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Thank you!

@CrystalCanon Thanks for listening; I'm glad you liked it. This set of notes is very small—just four—but I saw it in a piece by Schoenberg and wanted to experiment with it. It’s hard to point out all the relationships in this short piece, but practically everything is derived from that set. Horizontal sequences appear, as well as vertical chords—rotated, inverted, and so on. I think the genesis of these pieces is like that of all others: planning a structure, marking the cadences, and planning the climactic moments, as well as the moments of tension and repose. From the previous version for solo piano:

For 13 years old, your command of the english language is excellent!. 🙌

That’s great, thanks for sharing. I’m also largely self taught with some limited formal guidance here and there. You play the piano, right? I suggest that you compose something like this for piano but at your practical skill level; and then you can play it for us. I did wondering during my listening about the playability of it. Lastly, there are some aspects of your diminution in the rondo theme that I felt unnecessary. If you don’t mind, i’ll have a play around with your theme later at some point to illustrate my point.

Don’t be silly! This kind of collaboration is what makes it both interesting and enjoyable! This was my first work of this nature so it’s all very helpful. I’ll play around with your suggestion. Of course, I feel it offers opportunities for further development.

Hello @Luis Hernández! It’s a wonderful piece—kind of reminds me of Schoenberg’s Op. 16. It’s difficult to comment on the structure of the piece as I’m just starting to work with pitch class sets. Can you explain a little further your thought/creative process when using them? How strict/free was your treatment of the 4-4 set in this piece? Is all of the material derived from it? I really like the sense of orchestral color, and those delicate transitions between dynamics. Great work!

Hello! (I came here from @Lithl's tag. Thank you! Btw I am listening to Saint Saens Concerto 5! It's great. You should try too!) So I don't believe you need any music theory to start composing, but to get better, and faster at the 'getting better', you do need music theory. I am technically a self-taught composer. I only started music theory lessons last year. I literally just write what I think would sound good. Here is a sample. Idea pops into brain during important test. (I am thirteen so I am still in school) I finish writing the test but idea is still there. I finish the rest of the day without forgetting the idea. I forget it on the way home. I re-remember it after like 5 hours. I go on musescore and write it. And just pay attention to a few stuff. Try to prevent parallel motion. Only later I was taught this was actually theory, but I first came up with this when I was seven. Voice leading! Very important. Same as the one before, but I came up with this when I was six. Try to break the rules 1 and 2 effectively. Got it? It is simple. Music composition is like a huge field, something like 内蒙古. You start from different places and go to different places. You do whatever you want. Whatever you think works. You will gain self-consciousness gradually and therefore improve. When I was nine, I thought I was good at composition. Now looking back, although still better than my classmates', it is nothing compared to my work now and some of the fellows on this site, YC. I see you are new, and that's not a problem, and by your state right now, it seems like you are very interested in composition. Good news! That's the first step to become a good composer or good anything. You are intrigued by it. When I first joined, this is what @Thatguy v2.0 said to me not long after I joined. Thank you once again, @Thatguy v2.0!!! @Woofi_9 Good luck! P.S. @Lithl Your reviews are not bad, they are great! Although it may not be backed up with music theory, it gives a listener's thought on the music. Very important. -TristanTheTristan

@Markus Boyd Thanks for your feedback! Yes it does sound a bit Slavic in certain areas. No I can’t play it myself sadly. Wish I could! For this piece my approach was to be true to the rondo form, to play around within that framework. My training is very limited, mostly self taught. I’ve read a lot about composition and taken some theory classes, but never had a composition teacher per se. Cheers!

Yes, I have issues with bipolar disorder. It typically manifests in longer depressive states than manic ones. I find that I do most of my best writing during those, whereas in the manic episodes my mind is too jumbled to come up with ideas. I’ve also noticed that when in those depressive periods, my music actually tends to be less dissonant. While I usually write more dissonant pieces when I’m feeling more normal.

What I also didn't notice at first is the parallel 4ths between Violin 2 and Viola! I played around with that idea once again in this following version. Let me know if you want me to stop! I don't mean to take too many creative liberties with your music. AncientRuinMB2.mp3

Thanks Mark, for the kind words! I have completed all four movements now. Hope they might one day be performed as a tribute to Frank Bridge. An underrated composer in my opinion. Alex

I didn’t express myself very clearly, I’m sorry. It’s not that I don’t want to, but for one thing, it would take quite a long time, because the development of my compositional language hasn’t exactly been straightforward, and my musical expression draws on many different influences. I also think I’m not very good at putting these things into words. I can tell you what other people have said, though. I often hear that when they listen to my music repeatedly, something suddenly clicks for them. My friends, who have been with me since the very beginning, might actually be able to explain it better. After all, I’m not an outside observer of my own music, so it’s difficult for me to see it from the listener’s perspective.

Thanks for the reply. Well, I was only curious to understand how you make your art. But it doesn’t sound like you’re willing to share…

Sounds Slavic in places - I’m guessing that speaks of your own heritage? Not hearing much Beethoven tbh Being honest, I found it all very difficult to follow. The tonal (or lack of) approach is bewildering for you leave little that is memorable. Perhaps it is partially due to the midi sound set you’re using. Is it something you can play yourself? Also I struggle to hear the resemblance between your ideas (eg how you developed your ideas). What’s your approach to composition? What is your training?

Hi, thanks for your comment. You’re right that in some situations it might be helpful to include the sheet music, but I’m not really used to doing that, I usually don’t. However, I’ll consider it, as several people have asked me about it. As for the form, it’s actually quite a specific aspect of my compositions. It can be difficult to pick up on at first, but it is there and plays an important role, even if it isn’t immediately apparent on a first listen.

When posting in this community it’s preferred to include the Score for its constructive feedback oriented. When listening to this, what I feel lacking is anything memorable. One idea seems to move onto the next with seemingly little connection to the previous. Perhaps you can help me: how did you conceive the structure, ideas and development of each movement?

@Lithl Thank you so much for your feedback. To be compared to Bill Evans is an extraordinary honor. I'm so happy that it evoked some emotions/mental images for you :). It is certainly a very nostalgic piece for me as well. Family is going well, kids are healthy. Hope the same for you, my friend. @Seni-G I never thought about it that way before. I composed music before I had kids and I always saw my good compositions as "creations" with perhaps a life of their own. I am so thrilled that you could listen to something I have written and felt something that I did not personally feel or consider. To me, it is ultimate goal of music to be able to achieve this sense that the music is alive and has it's own meaning to different people. I thank you for listening :)

Welcome all. I'm back with more of Frank Bridge's "Fairy Tale". This movement was really fun to orchestrate! I thought tuba and contrabassoon would be good choices for an ogre. Hope you enjoy. Bridge - A Fairy Tale 2. The Ogre (orchestration) #14.mp3 Bridge - A Fairy Tale 2. The Ogre (orchestration) #14.pdf

The sheet music is not currently available to the public.

It definitely holds you interest with your very creative orchestration. The woodwinds flow beautifully together and the introduction of the strings and subsequent merging are quite light and lovely. Mark

Score?

There are all kinds of opinions on this. I think learning music theory is very helpful if you want to be a composer. Of course, you can compose without knowing anything—by ear or intuition—but the possibilities that open up when you have more knowledge will definitely make your compositions better. I don’t think you need to know a lot—or even a little—about music theory, or anything else for that matter, to comment on compositions in this forum. There’s an intuitive, emotional aspect—and so on—that we all have, and that’s perfectly fine to discuss. Simply saying “I liked it,” “it reminds me of this,” or asking a question about the piece is a positive way to comment. Nor do I think that knowing theory—or anything else for that matter—requires formal training at an accredited institution. I do think, however, that if you want to make serious, steady progress as a self-taught musician, there will be times—and in certain disciplines—when you’ll need guidance from someone: a teacher, a workshop, etc. That’s been my experience. I’ve always been self-taught in music (in fact, my profession is something entirely different). But I took a formal course in tonal and modal harmony, as well as some courses in harmonization and arranging. Later, taking a course in counterpoint was essential, as was a seminar on fugues. Another essential course was the one I took on Contemporary Composition Techniques. And finally, the one I’m taking now on orchestration. With that foundation, I can tackle anything that comes my way, understand it, and put it to use. I also believe that the foundation of it all is tonal harmony and the common classical period, from the Baroque to the Romantic era—even if you’re later interested in another style.

nightmare/daymare zotwsdebtsetversion.mp3 a mortality play: 0:00 - ≈13:00 whenever a child slips: ≈13:00 - 27:04 white stones roar down the canyon / the ridiculous wishes: 27:04: - 33:59

Thanks for sharing this. I’ll have a proper dive soon. I read he composed this in the mid 1840s. Initially the form seems unusual and some ideas are wanting more imagination and drama. But I need to listen to the whole thing to make a proper assessment. I feel that i’d have rather not known he was not successful commercially for i wouldn’t necessarily be looking for reasons to validate that 😅☹️

Hello, composers of the forum! I’m curious if anyone’s acquainted with the work of Swedish composer Franz Berwald (1796-1868). His music wasn’t received well in his own lifetime, and he had to take other jobs to support himself. Liszt praised his work, telling him “You truly possess originality, but you will not enjoy success during your lifetime. Nevertheless you must persevere.” This Symphony in C major, never performed until sixty years after his death, is full of harmonic color, and formal innovation, not least in its merging of the Scherzo and slow movement into a single movement. I definitely hear it as an early precursor to Sibelius, and it has some lovely and quite striking moments. What do you think of it?