This is my entry for the Hans Zimmer Bleeding Fingers competition.  Hope you like it. 

My interpretation for the contest was to use the main stems from the original piece - the trumpet, solo voice and strings - and embed my own themes around them.  I wanted to add an electronica-based background to it too to give a more 'contemporary' feel.  After a calm first half, I wanted it to sound big in the second half;  However, I wanted to avoid the cliché that to be 'Epic' means you have to have lots of pounding drums, so I tried to keep that aspect relatively subtle.

Actually, to tell the truth I've used all the stems, but you'll have to work out how.

http://www.hanszimmerwantsyou.com

Consolidation - Bleeding Fingers Contest

This is my second track for the Bleeding Fingers Contest.  I thought I'd do something a bit unusual so I decided to use just woodwind instruments and lots of percussion plus the vocal and synth stems from the Hans Zimmer piece.  And then I thought I'd go slightly avante garde with it.  I'm pleased with the result but my children hate it! Perhaps that is good, though - I have achieved the effect that I wanted.

Windwood Noise - Bleeding Fingers Contest

This is an idea for a simple flamenco piece which I was asked to write to go with an advert.  Not sure if it will come off but it was still great fun to try.  Apologies to those who really know how to write this sort of thing and who use real guitars!  If you are a flamenco afficionado, please tell me all the things I've done wrong.  I just used the East West Quantum Leap Gypsy sample library for it  + the claps from Fab Four.

Flamenco

My attempt at a news theme.  The brief: around 15 seconds theme, followed by a headline bed for around 15 seconds, followed by an up to 5 second sting.  The music needs to by 'newsy' with some majestic elements but also needs to be approachable and have a human feel and perhaps some elements of the sea (it being for a coastal news programme).  So, I have a driving rhythm for 'newsy', a fanfare for majestic and a headline bed has a slightly nautical feel.  The ending sting doesn't resolve properly, the idea being that it leaves you wanting more, which in this case is the actual news itself...

News Theme

This is based around an ad from the 1980s.  The sleuth is tailing a woman dressed in bright red around the duty free area at Heathrow.  Suddenly he panics as he loses her.  Then, relax, he sees her again - and then realises that he's got the wrong woman in red! Duty Free stamp for the logo.  Then final panic.

The general idea is to write something themed around a certain well known sleuthing theme.  Can you get what it is?

Sneaky Advert

Acoustic, lyrical and slightly sad music which I originally wrote for the beginning of a short film set in the 1950s.

<a href="http://www.musinc.co.uk/production-music-library/longing.html" target="_blank">License this track.</a>

License this track

Longing

An attempt at something "epic" with a middle-eastern desert flavour.

The Desert Triumphant

A Scandinavian tinged electroacoustic piece intended to represent the loneliness and isolation of the frozen North.  Originally written as part of a sound track for a film.

<a href="http://www.musinc.co.uk/production-music-library/frozen.html" target="_blank">License this track.</a>

Frozen

An energetic pseudo-classical track, building from a minimalist piano riff to a powerful conclusion.

Impetus

Repetitive bed with pulsating 7/8 7/4 rhythm and a variety of other sounds for interest, slightly tense perhaps for a game show or an underlay to a TV programme.

You Decide

My attempt at some epic (so called) classical music.  It would be interesting to hear what people think.  Is this a convincing attempt at the genre?  What could I do to improve it?

The Edge of the world

A mambo for 2 trumpets, tenor sax, flute and the usual large rhythm section, featuring the excellent playing of Andy Hague on trumpet, Henry Phillpotts on tenor sax and Tim G on flute.

Mambo Caliente de Cuba

A bit of salsa (or so I think) inspired by my daughter Sylvia, featuring Andy Hague on trumpet, Terry Kelly on trombone and Henry Phillpotts on tenor sax.

Sylviaero

(They are not sad) An emotional cuban-style bolero for trombone, featuring the amazing sounds of Terry Kelly.

Ellos no están tristes

The Edge of the world (shorter version)

Ellos no estan tristes (short version)

I am a composer based in Bristol, United Kingdom.  My background is in playing percussion and piano in a wide range of jazz groups, orchestras, brass bands and the occasional rock band. I've composed music for several years but have only started doing lots in the last three years.  I've just completed a course on music composition, have written music for two short films and have started working for library music companies.  I would welcome opportunities to compose music for film, TV, games etc... so please get in touch if you need some help!

Matt Daley

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