All Activity

I'm still unsure of where to go now, where it's currently left off at. I believe I would like to take it to another mood / scene, and have been toying with ideas based on my memories of the past with him. Thinking maybe to just follow the timeline chronologically, but at the same time, other emotions would like to be expressed as well. This has placed me at a stalemate within myself. 😅 And regarding the story; I am taking it day by day. I know it seems simple, just a little cat, making this grown man with a brawny stature and thick fuzzy beard all down in the dumps and grieving, but despite my tough outward appearance, I still cherish those little things in my life. I cherished his place as my companion for the last 5 years, most definitely. I am, despite this, doing better than I was when I wrote the post above. I've had him cremated, and he is in a personalized container, for now. I feel that he is at peace. And I will make my peace with it as well, soon enough 🙂

Hi @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu! Thank you for taking the time to listen to and respond to my piece, it always means a lot. Yes, the violinist here is the wonderful @Irene Huang, a classmate of mine at school. There is a second movement to this piece but not a fourth, the whole thing has a runtime of only about ten minutes. It’s funny to me that you mentioned Shostakovich, I wrote the third movement right after attending our school’s Shostakovich festival back in October. I began sketching it after a performance of the 1st, 7th and 8th string quartets and 2nd piano trio. The 7th quartet is one of my favorite pieces of chamber music and I think you can hear bits of it in the third movement here. If I can get a recording of the whole thing I would gladly share it, as the second movement forms an important structural (rhythmic and tonal) hinge between the outer movements.

Hi @Kvothe! This waltz is for sure a lovable little waltz in Classical style. One thing sounds slightly off to me: the modulation to D major in b.9 (b.8 in your score) sounds fine to me, but it sounds like it’s never resolved and it goes straight to G major, without having a perfect cadence itself. And for the dominant G major it is only given 2 bars’ space suddenly the music returns to tonic in the reprise. Maybe for me I would just modulate from D to G in b.10 in your score, and then in b.12 the b.8 melody returns in G major, then complete a PAC on G before going back to C. Henry

Hi @mercurypickles! For the 1st movement the 1st theme’s marching mood is well stood out, while the 2nd subject is more reflective and I like the accompaniment all the time. I love the brief passage to pathos in b.70 (the 2nd subject for recap right?). I do think the octave sign doesn’t need to be written there. I like the 3rd movement, the pathos reminds me of Shostakovich, and the modulation to tritone to F sharp minor is well prepared. The pizzicato passage which follows is very interesting, particularly when Bartok pizz. and normal pizz mix together. B.91 is especially expressive with all those exotic notes. Thx very much for sharing this, in particular with the wonderful performance by the violinist and cellist! Btw, will you also share the 2nd and potentially 4th movements to us? P.S. Is the violinist in your excerpt @Irene Huang? I remember she submitted a piece to one of our competition and played very beautifully! Henry

Hey Kyle @UncleRed99, That’s a very sad background story and I am sorry to hear this, hope you are better now. Speaking of the music, I like the sparseness of it with those chords which sounds reflective and therapeutic to me. I like the sul ponticello at the beginning, maybe at some point you can add some tremolos to it too. The whole first movement displays your sadness. For the 2nd movement to me it begins with a calmer but still sad mood, and then yo start recollecting the happy past. I like the pizzicato passages depicting those happy memories and how lively your pet was (and is in your memory of him). For the end of the movement, will you get back to the sad mood, maintain the lively mood or reach a new mood? Thx for sharing! Henry

Finally not a mash-up or a casting! I like this haha. I like how the Eb major is revealed at the end of the Scherzo, just like a wrapped present. I wish I have your recent productivity lol. Maybe I myself need Suno to create tons of masterpieces lololol. Henry

I check out the new sections and I like the new voice samples more. I like the rhythm you introduce in b.221 throughout and my favourite passage is the celesta passage in b.221. I feel like you just need only a bit more passage to finish the whole piece! Henry

PROGRESS 2 i've changed the voice to a more softer one. hopefully it blends better. this progress will include stuff from the previous progress, skip to 07:23 for new stuff. new voice: Kumi (https://cubialpha.wixsite.com/kumivoice) updated analysis: -------------------------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION. (b. 1-121) > introduces the themes, containing three sections. we'll call the three intro sections 1', 2' and 3'. 1' (b. 1-44) and 3' (b. 97-121) sections are inherently the same. the 2' section (b. 45-96) is a variation/development of a motif from section 1' (the first three notes). i call it the "Look to the sky" motif, very important, appears everywhere. the oboe part of the 3rd section (b. 103) introduces the B section as a counterpoint. b. 88 piano introduces the first part of the real main theme of the piece, and b.103 oboe counter point is the second part, which appears in the B section later. basically, the whole piece is a journey to combining these parts together, just like in the OST. Furthermore, 1' and 3' are just rhythmically augmented versions of the first part (quarter notes instead of eights, added triplets), while 2' is created from the motif and exists as its own theme. TRANSITION (b. 122-136), variation of 1'. ======================================= A. (b. 137-204) > pretty much the combination of the intro's three sections. vocal entrance (b. 151). section 2' are thoroughly woven and augmented between the vocal melodies. sax part at b. 180 is the B section, again, as a counter point. the vocal part sings a lot of the motif's variation. the lyrics are repetitions of Look to the sky Don't contain me I'm not here TRANSITION (b. 205-219), same as the previous one, different instrumentation B. (b. 221-278) > b.221 is a slight variation from section 2' (b.63). pizzicatos from b. 227 onward is the motif. oboe at b.229 restates the the main theme's first part while the left hand piano keeps the same rhythm from b.221 throughout. b.232 is the same counter point as previously, albeit variated. b.237 strings and celesta form an ostinato from the main motif, leading up to the vocal entrance. on b. 238 onwards, the vocal sings the main theme with slight variation (repetition of "sky" and "me." the rest before "sky" was done to make it singable). viola scatters the motif everywhere while woodwinds variate the main theme's second part as counter point. from b. 247, a new rhythm is introduced on piano left hand, sax, and viola, depicting troubling wave-like upward motions. finally, the vocal introduces the second part of the main theme alongside a new stanza. In the dark I am free Out to sea I'm just drifting here floating the instruments try to restate the newly sung part (b.262) but immediately get interrupted on b.266 by the return of 2'. the section builds up into: TRANSITION (b. 280-292), another variation of 1', more epic. A*. (b. 293-???) > instead of the strings, the piano grandly introduces the section. the rest play out just like the previous A with different instrumentation. -------------------------------------------------------- hopefully you guys will still able to follow the piece without looking at the analyses stuff, but yeah, enjoyy

I'm sorry that I'm only just now seeing this. It has been a wild December for me this year... I've just added what little work I've done to it, most recently, above in the post. Duration wise, I hadn't gone much further but I believe you'll notice that it's much more fleshed out than it was previously, in what was already there. The playback has also (mostly) been balanced in regards to gain / volume of each part, based on their significance for each section.

it sounds like the background music of old PS2 games and brings me back to early 2000s. It sounds playful and fresh. I'm looking forward to hear the full finished track

This is by far my most fugal composition. I had today some realizations about the nature of music that really played into the unfolding of its structure:

Very fun to listen to. Something like this would need an explanation, or a scene so we can get the context behind the Christmas spirit. But I love the bass, it helps create that mischievous tone. The A section of your ABA format could be the antagonist. And the B section (the slower part), maybe is a call to the protagonist. There's a lot of information in this short piece, but the ABA structure helps keep things logical.

Here's my 3rd submission to the event!

I started this piece this morning and managed to finish it this evening! My inspiration was to write a fast Christmas piece as my pieces lately have all veered towards the same slow tempo. The form of the Scherzo is ternary and the overall form is Scherzo - Trio - Scherzo. Thanks for listening and I'd appreciate any of your comments, suggestions, critiques or observations!

Nice. Almost sounds kind of ambient.

I tried to show you something deeper not to show that skill doesn't mean anything my words was: "Music requires inspiration first and then skill, don't you think?" I already checked out your works and I appreciate them, I also said that I have completed pieces and some bigger ones but there is no must in it and this doesn't define any kind of skill, I also suggest you to listen some of my a "bit bigger" full pieces and some highlights from my Instagram to get a bigger image of how I'm thinking it, thank you for your time Henry.

Well Music is not just about skill, but it doesn't mean it do not require skill. Since you already have inspiration in the first place, so why don't you develop your skills to help inspire yourself more? Skill and inspirations are never opposing, but rather assist each other. Of course composing is always a personal thing and if you would like to compose sketches it will be fine. But if you check out my works, I am sure both inspiration and skills exist in it. Henry

Music it's not about skill Henry, I can't push for a continuation of something that doesn't inspire me to continue, and I can't push something to become bigger avoiding where my inspiration gives an end. Music requires inspiration first and then skill, don't you think? Music is not work, but a way of expression and release. I'm trying to get it done but I will never see it as a "must" or as a definition of how skilled or not I am, I hope you will do the same Henry

So maybe the next step would be to finish a longer piece, as it takes more skill to do so. Finishing 1 piece would be better than several unfinished pieces! Henry

Thank you! 🤩

Well I would say quite a number of people do this as they only post on forum but never review other members' works... So if this breaks rule a lot of members will be considered as breaking rules... Henry

That's all I had for this piece, and that's maybe an "issue" with me, I make a lot of short pieces that I can't keep them going In any possible way and pieces that I can never finish, if you go to my Instagram account I have like 200 highlights with different pieces in approximately each one and that's the half of all the pieces that I have in my phone, I have some "big" pieces but not a lot.

I did not say I do not like. I said it is too short. Flush it out. Make it longer.

I do not think so. Just expressing a concern.