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@danishali903 "...when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour." OK, I think I didn’t express myself very well on this point. What I meant was that it’s not unusual for him to use a large number of musicians, precisely, as you say, to experiment with all those timbres and ranges. When you look at the instrumentation he uses in some of these orchestral pieces, you tend to think it’s going to sound ‘grand’ in the style of Mahler or something like that. But of course, he does it to create all those wonderful atmospheres. As for the harmonics played with a 5th touch, I agree, and that’s something I’ll bear in mind (i.e. using the 4th artificial harmonics). Cheers.

"The autotelic personality is defined as an individual who pursues "activities" for their own sake, rather than for external goals" so therefore there functioning on a kind of "Auto-Pilot" concept, which is similar to the human nature of : Victim-Persecutor-Rescuer ......................this could also be classed as "activities" https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/psychology/autotelic-personality

YES .............In the recent past competitions,the forum had awarded winners, "BADGES" for specific Criteria . A "Contemporary composer" Badge would be the same Contemporary , generally means simply "modern" or "new" , Not from a Previous Era classical composers from the | The Last Decade : 10 years - Living or Dead | would fit this style a recent example was posted here :

Hello @Martynas123 and welcome to the forum! I think symphonies are usually written for a string section with winds rather than a string quartet like you have here. Make sure you choose "Violins (section)" instead of "Violin" or "Violas (section)" instead of "Viola" in your instrument choices to get the full ensemble sound. Also, symphonies often also have Timpani and some brass (at least French Horns). A mistake I noticed in your score: You have a B natural in the Contrabass while the Violin 1 plays a Bb which creates a wrong-sounding cross-relation. I would change the Bb in the Violin to B natural and I think that issue would be fixed. But there's multiple times throughout the score where that happens so I'd make sure to peruse the score for those instances. Another thing is that you use this rhythmic motif very frequently: In order for the listener to not get bored of too much seeming repetition, it is advisable to repeat or sequence such rhythmic motifs at most 4 times in a row but not more. Those are just some things that stuck out to me upon hearing your work. Overall though I think you did a good job! It doesn't quite sound dirge-like enough to me though. The beginning is very funeral march-like but later on it starts to sound even perhaps a bit happy. Thanks for sharing!

Don't undersell yourself! This is quite a good attempt, and you've clearly put a lot of thought in the orchestration. I mentioned the slurs mostly because of the bowing/sound implications. With less bow to use for more notes, string player tend to play softer which in your case helps with the softer dynamics (in addition to the legato articulation). I know software can be finicky so totally understand your workaround. "...when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour." I'm going to disagree with that somewhat. Yes, he wanted different colors, but he was very conscious about experimenting with different timbres/ranges of different instrument families. The harmonics issue: technically playable, yes...but writing 5th touch artificial harmonics is pretty rare in orchestral music. Unless those violinists have big hands, they'd have to stretch more than normal to play that. That's why 4th touch harmonics are better and the standard (I think you might be able to convert some of those)

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about the Colin Matthews version. When I orchestrated Debussy's "Footsteps in the Snow", I was aware of his version; but deliberately avoided listening to it, so I wouldn't be influenced. Afterwards I compared the two, and discovered I'd come to some of the same decisions as Colin with my orchestration; but also some radically different ones!

@interlect is "Contemporary Composers Sector" supposed to be a competition theme proposal? How would it work?

I wonder if you even read the quote @interlect because what you wrote doesn't seem to have anything to do with what I wrote.

Hello It has a very classical sound. First of all, I find it strange that there are no cellos. Or is it the double bass line that’s written an octave higher? Apart from that, it all sounds rather ‘homophonic’ to me; in other words, although there’s a certain degree of counterpoint here and there, the melody is played on all the instruments for much of the time, either doubled or in octaves. Given that the rhythmic motif appears constantly, it does end up sounding a bit monotonous. I think that in a classical orchestration of this kind, there need to be some basic orchestral layers: a bass line (usually reinforced), a purer melodic line—not overwhelmed by too many instruments at once—and harmonic support. And then you can add counter-melodies, transitions, ‘riffs’ and ornamentation. All of this serves to emphasise the climactic moments.

Very Nice........ i really like the waltz style, and you've achieved a high level of professionalism the Melody is instantly recognized as a Melody, and stands above the rest of the composition well done.

Hi everyone! I took a break from composing for a while. Recently, I started composing again, and I would like to present my latest composition, an Impromptu, written between May and July 2026. Writing this piece proved challenging – choosing the right material was an endeavor, and most of the effort was spent on completing the coda section. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Carl Koh Wei Hao

Most do. I like to choose very unique and original titles for my pieces all the time, in any case.

KVOTHE "I don’t see how this relates at all."........................................................................Now you Know

Please DONT INFER that im using any kind of ai.........................i find this quite offensive

Hello, I tried to create a symphony from scratch again. Maybe this time I made a better version. It's only 1 movement, so it's quite short, 6:22 min. And I would like a review because I want to start a 2nd movement. Simfonija no 1 1 mov.mp3 Simfonija no 1 1 mov.pdf

I don’t see how this relates at all. If you are willing to participate, please remember the rules regarding AI.

HaHa ........ thanx Luis,................ i presume your saying the music is OK, but the PDF is a MESS ? Well every time Musescore releases an UPDATE , i think , Oh Great There gonna Fix all the issues. Nah Nah Nah.................Every update turns out be a DOWNGRADE It adds instruments that dont exist !..................It adds Notes that dont exist "............ it page cuts ! If you keep to no more than 8 instruments , then its fine............but 16 Instruments is the Standard with this system. So iv always been reluctant to upload PDFs, because its not a true Representation of the Systems Output. Better than nothing i suppose...............but i rather have nothing.

Hey y’all! I hope you are doing great. A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a string quartet for the University of Michigan to perform. Though many other composers also premiered their own works, I could tell in rehearsal with these string players that there was so much fun to looking into something more conceptual, though I tried as not to make it too contemporary. I also got to speak with the composition director at University of Michigan Dr. Roshane Etezady, who’s a wonderful sweet person as well as some conductors and composers. It took about a month to write, and with only 6 minutes to write I had to shorten a lot because I was so captivated by this opportunity. Thank you for listening and feel free to check out any files or anything! I have a YouTube and an Audio.com, but I would keep to the YouTube, I upload more often. YouTube Link: File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsbitZUELu9KCGlhchJqwqhDEUSNZvEv/view?usp=drivesdk

Hello The score is just as terrifying as the music. The former in a downward sense, the latter in an upward sense. The music fulfils its purpose well.

I have made some edits to this piano quartet. However, I am running out of ideas, and I am not sure how I should finish it. Would anyone please take a look at it and provide me with some feedback? I haven't added many markings in it yet.Mouvement de l’Air.pdfMouvement de l’Air.mp3

Hi @danishali903 I appreciate your comments and will reply to a few in case anyone’s interested I don’t usually write expression slurs (legato) on the strings, except for very short groups of notes. Instead, if I want to do this, I specify ‘legato’ (as an articulation, which the software I use does recognise) and hide the text. Bear in mind that this is an exercise and that the economy of instrumentalists/instruments has not been the priority, although it was not intended to be used indiscriminately either. That is why there is a piccolo alongside the flute and the alto flute, because that line in bar 18 requires three instruments from the same family. The same applies to the four horns and the tuba. Another of the ideas is that, as far as possible, the families should sound harmonically complete, as in the chord in bar 9. As for the harmonics, they have all been checked and are feasible, though I may have made a mistake. I’ve had another look at the ones you mention and they’re fine. In this regard, I recommend this webpage, which lists all the natural and artificial harmonics that can be played (and those that are best avoided). https://conductit.eu/study-room/rehearsal/rehearsal-4/4-6-string-harmonics/ When it comes to orchestration, there are endless possibilities. Probably, by assigning a few lines to other instruments, I could have done without the piccolo or one of the two horns… But then again, let’s be realistic: when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour. Best. Addendum The issue of legato slurs in the strings is something I’m going to consider writing about (always bearing in mind what they might do, as I understand it). It’s a more specific point. In fact, as I have a few final amendments to make to this orchestration, I’m going to include that point. Thank you. I’m still at 5% in my orchestration skills.

Yes this is quite informative, its a kind of "Auto-Pilot" concept, where people aren't even aware their functioning in that "Mode". --- it reminds me of : "The Drama Triangle".................present in all Fairy Tales, & Action-Films. 1: The VICTIM 2; The PERSECUTOR 3: The RESCUER example:- Fairy Tales: A: Cinderella was the VICTIM B: The Ugly Sisters were the PERSECUTORS C: Prince Charming was the RESCUER A: Red Riding Hood was the VICTIM B: The Wolf was the PERSECUTOR C: The Wood Chopper was the RESCUER A: Snow White was the VICTIM B: The Witch was the PERSECUTOR C: The Dwarfs were the RESCUERS example:- Action-Films CONCEPT= | MAN HOLDS GUN TO GIRLS HEAD ........WHILE POLICE ARE OBSERVING OUTSIDE | A: Girl is the VICTIM B: Man is the PERSECUTOR C: Police are the RESCUERS And FINALLY the CONCLUSION : Some people can get stuck in part of the "Drama-Triangle" example:- " Years ago my Botox Nurse told me she felt sorry for the beggar outside a supermarket, so instead of giving him money......she instead entered the supermarket,and bought a sandwich for him. She came to the front of the store where the beggar was sitting, and she Smiled and gave him the Sandwich. He replied : - " I DON'T EAT MEAT ! " Conclusion ? She was trying to RESCUE a VICTIM.......................But the VICTIM didn't want to be RESCUED

Here's a musical quote from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow - The Psychology of Optimal Experience: And if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading!

ummm.... The problem with these kinds of compositions is: the "Tension & Release" isn't correctly structured with the appropriate "Build-Up" and so it "Flat-lines" , because nothing is happening & It's steady its Safe it becomes a "Clone", in that it doesn't stand out from other compositions Because it lacks "Identity"

I’m curious about what kind of music you were listening to when you composed this.