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Nobody has the scores for SW or ET. John Williams has them locked in a cage in Mount Doom somewhere. haha. I DO, however, have Les Mis. If you remind me sometime tomorrow, I will upload it for you. You should buy the book. ;) I mean, there is NOTHING that isn't a variation on the basic themes presented. I love it. haha. It makes Shore's score seem so "simple", and in that way, genius.

Jaap brings up an excellent suggestions and I wholeheartedly agree!

I actually bought this recently: http://www.amazon.com/Music-Lord-Rings-Films-Comprehensive/dp/0739071572/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1325315533&sr=8-2 Which basically does the same thing. But, I got to see Shore's actual scores and themes drawn out for me. LOVE. @Austenite, ;) You noticed.

Actually, you can.

Making the music uploads more visible and easy to navigate. Sure, we have "the directory", but I don't need to sort music based on whether its a Piano, Sonata, Romantic-period piece, or a Jazz - Large Ensemble, Combo Group, Mingus-style piece. ***We are not a database!*** The purpose of YC is to provide critique of music from experienced composers to less experienced composers, not to have fun sorting music and provide short pithy comments on the piece's page as if its a youtube video! Remember the old days where fervant discussions about music would happen because of a piece uploaded to YC? That is what our goal should be, not competing with something like YouTube or Soundcloud. Yes. I agree 100% (especially with the "database" criticism). Killed: Groups, the silliest thing ever devised. Again, agreed. What a pointless feature :lol: It's kind of like emoticons, without any of the fun. A hierarchy of user merit badges showing their longevity on the site and their musical experience. I speak mostly of their achievements in uploads. If they write a piece that is uniformly considered high quality, they should be rewarded for that with a gold star next to their avatar (for example). Little things like that contribute greatly to the "re-visit" value of a forum (for lack of a better term). Major Works: This was a superb addition to old versions of YC. This can be tied into the merit system in #2 combined with nominations. The first is an excellent idea; hard work and talent should really be rewarded in some way. Many musicians don't get the chance to be recognized or praised, or anything like that, for their art. If they come across something worthy of recognition, that would be great. I think it actually renders the entire idea of a "Major Works" section void and unnecessary. I always thought that the "Major Works" section was simply too demanding for practically anyone to be recognized as even a candidate for. A "medal" system would be a far more achievable and reasonable goal. It doesn't even have to stick to solely one thing, like a generally high quality piece -- you could get a merit for not just "High Quality Piece", but also "Creativity", or maybe "Practical Writer (aka, someone who clearly knows his/her instruments and writes well or idiomatically for it)". Of course, this really shouldn't turn into a "HOORAYAYAYA EVERYBUDY GETZ STICKERSZ!" type of thing, so it should strike a balance between too easy to get and too hard to get. Let the staff judge fairly and reasonably. And please, PLEASE, let there be some consistency on this site! :headwall: That's the only way this site is going to be worth anything at all. If you don't have consistency, everything else is rendered pointless, so PLEASE let this be the main priority.

Do you feel our forums have a lack of participation, and if so, why? Yes, for two reasons. 1, the "old generation" (which isn't that old BTW) left because no more could be had of YC in the learning aspect, which was a gross misfortune because the site had so much more to offer. 2, the constant site changes scared people off. Any good web developer knows that consistency is the key to success. Why do you think people hate the Facebook changes all the time? But they stay there because Facebook has become a cultural icon and, in some ways, necessity for living. So they won't leave there in droves. A site that's essentially a hobby site for most people? That one they'll leave, which is exactly what happened. If you do not personally use the forum discussion boards much, can you explain why? I do but not as much as I used to. For one, there's fewer interesting topics than there used to be which stems from there being fewer interesting people on the site. Also, there are so many forum categories that the little bit of activity that does happen gets lost in the flood of inactivity. Paring down the forum categories would be an excellent start here. Are the topics on YC too old and outdated for today's generation? No, the "generations" you speak of are a mere 3-5 years' difference. That's not much. The topics, if constant posting happens, will be up to date with whoever is posting. So its not the Admin's job to fix that directly; it will correct itself. Can you provide 3 or more forum ideas NOT currently utilized by YC, that you feel will engage composer interest? Making the music uploads more visible and easy to navigate. Sure, we have "the directory", but I don't need to sort music based on whether its a Piano, Sonata, Romantic-period piece, or a Jazz - Large Ensemble, Combo Group, Mingus-style piece. We are not a database! The purpose of YC is to provide critique of music from experienced composers to less experienced composers, not to have fun sorting music and provide short pithy comments on the piece's page as if its a youtube video! Remember the old days where fervant discussions about music would happen because of a piece uploaded to YC? That is what our goal should be, not competing with something like YouTube or Soundcloud. A hierarchy of user merit badges showing their longevity on the site and their musical experience. I speak mostly of their achievements in uploads. If they write a piece that is uniformly considered high quality, they should be rewarded for that with a gold star next to their avatar (for example). Little things like that contribute greatly to the "re-visit" value of a forum (for lack of a better term). Major Works: This was a superb addition to old versions of YC. This can be tied into the merit system in #2 combined with nominations. Which forums on YC do you feel should be revamped, or killed Killed: Groups, the silliest thing ever devised. the second competitions forum. Seems like a mistake but there's two of them for the same thing. Ask YC: Are discussion threads usually not questions? That would be far more useful in Composer's HQ. Revamped: Repertoire and Performance. Either merge them into Composers HQ or, more preferably, into one "General Music Discussion" category. Old Forums: Move em somewhere away from the top (!) of the page. All the technology forums. Merge them into one "Music Technology Discussion" category. If desired keep the Finale/Sibelius help but really until the site warrants it again, I'd just ax it. Advice and Techniques: Merge into Composer's HQ. No need for a separate category when techniques discussions are also in Comp HQ. Do you find the sibelius/finale help desk, well, helpful? It was helpful when people used it constantly. Now, its just a bunch of inactive threads. I'd keep it only if you can get people posting in there. However, the respective Sibelius and Finale help forums are much better nowadays than they where even five years ago. Your thoughts on the uploads portion of this site? Since it's my moderating area I naturally have a lot. Apart from what I said above, I have listed several technical and UEx changes that I believe are warranted here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tClkuvVuQiumZRy5t_Vp_2JuBfaM0RypGypb-pb3mlc/edit?hl=en_US. If anyone wants me to explain them I'll be happy to. If you were the owner of YC, tell me what your strategy would be to help vitalize the forums, and site in general. First off, KISS. Then make the site technologically flawless, i.e. no errors or problems with User Experience (UEx) because of sloppy code. Third, focus on UI and UEx and streamline it. Then advertise in the appropriate venues. Once the users start flowing, manage the site, but only change it when demand requires it.

Do you feel our forums have a lack of participation, and if so, why? I do feel there is less active and frequent discussion than when I joined the forum. This may be because the most immediate topics for discussion seem to have been exhausted, so a debate would most likely not attract many participants who have said it all before in the past. As had been said, it is often hard to get good or any reviews of work, which will discourage users from participating. Are the topics on YC too old and outdated for today's generation? I don't think this is a relevant question. For one, writing classical music is not typical of young people today anyway. What we are likely to discuss on the subject is not really confined to a certain age group or era, as our interests and concerns, excepting those to do with electronics technology, are exactly those of composers in all periods of music history. Can you provide 3 or more forum ideas NOT currently utilized by YC, that you feel will engage composer interest? - A specific area dedicated to arrangements and orchestrations rather than original compositions. - A showcase for the best rated works. I used to aspire to writing something that would be accepted into the 'Major Works' section. By the time I had composed it, this no longer existed. - In general, making the site more of a community of users than just something to dip in and out of. We all have a common interest which has a lot of potential for interaction and being made to feel personal. Which forums on YC do you feel should be revamped, or killed? Social groups. I don't like the idea of private, closed groups of users excluding others. Do you find the sibelius/finale help desk, well, helpful? Yes; I have received answers to several problems over the years thanks to this feature. Your thoughts on the uploads portion of this site? Better than the past. The centre column displaying reviews needs to be made wider as a proportion of the screen. At the moment it is too squashed by the sidebars.

Do you feel our forums have a lack of participation, and if so, why? Yeah. Because everything is changing all the time. Things have grown and stuff is harder to find. It was easier when the site was smaller and less complex. Even though you have created an intuitive space, I am not always aware of the possibilities I have as a user because things are not presented right in front of me all the time. If you do not personally use the forum discussion boards much, can you explain why? I discuss stuff on the forums MORE than I look at music. I think this may be a problem. ;) Are the topics on YC too old and outdated for today's generation? No. The people make the forum. Therefore, there cannot be topics that are outdated. Can you provide 3 or more forum ideas NOT currently utilized by YC, that you feel will engage composer interest? 1. MAKE THE MUSIC EASIER TO FIND. All of this complex search crap, I hate! Just pick a way to find music (instrumentation/genre/whatever) then stick to it. I know I'll be voted out of this, but it's how I feel. haha. 2. Less is more, Michael. Just saying. I mean this in ALL the ways possible. 3. Your chat feature is awesome. I just wish it was faster/better/worked. Which forums on YC do you feel should be revamped, or killed? I hate groups. But, you like them. So, that's ok. I think people miss the music being the focus. It was better then. Do you find the sibelius/finale help desk, well, helpful? I've never used it. Never had to. Your thoughts on the uploads portion of this site? I guess it works. I've uploaded a couple of things, and you've streamlined very nicely.

Not sure that I have a favorite per se, but the local Symphony Orchestra is playing John Williams tonight, and I will be attending. :-) I also really like Joel Goldsmith's theme for Stargate SG-1 (based on David Arnold's music for the film). To the point where I practiced my ear-training and mock-up skills with .

Let me introduce myself. My name is Mantas Savickis and I am contemporary composer from Lithuania. In 2010 I received my BMus Degree in composition from Lithuanian Academy of Music. In 2009 I was studying in Royal Northern College of Music under student exchange program. My style is based on modernism and minimalism. Favourite composers: Arvo Part, John Tavener, H.M.Gorecki, Steve Reich, David Lang, John Adams. If you would like to hear my portfolio please visit Mantas Savickis Portfolio Compositions: "Seven Brothers" for cello solo (2009) performed by Pei-Sian Ng. "Heavy Traffic" for full symphony orchestra (2009) performed by RNCM symphony orchestra "Deep Contemporation" for chamber orchestra (2010) performed by St. Christopher chamber orchestra. Cond. D. Katkus "Agnus Dei" for chamber choir (2008) performed by Lithuanian chamber choir "Jauna Muzika" "Magnificat" for chamber choir (2009) performed by Lithuanian chamber choir "Jauna Muzika" "Spring Passion" for bassoon and string quartet" (2009) performed by RNCM students "Balance of Mind" for string quartet (2009) performed by RNCM quartet 'Balance of Mind" for string quartet (2009) performed by Chordos quartet

Hi there! I'm new to the site. I love it. I have been composing minimalism after listening to so much of Steve Reich recently, and it just sort of comes naturally now. My composing methods are basically: pattern, repeat the pattern, get another pattern from the same instrument, let this pattern "take the additive" (additive melody look it up), listen to that unison canon, add a few 7ths and 9ths here and there, add more instruments, repeat, perhaps a few times. So, this particular piece, is for Two Flutes, Two Marimbas, and Two Pianos, and works on the idea of unison canons, and crossrhythms, and therefore is african drumming and gamelan inspired. The score is ridiculously long and quite pointless. I must find a way to structure it - it has so many repeats that there is really no point in having each and every little part. It is just for your reference. Cor blimey 63 pages long! Have a listen, please, tell me what you think. This site rocks!