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I've been quite obsessed with Aarre Merikanto's 6 Piano Pieces lately! I first came across this set a few years ago and quite liked it, but it somehow stayed at the back of my mind until recently. Back then, I was more familiar with his father, Oskar Merikanto, whose works naturally appealed to me given my longstanding affinity for Romantic music. For most of my musical journey, I've gravitated towards Late Romantic composers like Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Sibelius and Rachmaninoff, while also developing a fondness for Chopin and Liszt along the way. Over the past few years, I've gradually ventured further into Impressionist and Modern music, making Aarre Merikanto's works increasingly appealing to me. What's particularly fascinating is his stylistic evolution: from Late Romanticism to radical Modernist and Expressionist experimentation in the 1920s, before eventually returning to a more traditional Finnish national-Romantic style. Composed in 1919, his 6 Piano Pieces, Op. 20, sit at an interesting point in this journey, preceding his more radical Modernist period while already displaying distinctly Impressionistic characteristics. I find his transformation particularly fascinating and would love to explore it in greater detail in another post! I'm finding his musical language and the diversity of his works increasingly fascinating. Would love to hear what you all think of this set! I'm currently learning Nos. 1 and 2, and looking forward to exploring the rest as well.

Wow, I can't do that at least as of now, unless very slowly, likely very much away from the intended tempo, or that it is a really really slow piece

Many thanks, @PeterthePapercomPoser Two years ago, I (almost) discovered I had Final Cut pro that was coming along with Logic Pro when I bought it with my computer. So I thought it was the occasion trying to put together some music video. They require a lot of work, though, but I had great fun doing it. For my electronic music, I don't usually notate everything, but I still like to work on paper to scribble notes and thoughts. I found nice to show them in the video 😅

How did you do that?? (Asking for a friend)

This is my first post, but I came to this forum cuz I was desperate to hear criticism that I can use to hone my craft with (like for example, my mixing needs work and I can't tell if I made the song too muddy or not), This song uses a melody I created when I started making music mid 2024 I used the term 'video game music' because I plan on using this in a passion project video game I've been developing Thank you for listening! ancaibe.mp3

I just created a YouTube short out of this one!

Welcome to the forum @DarwinNE ! I left you a thumbs up, subscribed and also a comment on YouTube! I'm impressed by how differentiated the video is! Including your own music notation of the composition as well as yourself playing it and also natural landscapes was just great to see and hear! I would have loved to see some images of Jupiter's moons thrown in as well! Thanks for sharing and welcome once again!

Hello, everyone! My name is Thiago Ribeiro, and I am an amateur arranger. I would like to share two musical arrangements that I have prepared with great care and am making available for free, hoping they will be performed by orchestras, big bands, and other musical ensembles. These arrangements have a special feature: they are written in a hybrid format, meaning they can be performed by either a Big Band or a full orchestra, making them suitable for different ensemble configurations. 🎼 The two free arrangements are: 1. Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho — Swing A lively and energetic interpretation of this traditional spiritual, featuring the groove and vibrant character of swing. The arrangement is designed to bring out the musical possibilities of both a big band and a full orchestra. 2. Amazing Grace — Samba Jazz A fresh perspective on this beautiful and beloved hymn. In this arrangement, the familiar melody takes on a samba jazz character, combining Brazilian musical influences, sophistication, and a distinctive personality. 🎧 Would you like to hear the arrangements? The YouTube links below will take you to demonstration recordings of both arrangements. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWXDRKqV_xo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5J9hkc6to8Y 📥 Download links for the full scores and individual parts are available in the description of each YouTube video. My goal in sharing this material is simply to contribute, even in a small way, to the musical community and give these arrangements the opportunity to come to life through the performances of musicians and orchestras. If your orchestra, big band, conductor, or musical ensemble is interested in performing either arrangement, I would be absolutely delighted! I have just one small request: if possible, whenever you perform one of these arrangements, please tag me or mention my name in your posts. It would mean a lot to me to be able to see and enjoy your performances! I sincerely hope you enjoy these arrangements and that they find their way to many musicians, rehearsal rooms, concert halls, and stages around the world. Music becomes even more beautiful when it is shared! Best wishes, Thiago Ribeiro

Hi to all, I recently recorded an electronic music piece at a slow tempo (45 bpm). It is called Jupiter's Moons and I also made a video for it: The main instruments are a Crumar Bit 99 synthesizer, an Arturia Drumbrute Imact, an Arturia Microfreak and the main theme is played on a Stylophone. I hope you'll enjoy it!

Hi all, I finished my new work that had no title ... It took a while to find a suitable name. But here it is. The Doors Opens As it states .... please walk through. Mark As always open to improvements or inquires. The Door Opens 11-13-26.mp3 The Door Opens 11-13-26.pdf

Hi @Lithl and many thanks for your very nice comment! I like that melody, too, I'm glad it was appreciated. I did not know Parallax Audio's Virtual Sound Stage, thank you very much for the hint! Varenna Suite is a piece that dates back from 2023, in the meanwhile, I improved my setup using much better headphones (Audio Technica ATH-M50x). At least from what I can judge, I am getting slightly more balanced results in the final mix 😊 I have to say I quite like BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover. It lacks certain things and this is normal being a free instrument. I would appreciate more extrovert brasses in the forte/fortissimo range, for instance. I am going to post some of my electronic music with pleasure. I acquired a vintage synth a few months ago and I am still rather enthusiast about it 😎

If you are comfortable with the low register in the basses, go for it 👍 I saw a few parallel fifths, but I don't think it is a big problem, at least in this style of music. Once again, lovely piece!

Hello everyone, This is a piece I finished in April. I'm looking for general feedback on the overall structure, the melody, and the harmonic progression and of course the notation. Thank you in advance for listening and looking over the score! Best wishes, Laurent Sad-song-MIX-3.mp3 Sad song final.pdf

"A composition of very simple construction, entirely based on modulation. In a sense, it also borders on minimalism, as there is only one main theme."

wonderful feedback! I appreciate the fact you've listened to it multiple times. Thank you for the corrections, I'm going to fix the stems on 51 (and the same thing in the altos in the beginning). I have accepted the parallel octaves, wait until you find all the 5ths in the innervoices. I do agree that the tenor 2s are a little low at times, but I'm not sure if I could do much to fix that at this point. I wrote this with a specific 40 person choir in mind https://open.spotify.com/track/63UKqUzlYZmKgsIu8UEw0F?si=7c7f696d83dd4501. I understand the range of sopranos is a little crazy, but I don't intend all the sopranos to sing every note. Especially on their low notes, I kept the sopranos in on measure 14, I felt as though the sopranos should know that the [e] on pickup to 15 is not an entrance, but the continuation of the phrase. I don't even care if the sopranos sing the low notes, but I do care that they not "come in". I'm not sure how else I could make this clarification without it becoming an unnecessary burden to the eyes. For the low bass low notes, that is my voice part so I felt comfortable with what I wrote. I do sort of wonder if m. 6 will work out how it sounds right now, since it is not a very harmonically anchored chord. I can see how the 3 way split could be overkill, I think that last chord could be a little more balanced, especially with the tenors and sopranos being tutti while the basses and altos are divsi.

Hello and nice to meet you, Mr. DarwinNE! I'm glad you are here. I wanted to comment on this piece of yours, but I have had something to do so far. My first impression is that the melody starting around 1:25 is so beautiful. Catchy, heartfelt music and I felt what you want to express, your musical vibe. Some mixing points caught my attention - about clarity: I think you've already gotten familiar with it, you know, like Parallax Audio's Virtual Sound Stage — you might be able to adjust it in more detail. However, overall, it sounds great so, no problem. I'm looking forward to you dropping what you wrote recently. Also, looking at your profile and notes, you make electronic stuff, right? Please post it too - in this forum, electronic stuff is usually quiet, haha. Thank you for coming here - let's enjoy YC together :) Best, Lithl.

I listened a few times to this piece and I like it. I for instance really appreciate the planing harmonies constructed by the voices. I love the structure of the piece with the charming central section. If you are planning to have it sung by a real choir, I have a few doubts about the choice of vocal ranges. You are asking your sopranos to reach a low A in bar 14 and to reach a high B in bars 45-46, that is an extension over two octaves. While there are certainly sopranos comfortable with a high B natural, they may not be very happy (or expressive) while singing in the very low register two octaves lower, even if doubled by the altos. The tenors, even when divided, often sing in a medium register, more fit to baritones (especially T2). Especially in the more expressive parts of the piece, you may ask T1 to sing higher for a longer moment and reach a high G# that remains comfortable and sure and keep the T2 in the register that you are currently using for T1. Beware of the deep registers for the basses that may sound cavernous and give results that are not what I think you would expect. If you are not lucky, a low E may not sound tender and elegantly controlled, as required by the piece. Concerning the writing style, for instance in bar 51 the following bars, how is the divisi expected to work with T1/T2? If the quarter notes have to be sung by both tenors, I would put a second stem oriented downwards. I spotted a few parallel octaves between the parts, such as in bar 13 between the S/A (that are singing together given the very low register of the S) and the B1. If it is intentional I am not shocked by it 😊 I wonder if the triple divisi in the basses is really required for the last note.

The first time I feel like your account is spamming!! Like the video anyways and it’s good to revisit them. Henry

I just published a YouTube video featuring this piece! Check it out if you have ~9 minutes!

I just published a YouTube video featuring this piece! Check it out if you have ~9 minutes!

I just published a YouTube video featuring this piece! Check it out if you have ~9 minutes!

I just published a YouTube video featuring this piece! Check it out if you have ~9 minutes!

I will look at it

Hello, I love Chopin's preludes, they are so great from a compositional perspective. Yours sounds nice. Perhaps there is still more to be written - just a rough sketch for now? More of a matter of subjective taste - I would have personally kept it non - minor a bit longer at measure 14 before going into your next idea. When you change the repeating note at measure 25, it feels a bit abrupt to me. For some reason, the G nat really sticks out. I don't know. A matter of personal taste again. Bar 52 feels very satisfying. I will share a video of someone else who has been inspired by chopin's rain drop prelude. Hayato Sumino - Raindrop Postlude

With the third movement, and I think the fourth movement there is some issues with the viola’s going out of range. Their lowest note is a C you have stuff going down to a B you could probably get that with the cellos.