R.M. RizalAfter months and months of procrastination, I finally published the classical version of the EDM collaboration with @djtarcm! Apologies for the wait!
The Shooting Star Op. 100 (Piano and Violin Version)R.M. Rizal2024-01-08 | After months and months of procrastination, I finally published the classical version of the EDM collaboration with @djtarcm! Apologies for the wait!
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Yiruma - River Flows in You (R.M. Rizal Performance)R.M. Rizal2024-02-10 | Here's something I've been practicing for a week or so! Also the first time in two years that a performance video has a custom thumbnail lmao
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!vibing over a melody for no reasonR.M. Rizal2023-11-01 | ...Piece for Wind Quintet Springtime Rondo Op. 99R.M. Rizal2023-08-31 | Time for something new...for me since it's the first time I wrote something with just the woodwinds (+ brass too).
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Waltz in Bb Major Petrichor Op. 98R.M. Rizal2023-08-30 | The smell of rain soothes the soul in its lowest points.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Uncertainty Op. 97R.M. Rizal2023-08-29 | Nothing brings dread into you than not knowing where your life is heading.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Back to Basics Op. 96R.M. Rizal2023-08-28 | Hi, I am back! Sorry for the delay, but here we are! The first piece in a year. Anyway, this will be in a different format from the rest, so let me know what you think. (my SeeMusic subscription ran out and it's now too expensive to renew soooooo hah)
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!yikes.R.M. Rizal2023-08-09 | a little update in case you presumed me as dead for the past year lol
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!The struggle while practicing...R.M. Rizal2023-04-06 | ...Wait, I played this piece 2 years ago...I just forgot to record it!R.M. Rizal2023-04-03 | ...Practicing a Chopin Prelude :)R.M. Rizal2023-04-03 | ...Between Life and Death Op. 95R.M. Rizal2022-09-25 | This is the piece that got kicked into the sidelines since the summer of 2020. Now that the JMFP Ep. 2 has released, I now have the go signal to release this piece lmao
Hope you enjoy the piece as much as I had when I created it!
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Improvisation w/ Rizal #2 (Improvisation based on Love Space by Tatsuro Yamashita)R.M. Rizal2022-09-17 | Over the past few months, I've been pretty addicted to City Pop. From the second I first listened to the genre, I knew this is going to be staying in my head for a while.
One particular song that caught my eye is Tatsuro Yamashita's Love Space. The keyboard part is relatively simple compared to the other instruments, but it is still fun to play. So, I haphazardly decided to make an improv out of it. Hope you like it!
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!how the hell does shorts work? anyway, heres an snippet of an improvR.M. Rizal2022-09-15 | ...Yu-Peng Chen - Moonlike Smile from Genshin Impact (R.M. Rizal Performance)R.M. Rizal2022-08-15 | Just a random video while I compose some more music in the meantime. Here's my take of one of tracks of my current favorite game, Genshin Impact! I love the game for a lot of things, and its music is definitely one of them. The music that plays in Dragonspine, especially Moonlike Smile, is a sublime piece of music and it shows the amount of care that Yu-Peng Chen puts into the game's OST. It makes me wanna play the game more and more.
There are some mistakes during the recording, that's why I ended up improving my way through the 2nd half of it lmao
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Impromptu w/ Rizal #1 (Improvisation for the Right Hand)R.M. Rizal2022-05-12 | Bonus content just to break the monotony of the weekly uploads. I think you guys deserve an improv or two. I don't know if I should make this a regular thing, probably once or twice a month? I'm not sure. Let me know in the comments.
Anyway, this improv only uses my right hand. My left hand just rests on my leg the entire time. It shows that a lot can be expressed with just one hand alone.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Summer Vibes Op. 93R.M. Rizal2022-05-10 | "And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Light as a Feather Op. 92R.M. Rizal2022-05-03 | “I am a free man. I feel as light as a feather.” - Javier Perez De Cuellar
This piece is simply an exercise about constraining myself to the pentatonic scale, including the harmony. I find it pretty hard without the IV, but it's still pretty fun to make, so here you go.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Mirasol: Lone Sunflower in the Windy Plain Op. 91 No. 2R.M. Rizal2022-04-29 | As you guys know if you're reading the community tab, I play Genshin Impact every day since July 5th (and totally did not contribute to me not uploading lol). So, with some peer pressure involved, I made a Genshin OC with some help from my friends.
Her name is Mirasol, and she is a Dendro Catalyst from Mondstadt. Here is what I think her character demo music would sound like, to the best of my ability. Hope you enjoy it!
Oh, and this format will be used for future chamber/orchestral works because SeeMusic is very messy when visualizing the orchestra.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Mirasol: Eyes of Sunrise Op. 91 No. 1R.M. Rizal2022-04-27 | As you guys know if you're reading the community tab, I play Genshin Impact every day since July 5th (and totally did not contribute to me not uploading lol). So, with some peer pressure involved, I made a Genshin OC with some help from my friends.
Her name is Mirasol, and she is a Dendro Catalyst from Mondstadt. Here is what I think her character teaser music would sound like, to the best of my ability. Hope you enjoy it!
Oh, and this format will be used for future chamber/orchestral works because SeeMusic is very messy when visualizing the orchestra.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Lieder No. 1 in Eb Major Op. 90R.M. Rizal2022-04-25 | “When I say I love you more, I don’t mean I love you more than you love me. I mean I love you more than the bad days ahead of us, I love you more than any fight we will ever have. I love you more than the distance between us, I love you more than any obstacle that could try and come between us. I love you the most.” – Unknown
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Idee Mise Au Rebut No. 2 Kadayawan March Op. 89R.M. Rizal2022-04-23 | This piece was originally for the Two Cities Suite Part 1: Davao, but I scrapped it because it does not really fit the theme in my tastes. I decided to finish this since some of you might enjoy it more than I do, so here you go.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Orchestral Arrangement of Closure Op. 88 No. 2R.M. Rizal2022-02-26 | Finding closure should be the most important thing in ending a relationship for good. It will give way for personal and spiritual healing, and come back stronger than ever, just like our muscles in exercise. If you do not get to do that, it will only deteriorate you from the inside out.
Like the story I shared in the piano version, it would have ended differently for me if I didn't do anything about the slow internal destruction that I put myself in. I could have done things that I would not do to anyone close in my life, and that's something I cannot bear to imagine.
Regardless, if you ever find yourself in a situation when you are in an acid pit of destructive thoughts and lingering self-doubt, the starting point is speaking up to the ones you trust, then talking to your partner directly. It will also show who your true friends are and who just leeches off of your kindness.
Show your love to those you care about. If they reject that, at least the healing will start.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Closure Op. 88 No. 1R.M. Rizal2022-02-22 | This piece has a heavy personal weight to it. 7 months ago, my ex-girlfriend and I both agreed to break up after merely a month into the relationship. She cited that she can't feel the love I gave her and that's why she decided to end it. And on the surface, I understood that.
However, over the 6 months since that fateful day, I've been in a constant cycle of self-doubt and regret that I can't seem to get out of. It's been distracting me from doing anything productive, from school work to music composition. It has been quite a painful period of time for me.
I was wondering whether my actions 2 years ago impacted the way our relationship went. So, I dwell on the what-ifs. What if I did what I didn't at that time? What if I don't hold onto a past relationship that silently ended a long time ago? What if I spent more time with her when I met her in person?
These constant regrets and self-doubts polluting my mind have taken a toll on me, and the wounds in my heart will only open deeper as time goes on because I found out that she is in a new relationship. And that's something that the deepest part of my soul simply would not accept. His inclusion in our friend group chat has made me feel alienated from the group.
Distant. Unimportant. Ignored. Those were the thoughts that occupied my head for about 2 weeks when he was there. Reading those messages made those feelings worse, and I've been keeping these feelings to myself for the longest time, and it has come to a point where I can't hide them any longer.
And that's when I decided to do something about it. I decided to talk about my problems to my friends and ask for advice. Frankly, they are very helpful, and I can't thank them enough for understanding me.
But the main person who has helped me the most out of all of this is the one who gave me the idea for "See You in Another Life." J.A. Digal, her best friend and to be transparent, is one of my closest as well.
She's been the most understanding person in this whole ordeal, and she managed to make me laugh as some sort of coping mechanism. (Material gworl, amirite?) This has gone on for hours, spanning multiple group chats until we decided to give context to this to my ex.
We talked through Messenger, talking about my woes and my thoughts that I didn't have the confidence to tell her 6 months ago. I wouldn't go into detail on what exactly they are since they are private matters that only my close friends know about.
My ex assured me that we'll still be friends after the breakup, and her new relationship will not change that, and she apologized for neglecting me in those 6 months. And with that, I found closure.
I talked to Digal about what happened during the call, all the details and stuff. Then in the darkness of my bedroom, I played the first notes of the piece I'm going to write. And that's where it begins.
I present to you, the product of 6 months of pain and resolve, Closure.
The orchestral version coming up on the 26th, 8pm PST. Stay tuned.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Wistful Pain Op. 87R.M. Rizal2022-02-15 | “All these years I've had a story in my mind, the story about us that never really existed. And because of that story, I've kept you framed up on the wall in a little box of nostalgic moonlight.” - Cathleen Schine
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Valse Petite No. 1 One Minute Op. 86R.M. Rizal2022-02-08 | A quick piece just to fill this week out. Nothing deep to see here.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Lonesome Melody Op. 85R.M. Rizal2022-02-01 | “It is an absolute human certainty that no one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being.” ― John Joseph Powell
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Nawala sa Panaginip Op. 84R.M. Rizal2022-01-25 | Those who are in the MusicalBasics discord server know this piece as "Guniguni" or Imagination in English. I changed the name to Nawala sa Panaginip (Lost in a Dream) because I feel it connects better with the piece itself (and totally has nothing to do with what is happening in real life).
The piece is about a person dreaming of something that may or may not happen in the future. He traverses through the dream and lets the events unfold in front of his/her eyes.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!For the Fallen and Wounded Op. 83R.M. Rizal2022-01-18 | This one is quite topical at the time when I made it. At the time, Typhoon Odette/Rai swept my country, specifically the Visayas and Northern Mindanao, and it left destruction in its wake. Homes destroyed, livelihoods obliterated, lives lost, and never found again. This piece not only depicts the experience of witnessing death around you but also is written as veneration for those who lost their lives.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Looking at the Clock in Boredom Op. 82R.M. Rizal2022-01-11 | "The clock is running. Make the most of today. Time waits for no man. Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That`s why it is called the present." - Alice Morse Earle
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Sunlit Garden Op. 81R.M. Rizal2022-01-04 | “Help us to be ever faithful gardeners of the spirit, who know that without darkness nothing comes to birth, and without light nothing flowers. ” - May Sarton
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Lullaby No. 3 Dancing at MidnightR.M. Rizal2021-10-05 | All one needs to have a good night is a soothing dance that lasts through midnight.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Lullaby No. 2 Night SkyR.M. Rizal2021-09-28 | A starry night sky can be a relaxing sight, can it?
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Lullaby No. 1 DuskR.M. Rizal2021-09-21 | Dusk is the end of the day and the beginning of the night.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!R.M. Rizals 2K Subscriber Q&AR.M. Rizal2021-07-04 | So, the most awaited video since the Suites is finally here! Thank you for being patient with me at the meantime.
It was a grueling thing to edit, with slowdowns, crashes, and mistakes along the way, but I hope this is worth it.
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Frolicking Op. 79R.M. Rizal2021-06-01 | Maybe in the morning, sunlight would to turn him back into a statue; then I could take Stone out to the forest where he could frolic among the ferns, gurgle at streams, and make friends with the other interesting rocks. - Devon Monk
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Rain in the Summer Op. 78R.M. Rizal2021-05-25 | My first new composition in two months! I hope this is worth the wait, lol.
"A summer rain had left the night clean and sparkling with drops of water. I leaned against the end pillar of the gallery, my head touching the soft tendrils of a jasmine which grew there in a constant battle with a wisteria, and I thought of what lay before me throughout the world and throughout time, and resolved to go about it delicately and reverently, learning that from each thing which would take me best to another." - Anne Rice
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!Frédéric Chopin - Prelude in C Minor (R.M. Rizal Performance)R.M. Rizal2021-05-07 | Certainly one of the most famous and well-recognized preludes, the Prelude No. 20 is in fact by no means technically dazzling. Composed mainly of large solid chords, the prelude rings a somber and grave melody. As the piece is fairly slow and none of the chords possess any significant amount of dissonance, this is one of the technically easiest etudes, sight-readable at proper tempo by any reasonably-skilled pianist.
For several reasons, this prelude is one of Chopin’s most masterful compositions. Chopin’s primary accomplishment here is in the masterful use of chords. From a music theory perspective, the piece is harmonically quite simple, composed of two melodies made of chord progressions. Despite this, the actual musical perspective is far less straightforward, and the implications of it underscore Chopin’s genius in this piece. The chords, although powerful and majestic, are the best possible way to represent the solemnity and sorrow present in the piece. A lighter composition structured around a right hand melody and runs would not have conveyed the musical idea here as well. The chords are a necessity in order to make this piece what it is. Like the tolling of a large bell, they strike their tones directly into the listener’s heart.
This prelude has not only held appeal to the general public, but also has inspired composers. Of particular note, Sergei Rachmaninoff wrote his beautiful and incredibly demanding Variations on a Theme of Chopin based on this prelude.
Bülow and Cortot had similar ideas for this one. Bülow named it “Funeral March”, and Cortot named it “Funerailles”, which translates to “Funerals”. From the slow, steady, solemn, and tragic tones of it, it is not difficult to imagine where these nicknames came from.
(Source: ourchopin.com/analysis/prelude1724.html) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the second time I played this piece and uploaded it on YouTube. The first time I did it, the sound is coming from my scrappy LG phone and a Yamaha E353, so I rerecorded this piece just to see how the sound improved from my old setup to the new one. Hopefully you like my performance of Prelude in C Minor!
Make sure to SUBSCRIBE for more musical content from me!J.S. Bach - Prelude in C Major from WTC I (R.M. Rizal Performance)R.M. Rizal2021-05-04 | My first performance in a very long time! Tried incorporating SeeMusic into the video, but the green screen didn't go so well lol. Hopefully, you guys enjoy my performance of the famous Prelude in C Major from WTC I by Johann Sebastian Bach!