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Wow! I actually think this piece has many qualities that make it a convincing imitation of this french baroque style, so overall, very well done. Some things I want to praise is your use of ornamentation, the tempo and time signature changes in the Passacailles, solid structure, your use of the same dotted rhythmic motive throughout both movements, and occasional, but functional dissonance. There are some sections in your piece where I think that, despite this "lute" style of French Baroque you are going for, even in the non lute sections, some of the intervals are too wide (like E4 to Bb5), to the point that even if they could be rolled, or even shared by both hands, they could be slightly unidiomatic, especially with all of the ornaments going on and the different voices, so just something to think about. Another thing I want to mention, is the lack of articulation. Sure, you have ornaments, but surprisingly, as opposed to Bach's music and other baroque composers, this is actually pretty common for the French Baroque tradition, leaving it up to the performers. Overall, I think this is a great imitation, I think you did a wonderful job on this experiment, and I look forward to see where you take this piece moving on!

It has finally happened. I've reached a point where I'm good enough at mixing that I had to go back and delete all my uploads to the instanets and replace them with better-quality versions of themselves. I owe this to the fact that I've developed a couple of programs that process sound files, tweaking the loudnesses of sine wave partials and repositioning these sine waves in stereo space to make for clarity and balance. I also downloaded a program that fixes instrument mistuning. Mistuning is a near-universal fact in music, with almost all instruments possessing small or even highly noticeable deviations from proper 12-tone equal temperament. The program I downloaded fixes this issue. Taken together, these three factors--loudness tweaking, respositioning sounds in stereo space, and fixing mistuning--have taken the quality of my music to a substantially higher level (I'm particularly pleased with the tweaking of sine wave positions in stereo space, as the idea behind it is highly original and yields interesting, results; for example, instruments can frequently be heard moving or teleporting across the stereo field in an effort to find their ideal positions). Below are a few pieces that make use of this new technology I've acquired.

At the request of one of my subscribers, I decided to try my hand at writing a passacaglia emulating the style of French Baroque composer François Couperin. While both my research and efforts may have proven relatively insufficient in convincingly imitating most of the intricacies found within his keyboard style to the fullest extent, I am nontheless pleased with the results of this little experiment. This work is supposed to be understood as a two-part ouverture as a whole: the first movement is comprised by a prelude riddled with double-dotted rhythmic figures very much intentionally reminiscent of other French Baroque ouvertures, specially those of Jean Baptiste Lully. The passacaille itself follows a strict repetition of the same harmonic baseline throughout the first two variations, which is then slightly altered in a kind of quodlibet by non-strict canonic imitation reaching up to 4 voices, followed by a coda almost identical to the last phrase of the prelude. Thankfully I finally found a way to switch between soundbanks of my harpsichord soundfont automatically amidst playback, which in turn allowed me to include various registers of the instrument across diverse sections of the piece, namely three: Grand Jeu (literally translatable from French as "Great Game": I 4' 8' II 8'), Petit Jeu ("Little Game": I 4' II 8') and Luth (the lute register, also commonly known as a compound buff stop: I 4' Lute II 8'). YouTube scrolling video link: French Ouverture - Prelude and Passacaille in F minor.mp3 French Ouverture - Prelude and Passacaille in F minor.pdf

Très très intéressant ! I love a lot. Well done!

Thanks man, I shall indeed!

I'll try to see if I can come up with something, but no promises it'll be done in time...

modes are awesome for this ambient feel. make the chords blend into each other maj7 and min7 chords slow chord changes but harmonically diverse widely spaced but overtone rich timbres work pretty well for background kind

Hello Folks, I'm glad to be showing a little bit more music for you all. Today I'm showing a piece I wrote a while ago, but never planned on showing because Musescore can't perform it. But I recently upgraded significantly to SWAM instruments. Much less lush but more controllable, this piece was the first I wanted to do because of it's intimate feeling, and use of overtones and unusual techniques.. This piece is meant to reflect my experience of grief, specifically, the kind that surfaces while I’m trying to fall asleep. On some nights, like the one that inspired this piece, sleep feels impossible. Stress, homework, expectations—they all build up, one on top of the other, and under their weight, grief begins to surface. Suddenly, my thoughts are filled with loss. It’s not painful exactly, nor is it something I want to erase. But it carries a quiet melancholy, releasing the sadness, anger, and tension I’ve accumulated over time. In a strange way, this grief becomes a kind of relief. A way to let go of everything I’ve been holding in. Still, it lingers. It loops in my mind. Eventually, I have to let it go so I can rest. I have to keep living. I can’t stay immersed in sorrow forever. So I walk along the river, letting the sounds of the water drown out my thoughts. I walk until my legs are sore, until exhaustion replaces emotion. Then I go home, lie down, and finally sleep—my grief forgotten, at least for the night. Also this piece was one of the few I actually (somewhat) planned ahead. This is what I had planned "Walk to forget Bass Clarinet, Alto Saxophone, 1 Percussion, Violin, Viola, Violoncello. This piece is intended to in some way, describe my experience of grief, specifically while trying to fall asleep. Some nights, like the night this piece is based off of, I struggle to fall asleep. Stress, homework, expectations, all pile on top of each other, and this pressure releases grief. Suddenly my mind is occupied by grief and loss. It’s not painful, or something I want to forget. But it’s melancholic, it releases the sadness, anger, and stress I’ve felt over time. This grief is actually a chance to release all my struggles. But it goes on and on. At some point, I must forget my grief again, so I may sleep. I must go on with my life, and cannot wallow in my grief. So I walk along the river, till the sounds swallow my mind. I walk until my legs are tired and that’s all I can think about. So I go home, go to bed, and have forgotten my grief, and everything that caused it, and sleep. So how do I convey this in a piece of music? I need a theme/motif for grief: I imagine something in the alto saxophone. I think introducing it with a poking/prodding motive, like a repeated note, taken from instrument to instrument. An idea that represents the stress of life, poking my brain to the edge. This I’m not sure will work with the time constraint, and I may just begin at the next part. Then a swell and complete change to the grief motive. In this context, I imagine something legato and sostenuto, non-triatic and lacking “home”. I think the alto saxophone should appear in the high register for the first time, everyone should be in a higher register than before, which might make the prodding motive earlier less effective, but this grief motive more effective. The grief motive must have a rhythmic element to it, so that it is recognizable as key centers change, and the pitches can be moved around functionally, to allow moments of tonal beauty amongst the quartel nature of the motive. There also needs to be a nature element, an ostinato to represent walking, and getting distracted by the wind, the stars, the river. The grief motive slowly becomes less and less present until it is taken over by the nature motives. Then we sleep. A meditative ending." Walk.mp3 Izaak Thoms Walk Final.pdf

Hello @Bjarke! Since you mentioned a few “points of doubt” or areas that could be improved, I have to say that I really liked the piece in its current stage of a „sketch“ and the questions you pointed out are to be taken into consideration, although I would not see them critical. At first glance at the score, I had the impression that the piece might be too repetitive, but upon listening, I feel that the repetitions—with the use of slightly variations—are used effectively and do not make the piece boring overall. I like the rhythm and the continuously forward-driving tension. I could imagine that a performance by a real pianist would mitigate the remaining impression of monotony and mechanicalness, since a human performer would naturally bring more variety in articulation, dynamics, and tempo, as is the case in the current recording! As for the score, from a pianist’s perspective, I would feel uncomfortable with a number of passages where too many ledger lines are used, making them difficult to read or even unreadable. And I believe I have spotted a few places where the chords of the left and right hands overlap, i.e., play the same notes (for example, in measures 49, 50, 85–88). Correcting this would actually simplify the score.

Hi everyone! I'm currently working on a 4 movement Piano Sonata in E minor, and I've already written the first movement, at around a little over 10 minutes in length alone. Im 15 years old, and although I'm a classically trained pianist studying at the peabody preparatory, I'm a self taught composer, so I'd appreciate any feedback on notation, structure, and really anything else that could benefit the piece, which could help me refine further. The piece is in sonata form, with the A and B themes in the exposition both lasting from m.1-163 (A - m.1-82, B - m.83-163), a development section (with a brief 24 measure Fugato on the main theme from m.21-37) lasting from m.164-219, and then the recap from m.220-293. The piece goes through many modulations, occasional complex polyrhythms, chromaticism, complex late-romantic/impressionist harmonies, cross-staff textures, delayed resolutions, distant key relationships, using "deceptive" major keys, and it ends the exposition in B major, the dominant, rather than G major the relative major. The development begins with the fugato in D# minor, and then after going through A# minor, G# minor, Ab major, breaking the fugato, and E major, it begins the recap back in E minor, moving through a few more keys to finally reach E major in the end. For this sonata, I'm very inspired by liszt (both his more virtuosic showpieces and his more introspective late works), especially with how he uses thematic development and combines "mephisto" drama with lyrical spirituality. In the beginning of my piece, you have the main motive of the entire piece, what I call the "B octave motive", since it's just octaves in both hands repeating the note B, but this single motive (both rhythmically and melodically) can be found in almost every section of the piece, from the tempestuous A theme, to the spiritual, watery and flowing B theme. The polar opposite contrast between the A and B themes creates both immense technical and musical demands for the performer, while still being idiomatic. Additionally, many of the ideas in this sonata, come from my own improvisations over the years, which I think helps give me a little bit of a distinct voice, but I'd like to know the perspectives of others. As I already mentioned, all feedback is appreciated! Note: the first link is me playing a slightly cut version of the exposition, and links 2 and 3 show me playing the parts I cut out from the first link. Links: https://youtu.be/MyptBsYMNiw https://youtube.com/shorts/-kIa8oVrUg4 https://youtube.com/shorts/_eLFRSilBzs https://youtube.com/shorts/_lOHz4Nz5qE https://youtu.be/qlEPGqwAq64 Piano Sonata in E Minor - Full Score.pdf

Yes, reviewing sketches or “unfinished works” is easy—you start by taking a quick look to spot obvious “mistakes” or answer the author’s questions. But I think one should be honest. Reviewing compositions—as is the case here in the forum—is inherently somewhat “unfair” due to the unequal conditions: On one side is the reviewer, who generally spends no more than an hour on a review (in most cases, even less). On the other side is the composer, who has literally spent dozens of days or even weeks working on its piece and therefore knows it in incomparably greater detail than someone who has only listened to it once or twice. That is why it is much more difficult to provide feedback on “finished” works if one tries not to look for mistakes and does not want to suggest changing anything fundamental about the piece as a whole. A review can therefore only be a kind of analysis (and that is exactly what I did when I went through the fugue and identified the expositions and fugue entries, etc.) or a description of the impression the listener had. Thanks. I compared it to the original recording of your actual YouTube video. Yes, they do differ (slightly). But to make an substantial judgment about which “improvements” I’d welcome and which changes I wouldn’t like, I need more time to listen to them. Since the nuances are usually subtle and not noticeable the first time around, I’d add both versions to my playlist and listen to them repeatedly while out for a walk (that is always my method to proof my compositions if there is something „rattling“ …) Thank you for your permission. I can’t promise to work on it in the near future, so let’s see whenever I’ll have the time.

Very true! Actually, as a fun fact, I have begun my journey with the Organ and have been taking lessons for it since the New Year. It was the first time I played on the organ here in our university’s concert hall. Thank you for sharing your story; it’s crazy to think how small the world can seem and how similar our experiences may be. Bb-minor just felt right at the time :)

Hello Mason! I can well imagine how much you enjoyed having the chance to play such a magnificent instrument that literally fills the entire hall or church. And—even though you’re a professional pianist—I don’t think playing the organ is your daily routine, so you took the opportunity to improvise, record a video, and share it with us—thank you so much for that. A few years ago, I also had the chance to try my hand at playing the organ—at Gethsemane Church in Berlin. And I recorded a video as well, but—given my piano skills, which are “barely good enough for playing at home”—I can’t post it; that would be too embarrassing for me and others … What I learned is that while the organ is indeed a “royal” instrument, it is also a “diva” that, despite the magnificent reverberation in a church, forgives no mistakes in articulation, and that it is very difficult for a piano “player” to play legato consistently without the support of a sustain pedal. What I particularly appreciated was that you’ve chosen the key of B-flat minor for your improvisation. For me, this key is one that expresses solemnity, and perhaps also a kind of sorrow or suffering. This impression is particularly influenced by the preludes and fugues in B-flat minor from both books of The Well-Tempered Clavier (where the famous fugue from the second book was one piece I tried to play at that time, along with one of my own fugues...)

Hard to believe I was 28, half my life ago; 57 now. 😶‍🌫️

I think I wrote it, drawing the music staves onto blank paper, in some doctor's office in the '90s. ba Free Sheet Music by Robert C. Fox for Violin and Piano/Keyboard | Noteflight

Dance Segment For Guitar Free Sheet Music by Robert C. Fox for Acoustic Guitar (Tab) | Noteflight

Bipolar...I commiserate! 🫠

Listening and editing...that first movement could be called sonata in f# minor!😆

Hello everyone, It's been a few months since I wrote anything. My last cycle on Laforgues poems had left me a little dry! But this poet has not said his last word and continues to haunt me. So here is a new piece, black, full of soot... Note, you can activate the subtitle in English. Good listening. https://youtu.be/jXMz3lu6Jfk?si=tYOpdEBtnVSJVlfe

It seems you haven't attached anything since you posted? I'd love to hear/see how it sounds if you get around to uploading some audio or sheet music!

Thanks for listening. The analogy of crossing an event horizon is within love itself. The unescapable point of no return

Thanks! It's fun to try to include little witticisms or humorous moments while still folding them into the piece so that they sound "good".

Excellent! Could have been played after dinner at court with Joseph II. I would get in trouble, throwing some whole tone chord in or 20th-21st Century surprise of some sort! This has a great purity but also sense of humor about it. I haven't listened to the middle movements YET, but I'm sure they measure up. Reading your comment just above about the oboe getting off on the wrong stop and having to get back to key...I do that all the time. It reminds me of when I'm playing bass to my brother's guitar, covering classic rock, and we go into a jam...and train wreck, or near train wreck, but we chromatically wrench it back into key...there's a part in the piano sonata I'm working on that does this sort of thing, many parts, actually, but one in particular. Your last movement Presto does this well and sounds like something Wolfie might have done; perhaps in a fantasia or musical joke?😉 Oh yes, I realized why it had to be in Bb!

Thanks very much for listening, and for your comments! It's probably because I'd been listening to so much Mozart before writing this that I included two minuets instead of making one a scherzo - but I also think the last movement provides that scherzando feeling. I'm glad you noted the modulations in the last movement; I got a kick out of writing that bit, as if the oboe realizes it got off at the wrong stop on its chromatic scale and then it takes a few tries to figure out how to get back to the right key.

Hi Sam You have created a very strong melody within this track, and its quite adaptable to different versions too. Created 2 Cover-Renditions of it in a "Vienna-Strauss" + "Hollywood-Big band" sound be interesting to hear your vocals with these versions, easily done, if you want to send them to me via personal message, and ill mix them into the alternative version, i cant read music , so this isn't 100% perfect, but an alternative-version, to your Great Song. I'll TUCK MY SOUL IN CORNERS DEEP - Vienna-Strauss - Version.mp3I'LL TUCK MY SOUL IN CORNERS DEEP - alternative BigBand Version.mp3