the time. Polynesian Fusion... an underserved market.
StompDance
Arcane
Rite of Passage
Firebrand
Tikopia
June 06, 2011 - Live performers
Are you a live performer dealing in juggling, poi, magic, fire-eating, object manipulation or similar?
Please email me - I need some feedback on a new collection of music I'm working on for this sort of thing.
Thanks, all!
May 16, 2011 - New Music Finally!
Gaslamp Funworks - Another steampunkish piece. Somehow both epic and fun!
Super Friendly - I wrote this as the climax/denouement for a reality-tv-show-that-shall-not-be-named. It was rejected - so don't worry about that too much. Just enjoy the over-emotion.
Supernatural Radio A - For the radio-drama nostalgics among you, a nice sci-fi-like organ theme or two.
Cheers!
May 16, 2011 - non YouTube folks can ignore this....
It took about 4 days to do all the research on this little page - and I hope if helps everyone to understand what is going on!
How the YouTube ContentID System works with my Music
Cheers, all!
May 10, 2011 - Attention Music Hoarders!
I know you're out there...
Does anyone have a copy of a piece of music I did with the title of "Maz"?
I wrote it in 1996, I think - and had it on my site for a while, but I can't find a copy any more.
Let me know! Cheers.
May 04, 2011 - Calming Music
With all the hubbubs today, I needed to get out some calming music.
And also, a very uncomforting piece with just 6 notes played over 10 minutes: Irregular
Cheers all.
May 03, 2011 - AudioMicro1
Nobody panic!
I'm doing a trial run with AudioMicro1 to run ads on YouTube. You may receive a copyright notice from YouTube because of this. I'm working with AudioMicro right now to clarify the wording of this.
If you don't want ads on your YouTube video, just opt out - and you'll be whitelisted. If you choose to accept ads, you'll be helping me out!
April 28, 2011 - Crane Request
Marie-An Nguyen requested a piece for her animation of self-folding cranes. Done
April 27, 2011 - Another Request
Mr. Jones wanted a tasteful version of Amazing Grace for use in funerals. Done
UPDATE - 11pm. Eric Henning wanted a Victorian piece on music box to cold open a magic show. Done
April 27, 2011 - For Composers
If you are a composer, and you're looking to get into music for video games and other mobile applications, but don't know where to start - my friend Ben Long wrote an ebook with a roadmap to help you out.
It is a very very targeted book - so it is very short, and easy to follow; but it isn't cheap (due to the vertical nature).
Lucky for you - I got Ben to send me a coupon code so you can get half off the purchase of the PDF.
gameaudio101: Coupon code: AT101ebooksxsw45
April 19, 2011 - Who's your favorite composer?
[[ post about sending me requests... ]]
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Update: April 20, 2am - Kaolin Fire requested music for a flash video game, Cupid's Revenge. Done.
Update: April 20, 6pm - Mr. Tenk and Kia Geraths requested some music in the Steampunk genre. Done
Update: April 20, 10pm - Tosha Hall requested some melancholy music box music. I reused the theme from the last piece. Done
Update: April 20, 11pm - My expression pedal broke. Attempts to repair the mechanical problems have left it inoperable.
Update: April 21, 1am - Tony Mayer and Arnie Voysey both requested a similar sort of piece - so I mashed the requests together. Done
Update: April 21, 4am - Michael G wanted some music for a Japanese fighting robot tournament video. Done
Update: April 21, 10pm - Sven Mattes wanted a score for a fight sequence in a Star Wars fan film. Done
NB: Fight Sequences take a LONG TIME to assemble. Do not think they are simple.
Update: April 22, 6pm - At least six people requested children's music. Done
Update: April 22, 7pm - Same people, same request, same project file, new tune. Done
Update: April 23, 8pm - Chad Sell wanted a plodding middle-eastern type piece. Done
Note: It is really difficult to keep changing genres!
Update: April 24. Okay! That's enough. Thanks to everyone for your suggestions - I received upwards of a couple hundred of them. I picked out 6 more that I plan on doing in the next couple of days.
April 05, 2011 - Feeling Political?
Here's a way to kickstart your very own reggae political album. Just add words.
March 18, 2011 - Home on a Friday Night?
Can you help me out?
I just finished the first round of composition on a piece.
Here it (was). (7 minutes plus)
Do you have any thoughts on how to make it better?
Do you have an idea for a title?
Email me! kevin@incompetech.com
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[Saturday Morning]
Okay, I got some nice feedback. Working on fixing some clarity in parts. If you still have something to say - keep the comments coming (I just took the original link down because I don't want too many repeats of the same criticisms that are already being fixed).
March 07, 2011 - I'm going to hell for this...
Out of all the things I've done in my life, I think the thing most likely to send me to hell is the composition of "Motivator".
I think somewhere back in 1992, a CD was produced that changed the world of corporate presentations. It wasn't great music, or even any good - but it was very popular; and thus was born the "corporate presentation sound".
I have gotten a lot of requests for this sort of music, and I've always said "no"... until now.
"Motivator" has a lot of problems... I'll leave it as an exercise to the listener to find them all - but one thing it does have, is that early 90's corporate sound.
I can almost hear the voiceover script for this... "Our 2012 line of fans and blowers is unmatched in the Upper Midwest, and you can see the difference they'll make in your commercial buildings today!"
what have i done... i am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.
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Oh, there's more. Yes, there's the other corporate musical plague... the corporate light jazz. You guessed it. I recorded that, too. "Airport Lounge".
This is also suitable for more chill lifestyle-oriented corporate presentations.
Hear that smooth modulation in the middle of the piece? Yup... smoooth...
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I didn't stop. What if you have a lighter fell-good presentation for... chainsaws or something else fun.
"Hackbeat". Enjoy. Or... try to enjoy.
good lord.
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On the much better side of things, here are two pieces I wrote for Bellflower, an exceedingly good film that opened at Sundance this year, and will be at South by Southwest next week and Nashville next month... It should be available through a distribution deal with Oscilloscope - I'm guessing later this year.
February 13, 2011 - More Bass!
I've been recording quite a bit this last week or so... Here's what I did with the new Bass samples from Trillian.
Faster Does It - A gorgeous BeBop duet.
Covert Affair - Cooler jazz piece with EP and trumpet
Isolated - Really nice electric bass solo
Lesson learned from bebop production: Attitude is more important than notes.
February 13, 2011 - Behold the Harp!
Also in the survey, several people asked for more harp music. This is pretty surprising to me - but I'm glad to write more for harp.
In addition, two people asked for Western music.
So... here's a Western harp piece: Pale Rider
And for the elven harp contingent... Enchanted Journey
This title surprised me in that none of my other titles or descriptions used the words "Enchanted" or "Journey". I guess it was time.
February 12, 2011 - Funeral March by request
An interesting thing that three people mentioned in the last poll I did was a funeral march. I could have recorded the famous march by Purcell, but decided to write a new one.
In an ideal world, the march should be playable by just a few people - who are all able to march in the procession. So, no marching pianos or marching cello sections. No synths or electric guitars.
It should be able to be played by just a few musicians. Not everyone dies rich.
Writing a great funeral piece proved remarkably difficult. Instead, I wrote a "pretty-good" piece.
Two trumpets, one trombone, and one tenor drum.
Funeral March for Brass - Play this one live at my funeral; it'll be really cool.
February 09, 2011 - Some suggestions already ready!
Would also like to send you $5 if I could just send a check to your address or p.o. box -- don't like putting my credit card online
There's a nice donation page available here with all that info. Donations!
(Quick note, please don't send me checks from other countries, even if they are money orders, and even if they are in USD. My bank hates these, and it just never works)
Is there any kind of music that you wanted - but had to go to another source to find?
More blues.
Here's a sort of blues boogie that I did this week: Hustle
heartland real rock
Simple 2-person rock: Breakdown (not sure if this qualifies as heartland, but it seems to)
And maybe this one (2 basses and drums!) Raw
Sound effects and Orff, Mozart
First sound effects: I don't do them... but another user recommended http://www.pdsounds.org/
Orff. He was really recent. None of his music will come into the Public Domain until 2053 (give or take). No one will be able to offer his music for free for a long, long, long time.
Mozart. I'm actually working on this - hopefully, I'll have new recordings up by the end of the month. Mozart is sufficiently dead to offer his music for free.
Cheers, all!
February 09, 2011 - Help me help you.
This is a 2-page survey about the Music side of incompetech.
So, only fill this out if you use the music from here.
Survey closed due to 100 response limit of Survey Monkey.
58% of you have been coming here for over a year.
34% were referred by a friend.
67% of you never tried to contact me in any way.
15% of you do production commercially.
Thanks to everyone who responded.
There's a lot of good stuff I need to go in and look at on the essay questions!
February 08, 2011 - Fun Video Platformer!
Be the first game dev on the net to use Silly Fun!
Silly fun is a high energy comic platformer toolkit that YOU can use to delight your audience!
There are FIVE TRACKS in the one small zip file! Two fully loop-able main theme tracks, and 3 different level end scores. The entire package is under 2.5 meg - and you can compress them even more if you like!
That means you can more easily stay under the 10 meg iOS over-the-air download limit.
Such quality!
Such a bargain!
SO MuCH fUN!!!!
Get yours today!
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I think that's the last marketing seminar I'm ever going to attend.
UPDATE! The download limit for iOS is now 20 meg!
Thanks to Ben Long at Game Audio for the info.
January 19, 2011 - Just for fun...
Here's a quick video by my friend Paul from Germany!
I have some recordings from him that I did when he was in New York, and will probably release them in the next few months. Love his style.
January 17, 2011 - New Scores
Here are a couple of pieces I did for Bellflower, a fantastic film that is an official selection for Sundance 2011.
If you have a chance to see this film, I very much recommend doing so.
January 10, 2011 - Pieces from Satie
Erik Satie produced some of the most beautiful innovative music of his time.
Here are three of the most famous pieces: Gymnopédies
January 06, 2011 - NetFlix Inspirations
I recently picked up NetFlix and watched the entirety of Dollhouse. Aside from it being a fantastic series, I was struck by the amazingly appropriate soundtrack, and wrote a couple of pieces that are close in feel, but slightly more dense.
Scissors
Enter the Maze
Also did an atmospheric piece to accompany a visualization. It wasn't accepted for the project, but still turned out well.
Darkest Child in 2 versions
And while playing around with a new synth (Reaktor) I fashioned this highly unnerving piece:
Slow Ticking Clock
More to come very soon!
December 13, 2010 - Percussive Pieces Plus
Three pieces in large percussion:
Movement Proposition
Grim League
Scattershot
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Relent - Harp and clarinet
November 26, 2010 - Dark, Elegant, and Mysterious
A series of three orchestral pieces that I did for political ads earlier this year. These are some of my favorites - and can be easily used as the central themes in short films.
November 25, 2010 - No title
I've been quite busy this month with the opening of Black Peter. But there's more on the way!
Cheers, all.
Also - come see Black Peter Nov 27-Dec 19 in New York, or Nov 26-Dec 19 in Chicago!
October 31, 2010 - Short pieces
Private Eye
At the Shore
Circus Tent
The Forest and the Trees
Fluffing a Duck
October 26, 2010 - Salmagundi
One of my favorite new pieces, an electronic one, Itty Bitty 8 Bit.
And a fantastically non-offensive piece suitable for all non-offensive purposes, Autumn Day
October 20, 2010 - Thanks, all!
Thanks to all who have made a recent donation to Black Peter. For the price of a cup of a Starbucks Latte Mocha-chino, you can feed a starving actor, actress, musician, or lighting director.
Yes, I think I am also the lighting director.
October 09, 2010 - Sundries!
The Endless - hard to put a finger on this one. Very changeable. Easy to cut and splice many parts of this.
Aces High - some extra funk.
Not as it Seems - very fun sort of dark.
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Also! Please help get my musical produced! No vampire puppets, but it does have puppets. See the post just before this one.
Yay!
September 20, 2010 - Organic Meditations
The Organic Meditations - So what does that mean? These were all built on acoustic recordings of real instruments, and not synthesized. It is over 45 minutes of music, all the the same key - so you can fade between them for very very long pieces.
One: Lush strings with bells on top, and a deep deep drum
Two: Thinner brass at the bass, wooden marimba for interest
Three: Piano and cello drones on the bass, piano is also used for melodics
September 18, 2010 - Windswept with sheet music!
Windswept - A relaxed guitar and strings piece for the denouement of a story or exposition of the scenic outdoors. The guitar is peaceful as the strings gently build in prominence. The tempo is regular overall, but slows down in key moments to build a sense of tranquility.
A lot of people have been asking me for sheet music of various pieces. So I've decided to start including them here (if they are relevant).
I don't play guitar, so I don't know if this is playable - I suspect it is.
Windswept Sheet Music (includes guitar tab!)
If you play guitar, let me know if this is possible. Thanks!!
September 01, 2010 - Reality TV
Decisions - tension
Rising - more tension
Honey Bee - Chill RnB-like
There it is - Action theme music
August 31, 2010 - End of Summer Musics!
Show Your Moves - Upbeat electronica
Sneaky - Alto flute solo
Streetlight on a Dark Road - English Horn solo
Unanswered Questions - Kora solo
Gone Beyond - Music box and choir
August 08, 2010 - New Strings
August 03, 2010 - New things coming up!
This December, I'm going to be performing live. Live? Yes. I know. It is crazy. I haven't done that in... many years. We're going to be mounting a holiday-themed musical in New York, (and another simultaneous run in Chicago). I will be performing in the New York run. Piano, cello, violin on stage. Should be awesome.
I'll try to keep everyone informed - should be a heck of a ride!
Drop me an email if you want to be involved, and I will keep you in the loop. You can help make this a success, even if you're not in New York! We're hatching plans. :-)
Thanks all!
kevin@incompetech.com
July 01, 2010 - Cattails
Some of the most typically "annoying" instruments combine for this one.
Erhu, Banjo, Accordion.
The result is not at all annoying, by the way... just interesting to note.
June 22, 2010 - Happy Tuesday!
Pinball Spring Available in 116 and a frantic 160 beats per minute.
Tafi Maradi Available with and without voices.
June 15, 2010 - More Silent Film!
When I started to refresh the silent film music a few days ago, I attempted some research, and found that I was #2 in google. So, being an internet authority on the subject - I just did more! :-)
10 files (5 clean, and the same ones distressed... and one of the pieces in 2 tempos)
Iron Horse - 2 versions
Villainous Treachery - 2 versions
Amazing Plan - 2 versions
Merry Go - 4 versions
June 11, 2010 - Holy Free Music!
My friend Frank Nora just released about SEVEN HOURS of totally free music.
SEVEN HOURS of totally free music!!!
No fees, no restrictions, no need to attribute - awesome crazy retro fun!
Get it here! Get it today.
Download it all, chop it up - do anything you like!
June 09, 2010 - Early Music
Rites - church-type chants
Thatched Villagers - happy loop
Old Road - early duet
Yeah, I've been playing "We Rule"... needed some different background music.
June 09, 2010 - Early Music
Rites - church-type chants
Thatched Villagers - happy loop
Old Road - early duet
Yeah, I've been playing "We Rule"... needed some different background music.
June 09, 2010 - Waltzes, Etc.
Rains Will Fall - a waltz
Court of the Queen - another waltz
Failing Defense - not at all a waltz
May 29, 2010 - New Age Saturday!
When The Wind Blows - Several wind instruments play lilting melodies that are slow and meander through the piece, sometimes bordering on being slightly out of tune. The calm music has an edge of solemnity about it. The ever-present acoustic guitar is methodical and resembles a pulse – it exists but is forgotten, except when the guitar draws out the length of a note.
Eastminster - The constant reverberating sound of rain and the perfect-fifth drone of the strings are calming, but have an air of suspense and tension about them, as if a drama is about to unfold. The koto plays a near continuous refrain, at times forcefully. Evoking pre-colonialist East Asia, the piece is beautiful and stoic in tone, especially as the koto asserts its dominance in the sixth minute and at the end.
Silver Blue Light - Sparse in it’s instrumentation, Silver Blue Light is quiet and pensive with atmospheric synthesized chords and guitar.. There isn’t much of a melodic line to this piece until well into the fifth minute. In the third minute the guitar plays a few high notes, and the key changes briefly, which occurs again in the final twenty seconds as well.
May 28, 2010 - Horrific Friday!
The Hive - Cymbals and synthesizers evoke swarming insects, as whirring and clicking noises abound with heavy reverb
Redletter - High-pitched strings play above a low drone, while fuzzy noises and cymbal rolls flow throughout. The high strings crescendo and quickly cut out as if a knife sliced their throats. A somber melody plays in the final minute, and the noises crescendo and come at you from every angle, symbolic of an attack and a gruesome finale.
The House of Leaves - A simple harp refrain plays a child’s melody, but is torn apart by discordant screeching noises, thumps, growls, and mechanical noises.
Right Behind You - Breathy noises make the hairs on the back of your neck stand, while screeching strings and high-pitched noises are distracting and spine-tingling.
May 27, 2010 - Americana Thursday!
Sweeter Vermouth - Jazz - The jaunty bass line keeps this short piece moving at a solid pace, while the vibraphone and saxophones play the swinging melody, until the bright, thump of an ending. Use this piece as a slick transition between scenes or for the background to a short scene of drinking, gambling, or dancing.
Whiskey on the Mississippi - Blues (with copious help from GarageBand) - With a jumping bass and off-beat syncopation, this is straight from Memphis’ Beale Street. The Hammond organ and electric guitar play together as longtime friends, while the melody changes hands from guitar to organ to electric piano
Porch Swing Days - Faster and slower versions - Acoustic guitars play a constantly flowing feel-good melody, enhanced by an airy chorus that enters early in the piece. The music is bright and evokes a carefree attitude towards life and the troubles of the world.
May 26, 2010 - Hodge-Podge Wednesday!
Finding the Balance - This is one of my new favorite pieces to listen to. It always ends too soon.
Grammophone Taps - Just a little utilitarian recording - if you need it, then you need it.
Ibn Al-Noor - In the third minute the piece changes to a heavy, dangerous string and tribal drumming that builds until all of the instruments come together in a fitful way, until the abrupt ending.
May 25, 2010 - Epic Soundtrack Tuesday
Split In Synapse - A short piece that mixes the symphony with frenzied electronica elements and a dance beat. The horns are blasting and discordant, the synthesizer is manic, the effects disorienting, and the final cresecendo push is loud and forceful.
Clenched Teeth - Timpanis and strings battle with a snare drum and horns throughout this epic piece, slowly building and rising to chaos. The music is high-action and only includes a few short dramatic interludes.
For the Fallen - Beginning with beautiful symphonic chords accentuated by a glockenspiel, For The Fallen builds gently and with emotion. At the mid-point, marching drums build in and the music strikes a more serious tone, retaining its dramatic passion.
May 24, 2010 - Ladies and Gentlemen; Scott Joplin!
My version of the Fig Leaf Rag by Scott Joplin.
Both clear recording, and a slightly different distressed recording.
Enjoy!
May 06, 2010 - A Little Somethin' Somethin' for May
Mistake the Getaway - I wrote this one a few days ago after several weeks of intense cartoon scoring. Mucho brass, rock percussion.
Nerves - Also written between episodes late one night. 1:47 to the end is the big part.
Orion 300XB - An interesting thing. There are no single words for this kind of piece. It is calming, distracting, unnerving, visceral, cerebral... But if we had words for things like this - we wouldn't need music.
April 01, 2010 - Smatterlings
One-eyed Maestro - Bouncy, Eerie, Humorous
Devastation and Revenge - Eerie, Intense, Suspenseful, Mystical, Somber, Epic
Ripples - Calming, Mystical, Relaxed
Finding Movement - Calming, Uplifting
Stealth Groover - Grooving, Bouncy
March 22, 2010 - Yo, Heave Ho.
I whipped up the "Song of the Volga Boatmen" this morning. (Ðй, ухнем!)
March 22, 2010 - Bach BWV 846
Prelude in C - Recorded on piano.
I have just gotten my new monitors (the Mackie HR 824s), and man - they are unforgiving in hearing every little tinge and issue with the recordings. Given that, this is probably the truest piano recording I've ever done.
You can hear a little bit of unrelenting percussive sounds of the hammers hitting the strings, but that's going to happen when you have hammers hitting strings.
When I was doing research on this piece, I noted that wikipedia cited a couple of my works for organ in their article. Unexpected! :-)
February 22, 2010 - Video Game Developers!
I just did a series of 4 pieces.
You can get them here.
Chee Zee Beach
Chee Zee Jungle
Chee Zee Lab
Chee Zee Cave
These are all designed for background music for video games, but they can be used for anything you like!
These pieces extend to any length because they loop cleanly.
February 12, 2010 - New Software Tests
Just loaded up some new EastWest software, and I've been trying some things in between my other project. Here's a couple of pieces.
Cheers.
January 26, 2010 - Epics and Orchestrals... and also Bach
Agnus Dei X - everyone's favorite part of the Latin mass. Rich-beyond-reason arrangement.
Second Coming - no percussion - lush orchestra-only mix.
Ranz des Vaches - that one morning tune from the cartoons... from Rossini. Very well produced, if I must say so myself!
Sinfonia Number 5 - quick harpsichord rendering of the Bach 3-part invention.
Also added:
- Half Bit (electronic fun loop)
- Poofy Reel (acoustic quirk)
- New Direction (electronic ambient)
- Space Fighter Loop (hybrid excitement)
- Robo-Western (hybrid uptempo)
And 2 new additions to the Tenebrous Bros. Carnival!
- Tenebrous Brothers Carnival - Mermaid
- Tenebrous Brothers Carnival - Snake Lady
January 17, 2010 - Not on the Map
This is a giant 48 minute piece. It is super ambient, and very simple. Due to its large size, this piece will not make it into my main catalog.
Please feel free to redistribute this piece to anyone for any reason.
I'm releasing this under the Creative Commons: By Attribution license in reaction to what's going on in Malaysia and other places. Authorized agents (such as those for ASCAP and BMI) have been shaking down businesses for not paying performance fees for music in their stores.
Do they have the right to do that? Sure.
And I have the right to release music for free that anyone may use. I can't fight bad copyright laws in countries where I am not... but I can help take money out of the existing model by undercutting them on price and ease of use.
This one is for spas and other relaxation-based areas.
Cheers, all!
January 13, 2010 - Ghostpocalypse
The soundtrack to the film (that doesn't exist yet).
- Departure - atmospheric
- The Call - rhythmic
- Road of Trials - melodic
- Temptress - melodic with percussion
- Apotheosis - rhythmic
- Crossing the Threshold - melodic
- Master - very rhythmic
- Epilog - melodic
December 31, 2009 - 36 Minutes.
Classical and classic-like
Habanera - From Bizet's "Carmen", ft Jenny Lee Mitchell
Final Count - taking off from Chopin's Piano Sonata #2
Horror-ish
Dopplerette
Lightless Dawn
Spacial Harvest
Seventh Seal
Also added:
- Spring Thaw
- Sunset at Glengorm
- World Vice
- Terminal
- Feather Waltz
- A Singular Perversion
December 29, 2009 - The Romantics
I get requests for "romantic" music a lot. For me, this seems like an oddly general request - given all of the forms romance takes.
Here are a few takes on it... all wildly different.
The Parting
Resignation
Thinking of You
December 29, 2009 - Comedic Scenes in Two Flavors
First is the light-hearted sneaky/quiet adventure/hushed argument type of pizzicato string thing...
Umbrella Pants
Investigations
Sneaky Adventure
And then the more upbeat oblivious hero kind of comedy thingee...
Happy Boy - 2 files, 3 themes.
December 29, 2009 - Mini-Album - Carnival!
I think this is the second mini-album type work I've posted, this time inspired by the not-so-shiny side of Coney Island combined with the sadness of the modern traveling carnival.
There may be more in this series at a later date, for now - you get the first 17 minutes of it in five parts.
December 13, 2009 - Calmer Sorts
This post is pending a better description.
kevin@incompetech.com
December 09, 2009 - Recent Projects
Alchemist's Tower - Orchestral theme for something both dark and fun.
MTA - A rare aggressive mix from me.
The search engine for keywords is still a little wonky... be working on fixing that soon!
December 02, 2009 - Ambient to Rock
Starting some computer cleanup, and posting what I find starting with...
Ambiment - a 23ish minute long ambient sort of piece of music.
And my music search engine is on the fritz... so, just look an the top of the Rock page for
What You Want (version 2) [ no vocals ] and
Noise Attack
Finally, here's Sunshine ver 2 - a slower version of one of my more popular pieces.
November 12, 2009 - New Piece for guitars
Clear Air. Wide variety of applications. Try it. Is nice. :-)
And as a public service, I'd like to highlight some very odd piano pieces that have been up for a while, but will be useful in the ever-popular Silent Film genre...
The Mad Pianist
Check out. Again. For the 1st time.
November 06, 2009 - Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy
Someone (I can't find who) requested a dark version of "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy".
I couldn't find the originals, but I did redo it this week, and made 3 versions. There is still the version I did in 2006 (and wow, you can hear the difference 3 years makes!).
Click here for all the Sugar Plum variants
Cheers all!
November 01, 2009 - Impact.
This is a new style of working for me. It is almost a "mini-album". This comes in at about 15 minutes total for 6 pieces.
If you are putting together a short film and use one of these, it is very easy to use any of them and maintain the same music character.
Impact
- Prelude
- Andante
- Moderato
- Intermezzo
- Allegretto
- Lento
October 17, 2009 - Nice Exchange 2009, Volume Two!
The first offer is over and done, but a new one is just begun, and chances are, you're already registered!
This one works like the last one... but easier.
- Go to Rhe's Mad Men entry here
- Register for the site, and Vote!
- Say something nice in the comments if you've enjoyed the clip.
- Send an email to nice.music.exchange@gmail.com, and tell us who you are!
- You will receive a download link within a day or so (we'll try to keep up!).
- Tada!
What's in the download: 9 Brand new pieces by me, and 12 fantastic guitar tracks by Byran Teoh. Same licensing as everything on this site.
September 24, 2009 - Big drums and soundscapes
First off is a giant drone piece (at about 18 minutes) for all of you out there looking for long pads for placing under things.
Next up, deep texture:
And finally - a piece where I was playing around with a new sample set "Evolve" from Heavyocity. After a few hours of playing with the giant percussion - I ended up with a piece that sounded like a Blue Man Group performance piece. Way too much like them, actually - I was a little scared that I had inadvertently covered one of their pieces... I did some research, and checked with my local experts. It is not a Blue Man piece. (whew!)
Cheers, all!
September 08, 2009 - Nice Exchange 2009!
25 new pieces of music in one zip file
(sorry, this offer is expired)
August 20, 2009 - Background Music Extravaganza!
In order from most aggressive to most chill...
And an often requested ender-sting:
Der Kleber Sting Dun dun DUUUUN!
August 04, 2009 - New music of wide assortment.
Often the things I post are unrelated, except having been written at a similar time. These pieces are so unrelated, I'm having a hard time thinking that I made all of them... much less made them all within days of each other.
Padanaya Blokov - Slightly humorous electro-folk. I listen to this one over and over - so sayeth the play count in iTunes. For some reason, it doesn't get old to me. Consider it for a video game background.
Symbiosis - Gorgeous Steinway grand piano played at unreasonably soft levels, progressing to a relationship with a pure electronic percussion instrument.
Petulant March - There is a preset sound in Logic by the name of "Kronky Organ". What would one do with a Kronky Organ? Well... this sort of thing.
Unpromised - Beautiful and austere. Solo boy vocalist and harp with slight percussion, joined by a bass flute.
Lamentation - for solo harp. Impromptu.
July 28, 2009 - Loungy Bits
Cheers, all.
July 05, 2009 - Native American Drumming
Five (5) new pieces in Native American style. I got some new headphones, and some great monitors - these mixes should be excellent.
Night of the Owl, Thunderhead, Birch Run, Black Bird, Firesong.
July 03, 2009 - Dream Composing
I usually have a soundtrack when I dream. This time, I was able to get it recorded before it flew off into the ether. It is a simple piece with an odd feel... in that it is mostly a 3/3/2/3/3 feel... but not always.
So, if you've been sending music commissions to my dreams... congrats, you found an effective way to jump the queue.
July 02, 2009 - Epic Sounds
Truth of the Legend - one of my favorite new pieces.
Living Voyage - Eastern fusion
June 07, 2009 - New Friendly and more...
Here's a new featured piece:
New Friendly
It is similar to the smash hit "deliberate thought", but with a lot more harmonic motion.
Also new, 2 pieces with solo voice...
Long Road Ahead in 2 versions.
Private Reflection
And...
Fast Talkin a noir-like piece.
Cheers all!
May 24, 2009 - Melodica Demo
From the blurry nether regions of YouTube, comes an awesome little iPhone app called "Melodica".
It is $0.99. Seriously people. I don't care how musical you are or are not - this app is a blast. Go get it!
You can get the file under a Public Domain license at FreePD.
Did I say Public Domain? Oh yeah. Public Domain.
May 07, 2009 - Stuff I Use
> I was wondering if you would do a blog post that mentions all of the
> different software and hardware you use to create your music.
> - Ken
Sure thing!
Hardware:
I have 2 computers, one iMac, and a white MacBook. 4 gig of RAM in each (depends on location)
MIDI controller: Axiom 61 from M-Audio
Audio Interface: 1 Firepod, and an AudioBox (depends on location)
Monitors: Mackie 824s
Software:
Logic Studio (sometimes Garageband)
Garritan sample sets, all the Apple Jam Packs, Steinberg Virtual Guitarist 2, and East West Symphonic Choirs.
Huh. I thought it was more complicated. Well, there you go!
- Kevin MacLeod
April 23, 2009 - Overdue New Music
Oh, I've been working - just not posting much... here's round one of catch-up posting.
New choirs:
Schmetterling
Darkness Is Coming
Meditations:
Winter Reflections
Tranquility
March 26, 2009 - Pieces named for people
These 3 pieces were written for the character of Quinn in "The Weakness". Check out episode 7.
--
Freddy's Menagerie was written for a custom juggling routine in 3 parts that was done at a competition.
It is useful for more than juggling, though.
It sort of makes me want to pick up my clubs... but man, I can't do the music justice.
March 22, 2009 - Unrelated Music Post
Ghost Dance
Swimmey Texture
Aftermath
Awkward Meeting
So much for descriptions... :-) Enjoy!
March 15, 2009 - Electronica, among others
Before we get too far...
Somewhere Sunny has been updated and lengthened with Version 2!
And, a horror piece - One of Them. It sounds like a Long Note piece, until you get into it a ways.
And now: Electronic Music!
- Rocket
- Killing Time
Closing out is a mildly experimental piece with big drum, chants, and some hammered string instrument that I'm not really sure what it is.
- Chanter
Cheers all!
March 14, 2009 - Blue Paint and Corncob
Blue Paint
Calm piano solo centered around a repeating Ab motive. 20 seconds before end, the motive expands slightly with an added harmony. Could be used to underscore a somber montage, or the carrying out of something regretfully important.
Corncob
Bouncy country tune featuring virtuosic banjo picking and a grooving drumset shuffle. Good for underscoring a hoedown or a fast-forward video of barnyard chores.
March 08, 2009 - Some love for the video game makers...
These are all built to be looped, and are unobtrusive for background goodness!
Desert City
The North
Home Base Groove
Round Drums
And a bonus short...
March 04, 2009 - FreePD
I just posted TWENTY THREE pieces of music into the Public Domain over at FreePd.com. Some were previously on incompetech, and some are entirely new.
Cheers, all!
February 14, 2009 - FreePD
There's a bit more over in the Public Domain...
First - My Ringtone.
And then a submission from David Hewitson.
Remember; Music on that site is all dedicated to the Public Domain, which is a little rare right now... but hopefully it'll take off soon.
February 09, 2009 - Danse Macabre
Danse Macabre from Saint Saens. Opus 40.
Here's some awful facts about this recording...
Originally written in 1874.
52 page score.
478 measures long.
13 sections. (spooky)
13,950 notes were entered for this piece*.
48 virtual instruments were used.
Somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 hours to assemble this over the course of 9 days.
I think this is the last crazy project like this I'll be doing for a while.
Let me know if you like it... I could seriously use some encouragement after that beast.
(and yes, I know exactly all of the places that don't sound quite right, thanks. :-)
* There are fewer than 13,000 notes in the printed score, but you end up with more because of tremolos, trills, and part doubling.
February 02, 2009 - Episode 6
A few more hours in, and there's a nice trumpet line, and I love how the trill with the ornament turned out in the violas.
February 02, 2009 - Episode 5
I'm getting the solo violin playing better, but the pulse of the piece isn't here yet.
February 01, 2009 - The Danse
I've decided to start sharing a project in progress, and a rather nasty one at that.
For some reason, I've wanted to record Danse Macabre from Saint-Saens.
Here's what it sounded like after about 4 hours...
I started with pizzicato violin... and a lot of other pizz from the string sections...
Then I figured my working method was impossible - and started entering notes from the score, instead of from that I was listening to.
I know, in retrospect - the other way is crazy. Turns out the opening was indeed a harp!
I couldn't get the turns to work with my flute sample, so I didn't even put them in.
Dun DUN!
I still don't know if I'll be able to get the resonance on the violin open double stops.
Am I speaking English?
And... just a few hours ago - to measure 101 or thereabouts.
I replaced the flute, and but back in the ornaments. It is better, but still bad... and I think I have to double check my notes in the pizzicato section around 45 seconds in... something feels wrong there.
Onward to Measure 502! Estimated arrival time... end of the month.
I'm such an optimist.
January 20, 2009 - True Previews
True music previews are starting to come online now. These are very small mono previews (about one tenth the size of the big downloads).
Everything should have a preview available by January 21st (about 6 hours after this posting).
Cheers, all!
January 13, 2009 - 3 Pieces: Soundtrack Tuesday!
The Whip
The Whip (Extended Version)
This theme was designed for "The Whip" podcast, located at http://www.thewhip.us. Its an intense, driving hip piece. Starts off with an awesome drum roll, and then continues all the way through with rocking guitar. Great for show openers. Voice over friendly! The Extended version is also provided which adds three more minutes to the middle section of the piece, for any of those longer applications that you might need.
News Theme
A bright, driving piece originally created as a news theme. Short piece, great choice for a news theme. It is reminiscent of television news themes using bright, bold horns throughout, with a short fade out at the end.
January 12, 2009 - 3 more pieces!
Dirt Rhodes
A slow blues piece with prominent kit. Great to use as a backdrop for a scene since it has a long fade out at the end. Great, "cool" sounding piece.
With a Creation
An experimental piece designed to emulate a keyboardist playing with her robot.
To the Ends
Starts bright, then descends into darkness by the end. Has a definite "Lord of the Rings" style riff. Fades out a lot darker than its entrance.
January 10, 2009 - Musical Mother Load
Vulcan
A mysterious piece featuring a disjunct flute melody juxtaposed with two lower warbling flutes. Also featured are triangles, bells and low drums. The texture stays constant throughout. This piece sounds otherworldly and could work underscoring intergalactic travel. It could also be used as world music. The plodding drums could represent marching or travel.
Smooth Move A simple grooving dance line. Smooth bass line accompanied by high hat and snare. No fade out at the end. Could underscore dancing, spy movement, or somebody being cool.
Basement Floor
This is a suspenseful and driving piece fueled by slap synth bass and processed percussion. Beeping and high-pass percussion keep the piece moving throughout. Chorus enters at 45 seconds in. Phasing, reverb, delay and reverse used extensively. Bass drops out for the last 25 seconds to just leave the percussion. Sounds like a secret mission.
At Launch
Here is an epic journey of military might and spirited adventure featuring brass, marching snare and timpani, and lush strings. Alternating between the suspenseful and uplifting, this piece invokes visions of preparing for battle or flying through a stunning natural panorama. Marching snares and rising chords in the low brass begin the piece as a Harmon trumpet and flutes offer a delightful melody. A short chorale begins 20 seconds in. At 58 seconds the piece becomes more suspenseful and at 1:28 the snare pauses while full brass, strings and timpani take over. The last 35 seconds of the piece feature a large chorale and uplifting flutes.
Snowdrop
A somber solo piano improvisation featuring a repeated melodic tone with arpeggiated shifting chords in the bass. About 45 seconds from the end is an uplifting moment. Reminiscent of Chopin's Raindrop Prelude. This work looks out a window on nostalgia, regret, and peace.
Divertimento K131
This is an arrangement of Mozart's Divertimento (K131) for bells, harp, chimes and celeste. It is light and bouncy, with an accelerando around 45 seconds in. The work is played two times with a slight ritard at the end of the entire piece.
Dark Star
Dark Star is a orchestral fanfare featuring a rising motive led by the brass and strings. The piece builds gradually and finishes with a full orchestral climax. Chords shift along side of changing orchestral textures. The melody is carried by the brass at the beginning and end with the strings and bells sharing the melody in the middle. This piece depicts triumph.
Spider Eyes
Spider Eyes is an eerie soundscape created with distant high strings, dissonant non-percussive piano textures, and alternately tuned bells. This piece features much sustain and space as dissonance decorates silence. Bells blow in the wind through the first half of the piece and low morphing strings are featured in the second half. It could underscore a child walking through a dark forest.
Dreamy Flashback
This piece features repetitive triplet arpeggi and a lydian scale to invoke a dreamy feel. Pizzicato strings, harp and bells add to the piece's mystery. The pattern is a continuous loop with two arpeggiated chords. It begins and ends abruptly. It could underscore a flashback or a whimsical journey through a gumdrop land.
Frost Waltz (Alternate)
Here is alternate take of "Frost Waltz." It features arpeggiated bells and strings oscillating gently between minor chords. Bells give way to high strings 30 seconds into the piece. At one minute staccato strings give the piece a more mysterious feel and 30 seconds later sustained strings smooth the story. The last 15 seconds feature solo bells. It could underscore an underwater journey or a child flying through an enchanted forest.
Gustav Sting
A grooving sting featuring percussion and low staccato strings. A high-pitched click drives Gustav as he darts through his spy-like adventure.
Greta Sting A somber orchestral sting with a gentle rising motion. Greta is sad today. She met defeat.
Comfortable Mystery 2
Comfortable Mystery 3
Comfortable Mystery 4
Gentle electric piano chords and descending arpeggi are featured in these three calming pieces. They could be used for reflection, nostalgia or time passing.
January 04, 2009 - Secret Project
I've been working on a secret project to get even more music out to people in an even better way - through the Public Domain.
Many people already confuse Royalty-Free music with the Public Domain, so I did not want to keep them both on one site.
The new site, FreePD.com will allow for more interaction - user accounts, and even the ability for other people to contribute music into the Public Domain. I've been taking some of the older pieces off of my main site to get it started, and there are dozens more that I still need to post there.
So, if you're looking for a specific piece of music - it may have a more liberal license, namely - none.
Cheers!
January 02, 2009 - What Happened to the Previews!?
In truth - the "Preview" function was not a preview at all. Each time someone previewed a piece of music it would actually download the ENTIRE really big file. So, I'm in the process of doing everything the "right" way - and it is going to take some time.
So, while I get the "real" preview going - I just pulled off the fake preview workaround.
I'd like to say when it will be back, but I really don't know how long it will take. Don't feel bad to just download everything (as far as the website was concerned - it was what you were doing all along!)
January 01, 2009 - Album Art Selected!
Congratulations to Aidan Keith-Hynes of Starlight Productions for the album art to be included in my mp3 files!
Thanks to everyone who submitted art as well! I got a lot of very neat pieces (some of which I may use for special releases in the future).
December 23, 2008 - Kick Shock
Here is a driving dance piece with a distorted synth lead, synth bass and drums. There is heavy phasing throughout. The energy and drive is constant until the last seven seconds which feature an exposed drum part. It could be used for a club scene, action sequence, or altered-reality sequence.
December 22, 2008 - Blue Feather
Here is a somber solo piano piece that features a repetitive descending arpeggio motive. This piece is sparse, mysterious, and at times unnerving. It contains a few uplifting moments (a shorter one begins at 1:40, and longer one at 2:14) but each generally gives way to the more unnerving descending motive and ominous bass notes. The last minute contains slightly more motion than the rest of the piece and fuller chords. It could be used for underscoring contemplation, rain or secretive behavior.
December 11, 2008 - Please Help Out!
I need "album art" to be included on my download-able files.
It should be... square? Seriously, I'm out of my depth here, folks.
Please send jpegs to kevin@incompetech.com.
I'm not offering any prizes at the moment, but I might!
End date is the end of this year, and I'll announce the winner sometime after that.
Cheers, all!
December 07, 2008 - Tuba-riffic
Here is a lumbering tuba piece with some nice baritone counterpoint and a heavy backbeat. This one was written for a short film called "Happy Boy." It could also underscore a mischievous boy or any number of other characters. It's a comic piece that could also be used for a theme song, credits or title sequence.
November 27, 2008 - Electronic Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! An electronic piece added today:
One Sly Move
A slow relaxed electronic piece. If you like the pairing of EPs and Synths, then you'll definitely like this piece. This piece heavily utilizes the EP as well as the Synths.
Enjoy!
November 26, 2008 - Timeless Wednesday
Thanksgiving is almost here!
New piece today
On the Passing of Time
A slow somber piece, great for sad or emotional scenes.
November 24, 2008 - Funky additions
Just Nasty
A bit of horn section with a nasty beat and a smackin' snare.
Flutey Funk
The flute carries the main line while the bass and the kit are the background. This is a much lighter piece and will work in the background of sections that have voice work.
November 22, 2008 - Sunny Saturday
In contrast to many of the dark, dark pieces I've done of late - I've been getting requests for something less glum. This piece is downright shiny!
November 21, 2008 - Soundtrack Friday!
Yes, a themed Saturday. 4 pieces after a long time, and all of them are in the Soundtrack genre.
Enjoy!
November 19, 2008 - New Music Coming Very Soon
I know many of you are getting impatient, but there are some very nice pieces in the process of getting uploaded right now!
So - look for them in a day or two!
Cheers, and thanks for checking back so often!
- Kevin MacLeod
October 09, 2008 - Darkness
As Halloween nears, and the midnight hour draws close at hand, here are 2 dark pieces: (sorry, can't rhyme)
Road to Hell
A slow dark piece if there ever was one.
Decay
For once, the title really does explain it all.
October 02, 2008 - Synthetics
Pure Attitude
Starting out with only synths, it moves to a heavy orchestral-electronic mix. Very nice.
BlockMan
Written for a side-scroll retro video game, this piece also introduces some very new elements.
Blipotron
Intro of a nasty distorted bass, this piece changes position a few times. Full of bleeping goodness.
September 19, 2008 - 3 very interesting pieces
3 new pieces going up today. I call them interesting because ALL 3 are under the unclassifiable genre. Go have a listen!
Impromptu for Pianoforte and Beatbox
September 08, 2008 - New traditional and non-traditional musics
Two new pieces are now available, go have a listen!
Cool Intro - a short intro
Double O - an electronic piece - not quite glitchy
August 31, 2008 - new experimental music
Due to issues with IE, the preview players are no longer on the front page.
No worries, the players are available on all the other pages.
Two new pieces today, titled from Yeats' poem "The Second Coming". It is an Eerie piece with kit, trombone, french horns and some strings. There is the instrumental version, and one includes a partial reading of the poem "The Second Coming" by Yeats.
August 25, 2008 - Epic and Mighty.
Great combination. Take a listen.
August 23, 2008 - Get funky!
A calming rock piece with repeated guitar chords and a relaxing bass line.
August 22, 2008 - You be trippin...it..
A cool intense electronica piece with heavy use of Clav and Kit.
August 20, 2008 - SPY? SURF? Spy-Surf!
A cool piece which is both spy-ish and surfy.
August 13, 2008 - and... from the 1950s...
A couple of pieces!
August 08, 2008 - Music from the Trailer
Called simply, "Exciting Trailer".
I removed a couple notes here and there and fixed up the snare drum. This is a yummy piece.
July 30, 2008 - Somewhere Sunny
I don't often do music for ads, but I had a commission opportunity today that seemed a good idea. Two guitars with a simple clean slight swing style. Rhythm guitar is doubled, melodic guitar has quite an aggressive chorus on it... but the effect is still subtle.
July 25, 2008 - One and Two Halves
Here's a nice moody, laid-back piece...
And here are 2 small pieces made for transitions
July 23, 2008 - Doh! I missed a day.
No worries, I'll make it up. Here are 3 compositions, 2 of which have alternate versions available.
Bad Ideas - 2 versions; clean and distressed
Dark Hallway - 2 versions; clean and distressed
Memory Lane - 1 version
All for solo piano.
July 21, 2008 - Really new, new music
You want new music? I'll get you new music. It is both retro and progressive and unlike most anything I've ever heard... possibly with good reason. It's based on a 1904 recording of a tribal dance, and souped-up with... a plethora of sounds and styles.
If you listen to this and ask yourself "what the heck is going on here?", then you comprehend it perfectly. Like it or hate it, it is certainly new.
July 20, 2008 - For Oboe and Pianoforte
"Yak-Sized Piece of Grit That Flew Into My Eye, Causing 15 Seconds of Painful Disorientation" for oboe and pianoforte. The full release of the piece detailed here before.
July 19, 2008 - YouTube Blockbuster
Though there seems to be little rhyme or reason to the music from my site that becomes popular, there are a few trends... and this piece should hit on several of them. Be the first on your block to use this one, before it becomes overused. That way you can say "Yeah, I had that in my video months ago, they ripped off that idea from me!".
One minute, 20 seconds. Brevity, the soul of wit.
July 18, 2008 - Dissappointment Incarnate
So, what happens when you're all medicated and logy and can't keep a harmonic structure in your brain to save your life? A solo piece! In this case, it is a bass clarinet solo, that I later added low strings to.
July 17, 2008 - 500th Composition Online!
I've spent far too much time crafting the mix and feel of this piece, so it is quits-time, go-time, time to put this piece out before I go crazy with more and more fixes. This piece was finished 9 times, and was always not quite right. The 10th time might not be right - but it needs to be "done" sometime.
And just for fun contrast, you can take a listen to what it sounded like in its first incarnation.
July 16, 2008 - Recut of Backed Vibes
After a few requests for "Backed Vibes" but without all the beeping, I'm putting that cut online as Backed Vibes (clean).
Enjoy!
July 15, 2008 - Name That Tune!
Well, today's offering is a doozey.
I wrote this piece, and I really, really like it... but have no idea what to call it.
I can't even tell the genre.
Please send your ideas for titles to: kevin@incompetech.com With a subject of "Title Idea".
Thanks, and enjoy!
UPDATE!
Thanks to Bill for his suggestion of "Monster's Stroll"! I did end up going with "Monster Promenade" for reasons that it is annoyingly difficult to make a title with an apostrophe in it.
Thanks to all who sent in your suggestions!
July 14, 2008 - Minimalishtic Piece
This is a sort of shrill piece all on its own, but I wrote it during a quite nasty and hot thunderstorm, and it compliments that setting very well.
I've had this one on repeat for a few hours already... yeah - my life is that exciting.
Details and Download (16 meg download, >7 minutes)
July 13, 2008 - Very very long piece.
So you're thinking of doing a revival tour, but you don't have a band to back up your inspirational speech? Good news, good news indeed. This piece starts very thin, and builds a couple of times.
People seem to love the long pieces of music, this one is remarkably versatile and listenable, given there are only 2 chords.
Details and Download (40 meg download, >17 minutes)
June 16, 2008 - Virtual Guitar
Feelin Good, Guiton (sketch), Funkorama, Tea Roots.
June 08, 2008 - Not just horror!
But yeah... a lot of horror. It was what I was working on this week.
Also made a fanfare for brass, though! That's not horror!
The Rule
And here's a simple request for the now classic style of piano music for horror films...
Classic Horror 1, 2, and 3
Finally, I did... quite a bit for "The Weakness: Episode 4"
Long Note 4, Ritual, Dark Walk, Unnatural Situation all come from that.
Ritual is a particularly nice piece. Super moody.
May 30, 2008 - Smatterings
New musics.
Achilles - Written as theme music for an epic drama. This starts broad and kicks into awesome at 0:27.
Bass Vibes - This piece gets a little atonal in parts.
Takeover of the 8-bit Synths - This... uhh... hmm... let's call it 'experimental' piece starts out with vanilla guitar and rock drums, and gets progressively crazier as the 8-bit synths take over the piece. Maximum anarchy starts around the 3-minute point.
Trio for Piano Violin and Viola - An unfinished trio in 2 main parts.
May 06, 2008 - Identity help
I got an email today asking what the piece of music in this is:
Bringing Out The Beasts
I know I wrote it... but I have no idea what it is called.
Email me at kevin@incompetech.com if you know! Thanks!
---
Got it!
It is called "Almost in F"
April 19, 2008 - New piano, new tunings
About 20 minutes of new piano work...
Just a comic piano bit...
- Comic Plodding
Pieces in "One Quarter Comma Meantone" tuning:
- Impromptu in Blue
- Impromptu in Quarter Comma Meantone
- Sovereign Quarter
Pieces in "Alpha Scale" tuning:
- Piece for Disaffected Piano One
- Piece for Disaffected Piano Two
April 15, 2008 - Music Round-Up
14 pieces that I've not yet mentioned in several genres.
These have a decidedly African-feel to them, as they were all made for the same project.
African - Infados, Night Cave
World - Confused State, Witch Hunt
Soundtrack -End of the Era, Exotic Battle, Ignosi, Myst, News of Sorrow
Stings - Morocco Sting
This one I like a lot. I recorded it when I was sort of out of sorts one morning, and heard it later, and it turned out very well!
Contemporary - Gagool
Also this week: Militaire Electronic, Vintage Education, and Phat Sketch.
Cheers!
March 16, 2008 - on Choosing instrumentation for a Project
and some of the pieces mentioned in the clip, and a pile more
Silent Film Score - Keystone Deluge, Water Droplets on the River
African - Monkoto
World - Expeditionary, Arid Foothills
Classical - A Little Faith, Mourning Song
Soundtrack - Serpentine Trek, Plans in Motion
Stings - Light Sting, Mystery Sting, Flutey Sting
March 08, 2008 - Long, Short, and Broad
February 27, 2008 - Useful
Begin edit of entry here.
End edit of entry here.
February 20, 2008 - Organs and Eigenvectors
Four new pieces of music.
February 09, 2008 - Sort of a Request
We are currently working really hard on a new Music Database user interface, as the number of pieces of music available is becoming a little crazy. It should be awesome. More on this as it develops!
February 06, 2008 - Film Bits
January 31, 2008 - Cantina Blues
I'm trying a new posting style. Here's the video.
And the link to the piece.
Cantina Blues
January 29, 2008 - Crazy Request
Sometimes I'm in the mood for odd requests. There's no rhyme or reason to these... I just got an email requesting a tango today. So I did some research, and figured out what a tango is. I got some help from Apple's loop library, and checked out Wikipedia to see what the heck they are.
Here's the result:
The snare part was super fun.
And here's the remainder of the recent soundtracks.
Also, I updated the "About" section of the site. It had some mention of incompetech not being able to make money, and and outdated rant about web design. So - that's all fixed.
January 26, 2008 - Soundtrack - Volume Two
And... here's some more music. All orchestral and soundtrack-like.
Cheers.
January 24, 2008 - Soundtrack - Volume One
Ok, I've been holding out on you guys. I'm working on a feature film right now, so I'm kind of taking the time I used to use for posting new things and using it to create new things.
Here's a selection of pieces.
More to come in a few days!
January 15, 2008 - No New Music
Just kidding.
There are bunches and bunches of new tracks now online from my good friend Jon M. T. Roberts!
He's a super-talented composer and performer, and I finally got him to go online with it all.
The music is all licensed Creative Commons: By Attribution (just like my stuff), so go and get it people!
His site looks and works a lot like mine, so there shouldn't be much confusion. :-)
http://www.jmtr.com/
Try the "Light Intermission Music". It is awesome.
And don't forget to send him emails. I promised some emails... so... I need your help with that.
January 02, 2008 - Quirk Sells
Ok, both my main controllers are out of commission still. I'm left with a 25 key mini controller.
So I made a little quirky percussion study.
Human Beat
And here's a quick percussion bit I whipped up as a short-order request:
Asian Drums
Cheers.
December 13, 2007 - Sketches
Five new pieces... that aren't really full pieces. In each of these, there is no development. There is just a groove or a hook.
What else do these pieces all have in common? You can juggle clubs to them.
Don't tell anyone. It is a super secret project.
December 05, 2007 - 400+
Today's entry marks over 400 piece of music on my site. Yay! Not sure what I can do to commemorate this... I mean... it isn't like I can have a sale.
Seven March - Who remembers Torgo from "Manos: Hands of Fate"? It occurred to me today that this is a sort of 21st century version of that theme music.
Cherry Blossom - perfect for most situations... where nothing else works.
. . . And Six More (in Soundtrack and Horror)!
December 03, 2007 - Cha Cha and Happy
Today's update includes a... ok, I have no idea what this is - but I quite like it.
Future Cha Cha
I think it is a dance/club piece... for very very odd clubs.
Also, a quick little piano piece.
December 01, 2007 - Soundtrack backings
A couple of new pieces today:
Spy Groove - A hot mix of cool sounds. I had this one laying around for a while... I'm not certain what it was originally intended to be... it kind of just looked like a template - but I threw in some dissonant rock-like things. Fun piece.
ReignReign - Written for an animation, this has a giant change-up in the middle, so its uses are somewhat limited, but it is quite a nice piece.
November 30, 2007 - More unclassifiables
A neat piece featuring Logic's UltraBeat, the EVP88 electric piano, the EVB3 organ, a few new synths, and a voice from Apple's Voices add-on.
Uses? No idea.
Holy-super-chilled-out piece featuring a Fender fretted bass. Is this jazz? It doesn't feel like it.
November 29, 2007 - I'm Back
After an extended trip out to NYC, I picked up a few ideas (to say the least) - so here's one of the first, a very warm trance-inducing piece.
Opium
I was considering doing an entire collection of pieces like this - as it was quite fun to make.
Also, I have no idea what that bowed stringed instrument is called - so, if you do - please let me know.
November 15, 2007 - Redoing Other People's Music
Last night, I went to see Saltimbanco from Cirque du Soleil. While the acts were fine, the music was very dated, and often not appropriate to the performances. For me - it detracted from the show quite a bit (though I will say most people enjoyed it, as it got a standing ovation).
This music replaces the music in the hand balancing act. Power, precision, and grace, yeah? Not exactly Sunday jazz in the park. [original after the jump]
What can one person do about this? Answer? iPod. I rescored one act last night for a couple of friends of mine who were going to see it today.
So take your iPod along, and hit 'play' when the people in white tophats rush downstage.
Hand Balance Redux. The timing might get off near the end... as I obviously can't play this live for you.
If this goes over well, I might rescore the whole show, so let me know what you think!
more... "Redoing Other People's Music" »
November 08, 2007 - Someone need to sing-along?
I'm just finishing up a pile of sing-along Christmas pieces for a stage production. Being seasonal, I decided to get them out as soon as possible.
Super-peppy sing-alongs! Right now, they are the first four pieces on this page. "Up on a Housetop", "Jingle Bells", "Deck the Halls", and "Oh, Christmas Tree".
Cheers, everyone!
October 21, 2007 - Short Update
I've been doing lots these last couple weeks. But not much made it up here... including 2 musicals. But here's a small pile of things...
NewsSting - a simple news-y intro
Eyes Gone Wrong - an intense but reserved transition
Disco Sting - 1980's Style intro
Darkness Speaks - unsettling transition
Bama Country - Taken as a request for a super rural country tune. It is listed as "Unclassifiable" just because I have only one country piece available. Nice fiddle, though the tremolo run didn't turn out as well as I'd have liked.
Vibe Ace - Cool, cool hybrid
Folk Round - Sort of... medieval campfire-like.
Colossus - Ahh... this one's cool... in that theatrical epic sense. You need to listen at least through one minute 52 seconds.
October 04, 2007 - Soundtracks
For the first section: pieces written for a video game.
Vampires! Halls of the Undead
Werewolves! Shamanistic
Elves! Frozen Star
and... for those of you who are always bugging me about the giant battle music...
Orcs! Stoneworld Battle
Also, a quick study with some new synths in The Machine Thinks.
And a very nice finishing piece for a bittersweet film; Rumination
October 04, 2007 - Emergency Halloween Music
Everyone loves the Bach Toccata and Fugue in D Minor!* It is a semi-seasonal piece, so I rushed it out of the door just in time for your spooky needs.
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565
More music to come later today!
(*not true)
September 21, 2007 - Westerned Out
Oh man... I've had quite my fill of Westerns... not to mention a pile of scrap music that doesn't quite work. I think these will be the last 2 in the genre for a bit.
Western Streets - an all percussion chaotic thing
Martian Cowboy - umm... yeah. "Dark, Eerie, Epic, Somber, Unnerving" about says it.
September 17, 2007 - All over the board
Craig and Tony came over the other day, and I showed them what I was working on for Westerns. They said it sucked, and gave me some actual Westerns to look at. So I did. And my music was hideously wrong. So here's my shot at making it right.
Smoking Gun
But my Westerns were interrupted by an emergency request for a new-age Celtic (Scottish) piece. It is quite different-sounding than the last Celtic piece I did... due to the new-agedness of it.
Skye Cuillin
And a simple rock piece just for fun.
Beach Bum
Some days I wonder how such dissimilar music can come out of me in a single day.
September 15, 2007 - Celtic-sounding
Sandy had an idea... "I need something Celtic, but nothing really upbeat."
Ok, this one clocks in at 90 beats per minute, which isn't really upbeat - but it isn't slow either. I probably won't be doing this kind of music again soon, as the number of hours spent on learning that darned whistle part almost doesn't seem worth it.
Achaidh Chéide
Man... love that fiddle...
And having vanquished all the ethnic requests from the queue; one thing that has been abundantly clear in the last few days is that everyone wants Westerns. I'm looking at four requests from completely different people. I'll see what I can do!
September 14, 2007 - Logic Studio
Well, I didn't get as much work done today as I had hoped. My brand new copy of Logic Studio showed up today... and it took about 4 hours to install the thing... and another 8 hours to play with it.
Here's what I did do...
Chris had more ideas... "the paradise cantos?"
While not exactly paradise, this is certainly ethereal... and very cantos. Maybe that'll make up for it.
Arcadia
Jonathon had an idea... "Is there any way you could make some Maltese music?"
I have no idea. I'm not really an enthomusicologist, but I was provided with some samples.
I don't even know what instruments they used - but I tried to get close.
East of Tunesia (as a side note to Chris, this also may be useful for ancient Sumer)
I was having so much fun with the Maltese music, I kept going... and ended up in a disco.
Balzan Groove
And now, a complaint about Logic Pro 8. There used to be a way to change the routing of an instrument. It is STILL in the interface (e.g. "CoreAudio: Inst 1") but you can't change it! It is greyed out, and is making me crazy!
Yes, I CAN add multiple lines routed to the same poly-synth, but muting one mutes them all, and soloing one solos them all (changing the icon changes all the icons, etc). It properly opens old projects where they are routed correctly, but seems to be confused when you change something.
Anyway Apple; I LOVE the new interface... please ungrey out that line for me.
Thanks.
September 11, 2007 - More Requests
Keep them coming, folks!
Forrest had an idea... "More Kevin Organ!"
Okey Dokey. Here's some crazy funky musics with a B3 monster organ in it.
Fork and Spoon
Chris had an idea... "Wandering through the land of the dead."
I'm not sure about you - but here's what that sounds like to me...
Land of the Dead
John had an idea... "[I'd like something] about 4-5 minutes long, start off with a theme that builds towards the end, with a feeling of hope and potential. Something piano based, with perhaps more instruments towards the end."
This one took longer to get than I thought...
Eternal Hope
And I actually had an idea. I've been seeing the "Deliberate Thought" piece show up in quite a few places, so I made a sequel by taking out all the things people like, and amping up that parts that people don't care for. While I do understand this is possibly the worst way to make a sequel, it certainly was fun.
How it Begins
Also, for Chicagoland peeps: Get Downsized, a play I did the score for is playing for the next couple of weeks. Go see it.
September 08, 2007 - Some Requests... sort of
Here's the first batch of requests from people... They're not all exactly as requested, and I certainly did not do them all!
Erik had an idea... "I think it would be cool of you to compose some Japanese or Chinese music (classical type music, not the modern stuff)."
Well, I don't know anything about the genre, so I just listened to a few clips off of Amazon. I might have this completely wrong - but this is what it sounds like to me.
Ishikari Lore
Lynette had an idea... "How about some music that could go with footage of driving on a roadtrip? "
Okey dokey. Here's another genre I have little experience in. So, I cranked up the GarageBand to see what it can do.
Matt's Blues
Kristin has an idea... "How about some ancient type music. Or something that's reminiscent of the Roman Empire. Like harps and flutes in a minor key."
This one is a quite reserved sort of formal dinner kind of ancient music feel. I still might do another one that is more militaristic.
Temple of the Manes
And, I have an extra one... "Ominous Intro". This one was written for a stage production that opened yesterday in Chicago. So if you're in Chicago, go see this. It is very VERY good. And really REALLY inexpensive pound-for-pound considering the enormous entertainment it dishes out.
Get Downsized. I personally guarantee you will enjoy it... and I don't care what demographic you're from. mmm... maybe not Goths. But maybe! If you're a Goth, and you go - let me know what you think of it!
August 08, 2007 - Heaping Pile Update
What happens when I don't post for a month? Too much. Today's offerings include bits from a film, 2 animation projects, 3 stage shows, and some odds and ends.
From the feature film - a pile of piano solos:
Clear Waters
Reminiscing
Earnest
Heartbreaking
Heartwarming
Reaching Out
Reminiscing
There is Romance
Touching Story
From the animation projects
Avant Jazz
Darkening Developments
Passing Action
Promising Relationship
From the theatrical productions
Pennsylvania Rose
Vegas Glitz
Comedic Juggernaut
And some other bits...
Intended Force
Baltic Levity
Duet Musette
Parisian
Showdown
Thanks to Chris for the titles of the French-sounding pieces... and for requesting them in the first place.
June 25, 2007 - Cavalcade of Depression!
I was justing finishing off a pile of fragments I had on my desktop today. Wow, some seriously dark stuff...
- A Turn for the Worse Piano, Violin, and Clarinets. Years from now - this will be classified as a "fragment". But it is still long enough to be useful for some applications
- Trio for Piano, Cello, and Clarinet Sounds like someone is leaving and feeling bad about it.
- Grave Matters Holy lush strings! Good background. The front and back sections are independently loopable.
- Simple Duet A simple piano and violin duet. Still getting used to that cursed violin. Touchy, touchy instrument, that violin is. This one isn't so depressing as the others.
What a fun, fun day!
June 13, 2007 - Late Entry
I've been posting music to the site... just been forgetting to tell you all that I've been doing it... so these may be old to you:
- Dragon and Toast
- Sonatina in C Minor
and a few others I've already forgotten about. oops.
May 14, 2007 - Month of Music Continues!
More musics. This batch includes pieces from 2 projects (a musical and a stage performance) as well as some other pieces.
- Dispersion Relation - Jazz
- Glee Club Polka
- Running Fanfare - short brass fanfare
- Crisis - orchestral action for that movie trailer feel
- Conflicted - musical
- Narcissus - musical
May 06, 2007 - Month of Music
Here was the plan. 50 pieces of music in one month. Well, that was the plan... the NEW plan is one piece of music every day. Keeping up the former pace was causing me too much stress for a stupid challenge.
Today is the 6th, so here's the first 6 pieces:
- Artifact Neat African hybrid
- Aretes Written for a documentary on glaciers - "a cross between Windham Hill and Enya"
- Bach's Cello Suite #1 Prelude As performed on a dulcimer. I always thought this would work well.
- Fenster's Explanation Your standard-type musical number for a female lead.
- Gearhead Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! All your Hard Rockin' Prayers are answered!
- Riptide This is another rock piece... written for a different documentary... on a subject that had nothing to do with rock music. But that's why there are large gaps in guitar (much narration).
There you have it! The Month of Music hath begun! Just 25 more pieces to go...
April 22, 2007 - InDigital
I was watching the latest episode of InDigital with Wil, Jessica, and Hahn and thinking... "You know? That music is 'ok' but it isn't perfect." It should be more of a fusion of straight-up rock (with a little clean funk), and crisp electronica. There are people talking about tech. Get it? The people are represented by the rock, and... ok, you get it.
Not only that, but the music should sound reasonable at low levels, and not stomp out the human vocal range.
It should be exciting and peppy without being blatant about it. So, a super fast tempo - that doesn't sound rushed.
And it needs to be long and loopable... for folks who can't get a review accomplished in four minutes. :-)
So those were my requirements for this project, and here is the result: Tech Talk
A strong ending would be good... but I didn't hit that one here. It ends fine, but at low levels you don't get the subtlety of the guitar fading out. Are you listening editors? Crank the ending if you use the ending!
April 12, 2007 - Too classifiable
In the past, I've had a hard time classifying the music I do. Now I have a piece that fits into 2 categories: African, and Electronica. Problem is, I only built the database with the ability to put pieces in one category.
I encourage you to listen loud.* You'll need to in order to hear the toke bell part.**
* Please don't sue for any hearing loss.
** I know, I know... the toke can go much much louder than that... I think it is being played with a coat hanger.
April 07, 2007 - North and South Waunobe
I've been getting a lot of requests for marching band music recently... actually, no. I haven't. But I did write a piece for a theater production. It is set in a small town, with a small town marching band, so that's what you get! A bare minimum of 23 musicians, not all of whom are very good. Each part was recorded individually, and no mistakes were fixed in post.
I know, a minute thirty doesn't seem like much... but you try to play all those parts over and over again while arranging them in your head! (it isn't that difficult - I just enjoy complaining)
March 23, 2007 - The Show
For one of my spare-time projects, I did a rock theme for a podcast by Paul Hughes. So, here's the opener!
- Welcome to the Show
- Rock. 4 minutes, 42 seconds
March 23, 2007 - Major Overhaul: Impact - none
Ok, if everything went well, you should notice no difference in how you get music from my site. However, it is all changed. The backend is a full-blown database, which means easier updates for me, and more music online in the long run.
Here's some that have been waiting in the wings for too long... In order from longest at 3:18 to shortest at 9 seconds.
- Olde Timey
- Plucky Daisy
- Five Card Shuffle (bluesy)
- Breaktime
- Look Busy (full band)
- Hand Trolley
- Barroom Ballet
- Gold Rush
- The Bandit
- Mr. Mealey's Mediocre Machine
- Doh De Oh
- Heroic Reception
- Piano Cue One
March 15, 2007 - Smooth Electronics
This is a very round analog piece with a subtle choir. Keep listening. They're in there!
March 01, 2007 - All over the board... again.
Netherworld Shanty
First I must say, I like this one. A lot. Too much. The idea for this piece was "If purgatory had a marching band". So, there's a very badly played tin whistle, an accordion, a bassoon, and a bunch of other stuff. I'm pretty sure the melody is catchy - and the fact that it is stuck in my head is not just the result of mixing the piece for hours... Like Great Cthulhu, this piece is wonderful, horrible, and awesome. You mind will forever be marred by it.
Phantasm
I'm not going to lie to you - this piece made me ill. No joke. That being said, the music that causes me the most trouble tends to be the music that everyone loves. If you don't have a subwoofer - you won't experience the pain inducing aspect of this piece. All of the bass notes are the same volume. I guarantee it. You can tune your equalizer with this piece if some notes are louder or softer. Careful not to get sick, though. This thing has a power. Be careful with it.
Lasting Hope
This has a sort of similar purpose as the last piece, only it won't make you sick. This is one of the first things I've done with a choir. It has an almost organic synth, and some neat - if sparce - percussion. This was mixed entirely on a Mac. One day, I hope to switch to all-Mac production, but right now - I've too much invested in software on the other side... and just enough things aren't available.
Perigrine Grandeur
This piece started on my dry erase board as the rhythm you hear in the first 2 measures. But that's all I really had. It shows. The agogo was the next thing that made it into the mix... and then the hammer dulcimer. The who what? Hammer dulcimer. Yes. It is the thing that sounds like a guitar. I put it through a distortion unit and a guitar amp simulator. The result is an odd World-music hybrid that sounds like it belongs in a Cirque show on the strip in Vegas. I gave it an odd name figuring it would be hard for people to find. That's just me being mean.
This piece used to have so much more in it... but I cut it back to the bare bones. It had bridges and multiple melodies, and just a lot of stuff... but it became difficult to listen to and the coolness of the original 2 measures was lost.
February 26, 2007 - Massive drums and Light fun
A bit of warning for this first piece. The bass is very heavy. It will punch you in the gut and blow out your speakers if you turn it up too much. You'll get about 30 seconds before it hits... so don't say I didn't warn you. Big Mojo is the kind of piece you'd hear in a very loud action sequence in a very loud action film. There are plenty of cut-outs for dialog and other explosions.
At another edge of the musical spectrum; Mariachi Snooze. This is a nice light fun swing piece in a very very major mode. Nothing to offend here... just light fun.
Also, I received a great little voice-over sounder from S. L. Slaughter. If you like the sound of it and think you have a use for Voice-Overs in your own project, I suggest you contact him. The man can make anything sound exciting. Even a quilting bee. (to my knowledge he has not done voice work for a quilting bee... but he could... if you paid him money.)
February 14, 2007 - Tibet, Ireland, and Germany
Interesting day today. I continue to play with my new world music samples, and I got a request for Wagner. Wagner? Who requests Wagner? Well... she didn't know she was requesting Wagner, she wanted a recording of that traditional wedding march piece. There's quire a few wedding marches out there - but it turns out she wanted the "Bridal Chorus" from the Act 3 of the opera Lohengrin.
It is known around these parts as "here comes the bride"... the actual words start out "Treulich geführt ziehet dahin,
wo euch der Segen der Liebe bewahr'!" translation: " Faithfully guided, draw near to where the blessing of love shall preserve you!" [wikipedia]
I recorded two versions; one with a pipe organ, and another (new arrangement) on piano. Bridal Chorus's.
Also new - Himalayan Atmosphere and a solo dulcimer piece Errigal
February 12, 2007 - Celtic Demo
Just picked up a new pack for Garageband that has some nice world music samples in it. I'm still learning how to use it - but I've had requests for various ethnic musics which I've been unable to do until now. Expect more world music soon.
Cheers.
February 05, 2007 - Shorts
This week I worked on a bunch of short films. These may all seem short, but I actually extended most of them for you.
- Dark Standoff 44 seconds. Broad low strings.
- How Swing 50 seconds. Nifty piece. Check it out. Originally written for a 1920's British audio drama.
- Disconcerned
Flute choir... Rhythm from Beethoven, structure from Holst.
- Feral Chase Orchestral chase music
- Hamster March Cartoonish pep
- Plain Loafer Similar to "No Good Layabout", but not at all similar. I need a new genre for things like this...
- Radio Martini I really like this one. A cheery sort of ditty. The presence of the clarinet means you probably can't use it under scenes with dialog, as they occupy about the same frequency range... but the piece I wrote this for didn't have any dialog, so it does a good job of filling in the space. Also, I love clarinet.
Keep the comments and suggestions coming. Also jobs. I can use more jobs. :-)
January 29, 2007 - Odd combos
Well... I finished off 30 audio pieces today ranging from 3-second sound design cuts to a 7-minute piece for a musical. I'll assume you don't want a sound effect of a talking fish and just post some music.
- Double Drift - a sort of world-hybrid piece.
- Hammock Fight - silent film score.
- Lift Motif - ballet-esque short piano waltz.
- Cartoon Battle - see notes below.
People have already asked what that drone instrument is in the bass. Well... I made it up. It is a combination of a tuba, a pitch-shifted bass trombone, and a trombone with a cup mute. The instrument in the melody is a soprano sax pitch-shifted up an octave.
January 23, 2007 - Vacation Compositions
I've been off on vacation, and was just killing some time at my friend Pete's place... when I needed to write some music. I just really needed to. Problem One: I had no software with me. No worries - Mac OS X comes with Garageband. Second problem: there's no MIDI setup there. Garageband has a little app where you can key things in with the normal 109-key typing keyboard. Problem three: No studio monitors.
Ok, problem three is a bit bigger. No studio monitors... no headphones available... no external speakers of any kind! Just the little tinny built-in mono speaker in the G5 tower. This is not really an easy thing to deal with. The bass lines were inaudible. I played them in a couple of octaves up, and trusted they'd sound ok in the final mix. Also, the kick drum was completely missing. I mixed it visually based on the meters.
After I got home and listened, it turned out pretty good!
I've been getting a lot of requests for these synth-based light... 'compositions', so I also did one of these. This is interesting in that I played it in at 150bpm, and then slowed it down to 68. Those layers of pedals get a little tedious at normal-speed.
Sometimes it is all about the challenge.
January 11, 2007 - Rockin' Guitarin'
Not much new lately? Well, not that I've been idle - I just finished off the soundtrack for a film that will open in New York in April. But today, I bring thee, two pieces of rock music!
Down Home Rockin is a sort of guitar-driven 12-bar blues-rock piece with a nice little piano solo. Pretty straightforward.
The other piece, Neolith, is a little harder to put my finger on. It is certainly rock - and fast rock at that, clocking in at 145 beats per minute. The guitar mostly in the right channel has a hard gate effect on eighth notes, giving it an almost percussive drive. The one on the left is extended power chords with a hint of a major mode to them - as opposed to the traditional unqualified (open root fifth) or minor chords that you usually find in hard rock pieces. The effect is striking at times.
Both are interesting. Enjoy!
December 23, 2006 - The Weasel
This piece came out of a piano sketch I did a few days ago, but really took flight during the orchestral arrangement. The very low English horn line brings a lot of character to the piece. It is supported by bassoons, and later, a bass clarinet.
Unlike last week's Bach Sinfonia, this piece has a lot of potential for film. Animators out there, you listening to this?
Behold! The Scheming Weasel! (available in 2 tempos!)
December 15, 2006 - The Challenge
On December 1st, Brian Lemin paid me a compliment by saying that every piece of my music was "good for something". A challenge was born. Could I make a piece of music which was literally without use? It is quite a challenge. A random cacophony of noises are useful in some situations, so it had to be structured. I think I may have the answer: a fusion of Bach's Sinfonia No. 3 with a contemporary beat. Surely, there is no use for this music!
Also new today are a couple of ragtime pieces, as I see the Silent Film Score music is pretty popular these days: Mister Exposition, Matter of Facts.
Other pieces new today are:
- Amazing Grace for solo tenor sax
- Attack of the Mole Men - vintage sci-fi
- Golly Gee - 50's TV theme
- Guess Who - some dark musical number
- Sing Along with Jim - a children's short
Looks like eight new ones today. Enjoy!
December 08, 2006 - Music and Utility
Finally added a keyword search to the music section. One can finally look up a piece, given only the title. Thanks Ivan!
And now, to the new selections! In increasing order of goodness...
- Pilot Error - Rock.
- Two Together - Contemporary piano solo.
- Wizardtorium - Orchestral; I think I used to have this on the site, long ago. It is worth a listen.
- Easy Jam - Reggae in a minor key. C minor, to be exact.
Man, I was in the mood for reggae...
Enjoy!
December 02, 2006 - House Cleaning Part One
I have a lot of music hanging out on my PC. iTunes informs me there are 1146 pieces that I wrote weighing in at 1.7 days, and 11+ gig. This is not the entirety of my stuff. I have a lot of projects that I started, and never made it quite to the end. To rectify the situation, I started putting finishing touches on things I started over 4 years ago. And that's a chunk of what's available in this update.
In Electronica I've added: Misuse, Thinking Out Loud, Cognitive Dissonance, The Way Out, Long Time Coming, and Overriding Concern.
In Rock, I added Aitech.
Peppy Pepe is a new contemporary piano piece.
Peppy Pepe in Latin.
Exotics in unclassifiable.
Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies in holiday.
None of the compositions are really new - just unreleased. The new ones are starting to pile up as well... I'll get them online when I can!
Cheers.
November 18, 2006 - Wheaties, Breakfast of Champions
It's fun time, everbody! I recently picked up a keyboard. It is kind of old, but no worries. It is a Technics KN700. Just today I found the best setting ever. Style #10: Folk Rock. You'll recognize it as Wesley Willis' favorite auto-music generator. These don't really fit with the rest of my music, so I didn't link them off of any page.
- Rock on Chicago - Fast paced, major key
- Rock Over London - Slow paced, minor key
I still don't have the "fill button" skills down, but if you enjoy one of the few men who has his own genre, you will enjoy these tracks.
It seems the KN700 is the same vintage as Willis' KN1200, but it doesn't have the auto harmonizer that you hear in songs like "Kill Whitey"
November 15, 2006 - Electronica Jam II
A revision and a new piece today. It seems that the uber-happy synth line from Shiny Tech has been done before. A lot. It was pointed out by my friend Kelly that a very very similar line appears in Trainspotting when they go to London. She brought over the DVD. Indeed, the line is very similar. Anyway, I did a retake - and pulled down the 'pop' on it.
The new piece is my favorite so far (of these kinds of things). Harmful or Fatal. It has speed guitar in it, but it behaves alongside and in compliment to an electronic instrument. I need an audio engineering degree - because this isn't as loud of a mix as I would have liked. I'm missing something. The length of this one got out of hand, but it really requires the time to develop. It might be even better longer.
November 14, 2006 - Back to basics
Today's piece is a crazy Slavic-sounding folk-ish thingie. It is deliberately rough-around-the-edges and features a nice accordion. There just aren't enough pieces of music with accordion these days.
Miri's Magic Dance
I wrote this for a possible stage show. I forget the exact constraints, but they included a small ensemble and a raucous mysterious feel... or maybe I just made that up.
In the project, there are lots and lots of instruments that didn't make the final cut. Harpsichords, clarinets, triangles, drum sets... bunches of things. But even at its 4-piece level it is quite chaotic.
November 11, 2006 - Electronica Jam
Two new pieces today. Both electronica dance, and completely dissimilar.
I wrote these both a possible sketches for an upcoming film I'm scoring. Shiny Tech is a full-bore happy peppy dance/techno piece. Were it a real techno piece - it would probably be three times longer than it is. The themes are introduced and killed off as quickly as possible to allow for fast development. I recommend!
In a Heartbeat, on the other hand is a nasty piece of music. It is hardcore ugly and produced to be very very loud. By "nasty", I don't mean it is bad. It is gritty and grating... the kind of things the kids are into these days. This piece has quite an effect on my affect. After about 4 hours of working on various blips and screams - I was downright angry.
Yes, music can make me angry. This is not a surprise, but it does make one lose perspective. I wasn't quite sure if it was good - or if it just made me angry because it was not good. I'm pretty sure there will be another version of this piece... there is just something about the structure that is unbalanced right now. Of course, that may just add to the anger - so maybe it is a good thing. We'll see.
Also, I found out that quite a few people subscribe to the RSS feed on this site... Thanks, everyone - keep the feedback coming!
November 02, 2006 - Dramatics
I scattered a few new entries around the site, but most are in the Drama section. They range from minutes' long fight sequences to just a few seconds' worth of finishing touches.
We Got Trouble, Power Restored, Time Passes, Ambush, Action, Quiet Panic.
A few of these are from audio dramas, a few from movie scores, and one is from a stage play scene change (Time Passes).
October 21, 2006 - House Cleaning
Here's a few projects that have been on my desktop way too long.
That's one polka down, about 3 still left to be finished. As for the rock and pop tunes... I don't often finish them because I rarely like them. The exceptions here are that I actually finished them, and I like one of them. I'll leave it up to the listener to figure out which...
October 18, 2006 - Back on Track
A friend of mine (Mr. Craig Knitt) shared with me an idea for a film that I was pretty excited about, so I started doing a soundtrack for it blind. These are the first two pieces. Who knows if they'll make the cut...
- Zombie HooDoo (horror)
- Zombie Chase (horror)
I'm not a big fan of horror movies; but I am pretty excited about the music.
October 14, 2006 - New Age, and... something else...
Here's today's new offerings! The piano piece I did as a special request for a photographer, who liked the smaller version I wrote for him. Cut Trance was an exploration piece (I just got some new software, and needed to try it out) - also, someone requested something with a clockwork piano, and techno stuff going on... I think that's kind of what's going on here.
- White - New Age Piano
- Cut Trance - not sure what this is...
October 08, 2006 - Latin Music
I finally got back up and produced a track. Latin, this time... I haven't done a latin piece in over two years.
Well... it isn't entirely latin... but close enough to land itself on that page.
August 01, 2006 - Cool Side and Something else...
Today's new music (and probably the last new music for a few weeks) includes a piece which started its life called "alternate uses for acoustic guitar overtones". It was just an 8-bar sketch that I started laying things on top of. It ended up being something... uh... well - something. I have no clue what it is, so I put it under Experimental. I can say this - the mix is great.
The other piece, [i]On the Cool Side[/i], is more in a genre - but it isn't hardcore jazz. It has some bluesy notes, and a jazz ending note. It is quite cool. Cool in the jazz sense; not cool in the absolute sense. I'll stop typing now.
July 28, 2006 - Christmas Time; Horrors; and Sadness
Nothing is more fun during a record heatwave than recording Christmas music. I'm used to it - it happens every year.
A piece that I classified as "horror" which was written for a new audio drama... which isn't horror.
I need to come up with a better way to categorize these. It is getting out of hand. There's another piece online called Pride... I forget what page it is on.
There you go, everbodys! Five new pieces today. And four more that I should have uploaded but was too lazy. They're piano solos - I'll get them up in a bit.
July 20, 2006 - Polka / Durge
Ever wake up in the morning and think; "I want to write a super-crazy polka!"? Oh, come on... Seriously? Never? Well... I'm not weird if that's what you think. They've been running radio ads for a polka-fest in my area - they must have gotten into my brain early on.
And the other new piece today makes me wonder how my head doesn't explode from the contrast.
This is the proof-of-concept piece I did for an upcoming series. It went well, so maybe the others will make it up here... but the new ones'll be better. This was a 3-track impromptu.
July 19, 2006 - Nice Atmospheric
I've been busy, but not everything is online. I've done 5 commission pieces and a musical this last week, but here's some pieces for you - the loving public.
- Bathed in the Light (atmospheric)
- Starry (piano solo)
"Bathed in the Light" is a simple airy synth piece I did in Garage Band with my new MIDI controller, the Axiom 61. I've waited a long time for this controller, and it is all it is cracked up to be. It is the best MIDI controller for real-time performances I've ever seen. The only downside is that is doesn't come with a manual - I had to download one. Why, M-Audio? Why would you not include a printed manual?
The piano solo is an old one I recorded 8 years ago on a dull-dull sounding Steinway. It sounds ok, but I like the brighter-sounding pianos these days.
July 13, 2006 - 31 minutes; Fun for all
I know, it has been almost a week since my last update. I've been slacking. All I have to show for it is nine new tracks totalling 31 minutes.
In the Horror Genre I did five new background pads; Heart of the Beast, Inner Sanctum, It is Lost, Spacial Winds, and The Voices. I also put up a children's song... because it was creepy. Few things in life are as creepy as a corrupted children's song. Someone is bound to build a horror movie around that thing.
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I also took a request for a crazy funky piece of music like what might be found in a certain genre of 1970's... cinema (most probably Super-8 format)? That one is called C-Funk. I personally like ProtoFunk a little better for that sort of thing. But you can take your pick.
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In the piano section, I found an old piece that I thought I put online ages ago. Sapphire Isle.
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And now - the moment you've all been waiting for: The best contemporary piano solo in existence!
Sovereign.
That's right. How often do I say something is 'the best'? Or even 'great'? Never. That is why you should listen to me. Here is my one piece of hype for me - a composition destined to become the Fur Elise of this century: easy to play, elegant, and most of all beautiful.
Money back is not impressed.
(oh boy, I'm going to get mail on this one!)
July 08, 2006 - Variation on Egmont
More odd music.
This is possibly the most accurate and worst title of my career. It is an electronic-soaked variation of a theme or 2 from Beethoven's Egmont Overture. If you know the original work, and recognize the title, you'll probably download and not like the piece - because it doesn't have any of the brilliance of Beethoven's pacing.
If you like dance/techno, you probably won't download this because the title makes it look like something classical.
It has a weird polyrhythm feel because the Overture theme is in a different time signature than the rest of this piece. I did change up the theme in bits and parts, but I mainly kept the off-time feel. You can let it wash over you and be fine - if you think too hard about it - it gets... tough.
Ending is open to mix into your stuff cleanly.
July 06, 2006 - Woo! Rock and Roll!
Its new music!
Yes, I know... quite a stunning title.
Starting scant days ago, I just got better reporting softwares for my web site. It is now apparent that people like the rock music... which is interesting - because I'm not very good at it, or at least I don't _think_ I'm very good at it.
I don't understand rock. I don't understand what people like about rock. I just plain don't get it.
What's the difference between a good rock piece and a weak piece? I don't know. If there was a seminar on the matter, I would probably attend. It might be one of those things you have to be brought up with to understand.
If anyone would like to forward their theory of rock music production to me, that'd be great. I have a feeling much of it will revolve around singing and lyrics, though.
July 04, 2006 - Vision of Persistence, Cryptic Sorrow
A couple more piano pieces...
Both of these are very quiet and light.
"Vision of Persistence" is a piece based on a rhythm on a single note.
"Cryptic Sorrow" I put together as a response to a post in an earlier article about filmmakers looking for longer pieces of music for longer scenes, or scoring over multiple scenes.
I really wish I had more to say about these, but I was pretty tired when I recorded them, and I'm pretty tired now. So feel free to make up your own commentary on them.
June 26, 2006 - Piano Solo and the Creative Process
An interesting impromtu with context!
There's quite a story, read on for elucidation.
more... "Piano Solo and the Creative Process" »
June 24, 2006 - African Stuffs
Hi everyone. It has been a while. I'm working on a theater project, and I don't have much time to do new free stuffs. But I did do one today.
For some reason, I got 4 unrelated emails in 4 consecutive days - all about my African compositions. That is very very odd. That brings the one-year total to 6. I took it as a sign, and wrote another piece.
June 07, 2006 - More Silent Film Music
Five new pieces that will help round out your silent period films. Most were made with a small band consisting of Tuba, trombones, trumpets, clarinets, piano, and various percussion things.
more... "More Silent Film Music" »
June 03, 2006 - Aliens, Rock-Hop, and more Drama
Interesting collection of things I did this week...
- And Awaken (drama)
- Sleep and Then (drama)
- Alien Restaurant (experimental)
- Rock Hybrid (rock)
Additional comments galore!
more... "Aliens, Rock-Hop, and more Drama" »
May 29, 2006 - Cool Blast and Drama
Three new pieces today, and a new section (again).
- Cool Blast - a dancy/jazzy confection
- Sneaking x2 - in the new drama section
more... "Cool Blast and Drama" »
May 12, 2006 - Goth and Goth
New pieces today include (and are limited to):
- Babylon - an atmospheric piece
- Anachronist - an experimental piece
For those who follow this site - the "Atmospheric" page is new.
May 05, 2006 - The Falcon Banner
Four pieces of new orchestral music are on the update today. I'm pretty proud of them. This isn't stuff I normally do.
- Transition One
- Transition Two
- Weight of Responsibility
- Reflecting on Ideals
There were all written for an audio drama called The Falcon Banner (Episode 2).
April 28, 2006 - Dvorak Polka
April 20, 2006 - Mega-Musics
Ten new pieces of music. Ten. In a single update. Tis crazy!
- Noble Race
- Spider's Web
- Dawn Hit
- Overture
- Village Dawn
- Awaiting Return
- March of the Mind
- Midnight Meeting
- Dance of Deception
- Land of Phantoms
April 17, 2006 - More Weddings, and a mysterious Podcast
Three new piano solos Continue Life, Spring Fields, Midsummer Sky.
Theme, stingers and bridges Enigma for a podcast.
more... "More Weddings, and a mysterious Podcast" »
April 06, 2006 - Porch Blues and Intractable Jazz
Two new - and very very different pieces.
Porch Blues - you know, marginal blues from the front porch... if your porch has a piano like mine does.
Intractable - A sort of light jazz/funk confection with lots of vibe and a flugelhorn.
Read more... it is a fun story.
more... "Porch Blues and Intractable Jazz" »
April 05, 2006 - Silent Film Piano MIDI and Raw
MIDI files are now available for several of the pieces, as well as "unprocessed" m4a file.
Get them here (bottom of the page)!
more... "Silent Film Piano MIDI and Raw" »
April 03, 2006 - New Piano - Parting of the Ways
Two new piano solos are now available; Parting of the Ways, and Parting of the Ways Part 2.
more... "New Piano - Parting of the Ways" »
March 31, 2006 - 4 New Pieces
New Royalty Free music including first few pieces from my scoring of Nosferatu. Three orchestral pieces and a solo piano piece.
- A Mission (orchestral - soundtrack)
- Professor and the Plant (orchestral - soundtrack)
- Village Night (orchestral - soundtrack)
- Friday Morning (new age piano)
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