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Hi guys. Any and all feedback would be appreciated for this song, particularly on the mix, artistic content, and appropriateness for the listing.

https://www.taxi.com/members/4HQXW96nRi ... nly-winter

MODERN SAD STRINGS & PIANO INSTRUMENTAL CUES are needed by a Music Licensing Company with a large list of placements in Films, TV Commercials, and A-List TV Shows.

NOTE: This Company has signed lots of TAXI members over many years and nailed down lots of placements for them!

This Company is looking for Instrumental Cues that could be found on a playlist with the following references:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Nr9V7DSA9I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXlx-YnvgKU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpmxL93Hg_M

Please submit well-composed Instrumental Cues with an overall sad sound and feel. Your submissions should contain a combination of Piano and String instrumentation – if you're planning on using any virtual instruments, they need to sound like the real thing and not stiff, dated, or obviously MIDI-driven. Polished production and moving melodies are a must for this pitch. Craft your Cues around a singular motif, and layer instrumentation in and out as they progress to create a sense of forward momentum.

TAXI Tip: Although it takes a little bit of time for the Strings to come in on the references, we recommend layering them into your pieces right away.

Submissions should be about 2 minutes long, give or take, and have non-faded, buttoned/stinger endings. Do NOT copy the references 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. You’ll split all upfront sync fees 50/50. They’ll get 100% of the Publisher’s share, and you’ll keep 100% of the Writer’s share. You must own or control your Master and Copyright. Since this is an EXCLUSIVE deal, please be sure the material you submit for this pitch is NOT already signed with other Libraries or Catalogs. Please send as many Instrumental Cues as you’d like, online or per CD. All submissions will be screened and critiqued by a TAXI screener. All Submissions must be received no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Wednesday, June 23rd, 2021. TAXI # S210623MN

Submit to this listing TAXI # S210623MN

The piano sounds very mechanical/quantized.

The piano velocities need to be softened. I can "hear" that you are not a piano player.

A piece like this is exposed so you need to work on touch and timing.

Your piece comes in hard comparing the waveform [and listening ] to the ref tracks.

A nice musical composition, but I think the performance needs to be improved. The abrupt endings to the string melody notes detract from the mood, and the piano playing is not up to the level expected by libraries today. I also hear some sort of "skip" or odd time meter in the melody... melody starting at 1:14, something happens at 1:19. Not sure if it is an intentional time signature thing or not, but it is a little jarring to me. This piece certainly has potential though.

Definitely has potential, but I don't think it's quite ready for submission. I think what might help most is breathing a little more life into the piano in terms of dynamics and tempo. Right now your chords are right-hand block chords all on 1/4 notes. I Would suggest perhaps changing to an arpeggio or varying the rhythmic pattern to avoid a metronome feel. The basic chord progression is nice and has a good emotive feel, but also gets repetitive with time. You might consider changing the voicing by using inversions of the chords as the song progresses. Also, consider adding a left hand octave or fifth on the root to give a little more foundation to your chords. Nice start, just needs some love to get a more human feeling of movement. Keep it up! You'll get there!

edit: Actually, going back and listening to the references, they kind of do this, too, so what do I know??
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It feels like coming to a "stop" six times between 0:00 and 1:12. I would pause less, maybe just at 0:36 and 1:12 -- extending some of those end notes would give it a more flowing, and I think a sadder feel, plus less predictability.

My 2 centavos

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Michael

I have uploaded a new version and taken all of the very helpful feedback into consideration. Please have another listen if you could be so kind.

https://www.taxi.com/members/4HQXW96nRi ... nly-winter

Thank you

Definitely improved over the earlier version. The piano playing still sounds stiff, if you want to stick with the quarter note rhythm for the chords personally I would add some sustain pedal or lengthen the notes. I see a great spot for an edit point at 0:47, stop on the third beat. Same at 1:12. I suggest you vary the piano rhythm a bit as well.

Another way to vary the piano a bit is to throw in an arpeggio once in a while, like play the root on beat 1 of a measure and then other notes of the chord on beats 3 and 4.

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Michael

Wow, that's a really nice violin sound! Definitely like the second version better also, but the piano part doesn't have enough variation or complexity. Maybe see how some tremolo string texture sound instead of piano if you just want to keep that chord progression? But I think the texture should build/change after 4 bars/8 bars, etc. I am somewhere between novice and intermediate level so take it for what its worth but this is how I would go about it.