Inspired by the Pokemon GSC Surf Theme.

Original composition 2013
Michaela Nachtigall

This is dedicated to a friend back when I was asked to [attempt to] compose a short 8-bit tune in Bb Major, 3/4 time, 169 bpm. 


Swimming Back To Shore

Warning: 8bit playback is loud :c
Inspired by the fact that my attention is divided, whoops!
First time I've experimented with "percussive" 8-bit sounds.

Original composition 2014

Divided Attention

Starting today, I'm going to upload compositional motifs/sketches (whether they are complete ideas or not).

As an aspiring composer, I feel that I don't actually compose enough. Either that, or I tend to scrap the ideas I write and not give them a chance. So uploading them is mainly for me to revisit them and allow them to possibly develop into something more in the future.

Compositional Sketch 4/24 (String Orchestra)

Imagine a mythical beast waking up from its eternal slumber, and it's ready to attack the intruder that disrupted its sleep... 

That's essentially what was going through my mind as I was composing... enjoy ;)

Compositional Sketch 4/25 (Potential Boss Intro Theme)

So here I am asking people to give me constraints for my compositional sketches. I'll just call these "Late Night Quickie Sketches".

Here is what John Robert Matz suggested:

E minor, 7/8 time, dance-like, and some kind of flute/whistle for a melodic instrument (I went with Celtic Tin Whistle).

(Added a tad bit of percussion, "celtic harp", and "banjo")

(Apologies for the garbage samples in general)

As an amateur composer -- I'm more comfortable composing for strings, and I hardly put my own stuff out there (even if they're just drafts/sketches). This is mainly for me to get my creative juices flowing and to not feel weird about putting myself out there.

I most likely won't mix 'n master these unless (some of) these tracks become more than just mere sketches, but feel free to provide constructive feedback anyway!

Late Night Quickie Sketch #002 - Brigit's Jig

This was the progress I made before giving up on the project last year in August 2014. 

Couldn't even get it fully mixed but gave a decent attempt before quitting since my laptop couldn't handle such a large project back then.

Now that I have a better machine and have been developing a better understanding on how mixing works, well... I want to give this another try. I want to finish where I left off.

And I'll probably give it a more interesting ending instead of letting it fade out. We'll see. Definitely planning on re-recording vocals and maybe adding some more layers for the strings.

So... expect this to be tweaked, finished, and uploaded by the end of December 2015.

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Violin, Viola, Vocals played/sung by me
Flute and Piccolo played by Dan DeSimone
French Horns and Trumpet played by Marc Papeghin
Snare Drum played by Everett Leptich

[WIP From Aug 2014] LoZ Wind Waker - Ganondorf Final Battle

Late Night Sketch - 03/18/16

Noodled a bit on the violin while taking a break from other recording projects, hit the record button, then slapped my hand all over the midi keyboard and hoped for some piano stuff to happen. And finally, I slapped on some reverb, and suddenly it was already 3:30am.

While recording, I was in this sort of philosophical, contemplative headspace... reminding myself that sometimes, life can be really good to us. And I'm grateful for that. And at other times, life can be a piece of shit, and then we become so focused on the negative memories that it somehow almost always outweighs the good. But regardless, I've been embracing the negative experiences and been trying to be more open-minded on how these events have shaped me into who I am today. 

Too many words but not enough music? Yeah, same. I didn't expect this sketch to get anywhere... but honestly, I think it turned out pretty okay. 



La vie Est Belle

As many of you already know, I've been composing music for a tactical RPG called "Wicked Night: Holy Knights" (also known as WNHK, which you can find more information and updates on http://www.blindcoco.com). 

This track is still a work-in-progress (WIP), so feel free to provide feedback! Thanks for listening :)

WNHK - Battle Preparations - WIP - (no mix 3)

Hey all, I'm attempting to compose on a weekly basis (we'll see how long this streak lasts, heh) because I'm totally in love with the concept of #sketch_dailies on Twitter, and apparently #tunesday already exists as a thing... so I thought to myself, "why not at least give this a try?"

AND THEN SUDDENLY, Nautilus T Party (Brian Diamond) tosses all of these amazing ideas at me, including "let's compose music based on art and/or quotes with an overarching theme", and I was so inspired by his enthusiasm that I couldn't refuse his offer!

My composition is based on this artwork (in the thumbnail), which was discovered on this website - https://www.behance.net/BryanWinfield
(Full image also here: https://puu.sh/vKlUg/95cc1459c4.png)

While composing, Plini and Reign of Kindo came in mind... (and Breath of the Wild's OST probably influenced this track as well) so I decided to experiment with a more textural aesthetic while still retaining the motif introduced in the beginning. I think overall, it turned out to be a bit more energetic/excited than I expected it to be in the 2nd half... but for starters, it still sounds pretty good to me!

http://mklachu.bandcamp.com/track/celestial-mountains
(Posted on May 9, 2017)

Composed by Michaela Nachtigall
Violins - Michaela Nachtigall
Violas - Michaela Nachtigall
Low strings pizz - CineSamples

Celestial Mountains

Week 2 of #Tunesday for me. This compositional sketch is a bit short since I'm about to fly out of the country to Taiwan in just a few hours <3

This week's composition is inspired by this beautiful art-piece (in the thumbnail) by Tahra: http://tahra.deviantart.com/art/Sunset-489607963

Didn't have any particular musical artist or style in mind this time, but instead, I wanted to take the listener on another journey, where the music tells a gentle yet enticing story about a daydreamer. 

The bird sounds incorporated were initially going to be the center focus of this piece, but I decided to use it as another "instrument" and play with the call & response idea between it and the other instruments (Woodblock, Marimba, and Wurli).

Feel free to purchase the track here: https://mklachu.bandcamp.com/track/daydreamer

Composed by Michaela Nachtigall

Daydreamer

I decided to go with solo piano for this week's #Tunesday, something simple and sweet... with a few half diminished chords here and there, and delicious harmonies all-around c: 

Heavily influenced by Debussy (primarily La Mer) and accidentally closely resembles Ravel's "Une Barque Sur L'Ocean", literally came across this piece on accident minutes before uploading this via checking #impressionism in Soundcloud, and I'm already in love with it, (oops... though I totally had Chrono Cross in mind but it seems like Animal Crossing New Leaf's Island Night Theme was noted by others as well).

For some reason, this image/gif reminded me of an opening cutscene, and I was enticed to recreate the feeling of having that burning desire to take on the world, but also needing time to process everything & taking a moment to breathe.

Speaking of which, I'm off to travel a bit again. Next stop, Hawaii ~ 

Artwork by Jennyyuu
Image/gif source: https://fatal-pulse.tumblr.com/post/161251519301

Breathe

This week's #Tunesday wasn't supposed to sound depressing... but oops, it is. There's a glimmer of hope somewhere in the middle as a sort of reminiscing moment, but it gets muddied back into the sad stuff.

Inspired by Mahler 9's Adagio and Chopin's Funeral March.

The image made me think of a civilization that was taken over by headstrong people who wanted to create an utopia but instead resulted in the typical dystopian society.

Pretty brass-heavy with some percussion along with wind instruments taking lead here and there, it's been a while since I've worked with CineBrass/CinePerc and I gotta practice using my samples boysss (I'm seriously out of practice).

Wish I could have developed some of these ideas more, but considering that I only had a few hours to write this, well... here's the best I've got to offer for now. Maybe I'll come back to this one ; w ;

Concept artwork by Thom Tereny
Image source: http://www.thomlab.com/gallery.htm

Remnants of a Sustainable Civilization

Day 1 of #21DaysOfVGM 💖
Composed this luscious viola quartet that probably should be playing during a sad death cutscene. I'm super proud of how this track turned out in the end c:

Main influences were Chrono Trigger's "Depths of the Night", Barber's "Adagio for Strings" and uh... Hindemith... because that's the only 20th century composer I care about nowadays (ok that's not true at all).

This is part of a daily challenge called The 21-Day Composition Challenge! This will temporarily take precedent over Tunesday. There's also a Quest Log/Checklist that covers certain styles or parameters (for our consideration, to break out of our comfort zone, etc). 

For those of you who are participating, here are the quests I knocked out today!

Quest Log 1
• The Forgotten Beats
• A Minor Challenge
• Something Borrowed

Quest Log 2
• Silence is Golden

Under The Daisies

Day 4 of the 21-day composition challenge. Heavily inspired by Hisaishi's Path of the Wind from Totoro, most likely because I recently saw the subbed version in theaters... gosh dang, that track is so good.

Also originally wanted to go for the newer Fire Emblem feel, but it felt a bit too regal for that... so I only ended up doing that with the lengthy title. Good job, me.

Speaking of which, the title is the way it is because I wanted to create a feeling of isolation and confusion but with a hint of familiarity. Perhaps this track represents the typical anti-hero with amnesia, trying to find answers about their past. Maybe it's discovering their ancestral roots kind of thing. But that general "hmm I think I know but I don't yet" vibe is what I was going for.

Super happy with how this turned out, gotta work on those piano chops though if I ever want to play this again in the future x)

[the mix probably could use some work though, heh]

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This is part of a daily challenge called The 21-Day Composition Challenge! This will temporarily take precedent over Tunesday. There's also a Quest Log/Checklist that covers certain styles or parameters (for our consideration, to break out of our comfort zone, etc).

For those of you who are participating, here is the quest I knocked out today!

Quest Log 3
• Dorian Mode: Write a piece that uses Dorian mode for at least part of the piece. 

I mean, this was unintentional since I was avoiding the quest list today... it's literally a measure's worth but it's implied with the A natural. Soooo C Dorian, I think!

"I have no recollection of this place, yet it feels so familiar..."

Day 7 of the VGM madness, it's been a week. Huzzah!

This one's dedicated to a friend of mine named Beeolante, she recently suggested that I compose the "sauciest" of musics, so here I am with a tango! Piano lays out the A minor foundation, the viola leads, and the violin follows suit.

Couldn't find many vg tracks that had tango except Earthbound's "Hotel" theme, so I referred to that along with using my knowledge on the tango shenanigans in general. 

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This is part of a daily challenge called The 21-Day Composition Challenge! This will temporarily take precedent over Tunesday. There's also a Quest Log/Checklist that covers certain styles or parameters (for our consideration, to break out of our comfort zone, etc).

For those of you who are participating, here is the quest I knocked out today!

Quest Log 4
• Something New

Tango with the Saucy Stranger

Day 16 and I'm taking this day super easy to reserve my energy for the rest of the week. Decided to make a callback to Day 4 and create a Game Over theme based on that track. Not too different from the original other than the harp and piano combination here instead of strings and piano. Gives it an even more somber feeling imo.

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This is part of a daily challenge called The 21-Day Composition Challenge! This will temporarily take precedent over Tunesday. There's also a Quest Log/Checklist that covers certain styles or parameters (for our consideration, to break out of our comfort zone, etc).

For those of you who are participating, here is the quest I knocked out today!

Quest Log 1
• Game Over

"Do you remember now? This is the place where you fought hard and died..."

Here are my vgm (and other) covers from 2016 Q4 and onward ♫

2017

Banjo-Kazooie: Gobi's Valley - Otamatone + Mr. Knocky Cover

The Star-Spangled Banner - Otamatone Cover

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Ceremony in the Woods - Strings & Otamatone Cover

Final Fantasy IV - Theme of Love - Otamatone Cover

2016

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Mini Medley - Otamatone Cover

Undertale - Temmie Village - Otamatone Cover

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Ganondorf Battle - Orchestral Cover

Super Smash Bros. Melee - Opening Theme - Otamatone + EWI Cover (ft. Soundole)

Animal Crossing - Go K.K. Rider! - Otamatone Cover

Rhythm Heaven DS - Glee Club - Otamatone Cover

Shovel Knight - Plague of Shadows: Tango of the Troupple King - Violin + Viola Cover

Castlevania 64 - Opposing Bloodlines (Intro Theme) - String Orchestra Cover

Sonic R - Super Sonic Racing - Otamatone Deluxe Cover

Oh boy, it's been a while since I've composed :^)

#Tunesday is back! Here's a weird little theme song I whipped up for this week's image of what looks like a skeleton as a merchant. I imagined him to be a bit awkward but still trying his best to make a living (BA DUM TSSSS. Or perhaps he's one of those chatty folks that will talk your ear off and share the origins of the product and how it's a "once-in-a-LIFETIME opportunity" to make this purchase NOW. Okay, my puns are scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

We've got the English Horn here taking on the melody throughout the piece, with strings primarily pizzing and supporting alongside the tambourine and the shaker. Mostly in a 11/8 (5/8+6/8) meter but also toys around with a number of combinations between 5/8, 6/8, and 7/8.

Not gonna lie, the first bit of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra 4th movement was a heavy influence, with the oboe playing a strange disjunct melody with plenty of meter changes.

Artwork: "Half Price Me Lady" by Guille Rancel
Guille Rancel - https://www.behance.net/guillermoperezrancel

The Disjointed, Quirky Merchant

SNES (self-study) session

A friend recently inspired me to purchase Plogue's chipsynth SFC, which allows me to play around with SNES soundfonts. And although I never really grew up with playing SNES games, I've admired tons of music from various SNES soundtracks (Kirby Super Star, Zelda aLttP, Mario Paint, Chrono Trigger, Secret of Mana, FF, etc.) and am finally finding opportunities to play these games!

I've always wanted to "study" the magic behind what makes some of these SNES tracks so memorable for myself (and for others), and I probably won't do this frequently, but I figured it'd be nice to experiment! 

This composition is derived and inspired mostly from the instrumentation of "At the Bottom of the Night" (Depths of the Night), one of my favorite tracks from Chrono Trigger. 

I wanted to try something a bit different tonally, while still retaining the overall warm feel of the original track. I omitted the flute/piccolo since it didn't seem to fit what I had in mind. (Also, I may have cheated with using more than 8 voices at once, so uh... I'll try to not do that next time lol).

I'll be sharing my musical ideas here because I can, haha. Honestly I haven't made the time or effort to compose music for a while now, and I miss being able to express myself in such a way that words can't.

SNES Study - Wander

Composing music mainly for myself nowadays. Feel free to reach me via my email or Twitter if you like what you hear and are interested in having me compose music for your projects!

I also record violin, viola, and Otamatone Deluxe if you need me to bring your music to life with my noodling :^)

mklachu

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