11-12-2016, 12:21 AM
(11-09-2016, 03:25 AM)Otto Halmén Wrote: Well, the trick is... to cooperate with the surrounding harmony!
Thanks! Sometimes it takes somebody throwing my own words back at me for me to realize that I knew the answer all along
(11-09-2016, 04:59 AM)Samulis Wrote: So, TL;DR-
- You can use trills and tremolo however you want, there are zero rules that matter anymore.
- If you want your trills to mesh nicely, use it sparingly- typically only in your "lead" voice or else some other higher voice.
- Trills should always resolve to one of the two notes that is part of the trill, or the note above or below it.
- The easiest implementation is a half-step trill between "do" and "ti" in a Perfect Authentic cadence (V - i) , or the whole-step between "mi" and "re".
- Trills best fit wherever there is a 'Neighbor Tone' or a 'Passing Tone'- because then you have a resolution ready and waiting for you. (e.g. if you have the line "G - F } E", each being a half note, you could trill between G and F where the F half-note is currently, starting on G, then leading to E)
Thanks! This is just the kind of answer that I was looking for (and yes, I did read it and not just the TL;DR)
(11-09-2016, 02:11 AM)Mattias Westlund Wrote: All that said, trills are best used very sparingly. Even if you have good sampled trills. Overdo it and it becomes a predictable gimmick
Your usage of the Warcraft II midi (in the thread about the retro midi machine) influenced me to give another listen to that soundtrack, it's been years for me. That soundtrack uses woodwind trills like crazy! They're all over the place! I must confess that I love every single one of them, and don't feel like they're a gimmick, but rather an integral part of the style of the soundtrack.
Off-topic, I also noticed that all kinds of rules are broken by that soundtrack, like the harpsichord solos have dynamic panning that shifts from left to right and back to left again. On the other hand, it seems like maybe it's in sync with how low/high the notes are, which maybe makes sense if you consider the harpsichord to be about a meter away from you.
Regardless of "broken rules", samples that are clearly showing their age, and limitations of doing it all within the general midi standard, I still find the whole soundtrack musically brilliant and just as immersive and enjoyable to listen to as it was twenty years ago.