Skip to content
View in the app

A better way to browse. Learn more.

Young Composers Music Forum

A full-screen app on your home screen with push notifications, badges and more.

To install this app on iOS and iPadOS
  1. Tap the Share icon in Safari
  2. Scroll the menu and tap Add to Home Screen.
  3. Tap Add in the top-right corner.
To install this app on Android
  1. Tap the 3-dot menu (⋮) in the top-right corner of the browser.
  2. Tap Add to Home screen or Install app.
  3. Confirm by tapping Install.

All Activity

This stream auto-updates

  1. Today
  2. Thanks for your kind comment. I’ve been doing this for a long time now, and I’ll say that this kind of counterpoint is a process of continuous refinement, that is as much formed from my ear training through extensive listening as my technical training. Generally outer voices have initial priority during the process that I QA largely by ear. The most difficult aspect is structural: not just developing ideas but directing them in a tonally coherent and ascetically pleasing manner. That’s where the great complexity often lies beside the voice leading intricacies.
  3. @Markus Boyd The baroque period counterpoint is truly refreshing to hear in each of these pieces. They me remind me of J.S. Bach suites, and of he used the strings in this manner. I love how strings dance so eloquently. I just love it. Just a quick note about stem direction: if the stem is on or below the middle line of the staff, then the direction is up. However, the direction depends on surrounding notes. Nothing major. Just a quick a reminder.
  4. @PeterthePapercomPoser for answering that. :)
  5. The Addams Family Values (SNES) - Creepy Creatures Extended:
  6. Thank you for the clarification. This would be the answer to my question.
  7. The winners of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be determined by points allotted in the following way: Every 1st place vote in the poll gets 3 points. Every 2nd place vote in the poll gets 2 points. Every 3rd place vote in the poll gets 1 point. 1st place will be given for the entry with the highest number of points. 2nd place will be given for the entry with the 2nd highest etc. ....
  8. uh oh. There is a tie for first place!
  9. Was hoping to get her over tonight to just get drunk and do stupid merde, caca, Sheisse. She is just as capable of that sort of thing as I am! 😃
  10. Third movement measure 55 is our drunken non-sexual play, like her drunkenly hurling ping-pong balls at my junk! 🙃
  11. Measure 21 third movement; THE SEX THEME!!! Not between us, Jackie and me, non-sexual, Platonic. Everything but sex, like hitting me in the crotch with batted ping pong balls whilst drinking strong beer...😆 Hell, throwing knives, me with 30 years of basic Wing Chun Kung Fu and Chi Kung (i.e. Breath Regulation; sometimes I don't need to breathe in a high Chi level) experience? She doesn't really like knives, but likes to see me stick them tumble method, after practicing a few throws to remember how to do it, judge the release moment. Accuracy? I can hit the broad side of a barn, as they say. 😁 I'll teach her David & Goliath sling play some day! 🤣 ...make applesauce from raw apples! 😉
  12. I AM 57 and well-read, so I know about the 150-year lease after the Opium Wars by the British Empire 1847-1997 and all that, but I have not yet swum there from the east coast of Virginia! 🤣
  13. Really nice work! I listened all the way through. The section from m 72-105 caught my attention so I took a closer look. There are a lot of good ideas here, but the counterpoint feels a little messy because there are a lot of voices on top of each other and crossing each other, so it’s hard for to hear each voice independently. M 76-80 is particularly noticeable. The second violin part overlaps with the first on and off. I would suggest maybe instead of the divisi in the seconds just give them their one independent line? Since the divisi overlaps the firsts quite a bit. Overall great work though, I enjoyed listening!
  14. definitely gives off a morning mood. i could associate the music with the given landscape. although when i heard the first bar, i immediately thought of skyrim music lmaoo love the high register bassoon usages here (and high oboe too). they pair well and support the aesthetics of the piece. i do agree with the other comments of switching to tenor clef when this happens. score is readable, a bit bare. the harp here is treated as an accompaniment, and i wish it interacted more with the other two! or played in the foreground alone as a contrast. also, in my opinion, i'd definitely consider adding harp harmonics and glissandos as well (tastefully, of course). speaking of contrasts, i do notice them and theyre definitely subtle. however, i think it could do more while keeping the mood steady. there aren't also a lot of dynamic varieties. the harmony is still, similar with the melody. although the range that youve used vary, theyre a bit aimless at times. some motifs stood up, but others are not memorable enough. i do think they still support the imagery. the structure feels free, and the memorable motifs keep it together. it matches the mood. looove the ending: repeating of figures, saving the chord at the very end. verdict: i feel content. nice jobbb Melodies Themes Motives 4 Harmony Chords Textures 5 Form Development Structure Time 7 Originality Creativity 6 Score Presentation 7 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 10 Execution of Given Challenge 10 Taste 8 Average Score: 7.12 end note: me when its morning on whidbey island
  15. Hello, it's my first post on this forum. I wanted to share my partita. It's been a while since I touched it since I'm occupied with school stuff. I'm welcome to any opinions regarding the composition. I've finished 3 movements and wrote the introduction of the 4th one. I. Italian II. Caro-Kann III. Vienna IV. King's Indian (WIP) partitawip.mp3partitawip.pdf
  16. Is this where you are? Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts - Wikipedia
  17. Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG Sacrificed to the wilderness 7 8.2 7.5 9.5 8 8.5 8 9 8.21 Hi @Fruit hunter! You definitely achieved good texture in the music through the selection of a variety of interestingly picked instruments. It is a lighthearted and enjoyable piece to listen. Regarding the orchestration, if it is not for this competition, I will definitely go for more instruments in my work just like you do - but I still have to address the 3-5 instrument rules into the marking. Regarding the score, the notations are okay. However, I would love to see more visible lines and with the empty staves hidden, which I think is achieveable in the software settings.
  18. aksak_contrapuntist joined the community
  19. im really fond of how experimental this is. the variety is wilddd and the inclusion of handmade instruments?? very creative. i quite like how blended the different percussion timbres are and they definitely provide unique textures. it's fun listening to the rambunctiousness of the different percussions as they come and go. unfortunately, as @UncleRed99 has pointed out in the rules, there should've been only 3-5 monophonic or polyphonic instruments present. HOWEVER, i am not even going to try to discourage you cus this piece is funnn to listen to. i notice that the themes have distinct characters. they clearly portray a set of vibes and imagery. i can imagine a landscape according to the story. the score couldve been presented better. its very small and reminds me of my score entry for the "bits and bangers" yc competition years ago lol although the middle section feels directionless, the return of the beginning theme and texture ties it up!! its also appropriate for the context of the piece. the story that youve provided is very whimsical and i thoroughly enjoyed reading it!!! its honestly nostalgic for me cus i used to play and wander with my childhood friends too when i was a child. not to the extent of forests and a colonial place per se, but it was definitely an adventure. goood job!!! Melodies Themes Motives 6 Harmony Chords Textures 8 Form Development Structure Time 7 Originality Creativity 10 Score Presentation 3 Instrumentation Orchestration Playability 10 Execution of Given Challenge 5 Taste 7 Average Score: 7 (how rounded) end note: handmade instruments
  20. Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG The Voyage of a Lone Ship 9 9.5 9 9.7 8.5 9 9.5 9.5 9.21 Hi @ferrum.wav! This is a very creative piece. The harmonic development and texture is really rich here. Really appreciate your exploration of different playing techniques to create different textures. Good work! The motives is passed on throughout the piece and makes the piece coherent. I particularly like the part between 4:33 and 6:33 and I truely believe I am on a cruise! And it is like a parade. The build up and resolution around 8:30 is also very satisfying. Looking forward to a film that can fit your music! 🤣
  21. Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG Lamentare Ciobanului - "The Shepherd's Lament" 9 8.5 9 8.5 8.5 9 9 9 8.81 Hello @ComposaBoi. I really like your work. I would say among the entries of this Soundscape competition, I find your piece the most "storytelling"! And that is acheived through minimal orchestration. I admire your gift in this aspect and I really wish I could write melody as you did. By the way, your choice of English Horn is quite tasty as it is mellow and antique and blend well with the sustained strings. Like other said, this work has distinctive sections like "chapters" of a novel. While they have different textures, the overflow is quite natural and the build-up is nice.
  22. Title Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste AVG City Rail and Nightingale 8 8 8 8.5 9.5 8.5 8.5 8.5 8.44 When I close my eyes, I can totally picture a moving train in a not-so-hurry journey! And I treat it as a success in addressing what you titled. Good work! The block chord did depict well the shutting door and contrast with the ever-climbing line (as the train de/accelerate) as clearly different character. I find your rendition enjoyable, or fitting to this specific piece as the pianos sounds "metallic", or should I say less resonant, that reminds me of heavy machineries or the steel rails. Not sure if such sound can be acheived on a piano, but I am sure a prepared piano may be more ideal. The score is definitely professional and I love you added description for the motives with which I find it easier to interpret your music as a Soundscape. Fianlly, not really a part of the comment, but I would like to share you the a steam version of your work which I am luckily enough to hear it live many years ago, haha. "Pacific 231" by Arthur Honegger - https://youtu.be/wS6XAjd-9h8?si=kg9g1FoLiwjhjcME
  23. Melodies ThemesMotives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 8 8.5 7.5 9.5 10 9 8.6 6.3 I have again listen to this in the car before, but not actively scoring it so I must’ve forgotten a bunch of aspects of the peace. It’s not my cup of tea, but I listen to parts of it again and give the scores for the reason. Anyways, it’s a good piece and I love the cover art of this and also is this possibly an educational piece I do see finger markings
  24. Hello @Josephine_Maccrimmon ! Welcome to the forum! Sorry for a late reply. I think the beginning of this sketch set up the mood well. You have many things you can do to move the composition forward. First is harmony. You are just staying in tonic D flat major in the passages presented. How about a half cadence and then modulates to a different key? Like, you can have a phrase ends on Ab major which is the dominant chord, and then start in a close key and then gets back to tonic Db major. You will already get some progress with this formula. Next is the instrumentation. You are using the flute as the melody carrier. What about the other instruments? You could easily switch roles with each of those instruments, for example having piano/oboe/quena playing the melody. Another thing is texture. What about changing the texture to a more polyphonic setting and invites more counterpoint? Also what about a contrasting section with different mood, tempo and key? These are all what you can consider for developing a piece! Henry
  25. Hello @PikapikaHei ! Welcome to the forum! To me actually the piano writing is idiomatic! The melodies are also good. For me it would be the structure of the piece. You are going for an ABABA structure which the A and B sections provide good contrast with each other with different mood, tempo and texture. I would suggest you adding more developments in each of the A and B sections after their initial presentation, rather than just changing keys. For example the recurring A sections you could have developed the melodies with variations rhythmically and texturally. Also, it would be great if there is an assimilation of the two sections at the end. However, this is a very good attempt especially from someone who has never attended a composition class, so props to it and keep writing! Henry
  26. Hey Jonathon @ComposaBoi ! I like the part writing here and the Cor anglais is definitely better than oboe for presenting the Romanian mood, I think. The melodies are really memorable to me as well. I would say in terms of structure you could have introduced more contrast between in the middle sections, rather than just modulating and changing the modality to major. To me there's an imbalance of structure as you put the contrast solely at the end, which somewhat sounds less move forward. I would also say the tragic ending in b.81 is a bit abrupt to me. I like the passage itself but the preparation to it is not enough for me with only an accelerating bassline and suddenly modulates from a different key. I am nitpicky here probably because I listen to @ferrum.wav 's piece before yours, so sorry for that! I like your piece though even if my words are nitpicky! Thx for sharing! Henry No less you are a German. Very precise value 😗.

Account

Navigation

Search

Search

Configure browser push notifications

Chrome (Android)
  1. Tap the lock icon next to the address bar.
  2. Tap Permissions → Notifications.
  3. Adjust your preference.
Chrome (Desktop)
  1. Click the padlock icon in the address bar.
  2. Select Site settings.
  3. Find Notifications and adjust your preference.