Keep track of new topics http://www.youngcomposers.com Mon, 21 May 2012 18:30:56 +0000 30 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32154/a-composition/
I'm trying to compose once again. Here is this very innocuous, exercise-like composition I made for the piano.



Audio here:  untitled.mp3   302.62K   3 downloads

What I would like to ask is this. How would you describe this composition? Does it make "sense" to you, in the purely musical sense? Could it be better, perhaps?

And lastly, what criticism or feedback could you give (e.g., the second to last bar has a figuration which sucks, etc.)? Anything will do, even mean comments.

(P.S.: Is this the right forum to post this in?)]]> Mon, 21 May 2012 18:30:56 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32154/a-composition/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32153/piano-composing-questions/
#1: How should I go about getting my piano song into a high quality mp3? As of now I record them using Garage Band on the mac in midi format with my keyboard, and they sound ok but the note editing and quantizing is very painful using Garage Band.. Also my keyboard only has 61 keys and a lot of my compositions use the higher and lower octaves.. So I have to manually go in and edit each note. There MUST be a better way!

#2: Even when I finally finish editing my song in Garage Band, the piano quality is not grand piano like some mp3's I've heard on youtube. I would love to be able to record them with amazing piano quality like this. Is there anyway to get amazing piano sound and still have the ability to edit a note or two in case you make a few mistakes in a 6 minute long composition?

#3: Is there some kind of awesome digital piano built for composers that lets you edit your songs on the fly (if you make any mistakes) and then save them into mp3 format?

#4: Is there any great website resource for piano composers like me looking to try and write and record some music? This is the only one / best I've found.

Appreciate any help!]]> Fri, 18 May 2012 19:43:14 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32153/piano-composing-questions/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32151/notation-software-multivoice-unisons-on-single-staves-fl-i-and-ii-etc/
what about a2/3/4, where you have one line in a stave meant for several instruments in unison....same thing? Will the technique text 'a2' make this change in volume.? will 'solo' make the line back to normal? I know that 2 instruments together are not much louder, and in fact grayer since the harmonics are muddied, but once you get to 3 or 4 of the same woodwind then they start to get the 'ensemble' sound going.....so what's the best way to notate this to get realistic playback in sibelius or at least for exporting into a DAW like cubase and using samples?]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 23:16:10 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32151/notation-software-multivoice-unisons-on-single-staves-fl-i-and-ii-etc/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32149/horn-flugelhorn/ Tue, 15 May 2012 12:51:41 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32149/horn-flugelhorn/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32148/join-the-first-ever-social-networking-site-for-music-artists-and-music-lovers/
Join the first ever social Networking site for Music Artists, Music Lovers at Online Music

Songdew.com is a unique platform for artists to collaborate with other artists, create, share, promote, distribute and monetize their music also Stream and Listen to Music Online for Free..]]> Tue, 15 May 2012 07:23:06 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32148/join-the-first-ever-social-networking-site-for-music-artists-and-music-lovers/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32147/help-how-do-i-become-a-film-composer/
This has been a long time in the woodwork, but recently I discovered that out of everything (and there were a lot of possibilities), I really want to become a film composer. I was wondering if anyone has any tips/advice on how to go about it. I'm in a pretty small country (New Zealand), and I'm not so sure how helpful a three-year course would be in really equipping me for this (time, money, and where I am in the world - we travel a lot - are also considerations), and whether I'd actually get a job at the end of it. So I would really appreciate your insights and experience on this.

So fire away!

Cheers, and thank you very much in advance!

KahliaSkye]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 03:31:34 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32147/help-how-do-i-become-a-film-composer/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32146/finale-2011-adding-vocal-parts-to-instrument-parts/ Sun, 13 May 2012 03:55:47 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32146/finale-2011-adding-vocal-parts-to-instrument-parts/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32145/going-to-be-teaching-a-music-theory-class-need-help/ Fri, 11 May 2012 13:35:25 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32145/going-to-be-teaching-a-music-theory-class-need-help/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32144/alba-no-1-for-wind-quartet-world-premiere/
Unless mine is premiered last, I'll still scold everyone but instead I'll say you just don't deserve to hear anything else by me and angrily storm out.

http://www.youngcomposers.com/music/1587/alba-no-1/

This will be premiered at the New Works Recital, May 30th during the Alba Music Festival.

http://www.albamusicfestival.com/welcome_eng.lasso

I have been promised a recording, which I will begrudgingly share with you when I get back.]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 05:03:00 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32144/alba-no-1-for-wind-quartet-world-premiere/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32143/college-interview-tips-anyone/ Tip away. Thu, 10 May 2012 20:47:58 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32143/college-interview-tips-anyone/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32141/whats-the-difference-between-view-and-download-in-uploaded-pieces/ Thu, 10 May 2012 10:52:50 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32141/whats-the-difference-between-view-and-download-in-uploaded-pieces/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32140/waltz/ what should I need to know about waltzes before I start writing one? Is there a specific form to it? anything about the key or something that specific? Wed, 09 May 2012 19:50:23 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32140/waltz/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32138/flugelhorn-or-muted-trumpet-which-is-best/
And if I DO go with the Flug, should I delegate it to my second Trumpeter or my first? (Delegating it to the second would preserve the standard ranges, but it would leave my first chair silent for seriously long stretches - even for jazz.)]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 20:47:31 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32138/flugelhorn-or-muted-trumpet-which-is-best/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32137/website-take-a-look-and-please-comment/
Here is the link:

www.jan-kuhr.com


Look forward to your thoughts.


JAN KUHR]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 16:22:23 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32137/website-take-a-look-and-please-comment/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32136/composer-performer-collaboration-thread/
a) Any performer who wishes for a specific piece to be written for their instrument to describe the piece they are asking for so that the many composers in here may choose to take up the challenge and compose the piece they are looking for.

b) Any composer who is looking for a performer for a certain piece to provide the link to their composition and get in contact with performers of the instruments it calls for to arrange for possible performance.

I hope that in this way the right composer and the right performer can be helped to find each other and join together for a fruitful collaboration and perfect partnership. I believe a special thread made for this purpose (such as the present one) can immensely aid in the creation of such collaboration between composer and performer so that both can achieve their aims - the composer getting the pieces he/she composes performed and the performer getting the pieces they wish for composed.

The composer and the performer both need each other and cannot fully achieve their aims alone. So collaboration between them for the fullest realization and furtherance of both of their aims is of paramount importance. They need to communicate so that each can learn what the other expects from them and take it into consideration as they go about achieving their respective aims. These respective aims of theirs need not diverge from each other or be mutually exclusive. It is exactly this that such a collaboration between the two will help them realize in the long run.

I got this idea after I mentioned in another thread how we composers were at the mercy of performers and an oboe performer here offered to play and record it if I wrote a good piece for oboe. Thus was created the opportunity for collaboration between a composer and a performer. I composed the piece and he liked it. And now I am hoping to hear his performance of it. And so, encouraged by that positive experience, I hope that it can be made possible for many others via this thread inviting very such collaboration between composers and performers.]]> Tue, 08 May 2012 12:02:24 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32136/composer-performer-collaboration-thread/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32133/the-most-realistic-sounding/ Which sounds most realistic - almost indistinguishable from a real orchestra? Is it East West, Miroslav? Or Reason, Kontakt? Which do you think it is? Mon, 07 May 2012 06:54:14 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32133/the-most-realistic-sounding/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32132/my-harp-instrumentation-write-up/


fingers intervals possible

t-i seconds, thirds, fourths
t-m fifths and sixths
t-r sevenths to tenths

fingers.........intervals possible
t-i.................seconds, thirds, fourths
t-m...............fifths and sixths
t-r................sevenths to tenths

you can't expect them to use their pinky, so yea 4 notes per hand. if you're doing mutes or harmonics be sure you know if it's possible to play them at that tempo, the best way is to ask a harpist virtuoso, otherwise you'll have to use your common sense/practical judgement to the best of your ability.

keep in mind that you get a better sounding timbre in flat keys because the strings are at their longest in the flat pedal setting. you can work around this with enharmonic spellings in sharp keys but that's headache for all involved imo. you can tune enharmonically for a stronger sonority, especially useful in the higher registers to get the loudness back. you can tune 1-2 pedals at a time on either side, the pedals on the right-foot side are:
DCB
on the left foot side:
EFGA

(Did Columbus Bring Enough Food when Going to America?)

so you could adjust DC with your right foot, as well as EF with your left, all simultaneously. Don't expect to do this with say, DB or EG or EA or FA for instance, only when you are tuning one side at a time are such pedal changes possible because it requires both feet. the rule of thumb for proficient harpists is to allow 6 seconds to change ALL the pedals one by one, so about a half a second per pedal. gauge that with the tempo of whatever you're composing.

unless it's a highly chromatic passage, the only pedal indication you need are at the very beginning, and if you're just using a standard key signature (G minor or A major rather than G harmonic minor or A double harmonic major for instance) you usually don't even have to do that. harpists spend a lot of time going through writing out their own personal pedalings in their part scores, just like organists will write out their own personal manual indicators.

for harmonics, as long as the entire compass is a fifth or less, the left hand can do up to 3 at a time, the right can only ever do one because the harp rests on the harpists right shoulder so they have to use the right hand a bit differently. that assumes that we're talking about a left handed player.




Well that about does it. Would be great to turn this into a collective, perhaps I could add tips from others to this OP as we get them. One thing I'd like is to have intervals possible between each finger for each hand, rather than just in relation to the thumb.]]> Sun, 06 May 2012 16:29:47 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32132/my-harp-instrumentation-write-up/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32130/orchestration-doubling-etc/ Sun, 06 May 2012 12:06:14 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32130/orchestration-doubling-etc/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32129/whats-a-soft-synth/
Confused.]]> Sun, 06 May 2012 03:44:06 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32129/whats-a-soft-synth/ http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32127/guitar-and-theory/
Having trouble.

What basics do I need to know to create my own songs?

The reason I want to do theory is I want to do a good job. Yet the language is very difficult to understand.

So far I am sorta thinking scales are used as the basis for songs.

How?

How would a song based on The Whole Tone Scale sound different then say one on the blues scale?

Is the key of the scale the 1st note a piece begins and ends with?]]> Sat, 05 May 2012 02:58:14 +0000 http://www.youngcomposers.com/t32127/guitar-and-theory/