3 Somber Solo Piano cues - feedback please

[RobertElse]

Hello All - I would love to get feedback on these 3 cues I submitted for the recent "Somber Solo Piano" Dispatch listing. Any/all critiques on style, suitability, sound quality, etc. much appreciated

"Alone Waiting" - https://soundcloud.com/robert-else/alone-waiting
"Lament" - https://soundcloud.com/robert-else/lament
"Somber Heart" https://soundcloud.com/robert-else/somber-heart

Thanks very much for any helpful words,
Robert

Here is the listing and reference tracks.

Dispatch: SOMBER SOLO PIANO INSTRUMENTALS
Sunday, January 20
Description:SOMBER SOLO PIANO INSTRUMENTALS are needed by a U.K.-based Music Library that's using TAXI as its primary resource for a large-scale catalog expansion. Please submit Down-to-Mid-Tempo Instrumentals in the stylistic wheelhouse of the references below:

Emotional Sad Beautiful Modern Piano Solo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-H6CUWsOPXA
Into The Dark - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19L9Z11D3K8
Lose You - Sad & Emotional Piano Song Instrumental - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnqb8zqHqdY

Please submit well-composed, ORIGINAL Solo Piano Instrumentals that evoke emotions like sadness, heartbreak, longing, etc. Your submission should have solid musicianship from start to finish with great articulation, emotion, and tonality. If you can picture your music working in a gloomy scene where something intensely emotional has occurred, you might have exactly what this Music Library is looking for!

TAXI TIP: If you’re using a virtual Piano plugin, please be sure it sounds like the real deal, as anything stiff, low quality, or obviously MIDI-driven and quantized won’t work for this request. Give it some "human touch."

Your submissions should be around 2-3 minutes in length (give or take). Non-Faded Endings with a natural decay/ring out will likely work best. Do NOT copy the referenced artists or songs in any way, shape, or form. Use them only as a general guide for tempo, tone, and overall vibe. Broadcast Quality is needed.

This company offers an EXCLUSIVE deal, so please be sure the instrumentals you pitch for this opportunity are NOT already signed with any other Companies or Catalogs. Any sync fees will be split 50/50 with the Company. You'll get 100% of the Writer's share, and the Publisher will get 100% of the Publisher's share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright to submit. Please submit as many Instrumentals Cues as you'd like online or per CD. All submissions will be screened on a Yes/No basis - No full critiques. Submissions must be received no later than 11:59PM (PST), on Sunday, January 20th, 2019. TAXI DISPATCH #D190120SP

[ttully]

Hi Robert,

The 1st one.... very good..... but the ascending notes at about :40 and 1:58 kind of negate the somber mood.
Track 2 also nice.... but you keep throwing in some odd sounding notes that get your attention too much.
Track 3 probably the best.... especially once it gets into the meat of the track... from about :33 on.....

Good work....
See what someone else has to say...

My 4 cents,
Tim

[RobertElse]

Tim - Thanks for taking the time to listen and I really appreciate those insights and perspective - I can see from your Taxi page that you are very experienced and talented - really liked what I listened to, and what a bummer about your studio - glad you have recovered somewhat.

I too worried that those ascending notes you mention would negate the mood - we'll see if it passes muster with the listener. In #2 those odd notes are my favorites, dang-it, for better or worse Maybe I sabotaged my own piece with them, but I gotta keep 'em. Funny, #3 was the one I thought was weakest. So interesting to hear another perspective - again thanks for taking the time and I really value your comments.

At 2 cents per song, that is 6 cents, not 4, so I owe ya...

Thanks,
Robert

[TomWanless]

Hi Robert,

I had a listen to your cues and I think they are great.

Alone Waiting: At from 40s to 1:08, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Really strong emotion in the slightly hopeful uplifting passage and then the heartbreaking note and the minor. I found it incredibly effective.

Lament: Still good stuff, but I found there are a few notes which sounded distracting (the note at 56s as an example). That's probably personal preference though. The periods from movement to long rests were nice.

Somber Heart: When I thought I couldn't be anymore subdued with my morning coffee, this was my favourite. The only way to describe how it felt was that it was like a superhero cue but when the superhero is sad. That might have to do with the movie I watched last night though...

Overall, I'd say very high quality indeed.

Tom

[RobertElse]

Tom - thanks so much for listening and your comments, which I sincerely appreciate. It's funny but "Lament" is my favorite one, even though it has those weird notes. But it didn't get forwarded, nor did "Somber Heart". However "Alone" got forwarded and in hindsight (20-20 of course) that is probably the best one.

Thanks again for listening and commenting, and sorry for the belated reply!

Robert