Percussion Ensemble - "Snowfall" by Eric C. W. Peel

[uberfunk100]

you have some cool motivic ideas but i think that the squareness of this takes away from the piece

[reeldeelpeel]

@uberfunk100 Thanks for the comment, and I appreciate your criticism. Please check out the revision I made of this piece a couple years ago and let me know what you think. watch?v=8VLWtUdgF_M

[anllume]

Wow, cool, sounds like Javanese gamelan music.

[tonylaf123]

Three words. YOU ARE FANTASTIC.

[megsdrums66]

Oh my god ! You are so talented : /

[reeldeelpeel]

@megsdrums66 Thanks for listening! Be sure to listen to the later version I posted recently :)

[beemer252025]

Really want to perform this, out of curiosity how much would it cost?

[reeldeelpeel]

@beemer252025

I'm selling copies of the latest version for $20. I should have it up soon, just been busy. Feel free to go to my facebook fan page and give it a listen.

[drumsforever101]

i was already tired before, listening to this amazing piece definitely didnt help haha

[Dalton1357911]

I can close my eyes and picture a scene where its out in the country, a field perhaps and its just snowing, then it picks up and snow harder and so on to the music.

[reeldeelpeel]

@Dalton1357911

Awesome! This involuntary visionary is exactly what I intended :) Personally, I picture mountains more than a field though. But fields can be pretty dramatic once they're snow-covered.

[DrummerCoCa]

I love the piece! Sounds great!

To be honest with you, I hate winter (I live in Michigan), but this really brings snowfall to life and gives it that childlike sense of beauty that you see in movies.

Beautiful music, great work!

[reeldeelpeel]

@DrummerCoCa,

Thanks a lot!

[Bigfootarts94]

I love the matalic sounds, it reminds my of a lullaby or something! lol

[themattmikey]

dude ive listened to almost everything you have on here and this is clearly the best. im a drum major for a 200 member high school band so i totally love this stuff. could you send me the score for this maybe?

[bandgeek625]

haha, im such a geek but i love it! i live in new jersey and im currently watching out my reason at the reason i love winter so much, so i decided i wanted to listen to this song. im a mallet percussionist and i love the sound of this so much.

and the rest of your music also! but this one has a connection so its a bit different. very nice work!

[reeldeelpeel]

@bandgeek625,

Thanks a lot, I'm glad you were able to connect with the music in this way. I love winter and snow a lot as well, I was born in late December.

[drumnbass91]

I think a flute part would sound great with this ;) think about is bro! The flute is a delicate instrument if played right. Idk, I think it would exaggerate the texture of the piece a bit more.

[reeldeelpeel]

@drumnbass91,

It would sound pretty cool, I might consider adding that in as what would be the first non-percussion implement to any of my percussion ensembles :)

[drumnbass91]

@reeldeelpeel

sweet =) I can't wait to hear if you do.

[electricmagnetic]

so beautiful! is there any chance I can download this?

[reeldeelpeel]

@electricmagnetic,

I can email you an mp3 if you would like.

[Nielspercussion]

Wow. Nicely done :)

How did you make the vibraphone sound like that? I know it's played with a violin bow, but how did you make it sound like that in sibelius?

And the marimba sound very good here. In my sibelius the marimba sounds like plastic :P

Not only that, all the instruments sound like they should. How? :)

Nice work.

[reeldeelpeel]

@Nielspercussion,

I use sounds samples from Virtual Drumline by Tapspace. They're different from the GM sounds that come with Sibelius. Actually, usually bowed vibes are played with a cello bow, but it works ok with any bow.

I appreciate the compliments, thanks!

[Nielspercussion]

ok, I actuelly was wondering how you make the vibes sound like that in sibelius.. :)

AAAAH.. Virtual drumline cists about 299.. :(

Thanks anyway.

[Nielspercussion]

oh. 199.. Nut that's still quite much :)

[Nielspercussion]

so, what did you put above the vibraphone staff to make it use the sound when it is played with a bow?

[reeldeelpeel]

@Nielspercussion,

It's a thing called instrument changes in Sibelius, and maybe Finale. You can switch an instrument in the same stave, and it will playback as if one person is changing instruments in the piece.

[Nielspercussion]

Ok, I got sibelius 5. Where can I find that option?

Thanks for your support :)

[reeldeelpeel]

@Nielspercussion,

You should start getting used to checking the forum on the web site, or asking techs for your help. Just email then the list of your questions, and they'll reply helping you out with everything within a couple days.

But, to make an instrument change, go to create/other/instrument change. And it will bring you to a list LIKE to create a new instrument, but this will put the instrument on the staff of the instrument you're changing from.

[Nielspercussion]

I found it! :D

Just one VERY last question... how is the instrument called? (something like "vibraphone bow"?)

[JumpShotDude]

I love your compositions and how it perfectly fits what it is describing! imo! how much is for your music and where can I buy?

[reeldeelpeel]

@JumpShotDude, Thanks! Sorry, this one isn't currently ready to be performed. I'm in the process of getting my pieces published, but for now, I'm doing business with the post and email. Look on my channel for my email, and let me know about purchasing any other pieces you enjoy. Thanks!

[reeldeelpeel]

Scratch the post part, I now sell copies of my pieces with PAYPAL and email.

[guitars2112]

Cool, sounded great. I felt it became a little monotonous around half-way through, but that's just my opinion (and from just one listening). Otherwise, it shows you have a good imagination.

[reeldeelpeel]

The entire piece was supposed to be like a palindrome, but it didn't work out very well. I may get back into this one soon, I'm not sure, but thanks for the criticism and compliments :)

[chadcollver]

Another great composition. Thank you for sharing them.

[reeldeelpeel]

No problem, thank you!

[ikickmycat]

This is AMAZING. You are a very gifted composer.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thank you!

[taishoukinjiro]

Like it. Are you sure you aren't friends with somebody like Nathan Daughtry?

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks! How would I know someone named Nathan Daughtry?

[taishoukinjiro]

He's a percussionist and compuser. But he works out of a college in South Carolina. Cadence!

[mateo3713]

man everytime i listen to your music i get so jealous lol, i love composing and i would like to think im pretty good at it, but i dont have any music composition programs on my computer, now that ive graduated high school i cant use the programs the school had lol it sucks.

but again man props for all of the compositions theyre awesome

[reeldeelpeel]

Just get to a piano and do the old fashion pencil and staff paper. I did that for a couple years before I got my programs, it probably helped with my theory. Thank you for your kind remarks! :) Keep up your musical career!

[quints2rock]

I like it a lot! Good job. I will write something that good one day.

[reeldeelpeel]

Haha, thanks :)

[bamafan36]

sounds like something off runescape! haha good job though!

[reeldeelpeel]

Thats a video game right? You can be sure I haven't taken anything from there, lol. Thanks.

[Mast3rTuba1990]

I wana hug you Eric. Thats what I want to do know.

[reeldeelpeel]

Haha, gladly accepted.

*hugs*

Thanks for listening man :)

[nursegoshemo]

Geez this is amazing!!!

Gah!

Share the music! Us in the front ensemble need more than alot of sixteen notes at a fast tempo to charm the world! We won't let you down!

[reeldeelpeel]

Runs are so much fun though! :/

I like to try to create a very symphonic sound from just percussion, thanks for noticing that! :)

[Hickorydrummer09]

your awesome u should arrange it to full corps cuz my marching band has a snow part to it and this would be amazing

[reeldeelpeel]

Nah, I'll just start something new with that instrumentation. I'm glad you like it though :)

[ValarieYay2]

Dang, you're an amazing composer.

You've won my subscription.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks for subscribing and I appreciate your compliments :)

[skumskilla]

I remember once that i had a dream about this song after I heard it before. Thank you for posting your music! :)

[Schwabel3]

You should create an indoor percussion group

[reeldeelpeel]

I would like to actually! The NW's first independent indoor percussion ensemble. I think I need something called a college education first, lol.

[darkfire588]

If you do that, count me in!

[the09conradz]

This song sounds so pretty.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks so much :)

[the09conradz]

Haha! You're welcome!

[Dummersrock]

This is a very beautiful piece. I have VDL 2.5 and it's just amazing what you can do with it.

[reeldeelpeel]

It's awesome, hahaha

[DxAxone]

Very atmospheric piece, i have sibelius 5, i havent noticed the bowed vibes yet, must use them they sound great or are they only in the virtual drumline 2.5.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks! Yes, you need to purchase the full VDL(2.5) to get the bowed vibes. It's worth it just for that, haha.

[dvon21]

man you need more views! great piece!

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks. This kind of music just isn't that popular on youtube.

[AbisZiieieio]

I like the sensible ears you obviously have

[reeldeelpeel]

I'm not exactly sure what you mean by "sensible" lol

[AbisZiieieio]

well a better word would be "sensitive" ... I want so say that you create a rich sound in which you only get access when youre a sensitive listener...

[reeldeelpeel]

Ah, I know what you mean! i guess the type of music I compose, people will either hate it or love it. And I guess it all depends on whether they have that ear?

[AbisZiieieio]

for sure :-)

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

i would love to do your composition for concert band

im a freshman in highschool

[reeldeelpeel]

Do you mean to arrange this piece for winds or something?

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

I love your work

but sadly u dont have saxophones only percussion and or brass

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks!

I want to ask you a question. What first got you interested in saxophones? Why did you initially choose to play sax?

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

well i first started playing flute in 5th grade then in 7th my teacher needed sax's and then i got switched and i fell in love with the sax... i love it

[reeldeelpeel]

Have you ever tried playing a brass instrument for a while?

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

I played a marching baritone for like 3 days i might start playing it again

could you do like a composition for Wind

i try to make compositions but they ussually fail

but i learn from my mistakes

[reeldeelpeel]

If I were you, I would pick up the baritone again so you would be able to play an instrument in a drum corps near you. You can obviously keep playing sax, but I wouldn't forget about baritone just yet.

I work on several things at a time usually, and right now, about 20 different things. I toss some and continue others. I have been wanting to start a wind ensemble piece for a while, but I just haven't come up with any good ideas for those instruments. I don't know very much about them either.

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

well flute is like a vibe, clarinet is like a trumpet tenor sax is like trumpet, alto and baritone sax are not like anything u work with because there in a differant key

[reeldeelpeel]

I don't mean the keys or transpositions, I can just do research about that. I just mean about articulations and fingerings and whether certain things are possible for a certain grade/skill level on certain instruments, lol. The main thing in the lack of ideas I guess. I hear things in my head played on mostly percussion, and it's probably because I spend the most time around it and listening to it. And brass as well because I have nearly 600 DCI shows in my library, lol.

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

well i cant do percussion like snare and timpani and etc. im not a good drummer but chromatic percussion like vibes and marimbas i can do cause its like a piano with less fingers used

[reeldeelpeel]

You're in luck because rhythm percussion for wind ensemble is the easiest stuff int he world to write!

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

uhmmmmmm i like the song clockwork really great my fav. one u composed

[reeldeelpeel]

ha, thanks. feel free to leave comments there too :)

[AnimeRyanSaxophone]

I will sooner or later

i was gonna write a song for my friend cause he wanted me to he's a trumpet player

it was gonna be a trumpet and a drum for my other friend to

[Punkster222]

Not bad =D Uve got that minimalist style going on with the arpeggios, ur sense of dynamic and texture are fairly good too. U shd consider writing for stuff other than percussion as it seems you have a good grasp of that already. Nice to see a young composer with some work on here ^^.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks for the compliments, they're always appreciated. :)

Yeah, I've been trying minimalism in a few pieces, it's rewarding.

I do have one brass ensemble, or chorale posted here actually. I'm working on other things with symphonic winds, brass and percussion, but it's basically on the bottom of my to-do list. I will have more non-percussion stuff up eventually, I promise that.

[Adian00]

Hey man...is this a live performance or are you using Sib5's soundset?

[reeldeelpeel]

I'm use Sibelius 5 with Virtual Drumline 2.5. The soundset is "VDL SoundSet 5.2", and it can be downloaded from tapspace's website. But obviously the soundset is useless without VDL.

[Adian00]

Incredible! I guess I'm going to have to upgrade from Sib 4 to 5 afterall. I typically compose choral music but I have some perpetual movement stuff for mallett percussion like this piece. I'm not nearly as clean as you are - I'm not a percussionist either. :) How do you get your music on here? I'd love to start posting my things here too.

[reeldeelpeel]

I use a video capturing software called, "Camstudio", and you can just google that and download it for free. I export the audio with Sibelius. Then I take the two files (video and audio) and sync them with Windows Movie Maker, and add the title and all that. It's pretty simple.

[LuluTheSpork]

very pretty. you were right about the repetitiveness though.

[reeldeelpeel]

hey, snow is repetitive too! Well, with a microscope it is not, but from afar it can be virtually the same for hours, days.

[Psychology105]

Another amazing Eric piece. I really liked the ending, it seemed to wrap up the piece amazingly. I read the other comments and with them in mind I listened, and I can see what your objective was. I love your stuff (AND I LOVE THE SNOW TOOOO :D)

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks Danielle :)

[Drummerguy2009]

im sorry to be the bad apple of the group but it was kinda boring to me. It needs some pazzaz in the middle. ya know you could change the parts up a bit. Try to bring out the marumbas deeper sound to make it sound like mayb a flurry or it becoming a blizzard. all i hear is constant bells and chimes. as well as a constantly repeated assist from what i think is the marumba ( I could not read the instramental Lineup) :p but good :)

[Drummerguy2009]

And BTW you are a amazing composer. i love your music (especially escaping hell) just this song starts out soft and grows and grows then it stays there... doing nothing... good concept tho lol :)

[reeldeelpeel]

This piece isn't an overture type piece like Escaping Hell is, it's very different. It's meant to be repetitive like that, like snow is. I agree with you about the middle though, it needs a bit more climb.

And you aren't the bad apple at all, others as you see have said the same things, and constructive criticism is always appreciated. :)

[DarfinxCore]

God I love your work. This stuff just really appeals directly to me.

[reeldeelpeel]

I'm glad you like it!

Does it satisfy some musical thing you've been looking for in some way? Or do you just like how it sounds?

[DarfinxCore]

Not necessarily, but I have a soft spot for pretty music like this.

[reeldeelpeel]

Thanks Frank :)

yeah, it has the fast 6/8 feel of Irish music for sure, if that counts for anything.

I'll check out that East Indian music for sure ;)

[IluvXbox360]

Mmm yet another great peice by mr.reeldeelpeel

love it keep it up man

[reeldeelpeel]

Thank you :)

[Misterate]

Its nice...in my opinion it never got...into a full fledged blizzard you know? It could have really used some good heavy bass rolls or something you know? Something to make it sound more stormy, while maintaining that magical sound...cuz wind can be a very percussive and blunt force.

[reeldeelpeel]

yeah, I guess I should have maxed out the climax a little more.

[Misterate]

even still though....you did a great job of capturing that feeling of snowfall

[reeldeelpeel]

yeah, it's really magical. I always used raised 7ths in a minor key to get that magical sound. I'm like OBSESSED with snow. I wane crazy when it almost snowed a foot where I live. It normally only snows a couple inches at the most.

[xtreme0204]

really cool piece. I feel like its a bit repetitive, but then again,so Is sitting in during a snow storm! I think you catch the scene quite well. Very cool harmonies and definately some demanding parts. 4 stars

[reeldeelpeel]

thanks for your criticism :)

Do you mean repetitive by the bar or by the phrase? If that makes sense. or do you mean both ways?

I know this isn't my best effort at all, I sort of just wanted to put it up here and get it over with. I have many other things I'm working on that will be far more exciting.

youtube's audio pretty much destroyed the sound quality here. I have no idea why it doesn't allow the video to be in HD, the original file was 700 freaking megabytes!!