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Hi Alex I’m here after having listened to Part 3 first. Sorry, I missed it, but anyway, it was well worth coming to listen. Congratulations on this piece. It’s beautiful. The delicacy with which you’ve handled this is tremendous. The work with the woodwinds in general, and especially in the first movement, is spectacular. I find it all very well balanced. I love the detailed score as well. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the other parts of this work you’re working on. I also really enjoy exploring and discovering these somewhat forgotten composers. Best regards.

Hi Luis, Many thanks for your lightning fast review! It would indeed be difficult for the vibraphonist to get round those big chords; but I think they are just about playable. A good vibraphonist can do incredible things with just four mallets! I did consider putting those passages in celesta, where the spread chords could more easily be accomplished. As it happens, Benjamin Britten was a student of Frank Bridge. (In fact he was Bridge's only composition student.) After Bridge died in 1941, he was largely forgotten about; until Britten led a revival of his music back in the 1960s or 70s. He seems to have been forgotten again now; though he does have a prolific canon of works. His piano pieces seem to be particularly well suited for orchestration, and they always come out sounding really nice. I posted the first movement of this suite here the other day, and am planning to orchestrate movements 2 and 4 next. Best, Alex

Hi everyone! :) This is my newest compostion, Open Horizons (in the sea...) The arrangment and performance is done with musescore 4 and musesounds pro. As i am still taking lessongs in music harmony, i do the orchestration by ear and intuition. I would like to hear reviews , opinions and orchestration remarks for the music piece. open horizons in the sea...a ship set sails under the morning sun and a new journey begins! Open Horizons (In the Sea).mp3 Open Horizons (In the Sea).pdf

Hi Alex, First of all, I’d like to say that I wasn’t familiar with this piece. Nor, I must confess, with this composer, although his name rang a bell. So I went on YouTube to listen to it and look at the score, and I absolutely loved it. This third movement in particular is so delicate… And it’s one of the trickiest parts to orchestrate. I really liked your orchestral arrangement and, to be honest, I’m not going to comment on anything in particular as I’m not in a position to assess it in such depth. I like the way the woodwinds unfold in bars 24, 25… the oboe mingling with the flutes, and so on… I just have one thing I’d like to learn. When the vibraphone comes in – which is a lovely element – how does it produce such big chords? I imagine it’s two mallets per hand… Best regards.

Hello I wasn’t familiar with this aria, so I’m not sure. But it’s very pleasant, and the counterpoint and fugue sound brilliant. What’s more, it’s in a tempo that I really like. When very ornate counterpoint is played at a very fast tempo, my brain can’t quite process it – haha, that’s just me.

Hello It’s a piece packed with ideas, and the interweaving of the string parts is well crafted. I’m not sure what your level of experience is, although you mention that you want to improve your harmonic structure… I mention this because the piano part reveals a certain lack of experience in handling the instrument’s idiom. One point in particular: when you’re accompanying with block chords, it isn’t necessary to ‘fill’ the entire range. And especially in the lower register – the left hand from F on the fourth line downwards, more or less – avoid stacking thirds, as it all sounds very muddled. In the lower register, you need to open up the intervals, to at least a fifth. This is very evident from bar 23 onwards, with the ‘presto giocoso’. Writing for solo instruments in ensembles such as quartets, etc., is very difficult because, on the one hand, you have to maintain the independence of each instrument and keep the listener engaged with what it is doing, whilst, on the other hand, ensuring that the combination results in proper counterpoint and derived harmony. I believe that to begin developing a grasp of harmony (more or less exclusively), it is best to write for a polyphonic instrument (piano) or for piano and a solo instrument.

Greetings once more. I've just completed another movement of "The Fairy Tale" by Frank Bridge. This may be my favourite piece so far that I've orchestrated! Have included a proper engraving this time, minus the front matter. Any tips on layout very welcome. (N.B. I forgot to replace the multi-p dynamic markings at the end with circle tipped hairpins.) The original piano piece had some weird bitonality at Bar 15, which didn't work in an orchestral arrangement. So I had to rewrite that bar, and change some of the pitches. Also added a bit of extra counterpoint in Bar 25. Bridge - A Fairy Tale 3. The Spell (orchestration) #16.mp3 Bridge - A Fairy Tale 3. The Spell (orchestration) #19.pdf

I haven't even begun to think about conducting lol. I haven't written anything bigger than a quintet in a long time, so the need for a conductor just hasn't been there. In the case of the piece I'm working on, I think the best thing to do would be to conduct it as 5/4 with uneven note lengths, similar to how I've seen 7/8 conducted, although I'm sure that would be a pain for whoever actually has to do the job. That's certainly something for me to think about if I decide to expand this beyond what it is. I will be making the suggested edits later today. My main issue with it when I was sketching the idea in the first place was handling long tones (which, it starts out that way), but you addressed that. Thank you!

Thanks for explaining. I suggest you keep it simple for the time being. Focus on smaller scale and short pieces with two part harmony only. Perhaps a waltz or minuet which provide a clear and simple structure to adhere to. Listen extensively to music you like to build up a creative vocabulary. Learn the art of voice leading: that is, rather than viewing harmony as static, consider the linear relationship between the notes that you write. Transitions should be smooth and each part independent where possible. Share those small pieces on this forum for targeted feedback. The added advantage of smaller scale works for intensive feedback is that the reviewer is not overwhelmed by the amount of material to analyze. I welcome you to tag me in such future posts and i will try to offer some in depth feedback.

This audio is from MuseScore. I have finalised this piano quartet. I want to convey the feeling of flying and dancing in the clouds. It is like the music you would hear while on a carousel. Now, as I am new to composing and still exploring, I find it difficult to develop my own style. I enjoy romantic pieces, but I can't figure out my own style. The second difficulty I have is having clear harmony- the right chords. Where should I start in music theory? I have the basics of theory, like intervals and keys. Thanks. Mouvement de l'air.mp3 Mouvement de l'air_Score.pdf

Just the cause you have “quite bad” skills in counterpoint does shouldn’t discourage you from sharing the score. We are all learning here, no matter where we are on our journey. Importantly, we learn from each other through the feedback and suggestions we offer and receive.

Apologies for being blunt, although the sound sets are not at all pleasant. You should try MuseScore, perhaps? It’s free, do you know? The music itself sounds quite erratic. I suggest that, in order to receive constructive feedback, explain: What you intended to convey in this quartet (stylistically & narratively) What are the current limitations you feel? Otherwise you leave it to the reviewer to work it all out, in addition to dissecting your approach to music composition.

Thanks for the comments! Yes, it’s largely homophonic as I kept it simple for my workflow and to get it submitted for YCF. However, after being reached out to by a composer based in North Dakota, he wanted to work together on this piece of music. He’s a composer with over 30 years of experience and during our call, he gave me a lot of practical advice for this work and what would happen if it were played live. Thus, I’m currently undergoing revisions for this work to address the ensemble aspect and to remove the dependencies between the piano and strings.

If I had a nickel for every time I’ve been called Mark on YCF, I’d have two nickels, which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it happened more than once.

Hi @GMoneywroteasong ! I think you should just keep the meter displayed as 13/8 but change how the 8th notes are beamed/grouped in your piece accordingly in each bar. I think this also allows you to have different instruments group the 8ths notes differently specific to what they are doing. I once wrote a piece that was in 5/4 but with many instruments playing in two groups of 5/8, each half of the bar being grouped again differently depending on the specific situation as 2+3/8 or as 3+2/8. The only problem I see is that of such a piece being conducted. In my case, the conductor would still conduct the piece in 5/4 as that was the displayed time signature. But the individual instruments would be encouraged to count the piece in 5/8 if their part was displayed that particular way. In your case you could display your rhythms like so: The notes are clearly grouped, and even if not using 8th notes can still be grouped according to the beat lengths you described, regardless of what kind of particular rhythm they might be playing. Hope this helps!

Thanks everybody for the reviews and comments! Yes, I played it by myself. It was the same day I finished composing it, so I didn’t have much time to practice! Thanks! While composing I didn’t actually think of the chord structures I was using, or any styles and influences. I basically just wrote what sounded right to me, polishing for coherence. I agree—I just felt I had to start with something small that I knew would be achievable. Also, I don’t think the piece has much potential for expansion unless it’s really restructured. Thanks for the compliment! It means a lot to me, because I always feel my technique is lacking. I think what I’m learning is that ideas seldom come perfectly polished—it’s the diligent work afterwards that matters. If you analyze what you’re doing too early, it blocks the creative flow.

Aw! well, your feedback regarding any other aspects of my work is just as valuable as feedback regarding Brass as a whole. I am always open to any/all perspectives of what I submit here for review, and have always made honest attempts to consider the responses I receive while writing / editing my scores. I am not a professional composer, by any means, and I don't consider my work to be of top-notch quality, however, I am always looking to improve, so any feedback that you are able to give is much appreciated and valued! I am also glad that you were able to enjoy my work, as, after-all, that is the point, isn't it? To respond to the Major/Minor comments, No, I didn't choose to utilize the minor sonority very much in this score, since, as I explain in the description of the score above, It's meant to have a sense of reverence and patriotism, so I tended to focus more on creating that atmosphere, which tends to lean more towards the Major Sonority, rather than the minor one. Although, I made attempts to utilize the minor sonority in select areas where it might be the most impactful.

His name is Mason! 🤣

I listened twice, and you managed to put a smile on my face. You evidently know your stuff for it is very well crafted. I have no constructive feedback with regards to your writing. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next upload. ;)

Good evening! I listened to the whole piece. I love it! Unfortunately I am not really in a position to offer any constructive feedback about the brass writing, for I am least experienced with brass. In addition, the transpositions make it difficult to judge the voice leading at face value. More broadly, however, your use of the major and minor modes does come to mind. Pardon me if I am mistaken in my impression that you don't really utilize the minor mode much; nor do you appear to explore different tonalities, remaining very much in the same key signature (with exception to changes at certain new sections). Whether that is a weakness, though, I am not sure; as I was still very much engaged with the work. I will be sure to follow your profile to keep an eye on your new posts ;)

Anytime! To an extent you're right about the baroque idiom creeping through in my example. But do recognize that the classical idiom is based on the same principles. You cannot really escape the 'rules' when applying traditional approaches to harmony. In addition, I did not intend to influence the direction of your work, but illustrate how one might otherwise approach the initial compositional process. Credit to you, though, for approaching composition in a free spirited way. I do understand your reasons. But don't feel intimidated by the 'rules'; they are only there to guide best practice. If you need help with anything please feel free to message me.

@Markus Boyd Hey! I really appreciate your time and effort, especially since you took the time to actually rewrite parts of the piece. That's really valuable to see! I just wanted to clarify that my main focus with this sonatina is Classical motivic integrity and structure. I feel like some of your suggestions approach the piece from a stricter Baroque counterpoint perspective, whereas I'm aiming for a somewhat different stylistic direction. That said, I really appreciate seeing how you reworked the material, and I'll definitely think about some of the things you pointed out. It's just that I don't think I'd want to take the piece entirely in that contrapuntal direction. I actually used to be very obsessed with counterpoint, but I found that it made me way more burned out from writing music. So nowadays I try to use it as a tool but break a lot of its rules when I want the motivic integrity to be the more important role. Thanks again for taking the time to review it!

Thank you for your very inclusive feedback. I am definitely going to take into consideration everything that you've added here. I've uploaded my most recent progress/changes to the score. (I hadn't seen your comment prior to that, so some issues you mentioned are likely still present. However, moving forward with editing, I will most definitely be utilizing some of the changes that you suggest!)

Thank you! Like i've said i'm not a theoryst or anything similar to a composer. What I do is from hearing a lot of music. The choise of the First inversion is to mantain a non perfect start. The other chords seems also not to finish themself. I don't know if you understand. But the objective was to make the start like an "ambient" music. The melody itself is quite hidden in is length (there all semiquaver or longer note). This is also the first time i try to compose in a sonata form (probably i've missed something), but the real piece is in the development, with primary and secondary melody going togheter. Also the recapitulation is more "classic" with more voicing also for introducing the third movement (which i havent started to compose) Hope i satisfaied your question :)

It is very beautiful, Filippo! It sounds a little like Max Richter. I hope you don't mind me having a play around with your ideas? Im curious, is there a reason why you invert the tonic chord in the beginning (A in the bass, rather than F)? Im genuinely curious... I am not skilled in this style of music.