Afscheid (Dutch for Farewell) is part of my Piano Musings album. The sound is generated by the Pianoteq synthesizer.

Afscheid [Farewell]

Zeven dagen feest (Dutch for Seven days of celebration) is part of my Piano Musings album.

Zeven dagen feest [Seven days of celebration]

For February Album Writing Month (FAWM) 2023

I don't really know why, but somehow I got a sort of a "sweet Christmas" vibe from this, so I decided that from now on this is a Christmas song. Without bells...yay!

Sweet Christmas

I wanted to do something slow and serious, and I came up with a main theme with the long vii diminished chord. Although this is my longest FAWM song in 6 years, I don't tink it's too long. Also, I think the heavy major chords and the organs signify victory. I was playing around with additional instruments, until I eventually settled with chromatic percussion. And I tried to make the percussion blend in better, but still have an impact, especially with the cymbals, and I actually think it ended up pretty nice.

The part in 3/4 in the middle is an accident that I decided to keep.

For February Album Writing Month (FAWM) 2023

While we stand

Entry for LMMS Challenge 4 "make a song with 3/4 time and only the native functions of the LMMS package". The song's main instrument uses portamento, for which I just discovered the controls inside the program.

Lemniscatic

I had two separate sections (one with fast basses and one atmospheric) which I decided to combine. I let the atmospheric parts dominate, so that's mostly what this song is. I'm quite satisfied with it. The song switches between 4/4 and 7/4, and between 140bpm and 225bpm. I also sort-of used Lydian mode (which you get from standard major scale by raising the fourth tone).

For February Album Writing Month (FAWM) 2024

The Master's Wish

Ok. With this one, don't expect intricate, gentle, complicated, ambient, atmospheric, classical stuff. This one is just... well I wanted to make EDM. I like the repetitive nature of the genre, but creating it is a level of repetitive I somehow can't reach. So after I had a simple rhythm down, I added a relaxing intro, which became longer and longer, until it's not really an intro anymore. Also, I need at least a few different chords, even though this piece has only 3 (ii, I, V). So, this is a piece that has EDM "elements", let's keep it at that. :)

Written for February Album Writing Month (FAWM) 2024

Walk. Run! Walk

A bit of an uneasy song that switches between playful and more serious vibes. But no worries: all ends well. 


Autumn fantasies

All ends well

Lovely and small, The bee happily flies around. This playful little song is made using Reaper. Orchestra instruments are from BBC Symphony Orchestra software.


The happy bee

A song with harp and guitar, where the same melody is played on different levels (canon style): first low, then high, which gives a nice effect.


On different levels

A bit of a dark song, with much repetition. A bit uneasy but also a very rhythmic.


Pursuit by night

My best piece of the album is a piano-centered classical piece that starts off a bit dark, but slowly grows bigger and bigger. Then modulates into a great revelation which closes off with a grand finale, right before the closing notes. The piano is from Pianoteq software.

Wading through the fog

The final song of the album is a bit of a church-like piece, but with strings and choirs. The bridge uses various modulations.

Winter is around the corner

The flu had struck (as it does during the winter), so I have run behind my FAWM schedule... That got me thinking about making a song about how the flu sounds. I toyed around with noises, but I couldn't really find the right noises. I also wanted enough tonal stuff to make it more 'musical' and not TOO 'chaotic' for my own taste. In the end I think it turned out rather nice.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

FAWM 2025

It is the season

Inspired by a friend who is a teacher, symbolized by the violin 'instructing' and the other strings 'following'. He is also an (mostly abstract) artist, so I tried playing with less standard chords and odd time signatures, focused on classical stuff with lots of dynamics, using string-quartet and piano and drums. With short bursts of hyperactive energy and longer sections of 'rest'. And it stabilizes at the end, symbolized by the guitar.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Wisdom for the crowds

Inspired by a friend who is a programmer and a very rational type of person, so I wanted to make a song that is 'regular' and follows a pattern. The pattern is the 'same' descending baseline/chords every four chords. Added some variety back in, by using different tempos, styles and instruments for different sections. I did the ending with an extreme slowdown, which I think works well here.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Formulaic

Inspired by a young parent who has children running round the house that keep interrupting her and asking for attention, while she only wanted to rest. And yes, they are absolutely adorable, yes, but sometimes, you just wanted to rest.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

I just wanted to rest

Mad at life

his is a song about working, working, working until you burn out and then have to recover and find a new life balance. The old situation, while fun, won't return.

Musically, this is probably my most 'normal' song for the month. It's just 4/4, it's generally happy and uplifting, except for the break which I kept short, and I didn't make things too complicated.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

A new phase

My plan for this month, writing every song about someone I know, is still working! However, a few people on my shortlist need energetic and erratic and dramatic songs, and this time I just felt like writing something that is smooth, relaxing, sweet and soft. So I picked someone with a more laid-back personality.
	
So I could write this sweet little piano-centric tune in 9/4 measure.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Sweet stories

I think I have broken the pattern of 'song 13 is usually very good'. 'Cause this one is... strange. Fun, but strange.

The goal was to depict that restless urge to try new things that someone I know has. My original idea was to make a song with many unrelated sections. However, I liked the first thing I made, so I expanded on that, and before I knew it, I had a song. I still think it depicts restlessness, so I still find it fitting, so I kept the original title.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Neoholic

A song for my boyfriend, who likes dramatic music. I can't do dramatic music, but my album's theme meant I had to try, and I had to make it the last song of the month for a grand finale. I think it's definitely a successful attempt. The hard part is doing the unsettling chords that make it dramatic. It's rather long with a few repeated sections, but I tried to do those in different keys each time and add other subtle differences.

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Saved the best for last

I had one tablescrap that I didn't finish, so I finished it before the month ended. I had the chorus lying around, so I added a verse, intro, ending and the transitions between the various parts, and I think it's a pretty decent rock piece. 

For February Album Writing Month 2025, see fawm.org

Do it the hard way

Slightly inspired by many stuff I heard from others over at FAWM, I tried experimenting with effects, and a less-obvious key/scale. I also wanted a bass-centric song, which ended up creating a rather tense effect. I think this ended up being one of my better songs so far. But it wouldn't be a true @erikleppen if there wasn't a happy bit somewhere ;)

Fawm2018 - 6. The volcano

OK, this one is rushed, I admit. I think it ended up allright, due to a last-minute change of some instruments/synths, and adding the flutes, but there's no real idea behind it this time. If it were not FAWM though, I might have stopped after the first part (up to 0:40) and kept it to add some lyrics later.

Fawm2018 - 9. A walk in the park

I did notice that this is already the 4th song this year that starts with a 1-minute buildup followed by some kind of "unfolding". The first part was something I wrote down at the beginning of the month, waiting for an opportunity. It became totally different than I imagined, but it evolved into a pretty energizing victory dance type of song, having what may be my best drums this year. I hate to use presets directly, but this time they were a brilliant fit for the melody.

ErikLeppen

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