|
Critical Evaluation |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
35 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.6 |
1.0 |
Curious title! The piece meanders with almost no sense of structure
or direction. Additionally I can’t help but feel that the style of
musical language used militates against any adequate sense of terror
that a real forest fire might create in any hikers caught in such a
blaze. The work feels improvised rather than composed. Sorry not to be
more positive about this piece.
By: wobbie |
Score: 21 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
55 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.8 |
1.0 |
This piece began well: I heard
the crackling of the fire, the agitation of the creatures and the
advance of the flames which was sometimes quicker, sometimes slower.
However the dynamics and the danger, the tensions in such a scene could
not be heard. Fire doesn’t always roar at forte or mezzo forte
for the whole piece, more contrast was needed. The ending for me was
a disappointment: it was too quick, I was not convinced.
By: Judge No. 1 (See Notes) |
Score: 44 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
15 |
50 |
The first thing that struck me in
your piece was really its lack of melodic complexity. Your
melodies were not very memorable, and were almost always played
on the same instrument throughout. The organization of the piece
was interesting. It often did things I didn't expect, but there
really wasn't much variety in the mood/orchestration to keep it
interesting for 4 minutes. The percussion writing you used
became monotonous after about 2 minutes, making it kind of
irritating by the end. The piece didn't end with a "bang", which
was a bit of a surprise, but I suppose you can justify that, or
else you wouldn't have written it that way. Your piece probably
would have been much more interesting if you would have used
more instruments and a greater dynamic contrast. |
|
Orchestration |
10 |
25 |
Your orchestration was fairly
dull. You didn't use many instruments, and the ones you did use
could have been used differently to achieve a greater effect.
There really isn't much to comment on here because you didn't
provide the score. |
|
Composition |
15 |
25 |
Your piece didn't demand much
thought to appreciate for what it was. It wasn't difficult to
listen to, and didn't have a lot going on. The truth is,
however, because of your piece's lack of complexity, it just
isn't interesting or memorable. This isn't necessarily a bad
thing - but when you're submitting a piece for a competition,
keep in mind that it will be listened to much differently than
when you merely post it in a thread for people to listen to for
enjoyment. Judges try to critique pieces objectively, as opposed
to subjectively, which is very important to understand.
|
|
Relevance |
1.0 |
1.0 |
It worked well in depicting the
given theme. |
By: Judge No. 2 |
Score: 40 |
|
Peer Evaluation |
General
-
Complexity -
Seems a bit too complex. I don't know what's going on when (I
listen) to the song.
 
-
Instrumentation -
In all honesty, the instrument choices and how each piece plays
isn't very pleasing to the ear. I can't really give much here.
-
Composition -
The percussion has a nice way of giving the song a feeling,
however, the melody of the song seems so random and there is
barely anything there to support the melody of the song, except
the acceptable percussions.
-
Initial Inspiration -
As in the composer notes, the composer identifies the song and
mood to have a bit of hip-hop to it. However, I am not feeling
any intensity from the song (which) some hip-hop songs usually
give.
Specifics
-
Opening -
It starts out of nowhere. Nothing to start an initial feeling of
the song.
-
Middle - Is the actual part of the song
the opening, or vice-versa? It seems that a strange theme is
played throughout the entire piece, but what was a nice twist 1:15
had. I thought that was interesting.
-
Ending -
I can't honestly tell if there will be an ending or not. It just
wasn't a good way to seal the deal.
I do not think this song will stay on my computer, I am sorry to say
that. I am just not feeling it.
From the composer of:
Abysmal Flames |
Score: 29 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
3 |
15 |
I’m sorry, but don't get
this piece. I just don't get it. Maybe it's just me, and if so,
I hope other people rate it higher to compensate (for) my
rating. To start off, whenever I listen to this piece, not the
slightest thought of fire or drama pops into my mind. Either
this interpretation is just bad, or it's too creative for me to
understand. Its complexity is… well, there's hardly one to speak
of. This seems to me as a bunch of random motives (not any of
them would be something I'd hum or remember after listening it
once or twice) glued together with poor tape. The orchestration
is kind of straightforward: the same (rather poor) samples used
throughout the whole piece, supported by a beat which changes
very little and is varied 2 or 3 times for a few seconds with
different beat samples and a different rhythm. The 'conclusion'
the composer is speaking of seems like a sudden anti-climax to
me, not really appropriate either, in any way I can think of.
And I can’t help myself but wondering what ‘Affordable Wisdom’
has got anything to do with the fire theme. Please enlighten me.
=P |
|
Orchestration |
6 |
15 |
|
Composition |
3 |
15 |
|
Appropriateness |
3 |
20 |
|
Beginning/Start |
2 |
5 |
|
Middle/Climax |
2 |
5 |
|
Ending |
1 |
5 |
|
Overall Opinion |
5 |
20 |
|
Bonus/Malus |
none given |
|
From the composer of:
Blisters |
Score: 25 |
The instruments reminds me of FF7 music, but I wouldn't dwell into that.
The introduction of this piece was sort of playful? It was kind of like
the wrong usage of instruments in the case of this scenario given. Your
description says it gives a hip-hop feel, but I felt your use of hip-hop
was too static and with little development. There were redundancies
heard as a result of that. It was also somewhat mysterious, but this
mood wasn't developed, into the intense situation shown in the picture.
But, I like your use of uneven notes in this piece, It was catchy but
sadly again this doesn't fit into the purpose of the picture.
Middle - Some development is heard in ending of 2 minutes, but after
that few seconds, nothing was been done to modify it more. The original
theme/motive is still heard in its first form.
3:00-3:10 wasn't suspenseful enough.
Ending - Not very good. A lasting impression is preferred.
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Complexity |
11 |
15 |
|
Orchestration |
7 |
15 |
|
Composition |
9 |
15 |
|
Appropriateness |
10 |
20 |
|
Beginning/Start |
4 |
5 |
|
Middle/Climax |
3 |
5 |
|
Ending |
2 |
5 |
|
Overall Opinion |
14 |
20 |
Bonus/Malus
(This piece totally doesnt fit the mood) |
-3 |
From the composer of: Fate of the Forest |
Score: 57 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Complexity |
10 |
20 |
Most of the time, there's either a single
melodic line with only percussion backing it up, or two melodic
lines that clash together. |
|
Orchestration |
12 |
20 |
I'm not a huge fan of electronic sounds,
but they can be used effectively. (But) I feel (that) here,
they're being used for lack of a better-sounding instrument to
use. |
|
Beginning |
1 |
5 |
The beginning is the best example of what
I talked about under "Complexity." Here, and elsewhere in the
piece, there's hardly anything going on except the melody, which
just rambles about without concern to phrasing or structure.
This would be fine for an introduction or a brief interlude, but
when it constitutes 80% of the piece, it wears on the listener. |
|
Middle |
4 |
5 |
At 1:15, there's a nice change of texture
and the sound becomes much fuller, but too quickly it returns to
the material from the beginning. I'd like to hear this section
elaborated on. |
|
Ending |
3 |
5 |
At 2:58, another fuller section comes up
which sounds quite climatic, but again you pull away in favor of
the thinner textures you began with before simply ending the
piece in mid-phrase. You should really milk these new sections
for all they're worth! It'd make the piece feel much more
complete. |
|
Overall Composition Quality |
10 |
25 |
Some of the harmonies you used were truly
fascinating, but overall I thought the piece was too sloppy. The
melodic lines lacked direction, there seemed to be a lot of
unintentional dissonance, and while there was repetition and
variation, the form felt unclear as well. I think this piece
shows a lot of potential, but lacks the theory to back it up. |
|
Appropriateness |
8 |
20 |
Doesn't fit the theme at all. It sounds
more comical than tragic. |
From the composer of:
Forest Fire: A Brief
Tone Poem for Orchestra |
Score: 48 |
|
I do not think the “hip-hop” beat was suitable as a portrayal of
something in nature. It’s looped endlessly, and although it provides the
backbone of the rhythm, I see it as a product of the composer’s
unwillingness to compose a percussion track that follows the flow of the
music.
This piece is kind of repetitive. There’s no unpredictability that
one naturally would expect from a massive forest fire. Everything sounds
like it’s in four-bar phrases, with no variation in each of those
phrases. I’m reminded more of an RPG’s ‘shop’ music or ‘town’ music
rather than a forest fire. This is due in part to the piece’s lack of a
beginning, middle, or end. The piece sounds random in its harmonic
progressions, albeit predictable in its construction.
There were moments that occasionally suggested to me a forest,
particularly the part at :03 - :10. Aside from that, this music would be
better suited as background music, not as a depiction of a forest fire.
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
60 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.5 |
1.0 |
From the composer of:
Inferno |
Score: 30 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Setting |
3 |
10 |
I don't understand this
take at all. It does not remind me of elk in any way, or the
journey in a forest. |
|
Composition |
5 |
10 |
Repetition is key here. It
is supposed to be hip-hop, but you can make good hip-hop, too. I
like some of the harmonies. |
|
Orchestration |
3 |
10 |
Same instruments over and
over, no variation. |
|
Overall Score |
6 |
10 |
This was quite a unique
take. |
From the composer of:
Music for Trumpet and
Strings |
Score: 43 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Overall Evaluation |
75 |
100 |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.6 |
1.0 |
From the composer of:
Of Desperation,
Death, and Hope |
Score: 45 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Relevance |
5 |
10 |
I just
didn’t feel the relevance in this piece at all. The ‘hike’ bit
felt right but why hip-hop? The composer did not indicate in
his/her explanation why it was hip-hop that was chosen. I didn’t
feel the relation, and a lot of the time this sounded just
random. I do not really see the relevance in the piece. |
|
Orchestration |
5 |
10 |
There was little to no variance in the
instrumentation – a ‘beat track’ in the background and a
starry-sounding lead throughout. I would advise the composer to
listen to a bit more ‘hip-hop’ – good pieces and songs often
include a LOT more variance and layering in the percussion. It
is clear that the composer simply used the given samples in a
program such as fruity-loops and built one beat that just didn’t
change much. A good ‘beat’ is fluid, dynamic, something that is
affected by the song. Not something that drives the song. The
changes in the lead seemed completely random – I didn’t feel a
rhyme or reason to it at all. A passable attempt. |
|
Overall Effect |
11 |
20 |
I just didn’t feel this song. It’s
seemingly random changes, uninspired percussion and non-changing
lead just did not leave a good taste in my mouth. I was unable
to see the ‘story’ or relevance to the picture, and I did not
carry anything away from the experience. |
From the composer of:
Prelude for Solo
Piano |
Score: 53 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
|
Complexity |
10 |
15 |
|
Orchestration |
9 |
15 |
|
Composition |
9 |
15 |
|
Appropriateness |
11 |
20 |
|
Beginning |
2 |
5 |
|
Middle/Climax |
2 |
5 |
|
Ending |
1 |
5 |
|
Overall Opinion |
10 |
20 |
|
Bonus/Malus |
none given |
From the composer of: Tell Me About The
Forest |
Score: 54 |
Technical Elements [20/60]:
- Harmony:
Simple to the point of being dull. I suggest you read through the
GFF Theory Thread a few times and order the recommended text.
- Development: Well,
you did keep the style constant. I also like the theme at 1:00.
It was quite pleasant.
- Orchestration:
The synth sounds were interesting albeit cheesy.
- Form:
Idea following idea. What were you trying to accomplish here? The
relief of the rhythm before 2:30 was a nice moment though.
-
Overall, congratulations, you can put notes
together and not completely bore people to death.
Musicality [5/20]:
-
This seems uninspired to me. The piece just doesn’t really have any
interesting ideas in it.
Relevance [10/20]:
Overall Thoughts [F / Better Luck Next Time].
Do yourself a favor and spend some time composing (before) the next
competition.
From the composer of:
The Dance of the
Clumsy Bear |
Score: 35 |
|
Criterion |
Pts. |
Total |
Comments |
|
Overall Evaluation |
30 |
100 |
Don't like the
composition; orchestration is ok |
|
Appropriateness Lever |
0.5 |
1.0 |
Sorry, but hip-hop beats
are not that which I associate with this picture |
From the composer of: The Wildfire Suite |
Score: 15 |
