Harpsichord Fantasia

It's not strictly a Harpsichord, either, heh. This recording uses a patch I made specially for the Aether Chronicles OST for one of the instruments I wanted to have in the game. We never came up with a proper name for it, but it's been saved on my PC as "Harpsianochord". The resulting sound is what you'd get if a Harpsichord could sustain and change velocities like a Steinway D. There are other minor changes I made to the sound to try and make it a bit more 'Lutey', but they never really came across so IIRC I scrapped them from the final patch. I'm trying to figure out how to describe the sound so I can work it into my book, hehehe.

This piece originally started out life as a Piano Sonata, but as it progressed I scrapped the Sonata form and turned it into the vaguely Rondoesque piece that it is now. There were originally strings around it, but I felt they detracted from the beauty of the line.

This piece modulates. A lot. It starts in C minor, then works its way somehow into C# minor, then it manages to get to B minor, and I'm not sure where to go from there, heh.

This is unfinished, hence why it ends so suddenly. There's going to be at least one other section after the final one.

Oh, and most of it is physically impossible to play for most people. Rachmaninow could probably manage it, but meh. I certainly can't play most of the right hand. It's been written to sound nice, not for performance. Although I'm sure with a few years practice someone one day could probably play it.

So yeah, anyway... Fantasia for Harpsianochord [2:07ish]

I've attached a MIDI file for those who like to follow a score of a sort. This should import into Sibelius and Finale fine.

I like the chord progressions in this piece a lot! Very good work. Why don't you make a simpler, playable version of it? Having this many notes at this speed doesn't necessarily make it better than if it were simpler, I don't think. The musical substance of the piece will still be there even if you make it playable. haha Oh, another thing I was impressed with was how your bass line moves. Good work.

I think this would work better for piano, personally. I like it though, although it's kind of hard to follow the piece. I don't quite know how to explain this, but I find Brahms hard to follow...i guess it's kinda like you introduce too many things at once? Plus it doesn't really go to the places it could. This is not to say you have no development...but I feel the texture is the same throughout and you could use some more contrast.

I think this would work better for piano, personally. I like it though, although it's kind of hard to follow the piece. I don't quite know how to explain this, but I find Brahms hard to follow...i guess it's kinda like you introduce too many things at once? Plus it doesn't really go to the places it could. This is not to say you have no development...but I feel the texture is the same throughout and you could use some more contrast.

Hmm, well, it was originally written for piano, but it sounds much nicer, at least to me, on that instrument.

This isn't music that's meant to be followed, it's supposed to pull you with it. I don't know whether it's doing its job, but as I've said above, it's not finished yet and there's a few things to work out in this.

The texture is pretty much the same throughout, although in something like this that can't really be avoided. To use Brahms as an example, there are several pieces by him which have the same texture but hundreds of different motifs, and then it'll suddenly change and sound like a completely different piece that's based solely on one motif...

Neh.

haha, EXACTLY! See, but that's what I dislike about Brahms, and my main concern with this piece. If you continually write pieces like that, it will get you nowhere. Of course, since I've heard some of your better work, I know what you're capable of, and I know it's better than this. I always hold a composer in regards to his best piece of music. If Mozart were to write the requiem and a bunch of crappy other pieces...he'd still be an excellent composer.

Not a Brahms fan in general, then? He's one of my favourite composers.

...Wow.

Great piece you got there! I'm wowed by it. Very dramatic and beautiful. I thought the parts fit together pretty well...
It does sound phsyically impossible to play however hehe... I wrote a piece that I don't even want to try to play a little while ago...
Anyways, I thought it was a great piece. If there was any way for you to simplify it a little... (AKA Slow it down) I think it would make a great piece, if it didn't detract too much from the melody and stuff.
Do finish it though, dumbed down or no, it's a great piece!

Actually, it'd probably be possible to play if arranged for four hands, but that'd be a nightmare...

Interesting.
Maybe expand the contrasting section a bit.

^ someone agrees with me .


You know Illarane, I was looking back at the thread with your concerto, and it really is better than I depicted it as. I feel so terrible about what i said gosh I feel like an a$$-hole. Kind of insulted about what you said about me though...ANYWAY this isn't that thread, and I love the piece.