Composition Unit
Research
Intouchables is a French film about a man who is hired to look after a disabled mad. The film has lots of moving scenes which fit emotional piano music really well. This piece by Einaudi fits the scene really well.. The piano is quite repetitive which is a common theme in his music. The scene has lots of shots of the country side panning around. The band is pushed onto a balcony looking over the sea. I would like to make a scene where I create some piano music and set it to a scene with the sea and see if I can recreate the emotions captured in this scene.
Research into a favourite composition:
​
This is Le Onde by Einaudi. He is one of my favourite composers and this was the first of his songs which I learned on the piano. I learned it by ear initially, then watched YouTube videos to help with some of the parts. I really like it because it is quite a simple repetitive pattern with a beautiful melody over the top which creates a very tranquil feeling. It is in B minor and is played about 110 Bpm. I have added the score below.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
My Compositions
I wrote a piano piece in the style of Einaudi. I tried to make use of lots of repetition which I noticed in Einaudi's music. To record this, I recorded the accompaniment and then played variations over it as an overdub. I am really pleased with how it has turned out. I noticed in the video analysis how well his music fitted scenes with the sea in, so I found a scene from the film The Piano which was a suitable length and which would fit the piece I had in mind. I am really pleased how well they have paired together.
Discuss my free composition
This is my other composition it is in the key of c minor and It also takes inspiration from some of Einaudis music it is a simple composition played over 4 simple chords. I am quite happy how it went but there are a few melody notes and patterns I could have played a bit better. Also the pedal on the piano could have been used more accurately. I liked the timing and the middle sounded sentimental which is what I was going for. I added dynamics coming back in louder but there were a few errors. To improve I could either get a better take recorded, or record it as MIDI so I can edit the notes afterwards.
Evaluation
What went well?
I like how my video composition fits with the film scene, and also how they kind of make you feel the same way. I was pleased that I was able to tie it into my research and finding a similar scene worked well.
What could you have improved on?
The production on the free composition was the weakest part. The piano sounded good, but there were errors which you would not hear in professional music. I think recording it as MIDI would be the best way to make it better next time. I get nervous when recording so even if I can play it in a practice room, I sometimes make errors when the recording is on. I could also try to make pieces in different Keys and different time signatures at some point in the future because there are some keys which I have never written songs in and these would be fun to explore.