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What keeps you from reviewing more works? This could apply to works reviewed on YCF, YT, discord, Soundcloud or other social media where music is shared. The poll is public. Respond to this topic for me to add more options to the list!

Lately, I've had a brutal case of writer's block. I've had all sorts of ideas floating around, but nothing seems to coalesce. Just fragments. This piece is, essentially, my attempt to break out of my frustrating lack of inspiration. I've never written an "impromptu" before. I didn't go into it knowing what I was writing. It just sort of ... emerged this way. https://app.box.com/s/ohe4i9u2jw7cqw4xyi7pak7plsnucgvs (Impromptu in G Minor -- WAV File) https://app.box.com/s/pc8l32bqrc7kjh428f2cugyg4refcnck (Impromptu in G Minor -- PDF File)

I'm stil not done with my orchestrations, I will probably come to this section a bunch of times this year haha. What do you think? I believe I managed to portray a dark aura. I still don't know how to assign dynamics to the instruments, any advice for that so I don't have to rely on "mp" and "ppp" so much?

Hey Peter! I really like this one especially the first section. This is very very soothing especially for a man who woke up at 5 am today, I almost go asleep comfortably listening this one! The first version is more mesmerising than the 2nd version. I love the fast passage too. The whole piece sounds yummy for one who wanna sleep like me 🤪. I love the microtones for adding weird colors here as Vince mentioned, it definitely help with the mysterious mood to be portrayed. Thx for sharing! Henry

Hey Arjuna, Sorry it’s completely idiotic for me not to have review this one. I think I have discussed this with you before. Like Peter said the clarinet can definitely carry more melodic role. For me the viola and contrabass can also have more melodies as well in later passages! Yeah I conceive these 24 bars as the first theme of a sonata form movement. With its melancholic nature, you can then start with a transition to a brighter 2nd theme in a brighter key! Maybe there the clarinet can be featured more! Thx for sharing and hope to see ya update! Henry

Hi @UncleRed99, The score in the video is too small for my old eyes so I don’t check the score at all haha. For me I think you make good contrast between solo and tutti passages, and the timbre and dynamic is varied. I conceive this 3 minutes as the first section of a Symphonic Overture which is entirely in F minor with its own climax. Maybe it would be great to have a contrasting section a serene major key, let’s say Ab major or F major for me. The climax is pushed here by orchestral colour and contrast, not by harmonic progression, so maybe you can do that more in the contrasting section. Thx for sharing! Henry

Hi @Luis Hernández, Yeah I don’t know why I go for that 3+3 1/2 bar structure 10 years ago lol, so I kinda develop that idea 10 years later which is now. The bar 16 modulation to Eb is really surprising in an A major setting, but at do that because I need to coherently modulate to A flat major, which is where I stop 10 years ago. I don’t know how to smoothly to A flat major nor how to move away from it 10 years ago but now I can! For me I really love the ornamented ending! The contrasting part is just built from the materials from the first section but giving it some harmonic change make it sound contrasting. Henry

Hello A very nice and effective piece. The motif is simple but it sticks in your memory. I like how the half phrases are linked in a kind of elision. Very interesting harmonic journey and some surprising moments like in measure 16, this makes it more attractive. Also the contrasting part is very balanced and the final repetition with its ornaments the same. Thank you. Best regards.

Hey everyone, While I've been quite busy with university during the past year, I've started uploading some of my compositions to a YouTube channel, which I think better presents my music as a score-audio combo. They're all still computer renditions, but I hope to begin uploading my own performances these next few months (including of other works, mainly Scriabin). Here's a waltz that I originally wrote for one of those community-organised composition challenges on MuseScore, in which it was required that a note be repeated at least once in every bar of a piece. I ended up bestowing upon it the nickname "Waltz of the B(ee)s" for that reason and gave the score to my music teacher as a gift. Among all of my pieces, I think this is the one I'm closest to recording myself, so I'll update this thread when I'm ready!

Hello people! I'm working on my next giant variations project. But, in the meantime Mike (@chopin) asked me to write an Arpeggio Etude for him for his upcoming Music Jotter Arpeggio feature exhibit. "Music Jotter just implemented arpeggios (for chords, or arpeggiated chords), and the video will explain the difference between an arpeggiated chord and non-chord arpeggios." The piece is short as I wrote it all completely in my small musical notepad that I carry around in my pocket everywhere I go. Let me know what you think if you have any suggestions, constructive comments or critiques! And thanks for listening. Edit: I'm including a 2nd rendition of the piece that Mike made for me using Music Jotter and 8DIO Steinway Grand 1969 sound samples. Thanks Mike! Edit no.2: Also, check out what I have to say about how I created this piece in Why I Compose Music on Paper. Arpeggio Etude.mid

This is really beautiful! I would love to hear a "finessed" version of this piece, as the MIDI isn't doing it justice at all. I like the choice of time signature change in the middle, I think that was a really clever way of developing the piece.

Hello Henry, A lovely intermezzo based on a theme from your second sonata, was there a particular motive for quoting yourself? you've incorporated many compositional techniques organically such as phrase elision and counterpoint, and as with many of your compositions, you never sacrifice emotional expression. I don't really have anything to comment on, just enjoying the piece for it's optimism. good stuff 👌

Kia ora Henry, Lovely little light piece. Brilliant performance as always. Ngā mihi, Arjuna

This is my first composition I wrote for concert band, a suite consisting of four parts that I wrote over the course of several months last year. I would really appreciate if someone could provide me with some feedback on this piece.

First off I noticed that their first movement was a nice little 6/8 waltz I really enjoyed it. The music does scream one last dance, and the first movement ends with unison, making everything more stronger. The 2nd movement is subtitled as longing assuming which is probably this piece is some sort of love story, or something with the connection of love or something like that it starts off slow and with the feeling of longing with various woodwind features placed throughout and I do in particular like the ending where the theme is played in a processional March The third movement was a bit more joyous and provided relief. I do like mixed meter stuff which you did very well and it had that typical concert band type feel to it with syncopated rhythms and runs and also is in major. The final movement definitely had the sound that you would hear in like a movie or something, but then it goes to its original theme with the galloping rhythm and I do like the Rubato on the winds. I do find that the euphonium does stand out a bit other than that the orchestration is really great, but definitely mix down the euphonium so it blends better in the playback anyways great work

Hi Peter! For me it's because I have to focus in my own writings. When I compose insanely myself I can't review anything here since it will take some of my creative energy away. Only listening is ok, but to provide feedback I need that same creative power for composing. Reviewing is very helpful for my own composing, but only before or after a huge project. When I complete my Sextet which would be posted soon, I never experience a more ferocious composing like this one, so I cannot bare to waste any creative energy other than finishing it. Another reason I don't review some members is because they never reply or give reputation points to reviewers, let alone review other members' works (including mine!) themselves. Since I review because I wanna interact with the composer, if there is no interaction I would feel like my review is futile, therefore I won't review them. Henry

Hello @Fruit hunter! The first thing that I notice when I listen to this is that it actually seems to be in 5/8 not 7/8 in the beginning. The melody repeats a group of three 8th notes followed by a group of two. The first phrase you have fits squarely into 3 measures of 7/8. But it would make much more sense in 5/8 - with three measures of 5/8 followed by one measure of 3/4 - a nice 4 measure phrase which is how I think any average listener will perceive the music without looking at the score. Also, in 7/8 it would be really unnatural and awkward for the orchestra to play and the conductor to conduct. You should let the rhythm of the melody decide the meter and changes in meter as that is the most natural and musically assertive aspect of the music. But besides that the piece certainly has quite an otherworldly flavor. I am not familiar with Balkan music so can't judge it in that respect. There are many quite bombastic sections of the piece, but they are nicely contrasted with slower and more charming parts. I like the theme of the repeated ascending 8th notes at 5:09 and wherever that re-occurs - that's probably my favorite part of the piece. Some parts of it with the heavy percussion in the latter part of the piece remind me of Stravinsky. I thought the ending was a bit corny with the simple orchestral unison V - I cadence. I might be biased though because I love unusual endings. Thanks for sharing this intense piece!

The title was misleading, to me. I kept waiting for a Hammond B3 to be heard in the arrangement, but alas... lol

Hi @林家興, (Don't ask me why I can type Chinese LoL!!) This one is quite enjoyable to listen to. It's funny and light-hearted waltz. Even though it's a easier dominant B it would still need some skills to incorporate that note to every bar without making the piece forceful and unnatural, so congrats for that. Thx for sharing. Henry

Wow... this is so refined and smooth. I love your style. Your phrasing is admirable, and nothing seems out of place. You're quite the composer!

Yo Peter, I’m very late on this one. For me I think a leggiero version of the etude would be better than a delayed effect or pedalled version! It should be as crispy as the opening of Chopin’s op.10 no.4! I would want the tempo to be faster too! I imagine the piece more Mozartean than Ravelian! Thx for sharing! Henry

This is really nice! Listening to both versions makes me curious about what this would sound like if it's sped up a little bit, played mostly in pianissimo, and completely enveloped in pedals—a bit Ravel-esque. I am tempted to try it out myself now...

I echo this. It's very cool, it makes me think of rain for some reason though. 😄 However, like most piano music, I think a pianist would be able to bring out a lot of expression, moreso than the watery midi. The language is cool too, you always have a way of blending complexity in your voice with a tonality that's easy to digest. Well done buddy

I wanted to add that I have recently experienced this phenomenon where I wanted to reject a piece of music that I had already finished on paper while I was entering it into the computer. Because it was sounding so horrible and bad I thought that my composition was just a dud and that sometimes things just don't work out the way I intend them, musically speaking. I was ready to trash the composition but instead decided to just finish entering it into the computer to see what it would sound like in its entirety. It turned out much better than I thought and now I enjoy it immensely! I think I just had to get used to the weirdness of the piece. It was good that I didn't write the piece in the sequencer/notation program/DAW because the immediate feedback of the process of writing it would have severely discouraged me from continuing it. I am glad that I was able to delay judging it until it was finished and not being able to hear it helped me in this process. (In case someone is interested the piece I am talking about is my Arpeggio Etude for Piano). I thought I would share this anecdote in case it might help someone who is suffering from writer's block or finds themselves prematurely rejecting everything they come up with as I have sometimes done. Thanks for reading!

hello everyone, I am back, this is my new piece, hope you like it! The video (portrait): 【微分音钢琴】作品7之2 无标题_哔哩哔哩_bilibili