Long time ago in the Scottish Highlands. A tribe that lives in a rough and harsh surrounding, strengthened over generations by the unfriendly environment. The borders of the tribes territory are not exactly known. In particular, in the North, the saying goes that vast areas of unoccupied lands will belong to those that first dare to claim it. So a small troup of currageous military men sets foot to the Northern Frontier ...

Composition-wise: The piece explores the change of atmosphere when the same motive is played with different accompaniments. The same theme can be found for instance @ 0:00 ff,  0:23 ff and 1:05 ff. The accompaniment increases in intensity and rhythm for these three instances, ranging from a meditative intro over a – to my ears – tribal dance or chant towards a first  climax of the piece which might make a good soundtrack for a battle in the Scottish Highlands. The track then settles down to the second theme @ 1:33 which again is repeated with much more agitated accompaniment @ 1:55 ff. 

While the track is in general in 4/4, it raises the tension by sometimes breaking the metrum into more unconventional rhythmic structures. This holds in particular for @ 0:46 ff where the metrum changes to a succession of ¾, 4/4, ¾, 6/4, 6/4, 4/4, ¾, 4/4, ¾, ¾, ¾ and then reverts to the original 4/4. Also @ 2:09  there is in insert of a ¾ bar and at the very end @ 2:30, there is a 2/4 break just before the final chord. 

I did some Youtube Shorts in Case with more details on some composition tweaks that I used in this track:
Varying the Accompaniment: https://youtube.com/shorts/7HAWSz2Mg14?feature=share
Breaking the metric structure: https://youtube.com/shorts/tUvaq8D6nUo?feature=share
Ligature Bows: https://youtube.com/shorts/-WBf6Du040g?feature=share
Keeping the attention until the end: https://youtube.com/shorts/qnJl5BQ4yxU?feature=share


The track has been recorded on a Roland FP-90 and mastered in Cubase by adding  reverb, a Stereo enhancer and fiddling a bit with the EQ. 
The picture was created with Stable Diffusion. 

The track can also be found at 
Youtube (including the scores): https://youtu.be/FIQZc7JakvQ
Spotify: spotify:album:5YG7dpoBElKImcbmX7eWTU

The Northern Frontier

The Northern Frontier (Solo Piano)

Dear Reader, dear Listener! I am glad that I may welcome you on my channel.
Stemming from Vienna, I feature here my compositions which I pursue after my daytime job. Though this is not my main job, I devote a lot of effort and practice into crafting, refining and rehearsing my pieces.

My musical journey started when I was 6 year old and subscribed to piano lessons in the public music school of Vienna (thanks to the city of Vienna for funding the beginnings of my passion; Yes, I am a big supporter of publicly funded education!). I finished my piano education (mostly centered around classic and romantic music) at the age of 22 and have since pursued my passion of playing and composing. I had year-long interruptions due to my work leading me astray from home; still I recorded also in these times fragments, ideas and tunes onto my voice recorder – must have been a strange sight when I was humming and whistling on the airports. 
Besides my piano pursuit, I have been part of a local quire for the past 30 years. We have been covering a huge repertoire from Rennaissance up to 20th century contemporary music which gave me a more comprehensive view of different styles and genres. 
My music is a fusion of different styles, stemming from my musical education and more modern, contemporary elements from Jazz, Rock or Pop. I constantly aim to explore the limits and extend the boundaries of my composing style in the different pieces. Like: 
Exploring various scales and tonalities. Building the tension curve of the overall piece by switching between soothing and rhythmic parts. Experimenting with syncopes and polyrhythmics. Modulating along but also across the circle of fifth. Mastering of the track.

If you like what you are hearing, I would be delighted if you follow my channel; if you have feedback (positive and in particular also constructive suggestions for further improvement), I would very much appreciate it in the comments or if you leave me a private message.
Enjoy your time with my music! 

Pls find some more content at
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn5Ob0xgMHvddOlTsx25V7Q
For contact, pls use: konrad.spittelberg@gmail.com

The Northern Frontier (Solo Piano)

Konrad Spittelberg