Cast your Orchestration Challenge 8 vote!

[Mitch Manthe]

you won't be working from scratch like the rest of the competitors. This may or may not be noticeable to listeners/voters, but you're still not really starting off from the same point as the rest of the competitors.

What do y'all think?

Actually, I did start this melody off from scratch. I'm not in the habit of giving out melodies I'm currently working on for fear of having some of my works copied and published before I get to. (Not that anyone on this forum would do that, I just get a bit over-protective of my work.)
The melody I submitted for the challenge was new the day I put it out for the challenge. I work a new melody just like anyone else here. I try different anlges, keys, phrasing, etc... I didn't even start working on my entry at first because I wasn't sure I could even enter.

But this entire conversation is getting way off the mark here. The question for now is this: Do we declare entries 4 and 7 the new winners or not? I say yes.

As for whether a challenger can enter their own challenge, I respectfully submit my opinion as "yes, why not?". It's still up to the voters to choose the winner(s), not the challenger.

[SeanHannifin]

That sounds like a good idea... to go ahead and declare 4 and 7 the winners and then figure out this issue of self-entering separately... I hope you don't mind if I start a new thread for it.

By the way, a big congratulations to all contestants! Despite this confusing historic conclusion, this round was still a success! The set of entries this round was very impressive and a joy to listen to... and many thanks to Mitch for a great theme!

[Mitch Manthe]

Thanks, Sean. And I agree, let's get on to the next challenge (so I can enter. hehe ).

Congratulations everyone. Sorry to hold up the winners but the issue of entering one's own challenge was bound to come up sooner or later. Better to nip it in the bud now. ( ouch, that hurt!)

Play on!

[Richard N.]

Confession time.....

Possibly better to create a new thread for entrants to 'fess up to their entry - and to have some feedback on what people actually thought of each entry.

However, I'll stick my confession here - I was entry #9 (the "jazzy" one )

I had great fun working with this theme - and was pleasantly surprised that the theme yielded not only "the tune" but also the bass line and ending riff.

As usual, time and inspiration worked against me - I did a fair amount of work trying to fit some "unexpected" chords to the theme which I was going to treat as a ballad, and failed. Then, on the day the entries were due, I stumbled on this more up tempo solution. Sadly, this did not leave much time to actually realise this solution, so whilst I was pleased with the entry as a "sketch", I was disappointed that I had not been able to develop it further - and write a more varied drum part.

Overall, though, it was a good challenge - thanks to Mitch for a great theme, and the other entrants for making a good competition out of it (I was in the lead for the first couple of days, but soon fell back into the pack )

Bring on the next one!

[C J Pro]

I must also fess up too...I was number 6. I pulled it off in under 2 hours. I'm amazed I got as many votes as I did though...

[Cobalt Katze]

Hehe, thanks Guess that makes me a co-winner then.

I suppose we aught to figure out how to get the next melody out there

[RichR]

I'll fess up. I was entry number one and I agree with RichardN we should have some comments and helpful criticism from the forum on our entries. After, it is a learning experience, Right?

[AMDG]

Hey, Everyone:

I've been scratching at the door trying to get in for some time now, and thanks to Mr. Hannifin, I am able to participate on the Forum. You all probably know me now as the guy who wrote entry #4. My name is Brian Sagraves, and I live in New Hampshire in the United States.

Well, well, what to do now? It never occured to me that I might win one of these things; and to be quite honest about it all, I'd be perfectly content to let the other person have a solo go at the next theme. Unless of course if there's an undiminishing clamor that we two collaborate in some fashion. I'm open to suggestions.

At any rate, cheers to you all, and let's see what happens.
Sincerely,
Brian Sagraves