Voting! - Composition Challenge #16 - Flavours of the World! (voting extended until 4th March)

Antique_Guitars

Hi Everyone,

This is the combined Voting and Discussion thread.

Thanks to all that entered the competition.

Please use this thread to cast your votes for your favourite entries to Fretboard Challenge #16.
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Voting System - voters can pick their top 3 favourite entries.

First choice gets 5 points - Second choice gets 3 points - Third choice gets 1 point

Entry with the most points wins.

Simply post in this thread your top three choices for winner in order, 1st choice first etc etc. 

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(Note for Entrants of the competition: Self Voting is NOT Allowed)


The winner will be announced just before midnight on the 28th February, voting will close at 11.30pm on that day.

(you can edit your vote up to the time voting closes)

A reminder of the competition Guidelines:

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Flavours of the World

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Given the turbulent state of current world affairs it seems like a positive task to embrace all the  different types of music and cultures that the world has to offer and use them to create some amazing random music

Feel free to mix any styles. No Time limit

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Please see all the entries uploaded on SoundCloud below.


https://soundcloud.com/thefretboard/sets/fretboard-challenge-16

stratman3142

I like all of the other three entries to mine almost equally. Any differences in preference are minute. I've agonised a lot over this and it's a pity I have to put them in order, but I'll go for

5 points: @LeeCassidy: Great melodies. Superb great guitar playing, which is what swung it for me. The Eastern style bends are great. The strings sound great. What did you use?

3 points: @Steamabacus: Great composition. A very artistic approach as usual. Builds well with good continuity. Some of it brought to mind a musical style that Peter Gabriel might produce.

1 point: @Fretwired: I really like the idea of a radio being tuned to difference stations. Highly creative. A great collection of ideas.

Excellent stuff all round.

I've be interested to know how you guys created these pieces. I had quite a bit of help from some virtual instruments, especially Kontakt 5.

Fretwired

I forgot about this .... I did have a clear winner ..

5 points to @stratman3142 - I think this is the best track I've heard so far on the Composition Challenge. If this were for sale on iTunes I'd buy it. Very Al Di Meola - I just love the way this builds to the final solo with changes that keeps the listeners interest; great guitar playing. Top job mate.

3 points to @LeeCassidy - another outstanding track .. I love the guitar playing from 1:23 ... and the run at 2:25 .. superb. It was a close call.

1 point @steamabacus - as usual very creative which met the brief .. loved the guitar from 5.09 .. you could develop that riff with the vocals into a great song in its own right.

Well done guys ..

Grunfeld

5 points @steamabacus
3 points @stratman3142
1 point @LeeCassidy

Too close really.  I liked the steamabacus one just because that's the kind of music I like so it's gonna tick my boxes; stratman's sounded cool because of its energy; Lee's production impressed the hell out of me as did its arrangement which was also impressive; and Fret's had a creativity which was fun and in the context of the task was spot on. 

LeeCassidy

5 points to Fretwired
3 points to stratman3142
1 point to steamabacus

I liked 'em all, and I don't really care for the winning/results portion of contests. I just like the fun of taking part and the creative challenge. But Fretwired's was cheeky, and I like cheeky.

Grunfeld

LeeCassidy said:

I liked 'em all, and I don't really care for the winning/results portion of contests. I just like the fun of taking part and the creative challenge.

[For what it's worth I really agree with this and it's nice to know I'm not alone with it.  I actually feel quite uncomfortable with the voting/ winning aspect.  It just doesn't feel right to me.]  Apologies for the off-topic... as you were.

Antique_Guitars

I think as this competition is not really very popular might move to making it just a monthly thing that is an open composition showcase.

Grunfeld

Antique_Guitars said:

I think as this competition is not really very popular might move to making it just a monthly thing that is an open composition showcase.

My 2p's is that having a task is a great idea.  It's like a seed.
Like this one, thought it was great even though at first was clueless but searching for ideas was fun and if a new job commitment hadn't intervened I'd have completed it. 
I rather like the 3 monthly time frame too. 
[For me it's literally the voting/competition alone which I don't feel that good with -- it's not intolerable or anything -- just a preference really.]

Fretwired

Grunfeld said:

Antique_Guitars said:

I think as this competition is not really very popular might move to making it just a monthly thing that is an open composition showcase.

My 2p's is that having a task is a great idea.  It's like a seed.
Like this one, thought it was great even though at first was clueless but searching for ideas was fun and if a new job commitment hadn't intervened I'd have completed it. 
I rather like the 3 monthly time frame too. 
[For me it's literally the voting/competition alone which I don't feel that good with -- it's not intolerable or anything -- just a preference really.]

I agree with @Grunfeld - I'm not interested in coming first or last or a prize. The task makes you think, takes you out of your comfort zone and forces you to do something new.

stratman3142

Yes, I like being given the challenge of producing something to a theme and a timescale. I'm not too concerned where I get placed in the voting and find it difficult to choose an order. Especially this month because I really like all of them.

However, it is good to get feedback. So, if the voting were excluded, it would be good to find another way of drawing out feedback. Otherwise I can live with the voting.

steamabacus

Sorry, it's taken me a while to get around to posting - I actually heard the tracks when they popped up on my SoundCloud feed late at night before this thread was posted but I needed to give them some proper atention. All very good and very hard to choose between them.

1st (5 points) - @stratman3142  ; -  E2W
I've come to expect excellent guitar playing from you from the RotM comps but the lead guitar arrangement really impressed me on this. A real variety of flavours through scale and note choices rather than simply cosmetic textural sonic 'flavours' (everything mine wasn't, in a way). On top of all that, I really enjoyed just sitting back listening to it as well (and forgetting I'm 'judging').

2nd (3 points) - @LeeCassidy ; - Friedman
More excellent guitar playing and this one had a real film soundtrack vibe going on. Very good use of dynamics in the arrangement and an epic (and very filmic) solo towards the end.

3rd (1 point) - @Fretwired  ; - World Music Radio
Good strong concept which unfortunately proved it's undoing as I just wanted the african opening to continue. I'm assuming the vocals are samples or else you've got quite a vocal range. I liked the noisy ending riff too.

Fretwired

steamabacus said:

3rd (1 point) - @Fretwired  ; - World Music Radio
Good strong concept which unfortunately proved it's undoing as I just wanted the african opening to continue. I'm assuming the vocals are samples or else you've got quite a vocal range. I liked the noisy ending riff too.

I've been having African singing lessons and was proud of my vocal range ... ;-)

It was a Computer Music sample ... I can't sing in English let alone another language ..  :-)

kin

Five points @LeeCassidy ;
 Three points @stratman3142 ;
 One point @Fretwired ;

well done to all, I had no ideas at all for this one, hope to be back in for the next.

Antique_Guitars

Voting closes today get your votes in 

TTony

I remember the days, long long ago, when I used to get chance to enter these challenges.

Standard has definitely moved onwards & upwards since those days.

5pts @stratman3142 ;
3pts @steamabacus ;
1pts @LeeCassidy ;

Scary quality in the stratman composition, beautifully put together with all the elements matching perfectly in all respects.  Top work sir.

Antique_Guitars

I'm wondering if I should extend voting to the 4th like the other competitions as its a short month?

stratman3142

OK with me.

Antique_Guitars

Voting extended to 4th March 

markv

Blimey. All of these are amazing.

5 points @Fretwired because I thought it was a fun and imaginative way of fitting the brief, and because I enjoyed it so much. A very impressive array of styles in one track.

3 points @stratman3142 - a great sounding track, loved the melodies and guitar sounds, held my interest all the way through.

1 point @LeeCassidy - another cool composition, enjoyed it all the way through

So sorry @steamabacus, love your stuff generally and I liked this but it was a touch too long and it was up against superb other tracks.

mellowsun

The standard of all entries was phenomenal. Each of these tracks stand up well in their own right as great pieces of music. 

5 pts @LeeCassidy I just loved the guitar playing throughout, with the subtle variations in scales to suggest different regions and styles

3pts @Fretwired at first I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this as I don't generally like sampled voiceovers but the track quickly won me over to the extent that it was my favourite entry. I loved your approach and the level of creativity

1pt @stratman3142 excellent guitar playing and this could easily be a commercial track. Loved the outro solo

@steamabacus your entry was the best produced out of all but in the end the level of variety in the other entries just nudged them ahead for me

Antique_Guitars

voting closed