A song- Tuscan Stroll

Your Music
#1

This is the song I wrote when I started getting back to writing music after a twenty year break. Back then, it was Cakewalk 3.0 and yamaha soundcard for all my sounds. Now it’s still Cakewalk, but I’m using VIs for pretty much everything, other than the rare audio recording. This song is all VI.

It’s in 6/8. Chord progression is almost exclusively Amin - Gmaj - Fmaj- Emaj, a chord progression I’ve liked for a long time and finally got around to doing something with.

Song style is…I guess I’d call it orchestral pop, kind of like what you’d hear from Yanni or John Tesh.
Features classical guitar and piano.
Inspriration- I called it Tuscan Stroll because to my ear it has a slightly Mediterranean sound to it, and the melody and chord progression made me think of someone travelling along the roads through the hills of Tuscany, and my wife and I had recently visited Florence, Italy.

DAW- Cakewalk by Bandlab

Sounds
Drums- Cakewalk Session Drummer
Bass- Kontakt factory classic bass
Piano- Native Instrument (NI) Grandeur
Classical Guitar- Kontakt factory nylon guitar
Trumpets- Kontakt factory trumpets
Trombones- Kontakt factory trombones
French Horns- Cinesamples Cinesymphony Lite
Alto and Tenor Sax- Cakewalk Dimension Pro
Bari Sax- Kontakt factory Bari Sax
Percussion- NI Cuba percussion
Strings- Cinesamples Cinesymphony Lite

Thanks so much for listening, and any comments you’d care to share with me. Always looking to learn something new.

Steven

2 Likes
#2

I love this Steven! Wonderful Jazz Band feel. Nicely arranged and well mixed. Nice and clean. Can hear all parts. The improvisations are kickass! You should consider notating it and publishing it at Sheet Music Plus. I use Dorico. https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/publishers/the-art-department-sheet-music/3008509

Very glad you are back writing again . . . so good to hear . . . warms my heart . . .

#3

loved this!

#4

Clinton

Thank you for the encouraging words! I appreciate your listening to the song. I confess, I’ve never thought about publishing anything. But now that you have me thinking about it- if I was to publish something, I think the song I posted previously might be the better option, since (minus the little fanfare at the beginning) it’s scored for big band (and so is set up for most high school and college bands).

I see Dorico is a notation software. I don’t know that i have the patience to do that; I get impatient enough in the composing process!

I listened to what you had on that publishing website. Great stuff!

Thanks again for listening and encouraging!

Steven

#5

Thanks!

Steven

#6

Fun piece Steven! I did definitely get the Mediterranean/Spanish Flamenco vibes to it which made me recall my trip to Seville back in 2001. My only bit of critique wold be, as a guitar player myself, I could tell the guitar parts were played like a keyboard instead of guitar, so the effect of the dueling solo parts between the guitar and piano sounded too similar rather than different instruments.

Really enjoyed this kinda, “Mediterranean jazz,” though!

#7

Melodic loops from sample packs are a great approach to start fresh ideas or utilize as the primary melodic theme in your project. Here are three easy pointers on how to personalize them. 2) Take one of the notes from the melody loop and record it in a sampler as a single hit. You have complete creative power for the notation at this point.

#8

As soon as I heard the drums come in I got Yanni vibes - great job

#9

Thanks! I appreciate the encouraging words!