The Magical Kingdom

I’m almost finished with this. I just need to add the guitar parts towards the end, but it’s almost done. Probably will finish it tomorrow. This is the 4th song I ever wrote. It’s part of a rock opera I wrote when I first started writing music in 1987. Of course, back then the technology to bring it to life simply did not exist. You would need a full orchestra and a band to make this. I laid down the guitar parts today. The orchestral hits at the end are based upon a sample from the Roland S-330/S-50. I added quite a bit of support for those using sample libraries that I own. So the original Roland 12-bit sample is in there, but it’s been given a set of steel gonads.

https://www.reverbnation.com/giantsofcolossus/song/31476832-the-magical-kingdom

©W.T.Anderson/Naked Hoof Music (BMI)

This piece is quite ambitious. Very impressive.
I listened to a few of the other pieces on the link. Some of them are superb. All are very good. The vocals are very tight, both in timing and pitch. And they have great tone no matter what register you’re in. The harmonies are very impressive.
The clean guitar tones are so nice. That 80s crystal clean tone with chorus. It’s a classic.
There are nods in the writing to classic Marillion and Genesis as well as other great 70s and 80s bands. I love the composition and the sounds you used.
You’re great with melodies. Not a boring, repetitive one there.

Thank you, sir. I think one of the reasons I can do all those things is because I’ve never played cover tunes, combined with never learning music theory. Those two things IMO give me an edge on creating original material without boundaries. I’ve just posted up a very nice modern classical piece which I am contemplating making the center piece of a modern opera. My wife is scheduled to add some parts hopefully this weekend. Please have a listen.

https://www.reverbnation.com/giantsofcolossus/song/31925661-the-conversation

Ambitious pieces with many nice touches. However, I feel that the mixes sound a bit crowded. Check also your mixes in mono (now I think some elements disappear nearly totally when listened to in mono).

That’s quite interesting that you’re composing music on this level not having learned from the music of other artists or learned theory. That’s an approach I can say has not worked for a lot of musicians I’ve played with over the years, but since it works for you, that’s great. Good music is obviously the objective. I have read of famous musicians who don’t know about theory but from listening to them play, it’s obvious they have an innate sense of musical taste and creativity.

Thanks for sharing the new piece. I’ll have a listen later today.

Seriously who listens in mono anymore? No one. Okay, you do. This piece has over 250 tracks. Of course it will be crowded. And you say “mixes”. What mixes are you talking about?

Well, I listened to few other tunes as well, hence mixes.

To me the mix of the Magical Kingdom sounds like it could do with some more work on balancing the different elements (e.g. some drum parts sound too forward, the full mix towards the end of the piece starts sounding tiresome with all the elements in the front). But this is just my view on it.