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And here is the first video of the Episode #2 - introductory remarks and the music of the two productions (Jay Bacal's and mine) of the opening theme of John Barry's Out of Africa: Out of Africa - Learning by comparison, Episode #2 (music and introductory remarks) - YouTube

A dramatis personae for The Last Marriage:

Like this 👇🏾 (first measure of 2/4)

very true...ugh, I'll have to make more revisions lol update.pdf I was sitting down and playing through different sections of the original piano piece earlier, and I thought that using the bass instruments more rhythmically could be really fun...like doing "hits", with the French horn and trombone...just a thought

Keep in mind the harmonic series. In both examples you put, even if you sustain the harmony, be careful of the interval spacing. Small intervals in the bass voices have the potential to sound really muddy as the sound waves will fight for dominance. Same thing with the use of bass voices. Be careful of when Price writes them explicitly long in the score versus apart of a moving line. Depending on the pedal info, it may not be correct to include a prolonged voice. This time, I am cautioning against too much use of the same techniques; however, at this point, you should strive for making a rough draft versus detailing it all out. Get your ideas in full-score format and then go back and polish everything you need to before Wednesday.

As the thread title says. So far, I have generated 7 suitable pieces using the AI Suno, which I have subscribed to because I am very pleased with the results. All the pieces I've generated so far use my lyrics. The music is inspired by my novel The Last Marriage. More will be posted in due time.

Written for the 2026 spring Young composer competition this work for percussion quintet features a wide range of natural and man-made percussion instruments to represent the integration of man and nature. Few years back me, and a few of my friends decided that it would be a good idea to cure our boredom by bringing a already busted up child size guitar meant for learning and to "" sacrifice it into the woods.'' the reservoir is a large body of water near where I live so it was a short distance, which then led to an easy walk into a bunch of colonial ruins where we laid the guitar and watch it rot away. Far deep in the reservoir lays a broken destroyed child size guitar that my sister got for her birthday as a child or something like that it’s been ever since sitting around around in the house and had transfer locations from her room to the living room room to the my room to the wilderness it’s final resting place. My sister never had been fond of performing music in her life. In fact she is quite horrible at it so my parents smartly in intelligently got her a low quality guitar anyways fast-forward a few years later, and I am now experimenting with multi instrumelity. However, though I got fond of extended techniques, playing it like a hammered dulcimer and even bowing the thing after me becoming friends with the lead guitarist to my modern day chamber band sort of situation, he starts to play it and at that point it only had two remaining strings. We all anonymously decided that we should bring it to the reservoir maybe hide a secret note in it after all the band was just a bunch of board teens, wanting something interesting to do with our lives, so what ended up happening was we snuck into the Reservoir found a foundation of an old colonial house and threw the guitar in it other than impact damage ever since the guitar has been rotting away however, though quite often me and my friends still visit it’s resting place only to see it in more final pieces I’m pretty sure I got rid of the note since it had some secrets that I do not want people finding and still to this day. It’s been resting there ever since. Percussion five has a lot of handmade instrument specifically for this work . The alcoholics shekere; is just a bucket with crushed up beer, cans, or soda cans is meant to be played in a similar style to a traditional shekere . the facidrum; faci- Latin for bundle, a bundle of resident sticks attached and tied up to a frame . Chopping block; a semi resonant piece of wood meant to be played like a table and a practice pad All of the other instruments should be self-explanatory Keep note that since because this was written in musescore bunch of playback loopholes has been exploited, although that there are more than five staves these are to represent each instrument in the set up rather than the actual part parts of represented by the groups that are bracketed. This is to create custom percussion set ups, and to satisfy an easier workflow with sound fonts. ' Sacrificed to the wilderness.mp3 Sacrificed to the wilderness.pdf

I really enjoyed this! I think you capture the "voice" of Schoenberg that he has in most of his orchestral works. I said this in a previous review, but orchestration is really subjective....so here are my suggestions: First piece I think the oboe is suppose to be piano as well (it's not marked in the score). I also think the pickup Trumpet run can be transferred to the clarinet I don't think the 1st trombone needs to double the cello/horn in the 4th bar. In measure 7, unless the orchestra has 5 timpani drums (or an EXTREMELY good player who can quickly adjust tuning) that is going to be difficult In measure 8, that trumpet part looks questionable...that 32nd note might be messy In bars 13-14, probably could combine the cello/bass part to be played by divided cello....helps with thinning out the sound since it's marked p Generally, it's really hard for brass players to play pp or ppp when there is a moving/active part with leaps. I would give the trombone/tuba part to a bass clarinet and/or bassoon near the end. Second piece I would've used bassoons instead of horn in the 2nd measure. They sound more "dry" staccato and will blend with the pizzicato I'm assuming "ord" means Arco? make that clear in the string parts Trombones don't usually read in treble clef. I would change that to a tenor clef in the last measure. Third piece I would just have the tuba play without doubling from trombone. The passage is already pp and tuba has a more rounder sound for that I think the pppp markings are a bit much Fourth piece Measure 10: that bassoon/trumpet figure is going to be very tricky to play in unison. I would just have trumpet play it (even though it would be a challenge) Fifth piece From how it's written in the score, it looks you only want half of the 2nd violin section play measures 8-11? Sixth piece There is a lot of pp and ppp in here...but a lot of instrument doubling - for example bars 5-6 cello/bass doubling bass trombone/tuba AND all bass instruments the last measure. I would do mutes for all strings and brass in this piece. Maybe even solo strings to reduce the sound. The last two eight notes could easily be just a single bass player doing pizzicato

Attaching this section as well

CITY LIFE | Opening Credits ★CITY LIFE&lt;span class="ipsEmoji"&gt;<span class="ipsEmoji">™</span>&lt;/span&gt; - Main Title Theme.pdf Uploading Attachment... Uploading Attachment... CITY LIFE - Closing Credits Theme 1.mp3 CITY LIFE - Closing Credits Theme 2 - Super Locrian Scale.mp3

Here's what I'm thinking for this section -- to keep that fullness Trumpets Trombone & Tuba Viola (was going to give it to cello, hence the bass clef) Cello & D. Bass

I agree here with @Luis Hernández. The music is so static that you have to get really creative to orchestrate it. Some comments: As a string player, the long slurs in the slow tempo are going to be near impossible. Try playing around with bowings to match phrasing Not sure if you're familiar with this, but Debussy already orchestrated this piece. You'll see he adds a few things here and there to keep things interesting and fresh: https://youtu.be/zbMhQjBSHvs?si=dDWWwCFhyTTcyVIs&t=188 You'll notice in the recording that the harp arpeggiates the chords to keep things flowing. Also, your lower strings (violas, celli, bass) are going to hate you for writing such a boring part! But again, the music is so static that you'd have to get really creative to do that without ruining the meditative atmosphere....very tricky!

The pieces sound good. The language is simple, which fits the style of music. I prefer the second one as it has a bit of a ballad feel, honestly, I’m getting a little tired of this genre.

Hey, thanks! Thanks for your insight! I especially appreciate that you picked up on the rhythmic aspect of the whole piece, one of the things I really wanted to explore while writing it was finding ways to embed rhythmic construction in the form, and I think I found some interesting ways to do that here.

Not sure how I missed this, I like it, and nice to hear an alto sax sonata!

I'm very pleased with the popularity of this thing, and I'm sure we all want to know how it ends, right? Not with a short last movement cadencing on G Major. I promised my sister I'd have it done and edited by May 1; maybe with the right combination of inspiration and imbibition, I can get some of the development done today in the finale. I have a basic tonal plan: the development starts in G, then I'll emphasize F Major and D Minor as in the first movement introduction, and a fugato section in E Minor, which I might be able to get the subject for by inverting the theme of the very first couple measures of the first movement intro.

Hallo @luderart as you frequently present compositions in this style—short, aphoristic pieces for solo instruments—your compositional approach differs from that of most other members of the forum, who often attempt to write full-scale symphonic works for a large orchestra. Yet in an orchestra, an instrument is merely a gear in a large clockwork mechanism and is subject to the conductor’s interpretive intent. On the other hand, dedicated solo pieces for monodic instruments seem to be rare, so that I could imagine that they are appreciated by players of the clarinet, bassoon etc. However, when I listen to them and look at the score, I sense a kind of loneliness (which is not a criticism, but merely a statement of fact): The solo instrument „utters“ its sentence, yet no conversation emerges, as there is no accompanying or contrasting voice. And even the score pages look a bit „lonely“, since there is remaining whitespace due to the need of only one staff for notation ... Here is another, similar approach to a piece for a solo instrument, the bassoon. The composer, in that case, decided to put the „sentences“ in a more programmatic context, depicting „a garden“ over the course of a year. https://youtu.be/ok_R4cstdGs Now, some short thoughts to the individual sententiae: No. 1 It serves as an overture, trying to gain the attention of the listener. The meter change from 6/4 to 5/4 in bar two is somewhat surprising, and, together with the two trills, reminds me of the bells ringing in the lobby of a concert hall, urging the audience to take their seats before the playful quintuplet melody begins. No. 2 A short, playful piece - reminding me at children playing around. No. 3 To me, the third sentence has a melancholic and contemplative character, which is only seemingly lightened by the eighth-note runs. The final question remains unanswered. No.4 The fourth one has a quality that even exceeds the character of a „sentence only“. Because it consists of three clearly perceptible motifs, which are used in sequences, it has enough thematic material, so that it could be developed further or used as a sketch for a much larger piece, too. No. 5 Again, a sententia which is a short piece of its own, now in A-B-A form, yielding a small exposition, a development and a recapitulation. (Fun fact for me is bar 11. in 1/4 meter with the sole purpose to place a rest ...) No. 6 Number six for me expresses the idea behind the „sententiae“ as its best: Although it has a simple texture with only staccato semiquavers, the rests at the end of the phrases serve as the period at the end of a sentence, thus structuring the short utterance. No. 7 With number seven – which also bears thematic material which could be developed further -, we come back to a more melancholic mood, somewhat a recapitulation of sententia number 3.

I kinda prefer the new version :) Orchestration is pretty subjective so thank you for experimenting with my suggestions! I think you can remove the pizzicato in the bass in bars 15-17 (just have celli play).

Ok Thanx................Critics say a proposal in the European Parliament would lead to legal content being blocked, even outside the EU. https://www.wired.com/story/europe-considers-a-new-copyright-law-heres-why-that-matters/

Hey there Weiland! Thanks for checking this out, it always means a lot to hear great feedback. ❤️ Thank you, friend. I'm acutely aware of the style of each of these preludes, as I'm constantly thinking about the overall feel with each one, wanting them to possess their own unique character. One of my weaknesses as a composer has been counterpoint, or at least using it in the foreground versus just thinking about it with melody and harmony. I've posted the previous preludes on the forum (check the topics tab in my profile, I'm lucky enough to have @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu give his interpretations), and a style they lack was one that focused on a more contrapuntal foundation. Personal challenge accepted. 😄 I'll also say that it makes me bashful to hear you enjoyed the counterpoint, as your talent with it is drenched in the music I've heard of yours. I wrote the first twelve a few years ago, with the intention of having each one focused on a different tonal center. The scales and approaches used varied a ton, at least that was the intention. There's blues, Chopinesque ones, soliloquys, video game character adaptations, etc. These next twelve started differently. I'm varying the tone centers, but maybe I repeat some here and there. Not sure yet, but the restriction this time is I'm limited to the 61 keys on the keyboard I'm using to brainstorm and workout things. Thanks for listening and sharing your thoughts, it means a lot!

Had a go at implementing some of these ideas below. Not sure about the pizz. in the celli and basses. It's an interesting effect; just maybe feels too aggressive for the material? Decided to keep the trombones and tuba for now, because I'd prefer to use the full brass section. (The score attached is for midi rendition only: so hasn't been tidied.) Menuet in C sharp minor (Ravel orchestration) #20 (midi).mp3 Menuet in C sharp minor (Ravel orchestration) #20 (midi).pdf

Thank you so much for your review. You've made some great suggestions! I can't remember why I chose to use piccolo; but think I just liked the timbral colour when mixed with the flute. I actually really like the glock: so am inclined to keep that. Also I prefer the basses arco at 11 and 13. Pizz. for the celli is definitely a good idea though, and will restore the recurring material at 21. Somehow that had slipped my notice. I orchestrated rather quickly: so probably should've taken a bit more time. Thanks again, Alex

Hi all this a brief (puff of smoke) String Trio. I am not sure just to leave it be or incorporate in a larger work. At the moment - I'll let it stand by itself. All comments appreciated. MarkSenerade Violin Piano 04-16-26.pdf Senerade Violin Piano 04-16-26.mp3