Main Theme Organisation

As suggested on the Music List Thread, I'm going to have a go at composing a further iteration of the Main Theme, but instead of just being a solo project it will be a collaborative effort, involving any members of the team who can compose music. The Main Theme is by definition the most important theme in the entire game, so naturally it needs the most work to perfect.

Currently, I have the Main Theme v6 as a .cpr file in Cubase AI6. Unless anyone else has a program which can work with .cpr files, I'll have to put everything together. I suggest we add new sections to it and new instruments/motifs over the top of existing sections rather than starting over again. Anyone who wants to help can either send me an audio file which fits the requirements I'll go into later (providing they have a connection with me such as Skype which allows files to be sent) or, preferably, create sheet music of their section/motif, take a screenshot of it and post it to this thread. If you are going to create sheet music, I recommend a free program called MuseScore: http://musescore.org/

To prevent everything from going pear-shaped with unrelated, dissonant passages, here are some requirements for your section/motif:

Spoiler:

If you have any suggestions for where your section/motif could be placed within the piece, don't hesitate to tell me. Ideally, we should end up with something which goes from ambient to fully orchestral. However, it's possible that we could end up going over the top with new passages, turning the theme into a bit of a mess with so many different parts. But there's no reason we can't try, right?

This is a good idea, Oliver. I remember you sending me the sheet music at some point, so I'll take a look at playing and recording some of it on piano and maybe even guitar this weekend.

I am glad a post has been made on it!! I've also got my copy of Sibelius and a nifty midi keyboard to mess around with, sheet music will be useful to eliminate clear error and to evaluate/analyse which themes work where and whether or not the piece flows.

Just a thought; could we perhaps have some light dissonance on those F minor choirds? To me, although the piece is ambient, I feel that fminor chord should grow each time (like in evolution, the chord evolves, expanding with notes.) So...

F3 C4 (left hand)   F4, G4, Ab5 (right hand) with certain synthesised sounds- it could work really nicely, if the 'G' is slightly quieter (or if it just works leave it be); it creates that feeling of tension, which is the gravity and forces of Space. (Dissonant harmonic motif on the F minor chord resolving itself?) It would really compliment the add9th, as we go 'tension', 'resolve' etc. And then put the dissonance on different chords later on (to convey evolution? Expand the dissonant theme slightly by having more dissonance..? The light dissonance should remain diatonic to really get that beautiful sound with the waves bouncing off each other. later, pulling away from the dissonance and having more of these 7th chords and just stacking thirds rather and pushing the original dissonant notes an octave out, really playing with that ' harmonic motif'.

I think I understood all that.

The best place for that sort of ambient synthesized style would be at the start, before even the strings come in. I like your idea of having the chords 'evolve', but of course we won't be able to do that all the way through. I've actually been fiddling around with the Main Theme for the last hour or so, and I've added in a completely new section, making it almost two minutes longer.

@Jacob
I can also record some piano parts if need be - at the moment they feel a little mechanical being played in strict time by the computer, so adding some human-played instruments might make it feel a little more natural. A guitar would certainly be good to fit in somewhere as well. Tell me if you want me to write a part for it or whether you'll write it yourself.

I would be very interested to hear what the combined music team could compose.

NickTheNick wrote:

I would be very interested to hear what the combined music team could compose.

Unfortunately it may be a while before that, as Doggit's currently busy and LIonGraphiK seems to have disappeared.

Also, I think I mis-clicked and accidentally thanked you instead of quoting you.

Don't worry, you need not apologize for thanking me.

I'm still here!! But, I'm also going to be away for another 4 days as I'm going to Oxford. I've just been rustling up a few ideas for the main theme and accidentally made a separate construct theme. It should be in the themes topic, feel free to check it out!

Since LIonGraphiK and Doggit aren't here at the moment, but I want to keep progress on the Main Theme going, is anyone able to play and record an instrument? Jacob's said he'll record himself playing the guitar, and I can record any piano parts, but it would be great if others wat to get involved too. Tell me if you can, and I'll PM you the score for a part for you to play.