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Hello every one hope you are doing well. i am working on a composition which are inspired i supposed cinematic soundtracks, late romantism and anime. How well do i have control over the drama? Does the piece collapse under it self at some point? (cohesiveness) What about phrasing or melody? is it clear? Personal critique: it seems to change drama in the second half of the piece which may or may not be for the better. The tempo may be too fast? The climax is very sudden(second half of the piece) There may need a better transition. If the mood changes in the second half it should at least have the same drama. Anyway. Looking forward for your critique and comments ! 🙂 Thanks in advance.

I've now moved on to Chapter 4 of Persichetti's "20th Century Harmony" which is about quartal chords. The prompt for this one was "10. Extend the following string-quartet opening. Feature pentatonic melodic and quartal harmonic writing." Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations!

Yeah, like the two places you quoted, b.41 can be modulated to G major with the constant Mixolydian C natural throughout the piece, and D minor in b.126!

I don’t have an aversion to modulations I just don’t have much experience with them. Were there any parts you thought could use it specifically? I was thinking maybe around 1:00 and 2:45 (measures 41 and 126)

Hi @MK_Piano! I think the choice of E minor is really fits for this betrayal/fighting theme. Your music here makes me think of the film music of Kieślowski’s Dobles Lives of Veroniques, the score written by Zbgniew Preisner: Thx for sharing! Henry

Hi @Musi Make, I am curious on how the arpeggiated improv piano parts are generated! To me they sound a bit not in the same pulse together, but the music is quite relaxing to me. Thx for sharing. Henry

It sounds really fluid given a dominant seventh’s function is to push the resolving process and continuous dom 7th chords really is like keeping the tension at the very end. I have a thought is that, the theme would be really fit for imitations between the four instruments, one minim apart! But that may defeat the purpose to keep dom 7th chords only haha.

For instrumentation I think it’s already good, maybe I will add a contrabassoon to strengthen the lower octave. Motivically maybe I will add the descending chromatic motive instead of just Ab octave. Henry

if anyone actually knows about mixing and has any advice let me know

You must have some delay effect on your piano sounds. Cool idea, and the 5/8 rhythm does a good job breaking things up. I feel that it helps conclude the musical phrase pretty well. As far the the harmony goes, its definitely unique. Like always, nice usage of dynamics and rit. towards your conclusion. These types of details help add to the musicality.

I have yet another short piano composition for you prompted by an exercise from Persichetti's "20th Century Harmony". The prompt was "16. Expand this piano passage of eleventh and thirteenth chords preserving the general character." I added lots of dynamics and tempo fluctuations to simulate rubato and bring expression to the music. Let me know how I did! Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any of your comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations.

Hey for an exercise its enjoyable. It's fun to listen to, and I think this is a great way to learn different types of harmony. You stayed true to the motif, which makes it easier to follow.

I've written yet another piece prompted by an exercise from Persichetti's "20th Century Harmony"! This one is for 2 Clarinets and 2 Bassoons. The prompt is: "Extend the following passage for two clarinets and two bassoons." I tried to make an actual piece of music out of it instead of just a harmonic exercise, but let me know what you think! Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, critiques or just observations!

Thanks very much for your review Archie! The tab score is mainly for my benefit, so I can see what hand shapes are needed to play the chords I've written. Some of them look very awkward: so I'm sure these chords will have to be thinned down. I did wonder whether the strumming hand can sometimes assist the fretting hand. E.g. When you need to depress several frets near the top of the neck, and also one much lower down, close to the strumming area. I wonder whether the thumb of the strumming hand can be used to depress the low fret? Anyway I've manually edited the tab score now, so it's looking a bit more sensible (see below) Another thing I'm not clear about, is what happens when you release the frets while a chord is still ringing? Does this produce an unpleasant pitch change effect as the strings slacken? In my piece this fret release would be required, where I have chords in rapid succession. Anyway, thanks again, Alex

That is very cute! Have to admit I don't know the instrument. I have heard of the pipa, mainly because it comes free with GarageBand!

A fun exercise, and very expressive! I think you should take this idea and turn it into something. Love how you ended it!

Title: Porcelain Dreams (Verse 1) Underneath the floorboards, secrets softly creep, Painted little faces whisper while you sleep. Dolls with broken lashes, glassy haunted eyes, Smile wide and watch you, waiting for sunrise. (Pre-Chorus) Tiptoe down the hallway, shadows start to bend, Porcelain hearts are fragile, easy to pretend. Cracks beneath the surface, stories left untold, Nightmares dressed in lace, and hands that feel too cold. (Chorus) Porcelain dreams, spinning in the dark, Pretty on the outside, hiding all the marks. Sing me lullabies that sound like screams, I’m waking up inside my porcelain dreams. (Verse 2) Whispering in riddles, ribbons in their hair, Tiny velvet secrets floating in the air. Hollow giggles echo, footsteps on the rug, Dancing round in circles, waiting for a hug. (Pre-Chorus) Tiptoe down the hallway, shadows start to bend, Porcelain hearts are fragile, easy to pretend. Cracks beneath the surface, stories left untold, Nightmares dressed in lace, and hands that feel too cold. (Chorus) Porcelain dreams, spinning in the dark, Pretty on the outside, hiding all the marks. Sing me lullabies that sound like screams, I’m waking up inside my porcelain dreams. (Bridge) Pull the strings, I’ll play along, Broken but I don’t belong. Wrap me up in feathery lies, Watch me shatter when I rise. (Chorus) Porcelain dreams, spinning in the dark, Pretty on the outside, hiding all the marks. Sing me lullabies that sound like screams, I’m waking up inside my porcelain dreams. (Outro) So close my eyes and count to three, Will you wake or break me free? Porcelain dreams, I hear your call— One more night behind the dollhouse wall.

Title: Rebel in Disguise (Verse 1) They see your quiet smile, your calm and easy style, But underneath, there’s thunder rolling all the while. You walk the line in daylight, but at night you come alive— A secret spark of trouble in the way you thrive. (Pre-Chorus) You play it cool, you wear the mask, But your restless heart is built for breaking glass. You’re not the kind to follow every rule, You’re the wild card, bending what’s true. (Chorus) You’re a rebel in disguise, they never see you coming, Hiding flames behind those eyes, your heartbeat’s always drumming. You fool them with your gentle ways, but I can see the signs— Underneath it all, you’re a rebel in disguise. (Verse 2) You chase the thrill in silence, with laughter in your veins, You make your own adventure, you love to break the chains. There’s more to you than meets the eye, a story to be told— You’re fire wrapped in velvet, a spirit uncontrolled. (Pre-Chorus) You play it cool, you wear the mask, But your restless heart is built for breaking glass. You’re not the kind to follow every rule, You’re the wild card, bending what’s true. (Chorus) You’re a rebel in disguise, they never see you coming, Hiding flames behind those eyes, your heartbeat’s always drumming. You fool them with your gentle ways, but I can see the signs— Underneath it all, you’re a rebel in disguise. (Bridge) So own your fire, let it shine, Let the world know you’re one of a kind. No more hiding, let your colors rise— You’re the storm behind the blue skies. (Chorus) You’re a rebel in disguise, they never see you coming, Hiding flames behind those eyes, your heartbeat’s always drumming. You fool them with your gentle ways, but I can see the signs— Underneath it all, you’re a rebel in disguise. (Outro) Yeah, you’re a rebel in disguise— Breaking free before their eyes.

Title: Good Boys Aren’t for Me (Verse 1) Polite smiles, tucked-in shirts, All the right words, but it never works. I tried the safe route, I tried to believe, But my wild heart just wants to break free. (Pre-Chorus) Give me tattoos, give me trouble in his eyes, Lean in close, I can feel the butterflies. The good boys call, but I let it ring, 'Cause I need more fire, I need more sting. (Chorus) Good boys aren’t for me, I want a rebel, a little risky. Give me the thrill, give me the heat, Someone who owns the darkened streets. Good boys aren’t for me, I crave the edge, the mystery. I want a bad boy, want a gangster man, Who gets my heart like no good boy can. (Verse 2) Buttoned up boys with their polished shoes, I can’t keep up with the life I've chosen. I’m drawn to danger, to the wolves who run, To the boys with a past and a loaded gun. (Pre-Chorus) Give me tattoos, give me trouble in his eyes, Lean in close, I can feel the butterflies. The good boys wait, but I just can’t stay, 'Cause I need a lover who can sweep me away. (Chorus) Good boys aren’t for me, I want a rebel, a little risky. Give me the thrill, give me the heat, Someone who owns the darkened streets. Good boys aren’t for me, I crave the edge, the mystery. I want a bad boy, want a gangster man, Who gets my heart like no good boy can. (Bridge) Call me crazy, call me wild, But I love the danger, love the style. He’s the king of the night, I’m his willing thief, With a kiss that tastes like disbelief. (Chorus) Good boys aren’t for me, I want a rebel, a little risky. Give me the thrill, give me the heat, Someone who owns the darkened streets. Good boys aren’t for me, I crave the edge, the mystery. I want a bad boy, want a gangster man, Who gets my heart like no good boy can. (Outro) So let the good boys wave as I walk by, I’ll take my trouble with a glint in his eye. Good boys aren’t for me, now I see, Give me a bad boy, set me free.

My quest to become a composer continues with multiple arpeggiated improv-piano parts. Welcome:

Thank you for organizing this event. It has been wonderful to listen to such a variety of proposals.

I wasn't wanting to modulate there...I was thinking of staying in the B M/G#m area

It sounds very good, very musical and coherent.

Thank you! On the ending, if I may ask for advice, do you think the instrumentation would work, or are there some that could work better?

Thank you for your kind words. I agree about the development comment, I definitely think it would benefit from a longer continuation, but I need to start planning ahead for developments like that to make sense for me. And yeah I'll change the key, I wrote the melody starting on a C, and then immediately changed plans lol.