All Activity

Wow! Very interesting! I'd gladly learn more!

@PaavolaPyry no one knows how to read a CSound score, so don't feel bad.😁 But, basically what it does is create a series of instructions that the computer interprets into music. You bring up an important point, the use of parallax. So, when you ride in a train and see objects passing in 2 dimensional space, you see the objects closer to you move faster than the objects in the background. Music, can create this sense! The concept is simple to have a melody, or fugue in the case of "Seraphim," move faster than the background ambient music. The music is very discomforting, I'll admit, but CSound is such a new medium that anyone is throwing all they have at it to create a composition. It's come a long way since beeps and boops. The fluid design of the medium, large amounts of oscillation, and sound manipulation are what draw many composers to the medium. Here is my first CSound composition: Notte Splendida Notte | Astronomy 2009 It blends the opera singer with the medium to effect, icy cold with the passion of the voice in creating a composition. It's a little easier to listen to.

skip to 3:30 if you get bored of the vibraphone intro lol

The two staffs is a neat thought, but try out a single staff. There's a few moments where the higher or lower bits are on the staff that isn't higher/lower (Mostly thinking about measure 25 but it happens a few other times that aren't as easily solvable) and it just feels off. It would also solve a lot of issues of notes that are on both staves, which I would have no idea what to do with if I were to have to play it. As for if it's playable, I am no expert. But I can say that a lot of it looks suspiciously like you just threw in the 6 notes you needed and didn't think too much about fingering. Which, to be fair, is also how I would do a sketch. If you can, you really want to find someone who plays guitar and run it by them. Eveen having them just take a quick look is incredibly helpful (I know from experience). I've linked a pdf or two from when I was assigned to write a guitar piece so that you can also hopefully use them. (They are attached and are very helpful as someone who has never touched a guitar) As a piece itself, I like it! I am frankly not a great critic on pitch collection or form, but overall it sounds nice!

Thx! I didn't think much when playing as I was easily moved by Vince's music and all the details came from my mind through my hands! Henry

Wonderful! I listened to the song twice, both versions. The things you are worried about are all part of the mastering process. I wouldn't worry about those things until you are in the studio, where you can adjust the values meaningfully. Obviously, you'd want the voice part at the front and easier to listen to. The song is not boring, it's pretty close to perfect. If you want more, I'd add a 'B' section that changes key. Great melody!

This piece is for a concert later this year. Just started on it tonight, and it's the first time I've written for guitar. So I'm sure it's probably unplayable! N.B. I decided to use two staffs to make it more readable. Think it would look very cluttered on a single staff.

As usually @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu piano emotion depth is enjoyable. You can hear phrasing, dymanics, and thematic material that pianist would create using their emotions.

Here's number three, because I like it! I'll get number two in eventually! Three Part Songs to Poems by G.M. Hopkins-3 Free Sheet Music by Robert C. Fox for Various Instruments | Noteflight

@Vonias Wow, I didn’t know your church would be singing it! What an honor. In that case, I’d like to offer my feedback if you’ll accept it. I really like the beginning section in mood, and I like how it’s more tonal than what you put into the AI. When I listened to it first, I thought the beginning Ooh’s were a non-lyrical version of the first verse of a hymn. Looking back they’re not, but if you made them so I think that would be a lovely beginning and certainly in style in the choral atmosphere I’m a part of. It’s like a precursor of what’s to come. If you were to go in and edit this, the biggest thing I think you should work on is the form. The first section is only 6 bars and doesn’t quite end on a rhyme scheme. I would recommend making it 8 bars and rhyme, in a period or sentence form if you can make it (those are the two clearest, most liked forms). Then go into the final section and make it similar 8 bars, but more final. Then you can end on an Amen if you’d like, and the whole would sound more fitting and like each part relates to each other. As a minor thing, I think having piano the whole time would be fitting for a more contemporary sounding piece. I don’t quite know what you’re asking about tradition, but I don’t think starting with an amen, or singing an aeuouae “Ah eh ooh oh ooh…” on a descant would make much sense musically, so I think the tradition in those two areas is fitting and helpful. I don’t think tradition is the only or best way on its own, but when it proves its own principles, I think you get a higher quality result when sticking to it. Would you mind checking out my piece and offering some feedback please?

But I would say at least in this rendition the tempo is quite common for a Classical period work… The description “As fast as possible” is a bit silly as @Cafebabe wants to achieve, but the tempo here is only a crotchet = 168 and the taped is quite common especially for a last movement of those Classical Sonatas! Henry

From my point of view, it's not about whether it's executable or not. It surely is. It's about the fact that in this style, in this particular piece as it is designed, this speed doesn't sound natural. In addition, to my ears, part of the enjoyment of the music is lost. It's like singing The Beatles' Yesterday at lightning speed. Well, as I said, it's a matter of taste.

Nice! Looks like you have everything in order, good luck 🙂

Thanks for the comments! Your description of the first measure with espressivo definitely leans more towards my initial intent, and really the midi does no justice. I thought about going into detail to make it sound exactly how I want in the sound file but honestly this is music to be read in my studio so I don’t need to care how the midi sounds for the most part. My only worry with improvisation is that, since I know the person who will be playing it in studio, I know that they are definitely not trained to improvise in that style. I’m thinking of making a version after that’s more idealized to what I want and not tuned to fit the assignment requirements, so that’ll likely go in there In regards to fingerings: I am not a string player, and do not have access to a string instrument. I am, however, trying to think through what the fingerings would be and making sure all of them are at least possible. My Professor is a string player so he usually checks me when I write something impossible.

Hi! Overall the piece is lovely I just have a few notes about the trombone part, as a low brass player. Not the trombone 1 part, it's mostly fine and trombones can read treble clef. But the trombone 2 part is another matter entirely. So, The trombone as an instrument can technically play most of the notes you have listed on the page, but generally you just have them playing really low. If you intend the part to be a bass trombone, it's all fine and well, but it's important to note that normal tenor trombones, even with a trigger, can barely play that Low C, and cannot play the low B natural. But if you want them to be playing that low, possibly on a bass trombone, you then have them in tenor clef at 193 (Which by the way is not necessary, it's more annoying to have to switch to tenor quickly than to just stay in bass clef and read a few ledger lines, especially considering you go up to a high G. And also the trombone 1 part goes higher but is still in bass clef?????). While professional bass trombonists can hit that high, it's much more annoying than it would be on a tenor trombone. Looking at general scoring, it seems like you might want to have 2 trombone parts(or just label the staff trb 1, 2) and a bass trombone part, though I understand that with a lot of music notation software it then becomes a space concern of fitting it all on the page. ...I just now saw that this was due on the 10th. I wish you well with the competition! Keep these things in mind moving forward and I can see a lot of growth! P.S. The tuba part is great. All good on that front. Sincerely, A tubist

no.10_A Fire Within.pdf no.10_A Fire Within.mp3 Hello everyone! It has been a few weeks since my last contribution on the site and I am back to showcase one of my recent works. Over the last calendar year, I have been creating my first short-film called A Fire Within. When the film is complete, you follow the tragedy between two friends and see a main theme of betrayal. This work is the title theme and will both open and end the film. Set into a large binary form, this work is in E-minor and is one of my most emotional pieces. It is very personal to me, as the whole story mirrors a small part of my short life. I would enjoy hearing some comments or feedback, however, please know that I feel this work complete and I wish to share it to those I feel would appreciate this. If you would like to know more about the score, go to the "About" section on page 4! ________________ Program Note: A Fire Within is an original story written by Mason Kistler detailing betrayal between two friends. Featuring an original soundtrack, soundscape, voice cast and more, this story established itself as the first short-film made solely in the video game Railroader, which was released in December, 2023. Join the orchestra as they bring you in towards this cinematic universe and involve yourself in their soundscape. Feel the impact of the strings and the memories cast by the French Horns. Can you hear their emotions? [DO NOT REPLICATE]

This all sounds and looks very professional so pardon me but I will give some subjective thoughts on the piece: For the first part, I really like your use of the minor 6th scale degree. It is well used, but also its sound maybe looses some power towards the end. I also feel that maybe I would've wanted a bit more time before the strings come in loud, before it explodes so to speak. I personally love to exploit the perfect 4th that forms between the minor6th and minor9th, but that might not fit into here anywhere, just wanted to point it out :D. I love bar 81 and how that part develops. Love it. Nice use of seconds in horns and violas on page 16. On page 17 bar 150 and forward I am a bit sceptical about the flutes hitting those high notes, perhaps the oboes too. I feel they distract from the theme a little bit. The chords between page 17 and 18 are very nice, I like those a lot! It breaths a lot of colour to the lines. Page 19 works really well too, maybe there's some things about form I would look at over there (kinda feels like it jumps from one thing to another), but I think you do a very good effort of gluing those themes together. I would maybe just recheck it and try a couple different things, but your solution might just be completely fine. The Andante Cantabile feels rewarding. That whole Andante Cantabile part has a nice energy to it, gives you goosebumps. Very ballet-like! I don't know if I fully agree with the turn from the horns in bar 213 to the earlier waltz theme in bar 227. I would maybe hope for a bit more glue there, something a bit more elegant. Trumpets are nice though! Although once again I feel that the trumpets could've played for twice as long, the jump feels a bit rushed now to me. Ending in the larger sense is powerful, maybe I would think a little about form once again, like how have we earned this ending. Also the last bars I don't agree with :D, I feel like you bring us to the mountain top and then there's a different ending to the one I was anticipating and waiting for - this said, endings in my opinion are one of the most difficult parts of a piece. But you have built up well to the ending, really well, I was feeling goosebumps, but the hits left me feeling a bit betrayed. I hope this doesn't come off as mean! That is not my intention. I liked the piece a lot, these are just the things that jumped at me. You don't need to agree with these or do anything about these, most of these are not some general guidelines or greater truths but just how I felt myself. I am not opposed to you keeping the score musically as is (other have pointed out the technicalities). Great piece! Thank you for sharing, and do keep sharing! With great admiration from Finland, Pyry

Fun and very joyful! I have no specific nitpicks, all I would say is what my composing teacher(s) has (have) told me for as long as Ive been studying under them: After you have finished a score or a part, go through it and think with intention what things you intend and why. Try to make sure everything in some way has a meaning and that for example one idea leads to another properly. Make sure the "macro and micro" (as I like to call them) are both intentional: That means greater form things and also small individual things. But great piece! This is more of a general guideline than anything. I think mostly everything works here, perhaps I would've done some things differently for personal reasons, but that doesn't then concern you. Best regards from Finland, Pyry

Very cool! I have no idea how to read your PDF file, but cool! It is very exciting to listen to music with a philosophical or musicological point! The high frequency sounds make me shiver slightly, and I find myself adjusting the volume constantly, but this is most likely more because of my unfamiliarity with the genre and style. If I may ask, what do you mean by parallax? Best regards, Pyry from Finland.

Hi Chikotora! Cool piece, as a folk musician (albeit Finnish) I find this very exciting. It feels very natural and folklike, which is a great thing to get in a written trad style piece! It definitely feels like Klezmer! Regarding the start, if you mark it as espressivo or as really slow I think it'll work. The first bar could work if it was played slow and expressively - most players would understand that instruction and make it work. Alternatively, you can always tell the player to improvise and if you want to be more involved compositionally then give them a framework to improvise around! Folk music and improvisation go hand in hand. The pizzicato would then work well as a gentle introduction and it also makes the listener's ear go into a groove. Here is an example of what I imagine the improvised intro could sound like, of course in your case it is just one violin: (Youtube) - This is an actual Finnish folk tune (composed by an old guy forgot his name right now). The intro is quite short but you get the idea and the feel! In the score it is just labelled as "improvisation"! Alternatively you could do some lick (jazz term) based on the melody and then go into the pizzicato. Anyhow I think you can sort of have anything short before the pizzicato because the pizzicato grounds it so well. I think there might've been some very difficult fingerings there somewhere that I'd have to check but as a general rule I would advise always testing everything. But overall seemed very playable and intuitive. With kind regards from Finland, Pyry.

Based on overall how I felt that day. Associated poem: All thoughts welcome Horn trio on January 13th (ft. low brass and winds).mp3 Original poem on the platform where I share my poems Horn trio on January 13th (ft. low brass and winds).pdf

LoL I am not familiar with idioms at all and thought you guys are talking about Fifty Shades of Grey! Henry

Hi @Frank Normandy! Like you I use my iPad for composing and use Google Drive for backing up the files. I used to use USB too but now I have neither computers nor notebooks so I stop using it. I add dates and versions of each recordings/versions/drafts of each piece. I actually learn this from my bitch ex-boss. First under "Composition", then genre like "Piano Music" and "Chamber music", then each work, then each movement. I put all versions and edititons under the same folder. Only publish here and on YT. Henry

Hello everyone, Earlier today, I was syncing my audio to my tablet, and I realized there was a lot of music organization that I can do better. Thus, I want to start this discussion for us to share ideas regarding this topic. Basically, what I want answered (you can include other ideas I didn’t come up in my list): 1) What metadata (album, track number, title, etc.) scheme do you use for your final recordings? 2) What is your file-folder hierarchy? (E.g. all versions and editions of a composition in one folder, or one folder for each version/edition) 3) Where do you keep backups of your project files/folders? (E.g. Google Drive, USB flash drive, external hard drive) 4) This one is slightly off-topic, but how do you distribute or publish your music recordings for others to listen, buy, or otherwise know about? (E.g. Bandcamp, Patreon, physical CDs, YouTube [of course, but I wanted to include it anyway], official homepage, live performances) ——My take—— I’ll keep this relatively short as a jumping-off point: I add metadata with Audacity and cover all the default categories (Album Name, Genre, Comments, etc.), the details based on when I completed a certain edition of a composition or make a variant (e.g. violin and piano vs. string orchestra). My hierarchy I put the album folders on top, then add subfolders based on work and variants, also having an “actives” folder for music I’m currently working on. My backups I keep in Google Drive and a few external hard drives and flash drives. And lastly, I publish on YouTube (of course), but have hopes of making pretty-looking audio CDs and performing live on an occasional basis. Phew, I’m done! Now you explain your music organization workflows.

"3. If we decide to regulate AI music, how should we detect it?" This could probably be discussed further, there seems to be a myriad of options, and maybe more than one can work