CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

Well, I got a new keyboard for Christmas (MIDI compatible), and need to put it to some use. I prefer composing to be honest, but I like to improvise as well. How do I play the piano? Simple. I find a couple chords that sound good together, and start improvising a melody. I'm not like all of you prodigies out there (I'm looking at you Sunako ) because I've only played since I was 20.

I've never actually written anything down on sheet music (except to figure out how to play something from an mp3), but I do like to mess around a lot.

Anyway, here's a raw one-shot of me screwing around in C minor (recorded with Anvil Studio, a free prog, for those who care). I KNOW the melody needs work, that's because I'm basically making it up as I go (see the above line about not using sheet music). The chord progressions I've done before, but I can't really switch from one to another fast enough on the fly to keep it from being repetitive. All qualifiers aside, here's something I'd actually like to refine and maybe make into a piece. First though, I need some input (what sounds good, what doesn't, that kind of thing). This is especially true if you are a musician and/or know a thing about chords, scales, and melodies. If not, general impressions, and even broad adjectives (slower, darker, more upbeat, etc.) would be nice.

And, for everyone who's MIDI sequencer sounds terrible (or you can't listen to midis at all for some reason), well, I'm sorry. Anyway, enjoy.

P.S. To all you keyboardists, or those otherwise proficient in MIDI...why haven't I heard any of your stuff yet? Now get to recording, I don't want to be the only person posting stuff!

EDIT: I just listened to that on my computer's MIDI player, and I think I'm realizing why MIDI just isn't a supported file extension. It doesn't sound good. For those of you that actual have midi cables and a keyboard that supports GM, just hook that up as your midi out and then trying playing it. It sounds a lot better that way IMO.

Hey Saint K!

I listened to your midi and really enjoyed it. So much that I didn't notice it being a midi file

My overall impression was that it sounded very jazzy, smooth, cool and relaxing. The opening builds into the jazz nicely. Nothing seems to jar or break the soothing atmosphere it holds.

Are you going to post any more compositions? Your song is playing in the background as I write this, and I'd like to hear some more of your music.

Now that's some groovy-sounding piano-playing, if I say so myself.

Here's something I would like to do something with, but don't know how. I'm kinda confused on where to go with it, especially melody-wise. It's unedited just like the previous piece, and I basically did the melody off of the top of my head (again) to a chord progression I've tried before and liked.

BTW, I won't promise anything, but I've been meaning to learn to transcribe some stuff with this new keyboard. I'm open to suggestions on good pieces (preferably anime or videogame related) that don't already have sheet music for them floating around on the internet, so fire away. Also, should you have a midi you'd like the sheet music for, I'm happy to try that as well.