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Emily
by RainyDayMan. 04/23/18 06:26 PM
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Welcome to the Just Plain Folks forums! You are currently viewing our forums as a Guest which gives you limited access to most of our discussions and to other features.
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#1134867 - 01/11/18 08:22 PM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: John Lawrence Schick]
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,694
Michael Zaneski
Top 100 Poster
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Top 100 Poster

Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 4,694
California
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Hi John, Deliberate, thoughtful, Les Six-ish, and resignedly sad. In a word--beautiful.  Mike
Fate doesn't hang on a wrong or right choice Fortune depends on the tone of your voice
-The Divine Comedy (Neil Hannon) from the song "Songs of Love" from the album "Casanova" (1996)
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#1135256 - 01/19/18 04:55 PM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: John Lawrence Schick]
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 77
Maroon_Corey
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 77
Richmond, VA
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John,
The composition does seem to have the wistful yearning that your song title implies. I see that it is labeled as a soundtrack. Use as a musicbed for visual media would indeed seem fitting for it and I see where you have had good success in writing for that purpose.
The balancing of romanticism and songbook-style in the harmony as well as the production setting with piano lead and strings hearken back to the 70s and 80s a bit, bringing to mind composers like Marvin Hamlisch and soundtracks to movies like "Somewhere in Time".
The movement of your tonal center seems to float from F to Bb, to G minor, to G major, back to Bb, G minor, and Bb to end the piece. This journey seems to convey the impression of a roving trip down memory lane with various memories of good times and challenging ones, ending in peace. I could hear and see it being used in a funeral montage or after the breakup of a long relationship in the storyline as the two parties reflect, perhaps.
Even as a piece for use in video and film, I still find myself wanting to hear more of a solid melody line in parts of the song. There are areas such as around the 0:35, 2:15, and 2:50 marks where I can't tell if some notes are arpeggiated chords or part of the melody. Perhaps you could abbreviate the arpeggios and/ or use some block chords for harmony in areas where the melody reaches toward middle C and below. I also lose the melody in the section from 1:10 to 1:20 where arpeggios are interspersed with accent chords in the right hand octave. However, I do find the higher tessitura chords refreshing and a more modern touch somehow. Perhaps lose the broken chords here as well?
One other item of note is the lack of perceived rhythmic variety in the melody. The fact that the smallest subdivision of melody notes is eighth notes makes the melody feel somewhat ponderous and stilted at this slow tempo, even mechanical at times. Some occasional sixteenth notes would add some flavor and grace to melody lines, providing a more lyrical effect.
Or, if there were a string or wind instrument playing the melody, more variety may be perceptible through sustained half, whole, and dotted half notes, etc. that are already there. The nature of the piano's decay paired with the broken chords in the left hand give me the false sense that almost all melody notes are either quarter or eighth notes. In fact, a solo instrument may also solve the aforementioned concern regarding which notes are melody and which are accompaniment.
Thanks for sharing and best wishes on getting media placement for your song!
Maroon
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#1135277 - 01/20/18 06:47 AM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: John Lawrence Schick]
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,640
John Lawrence Schick
Top 20 Poster
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Top 20 Poster

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,640
PA
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Hey Maroon, Thanks for the comprehensive review. I understand all your points and I agree with some of them. This music was composed only as a "mood" piece to be used as an underscore. My emotional template was "a lonely person sitting in a restaurant/ lounge reflecting on life and a failed romantic relationship". Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" from Somewhere in Time is one of my favorite melodies. Thanks again for taking the time for this review. Best, John 
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#1135525 - 01/24/18 10:21 PM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: John Lawrence Schick]
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Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 214
David Snyder
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor

Joined: Nov 2017
Posts: 214
North Carolina
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Dear Mr. Schick, Seeing that you are a professional musician and composer with credits all over national television, I can’t help but point out that I think you need to completely reverse the melody of your song to bring out more of what I like to call the emotional chiaroscuro of the piece, shifting the internal tonality more towards a Gregorian chant, and superimposing an arpeggiated left hand descending bass line with a flugelhorn dangling from your right elbow and a pan flute balanced on your nose. In fact, I am afraid I am going to have to demand it. Also, there were some eighth notes at the end that I believe you meant to be dotted eighths so if you could fix that immediately on my behalf that would be great. Also, I don’t like the key, if you could lower the whole thing by five steps I would be more comfortable. Thanks! No, I am just being super silly. Man I really love this!! It is delicate and beautiful and I enjoyed every second of it. Great job—and congratulations on approaching this piece with all the professionalism and years of experience of a seasoned pro with decades of real world credentials and IMDb listings to your credit. I am guessing, though I might be crazy, that your lifetime in the studio as a professional and PAID composer of published and commercialized songs in film and television MAY have influenced some of your artistic choices here. Nah, that’s crazy talk, I know. But hey, what do I know! I just love beautiful music composed by people who can actually do it and this was great. Love your website too. 
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#1135532 - 01/25/18 08:42 AM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: David Snyder]
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Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,640
John Lawrence Schick
Top 20 Poster
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Top 20 Poster

Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 8,640
PA
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Dear Mr. Schick, Seeing that you are a professional musician and composer with credits all over national television, I can’t help but point out that I think you need to completely reverse the melody of your song to bring out more of what I like to call the emotional chiaroscuro of the piece, shifting the internal tonality more towards a Gregorian chant, and superimposing an arpeggiated left hand descending bass line with a flugelhorn dangling from your right elbow and a pan flute balanced on your nose. In fact, I am afraid I am going to have to demand it. Also, there were some eighth notes at the end that I believe you meant to be dotted eighths so if you could fix that immediately on my behalf that would be great. Also, I don’t like the key, if you could lower the whole thing by five steps I would be more comfortable. Thanks! No, I am just being super silly. Man I really love this!! It is delicate and beautiful and I enjoyed every second of it. Great job—and congratulations on approaching this piece with all the professionalism and years of experience of a seasoned pro with decades of real world credentials and IMDb listings to your credit. I am guessing, though I might be crazy, that your lifetime in the studio as a professional and PAID composer of published and commercialized songs in film and television MAY have influenced some of your artistic choices here. Nah, that’s crazy talk, I know. But hey, what do I know! I just love beautiful music composed by people who can actually do it and this was great. Love your website too.  Wow! When I need a PR Man I'll be contacting you.  Best, John 
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#1135705 - 01/27/18 06:23 PM
Re: "Memories of You"...
[Re: John Lawrence Schick]
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Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,576
Dave Rice
Top 40 Poster
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Top 40 Poster

Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6,576
Texas
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Levity is such a great thing, David:
I know Maroon is only doing his best to assist so many of us Morons... but as you so cleverly surmised, most of his words of epic proportions are simply Airships floating remarkably in an almost levitating state... and drifting out into that vast "sea of air" to ethereal places we are incapable of imagining. Now Schick, on the other hand, eats often at Panera's and, as a result, is imparted with musical knowledge somewhat akin to wisdom. As if that were not enough, he's making money from his talented endeavors while the rest of us sit idly, gazing at our navels.
If only my mother had agreed to allow me to take piano lessons. Drat, life is so unfair. Woe is me... woe is me. LOL! (Guffaws as he rolls on the floor, pleased by actually attempting to say something humorous.)
Maroon, I know that John knows I'm much like the village idiot at times, by now, you probably have, as well. My fun poking is not meant to be snide or snarky. Your presence is clearly of great value here... I only hope you are not planting your seed on fallow ground! ----Dave
Last edited by Dave Rice; 01/27/18 07:21 PM. Reason: correct error
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