5 Piano Miniatures

 Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share with you some piano pieces I wrote lately. These piano pieces are based on older compositions, some on short opera, some on film and game music I wrote, some of "stock music"...etc, and all of them are simplified easy-medium level versions.

→ DOWNLOAD HERE ←

And here is how it sounds:

Disclaimer: 

All materials are properties of their owners, and are used here for informative and educational purposes. I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material. 

Cheers and happy music making, 

Mihai

Little helper for piano teachers

 I'm trying to teach somebody to play piano/keyboard, somebody who doesn't know music theory, and I tried to find online a sheet with piano keys and notes, so you can white down the chords and draw the fingering on the keys.

I couldn't find anything like that.
How is that nobody did anything similar? I think it's unlikely for me to be the only one dealing with this problem. If you have a similar problem, here is a free template (as PDF and PNG) to print and use in your teaching.

For PNG just right-click on the image and chose "save image as".
Here's the PDF:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19mX-YZKBE7JLuewCKeZz4pLricDoopQ9

New Guitar Tutorial

 This I planned to make in 2011... I work a little slow sometimes...
Aaaaaanyway, heavy metal style, arpeggios, sweep picking, medium level.

Have fun 😉

New Musical Project; World Jazz Collective

My latest project, World Jazz Collective is a diverse band performing music that exemplifies the influence of jazz across the world. We are in early stages and so far there is Romanian and Balkan music influences (because I come from Romania), but I hope soon we will include more diverse music.
Here is what we recorded so far:

"Thracian Dance" composed and arranged by me:

and "Balkano" composed by Sorin Mustățea. Band arrangement based on an arrangement by Gheorghe Brănici. I recommend checking out his arrangements and transcriptions, he put them for free here:
https://www.free-scores.com/Download-PDF-Sheet-Music-elgira.htm

Cheers and hope you'll enjoy the music.

Still alive

Hi there
Has been quite a while since I didn't post here. That's because quite a lot happened in my life and I have a lot of other activities (teaching, making trumpet tutorials, having concerts...etc).
I plan making a brass pack, since I bought 2 marching trombones, 2 new trumpets and a piccolo trumpet as well, but that will take quite a while.

Meanwhile, Merry Christmas and here are some videos with me, to boost your Christmas spirit ☺

Carol of the Bells

... and if you're into Star Wars, here, spoiler alert; Darth Vader plays the tambourine

Vader Bells - Imperial Christmas

Joy to the World

Cheers and Happy Holidays!

Free Vuvuzela Sample Pack

Instrument sampled - Plastic Vuvuzela
Recorded at 32 bit float, 44.1 khz samplerate, converted at 24 bit.
Played and sampled by Mihai Sorohan.









MULAB
DOWNLOAD Mu.Lab Multisampla format
How to install:
1. Get Mu.Lab (free version would do it just fine)
2. Download and unzip the archive.
3. Move the patch folder into the Mulab/User/Library/Mux folder

DOWNLOAD the unaltered .wav files and make your own patches in the sampler of your choice.

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:

• You get a personal non-exclusive non-transferable right to use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose.
• You may not use it for commercial sample libraries (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc) 
• You may use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose. 
• I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material. 

Enjoy the freebie.

Free Recorder Samples

Instrument sampled - Yamaha Soprano Recorder
Recorded at 32 bit float, 44.1 khz samplerate, converted at 24 bit.
Played and sampled by Mihai Sorohan.










KONTAKT
To run the patch you need a full license of Kontakt. In Kontakt Player (the free version of Kontakt) the patch will run just in demo mode (that means 15 minutes and then stop). DOWNLOAD Kontakt format
Kontakt version require full Kontakt to play it. Created in Kontakt 5 as monolith nki. Fake round robin script by SzcZ (c) 2014 www.fairlyconfusing.net.

MULAB

DOWNLOAD Mu.Lab Multisampla format

How to install:
1. Get Mu.Lab (free version would do it just fine)
2. Download and unzip the archive.
3. Move the patch folder into the Mulab/User/Library/Mux folder

SFZ
Can be used with Sfz by Rgcaudio or Plogue Sforzando. 

DOWNLOAD SFZ patch containing Muted Trumpet, Recorder and Bamboo

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:

• You may not use it for commercial sample libraries (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc) 
• You may use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose. 
• I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material. 

Enjoy the freebie.

Games featuring my music

• Just Jump (Minecraft Map) - by The Swag Unicorn - 2021
• Epic Halloween Overhaul - Night of The Living Spooks - 2018 
• Sneaky Ranch Day 5 by selfdefiant - 2015 
• Love Burger by Carmel Games - 2015
• Elephant by wloczykij - 2013 
• The Interview Codex by deathink - 2013 
• Zombies Want Your Candy by jjwallace - 2013 
• Ovelin Guitar Game by Yousician - 2012 
• Flash Advent Calendar by PuffballsUnited - 2012 
• Chronicle by Evil Kris - 2011 
• Callow Drift by Patrick McNamara - 2010   
• Bean Fiend by jjwallace - 2010 
• Standoff: Turn Based News by squidly - 2010 
• Sift Heads World: Act 5 by PopBrain - 2010 
• The Insanity II by Evil Kris (find it on Newgrounds) - 2010 
• The Insanity I by Evil Kris (Find it on Newgrounds) - 2009 
• Mini Games Ultimate by sims5000 - 2009 
• Pepe Pillz by PopBrain (find it on Newgrounds) - 2009 
• Social Studies Quiz by SpyreWorks - 2009 
• Xmas Champion by Zupperman (find it on Newgrounds) - 2009 
• Survival 2009 by Juicymosquito - 2009 
• Money! and Anvils! by zenfasterxd - 2009 
• Modern Tactics 2 by Lautan (find it on Newgrounds) - 2008 
• Shift 3 by Tony Lavelle for Armor Games (find it on Newgrounds) - 2008 
• NG Office Adventure v1.3 by Afro-Ninja - 2008 
• Dress Up Banana V3 by Revels -2008 
• Dress Up Banana V2 by Revels - 2008 
• NG Office Adventure v1.3 by Afro-Ninja - 2008 
• A Very Fishy Game by Mechabloby - 2006 

Early Christmas - Wind Chimes

From same session as the Sleigh Bells Loops and Tambourine Loops, here are some wind-chimes. All files stereo wav, 32 bit float, 44.1 KHz, 80 BPM.
Dropped them in FL Studio to put automatically the loop markers.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/cuh2dc3pc8bff22/Windchimes.zip
(image of a similar instrument)

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:

•  You may not use it for commercial sample libraries (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc) 
•  You may use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose. 
•  I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material. 

Enjoy the freebie.

Early Christmas - Tambourine Loops

From same session as the Sleigh Bells Loops, here are some tambourines.
All files stereo wav, 32 bit float, 44.1 KHz, 80 BPM.
Dropped them in FL Studio to put automatically the loop markers. The stereo one is actually two different takes of the same rhythm panned extremely right and left.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/wiulo2ddi4q3svi/Tambourine_Loops.zip

(image of a similar instrument)

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:

• You may not use it for commercial sample libraries (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc) 
• You may use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose. 
• I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.

Enjoy the freebie.

Early Christmas - Sleigh Bells Loops

I was recording some Christmas track with the brass band I am conducting and while recording some of the percussion I was thinking "why not making some loops out of those?". So here they are, loops at 80 BPM.
http://www.mediafire.com/download/6vsfcmrs2219n8z/Sleigh_Bells_Loops.zip 

I dropped them in FL Studio to put automatically the loop markers. All files stereo wav, 32 bit float, 44.1 KHz. The ones labeled "mono" are out of mono files (recorded with one mic) and the "stereo" are same mono recordings with a Eventide Micro Pitch applied.
(image of a similar instrument)

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:

• You may not use it for commercial sample libraries (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc)
• You may use the sample content as an integral part of your musical composition, in combination with other sounds, for both personal and commercial purpose. 
•  I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material. 

Enjoy the freebie.

Big News!!!

Well, as a musician, I guess this is how should be announced:

Orchestral Mockup Tutorials

For people who want to produce soundtracks, orchestral or hybrid or just MIDI "mockups", here I found some really really interesting tutorials:

1. Quick Tip: Realistic Panning
2. How to Create Orchestral Christmas Music: Part 1
3. How to Create Orchestral Christmas Music: Part 2
4. How to Create a Compelling Ostinato
5. A Guide to Producing an Epic Orchestral Track
6. Case Study - Orchestral Scoring To Picture

440 or 432 Hz?

Here, something that is very close to what I think, but put in better words by smarter people:http://www.medson.net/A432hz-myth.html

"The intention carried by a music is more influential than the pitch to which it is tuned. The choice of scales - and therefore the resulting intervals - are also fundamental in my understanding. There are several. There are 15,000 scales in Indian music."
"Stating that 432 Hz corresponds to the proportions of the Cheops pyramid, Maya temples, the speed of light, the frequency of the water, the frequency of the human heart or the Precession of the equinoxes is therefore pure fantasy and I classify these statements as fragile and partisan."
http://www.miltonline.com/2014/01/07/hertz-so-good/


"Play any higher tone followed by a slightly lower one and you can convince yourself and others that the second is more relaxed and resolved, and less ‘harsh’. This is simply a trick of associating negative connotations to higher pitches and positive ones to lower pitches. A higher pitch could be described as harsh, cerebral, brash, brittle and sterile (as opposed to soft, spiritual, peaceful, relaxed and warm) or strong, thoughtful, brave, optimistic and bright (as opposed to weak, thoughtless, cowardly, pessimistic and dull). Our expectations do the rest. If you value anecdotes, then consider this: I’ve discussed the 440Hz/432Hz issue and played the two tones to an audience, almost all agree that the latter sounds more ‘relaxed’ and ‘peaceful’. However it’s then revealed that what was actually heard was 432Hz followed by a 424.15Hz tone (a drop in pitch proportional to 440Hz-432Hz)."

One more article by AskAudio:
"Fiction: Mozart used 432 Hz for all of his music.

Fact: The only evidence for Mozart’s A comes from an ancient tuning fork from 1780 with the tone of A=421.6 Hz. This tuning fork belonged to the Viennese piano builder Johann Andreas Stein, the leading piano maker in Vienna at the time, who was responsible for Mozart's pianos as well as Haydn’s and Beethoven’s. It is likely that they have all used A=421.6Hz."https://ask.audio/articles/music-theory-432-hz-tuning-separating-fact-from-fiction

Silver Glockenspiel

I proudly present "Silver Glockenspiel", a Kontakt based instrument on which I was collaborating with MA-Simon.
The Glockenspiel has been carefully sampled both with mallets and a violin bow.
It was recorded in an acoustically treated room using two AKG Precision microphones.

Within this library you will find Solo and Section Patches.
The Instrument has been sampled cromatically from C3-C5. But the patch has an extended range to G2-C5 for the Mallets and to G2-E5 for the Bowings.

The volume of the Bowed Instruments is controlled with the modwheel.
There are looped and unlooped patches so you can either play the original recorded bowings ore the more smooth and looped ones for more fluid playing.

On the interface there are some handy controls for quick use of:
Attack and Release for all Mallet Patches and Attack, Hold, Decay, Sustain and Release for all the Bowed patches.



The instrument is for sale at sampleism.com for £4.99 (approximately $8 or €6) which is a steal for this library.

Modern modal scales on the natural notes

A more correct title would be "The modern Western music approach on the transposed version of what we think was the Greek system, based on work of a number of medieval musical theorists"... but that would be way too long.

Most modern, popular, western music has been largely based on the major and minor scales. Before this, most music was based on the seven traditional modes established by the Greeks.
I made a list because I couldn't find a good quality one on internet, good enough for printing, so here you have it:

The subject is widely covered here (links to articles):

1. Wikipedia on Modern_modal_scales_on_the_natural_notes
2. Music theory online : notes, harmonies & scales
3. Ink & Strings - A Bit of Theory: Musical Modes
4. Modes Taken from the Medieval Epoch
5. The Tone Intervals Of The Seven Octave Species & Their Correspondence With Octonion Algebra And Superstrings

RECsoprano VSTi Free !!!

Hi there.

After a little bit of silence I'm back again, and not just back, but with some great news.
I'm happy to announce the release of a nice free VST instrument. The instrument was designed and made by TEK'IT-Audio using my recorder samples.
The instrument is pretty impressive, it has envelope control, a selection of tuning, polyphonic voices and a polyphonic portamento. Also, the GUI allows you to visualize the soprano recorder fingering while you play.

Feature highlights:

• Samples played and recorded by Mihai Sorohan
• Recorded at 32 bit, 44.1KHz samplerate
• Realtime fingerings visualisation
• 3 tunning: Modern, Renaissance and Baroque
• Polyphonic portamento
• Monophonic and 8 voices polyphonic mode
• Full MIDI automation support
• Easy MIDI learn on all parameters
• Preset manager, rename, copy, save, load...
• Undo your changes to initial preset value
• One click preset randomize

More info and free download here:
tekit-audio.com/products/real-play/recsoprano

II-V-I Exercise for Trumpet (Bb)

Hi there
II-V-I is probably the most used chord progression in jazz, so, there are some simple patterns using this progression that you can practice and make this as a daily routine.
Those exercises I wrote doesn't get too much into the high register so those can be used as warm up.
First exercise use more simple arpeggios, second use some substitutions and sounds more interesting.








Both exercises can be played on top of this backing track:

DOWNLOAD (right click and "save link as")

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:
You may use the provided backing tracks for:
- practice;
- recording/filming yourself soloing on top of it, and posting on YouTube or similar free services;
- use in a live performance/show.
You may not:
- use it for commercial purposes (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc).

Disclaimer:
I don't accept any responsibility for any damage, loss, liability, injury or upset caused to or suffered by you as a result of misusing this material.
Music sheet made with Muse Score, a free cross-platform WYSIWYG music notation program.
All material used here is for informative and educational purposes.
Enjoy the freebie.

Footprints Jazz Tutorial & Free Backing Track

"Footprints" is a jazz standard composed by Wayne Shorter, first appearing on his 1966 album Adam's Apple.
Whilst in 6/4 metre, it is debatable whether it could be called a jazz waltz, since the feel could be divided into compound duple or simple triple time.

- Wikipedia

Footprints Backing Track
Tonality C minor.
Track sequenced, performed, recorded and mixed by Mihai Sorohan in 2011.

DOWNLOAD (right click and "save link as")


Music Sheet from mobetterblues.altervista.org

Another good tutorial for this jazz standard can be found HERE

Here, for inspiration Wayne Shorter - Footprints from 'Adam's Apple'.
- Wayne Shorter (ts),
- Herbie Hancock (p),
- Reggie Workman (b),
- Joe Chambers (d).


Previous tutorials & backing tracks:
- Blues Tutorial
- Cantaloupe Island Jazz Tutorial
- Blue Bossa Jazz Tutorial & Free Backing Track
- Footprints Jazz Tutorial & Free Backing Track

By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:
You may use the provided backing tracks for:
- practice;
- recording/filming yourself soloing on top of it, and posting on YouTube or similar free services;
- use in a live performance/show.
You may not:
- use it for commercial purposes (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc).

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners. All material used here is for informative and educational purposes.
Enjoy the freebie.

Blue Bossa Jazz Tutorial & Free Backing Track

"Blue Bossa" is an instrumental jazz composition by Kenny Dorham. - Wikipedia

This was one of my first jazz tunes I learned and after so much time I still find it intriguing and the harmonies very inspiring for improvisation. That's why I decided to make a backing track, more for the beginner level, not very fast, so the less advanced can play on those nice harmonies and the more advanced can play "on the double" :))

Blue Bossa Backing Track
Tempo 120 bpm
Tonality C minor.
Track sequenced, performed, recorded and mixed by Mihai Sorohan in 2011.

DOWNLOAD (right click and "save link as")

Here, for inspiration, have Dexter Gordon's version from "Biting the Apple":


By downloading the provided files you accept the following terms:
You may use the provided backing tracks for:
- practice;
- recording/filming yourself soloing on top of it, and posting on YouTube or similar free services;
- use in a live performance/show.
You may not:
- use it for commercial purposes (put it on a CD and sell it, sell it online, etc).

Disclaimer:
All materials are properties of their owners. All material used here is for informative and educational purposes.
Enjoy the freebie.