Shadow Dreamer
Into the Old Way - Kilbrannan
updated
The song can also be found on streaming platforms (such as Spotify, iTunes):
songwhip.com/shadowdreamer/she-lives-through-you
I feel like this is a perfect cover to return to YouTube with, since it required a lot of effort from me. I was even lucky enough to get to borrow my dad’s 4K camera! Alas, I should’ve probably practiced for at least one more week before recording, since my playing is fairly sloppy here. However, I am busy next weekend, and I don’t want to leave it for too long. I had limited time, so I picked the best take out of the ones I had.
Instead of recording when I know the piece 100% perfectly, this time I decided to just fix a couple mistakes in post. Most notably there’s the right-hand note at 3:04, along with some left-hand notes around that same area. I’m very happy with the middle section though, along with the general flow!
I’ve started taking my piano playing a bit more seriously again, and I’ve decided it’s probably time that I start learning to read sheet music. I actually learned this version via the score, which is fairly unusual for me. In the video though, it’s just there for show; I can’t read fast enough that I would gain any help from the notes, at this point. I’ll be having fun with learning and re-learning more of the Final Fantasy Piano Collections versions, as I have many of the booklets, so you might be able to look forward to more FF covers :3
This is turning out to be a fairly long description, so I think I best let you listen rather than read! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments; I always appreciate hearing from ya.
Until next time 😉
//Alex
I thought I could upload some non-piano compositions here from time to time, to see how people like it. So I'd appreciate it if you let me know your thoughts! I like to compose in all genres, and I've got plenty of older songs I could conceivably upload too. Lemme know what you think!
For this piece, you'll probably recognise some inspiration from Mozart, among other things.
If you want to download the mp3, you can find it here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/955557
It has been a long time since last I uploaded a video to this channel. I have been preoccupied with work, as well as composing for a few projects here and there. But I intend on remedying this!
I’ve reached a point where I’m ready to focus even more on music again; both my own and that of others. I also have an idea of uploading some of my non-piano songs to YouTube, since I have quite a few of them at this point.
I’m starting this off lightly, though, by simply uploading a standard late-night improvisation. There is nothing too special about it, actually. But it’s a nice low-effort way of getting back into the habit of uploading. Perhaps you will find it useful as background music, if nothing else!
It’s nice to be back. Do enjoy!
I thought about making a composition with 1000 notes, but I thought I can save that idea until the day I eventually (possibly) hit 2000 subs. We'll see if I remember!
I thought about starting this YouTube channel for years and years, but I never really felt ready to do it. But etherealwinds (aka Jordi: youtube.com/c/JordiFrancis) gave me a little push, and I finally started posting some videos. Thanks to you guys, I've kept doing it ever since!
I figured I should celebrate by releasing one of my many unlisted videos; one that's particularly special to me. I don't play the song anywhere near perfectly in this video, but it's one of my personal favourites among my own compositions. It's difficult to play, and I would like to do it proper justice some day. But for now, I hope you'll enjoy this version.
As for the very original, you can find it here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/661299
Thank you all for sticking around, and I hope you'll enjoy whatever I may do in the future. Until then, have a good one ^____^
As some of you might be able to tell, I have moved again! You might see some new experimental angles over the coming videos. I also know that I haven't been uploading very actively lately, but hopefully that'll change now that I've finished writing my Master's degree. I plan on working more with music again.
Check out the astounding artwork that you see in the video:
newgrounds.com/art/view/lukef/fallen
Those who wish can download the mp3 from here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/943964
I hope you enjoy this weird composition :)
Thanks for watching!
youtube.com/watch?v=DtKCNJmARF0
Make sure to take precautionary measures to protect yourself and your loved ones during these straining times.
This is my submission for the finale of the Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch of 2019. The competition has been going on for a few months now, as I'm sure many of you know. Alas, it is finally nearing its end. Somehow, I managed to make it all the way to the last round, so I tried to outdo myself tenfold with this composition. I hope it shows!
Because it is such a difficult piece to play, there were some small mistakes here and there (and a couple of bigger ones). For the sake of the sound, I corrected them in the MIDI file, meaning you won't be hearing them. If you've got a keen eye you can still spot them in my playing though!
I'm really glad the NGADM has inspired me to compose so much on the piano again, after a bit of a break. I feel like I'm back in better shape than ever! I am also planning on buying a new computer in not too long, so hopefully I can get back to composing with orchestra and other virtual instruments too. Anyway, that's enough of that here. If you want to know more and download the song, follow this link:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/895764
Thank you for your continued support, and thanks for watching!!!
This was a tough one to record. I spent 2 hours trying to play it well enough. That is to say nothing of the time this actually took to compose! I've been working on it intensely for two weeks. I am still in the competition I have been mentioning in the past few descriptions, so this is my entry for the current round. It's a bit on the longer/weirder side, but I hope you enjoy it anyway :)
My computer could barely handle exporting this piece, along with the video. I desperately need a new one. Currently, I'm just glad I managed to compose and produce this song despite the technical difficulties.
While this is a video (bonus points to the person who finds where my phone glitched), I recommend just closing your eyes instead of watching, and maybe listening to the audio only. Here's a download link:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/892165
Thanks for listening!
This is a bit of a late upload, but at least it's going up during the Halloween weekend (albeit the end of it). This is a just a quick composition/improv. It's difficult to play with thick leather gloves, so I kept all the errors in... For extra 'ambiance'.
I dressed up for a party with friends, and decided I may as well record something!
Thanks for watching!
^^
/\__{^^}__/\
/ _ _ \
\/\/\ww/\/\/
youtube.com/watch?v=l6YlafVdr5k
I went on a spontaneous trip to New York (which is quite far from Finland). As some of you might know, I'm participating in a competition for composers on Newgrounds, called the Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch. I had a bit of a dilemma, in that the deadline for my submission would be closing in on me whilst I was experiencing another country. Thankfully, during my travels I found a piano I could compose on for hours during several mornings. This piece is the result of that work. Luckily, there was much inspiration to draw from my surroundings. For those reasons, this composition is one of my personal favourites. I hope you enjoy it too!
As for the video, my editing software is starting to get too stressful for my computer, with which I've had issues for almost a year. I hope I get a chance to invest in a new one soon! The performance is authentic, but I corrected a few small mistakes in the MIDI; you most likely won't be able to see a difference.
If you wish to download the piece, you can find it here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/888548
Thank you for watching!
This track is also made for the Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch. I wanted to compose something with more of a jazzy feel. I ended up with something that has some classical elements as well. A really fun mix, I'd say! I used a new piano sound as well, to suite the genre :)
I hope you enjoy listening to it as well!
If you'd like to, you can download the mp3 on Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/885123
Thank you for watching!
It has been some time since my previous upload, and I apologise for that. I've been really busy this entire summer. Among other things, I have been travelling a lot, and as you can see, I have moved (carrying the piano was... Fun...).
I still have a lot to do this month, but once that's dealt with I want to get back to uploading more regularly again. I just recorded this composition today; I made it for the Newgrounds Audio Deathmatch this year. Hopefully, it'll be good enough to get through this round!
newgrounds.com/bbs/topic/1442563
I hope you enjoy my work. If you'd like to download an mp3 of the piece, you can do so on NG (for private use, ofc):
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/881686
Thank you for watching!
I hope you will enjoy these masterfully crafted soundwaves.
Until next time.
youtube.com/watch?v=-t5m_FhWnxw
It's far from perfect, but I thought it'd be nice to play something on a grand piano (at the Åbo Akademi University in Vaasa). I only had time for one take, though. I got a bit startled close to the end, as a professor walked into the auditorium. Luckily she let me finish the piece without initiating dialogue!
The second season of Steins;Gate exceeded my expectations! I had a fun time learning the piece. I hope you'll enjoy it despite the weird angle and the mistakes!
Thanks for watching :)
I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks for watching ^___^
In the future, I'll experiment further with the sound, in order to get even more out of it (I'd like the sound to be a bit louder, but still with rich dynamics). Either way, I hope you enjoy the listen!
If you wanna download the track for some reason, you'll find it on newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/847560
Thank you for watching!
This is my entry for 8Dio's 2018 Christmas Scoring Contest.
Thanks for watching. Enjoy the listen, and have a Happy New Year!
It has been a couple of years since I started uploading to YouTube. This week I noticed that my videos have been viewed over 100.000 times, which is a bit insane! Not long after, I got my 600th subscriber (welcome!).
Today I wanted to play something a bit more special for you. This version of Skyrim's Main Theme is mostly the same as Kyle Landry's, although I did modify a few parts to suit my own style better. I hope you enjoy the watch/listen!
You can download the mp3 here:
instaud.io/30Ta
Thank you for all of your support throughout my YouTube journey. I look forward to the coming year, and towards creating more videos for your and my enjoyment. Thank you for watching!!
newgrounds.com/art/view/irinaeihwaz/to-save-you
ave_droid.artstation.com
All rights to the artwork belong to Irina. Check out her other fantastic work!
We had a great time working on this track. We made it for an "art inspired music" contest, and inspired we were. Enjoy!
Everratic: evererratic.newgrounds.com
If you want to know more about the track, you can check it out, and download it from Newgrounds: newgrounds.com/audio/listen/814561
Thanks for watching!
youtube.com/watch?v=DVM-oeq4pS8
Since we like collaborating, we decided to make our work together more official, by launching our mutual project, "Phoenix Up":
youtube.com/channel/UCqGUdeHvjuk-WGrXDg2DMOg
This is video a cover of Don't Forget, from Toby Fox’s DELTARUNE (the sequel to UNDERTALE). The song is composed, and originally sung by Laura Shigihara (supershigi)!
I hope you enjoy my take on it!
This piece was actually written by Jordi :O
youtube.com/JordiFrancis
You can download the track from here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/830158
It's a little something with which to celebrate the season, haha. Happy Halloween!
You can download the audio from here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/830064
Enjoy, thanks for watching, and Happy Halloween!
I've been busy with my studies (and some other projects) this past month, but I took some time to record one of my originals a while ago. I originally composed this piece for a performance at my university, and I've grown to like it more and more since I made it. The composition differs somewhat from my general style - variation is always nice.
You can download the mp3 from Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/828536
I hope you like it!
Thanks for watching :)
A while ago I performed at my University, and one of the pieces I played was this one: "Ahead on Our Way" from Final Fantasy VII. I might cover this again in the future, but for now this phone recording will have to do! Let's just say it doesn't sound quite as nice here, as it did LIVE on the Steinway & Sons :'D
I based this cover on the "Piano Collections" version, but I also changed some things around, for the length and arrangement to fit the occasion better. Enjoy!!!
I had fun with the chords and the scales, and I like the way they build up an atmosphere. Thanks for watching!
You can download the mp3 from Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/823794
We had a blast playing this, and are even thinking of turning certain sections into a more professionally produced composition. Hopefully, you'll find the same enjoyment in listening as we found in playing. Thanks for watching!
Oh, and make sure to check out Jordi's channel!
youtube.com/JordiFrancis
soundcloud.com/jordi-francis/fragments-of-memories-ffviii-shadow-dreamer-jordi-francis
Spotify:
open.spotify.com/album/0D3FSy92Q9exGbnaTG9xig
This is my first piano duet on this channel, and incidentally my first "real life" collaboration with Jordi Francis. Jordi is a wonderful musician, singer-songwriter and a good friend of mine. He just released an album, so I urge you to go check it out!
hellojordi.bandcamp.com/album/the-brightest-star
You can also visit Jordi's YouTube channel here:
youtube.com/jordifrancis
Jordi taught me a simple arrangement of the piece we're playing (we actually played FFVIII all the way through together a year ago), and we kind of ended up improvising on it and recording it. It was a lot of fun, so I hope you enjoy it too!
Thanks for watching :)
Jordi says:
Well, thanks for the album plug Alex! It was super fun working with you on this; I've loved this song for forever. I was going to record some vocals for it but it sounds complete as a piano duet, I think! We were lucky in the sense that it only took thirty minutes for Alex to learn this piece from me and we actually recorded this on the very first capture in front of the camera. I tend to get super frustrated when a camera is on me so I was really relieved and I'm happy with the result! :) My piano skills aren't that of Alex's but I think we connected well on this performance.
youtube.com/watch?v=nZlq5t9ou8Q
We first decided to cover this piece together well over a year ago, maybe even two. I'm so glad we finally got to it!
The first minute of my version is based on the sheets you can find here:
scribd.com/doc/6512844/Anastasia-Once-Upon-a-December-1
The rest I arranged to add some more power to the playing, trying to make sure it works both as solo piano and with Pedro's singing :)
Thanks for watching!!!
I didn't have much time to learn to play it well, so there are plenty of mistakes in this video; I fixed them in post so you can't hear it, but those with keen eyes might catch some. There's also a part where I messed up and where I ended up editing the tempo a bit in Cubase. I put some nice stock footage over that part for you :)
(There's a little render-glitch blooper included, haha)
The violin virtual instrument I used in this composition is the "Joshua Bell Violin" by Embertone. For any musicians, I highly recommend it.
Since the violin plays with so high frequencies in this piece, your phone or laptop speakers might not appreciate it. Sorry if that's the case!
This is a bit of a different piece from what I usually make, so I hope you enjoy it! Oh, and let me know if you want me to upload the solo piano version of this, so you can hear it without the violin.
You can download the mp3 from Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/816437
Thank you for watching!!!
It's really nice to know that so many people enjoy listening to me play the piano.
I have a little bit of extra time this summer, so I figured I'd offer to create some short piano pieces (up to a minute, like this video) for anyone who wants to pay me 5$ for it (OBS more like 7$, I think fiverr takes a service fee). You'll find more information here (select the 'basic' option for solo piano pieces):
fiverr.com/shadowdreamer/create-a-short-composition
I'm not sure how long I'll be doing this, and for how long I will keep the price that low, but I think it could be fun to experiment with it a bit, since I feel inspired!
I don't only make piano pieces, but since the non-piano compositions take much longer to make, the price scales quite quickly.
Thanks for your time!
If you want to download the piece from this video, you'll find an mp3 on Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/815655
This is probably my worst framing ever. I accidentally set the tempo one beat higher than what I recorded in, I think, so the video is a bit off-sync.
But it's all good, I hope you just enjoy the music ^___^
(Oh and if you feel like downloading a HQ mp3, here you go: newgrounds.com/audio/listen/812472 )
I was in a bit of a hurry again, so I recorded another short cover :)
It's the theme that plays upon losing a battle in FFVII. Half of it is basically the same theme as the piece from the title screen. That said, at some point I want to make a separate cover of "Prelude", but I don't know how I'm going to go about arranging it, so don't expect it anytime soon.
Either way, I hope you enjoy watching/listening! :3
This piece was inspired by "Interrupted by Fireworks", from Final Fantasy VII.
You can download the mp3 from Newgrounds:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/807784
Enjoy!
You can't really tell well because of the camera angle, but I played the *whole* piece with my eyes closed, for thematic reasons :3
Enjoy!
And goodnight ZzZzz
I recorded this improv at my Uni earlier today. I wanted to play for a while with the mute rail down. The sound is quite relaxing.
Unfortunately, the phone microphone far from makes it justice. I EQ:d the sound a bit to get rid of the worst frequencies, but there's still some clipping left. Either way, I hope you'll enjoy this improv!
Once I finish my Bachelor's thesis, I'll be back with some better material :)
This is an improvisation I recorded on my small Akai MPK Mini Mk2 MIDI controller, using 4 different VSTs. It's far from my best work, but I think it can be an interesting listen.
The video is a screen recording of Winamps visualizer. For some reason it gets a bit choppy, especially near the end. But I decided to let it be for this one.
If you wanna, you can download the mp3 here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/801760?updated=1524234116
That's about it for now; I hope I'll be back with new covers soon enough. Thanks for watching! :3
So Finn has been uploading these videos called "piano dubs" for a few months now, and I've thoroughly enjoyed them :D
Since I had nothing else prepared for this weekend, I figured I'd try giving the dubbing a go myself. It's not something I plan on doing more than once though, so if you want to see more I recommend checking out Finn's channel!
youtube.com/user/FinnMertinsKirkwood
You could start by watching one of his latest dubs:
youtube.com/watch?v=whzj0hTj06w
As for the video clip, it's from The Princess Bride; one of my favorite movies since I was a kid. The scene I "dubbed" is pretty iconic. Had I had more time I might've tried doing the longer scene of the same (yet more intese) nature, but I'll leave that to someone else :3
I hope you'll enjoy this somewhat divergent video ^___^
This original piano composition started with me just sitting down at a piano, in Uni. In the course of about 15 minutes, I had accidentally come up with a pretty nice idea. I thought it reminded me a tad of Joe Hisaishi's style (from Hayao Miyazaki's animated movies), so I wanted to emphasise the complex yet pretty chords, in combination with the melodies. Unsurprisingly, my own style shines through quite a bit too :)
I hope you'll enjoy the listen! I found that this is a weird instance where the music actually sounds better if you don't watch me play. Maybe the colours in the video don't suit the timbre of the piano sound I used. Either way, thank you for watching! ^____^
If you want to download the piece, you'll find it here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/794795
I based my arrangement loosely off of the 'piano collections' version, though it's also very much my own interpretation. This is another piece I played during one of the 'thesis defenses' I've performed at. So while Terra's Theme still in my repertoire, I thought I'd record it for YouTube too ^____^
I hope you'll enjoy my cover! If you did, you might want a download link: instaud.io/1PoU
Thanks for watching!!! :3
This is one of my favorite pieces. Joe Hisaishi really is a brilliant composer, after all. There are already a lot of piano versions of this piece, so I hope my arrangement feels at least a bit different. I played this on my sister's wedding, and also during a thesis defense ceremony. Since it is on my repertoire, I figured I might as well cover it for YouTube too!
I tried out a different piano VST for this one. I probably won't be using it much for solo piano compositions, since it's a bit bright, rough around the edges, and lacks wide dynamic. Even so, it might fit well in some orchestrations!
If you want to download the audio, it's uploaded here:
instaud.io/1PoR
I hope you'll enjoy this cover.
Thanks for watching!!!
Although I made the piece, I'm not quite at the level where I can play it perfectly yet. Even so, while practicing at Uni today, I recorded this performance and it went alright. I thought I might as well upload this here!
I am planning on working on more covers again, soon enough. I already know which pieces I want to play too. But for now, I hope you enjoy this rerun :p
Thanks for watching!
Either way, I'm quite pleased with this piece!
It's a difficult one to play for sure, but I'm getting better. For this version though, I played it myself, and fixed the mistakes to ensure a great final sound. I hope you like it too!
You can download the track here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/787629
Thanks for listening ^___^
This is not my best cover, but I figured it might be nice to upload it anyway! There was an annoying sound caused by resonance, but I EQd it out to some extent. Either way, it's phone-microphone quality and all that :p
Thanks for watching!
The swordsmanship is Kendō, a Japanese martial art.
Thank you for watching!
The mp3 can be downloaded from here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/783445
Thank you for listening; enjoy!
I probably need a few more years before I'll be able to play this piece well. I barely managed to record a version that's good enough, for now. I fixed a few smaller mistakes in the MIDI file, so that you'll have a more pleasant listening experience. I ended up using the sound from the Clavinova, instead of a piano VST. I find them difficult to work with, when it comes to fast paced arrangements. Eventually, I might try to go for a better production.
I've had a very busy year, but I can't say that I'm disappointed! I've been able to take part in a lot of good stuff. Even so, it's time to say goodbye to 2017, and to welcome 2018!
I intend to do so by dedicating this piece to the new year, as well as to the one that passed. I hope that you'll find some enjoyment in it! Thank you for watching, and have a Happy New Year! ^____^
Oh, and as usual, you can download the mp3:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/782313
And if you want to listen to the piece played by a VST piano, you can do so here:
tinyurl.com/TQfTSD
See ya next year ;)
Once again, Jordi and I had a lot of fun bringing you another cover! It's a few days late considering the season, but I'm sure you won't mind. We wanted to upload different versions to each channel, even if they still have the same base :3
I hope you'll enjoy both of them! Thank you for listening ^____^
If you feel like it, you can download the mp3 here:
instaud.io/private/063c89f56f1572aab6515b8b925fb004e9709266
Belated Happy Holidays!
Sorry about the video quality; it looks worse on youtube than in Windows Media Player, for some reason. I think I have a fix for future videos though!
A bit more than a week ago, I woke up one morning, inspired to compose something. I didn't have much time, but I spent a few hours creating this atmospheric, sci-fi inspired piece.
I watched the new Blade Runner a few weeks earlier, so that served as one of my inspirations.
For the video, I 'borrowed' Winamp's visualizer. It's definitely my favorite player; I can easily lose myself in the moving images. The player is also able to loop audio seamlessly. Speaking of which, sorry about the slight cut off at the end. This piece is also a perfect loop!
If you have Windows, you can still download Winamp from some sites, if you google it.
As for this ambient loop, you can download it here:
newgrounds.com/audio/listen/780357
Enjoy!
On December 13th, we celebrate Saint Lucia in Finland (+ the other Nordic countries, and ofc Sicily). Thus, I thought I'd play her theme for this channel, today!
We just moved, so I haven't figured out how to set up my recording yet. So I totally had my mom help me :'D
There was a mishap with the MIDI recording, so I had to opt for the audio from the phone microphone (yeah...). I added a bit of reverb, and made sure the sound is audible, in the very least!
This is by no means my best performance either (all them mistakes :V), but I wanted to play something Christmassy, soo...
Here ya go! Please enjoy :3
Merry Xmas! God jul åt er alla! Hyvää joulua ^____^