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Hello everybody, this is my first post here. I've mostly composed and released solo piano music (recorded myself) so far, with the exception of two symphonies - last of which I finished in 2020. I've now composed a piano concerto with Sibelius 7.5 and Noteperformer 4. It's been five years since I produced anything orchestral so I am sure it will come off as rather clumsy in the orchestration (I am self-taught), and I am also aware that the piano part itself is not as virtuosistic as the form would require it (especially in the first movement). The ensemble itself is not large (strings, trombones, flute, clarinet and bassoon, and timpans, besides the soloist). I don't think I have much else to say. I would like to hear some of your opinions. You can ask me anything and I will answer as far as my knowledge of the topic affords me. The work is linked here from my Youtube (I tried to embed but it seems I'm not able or capable to). Thank you for your interest. Piano Concerto on YouTube

Hello everyone, I'm Zhang Wenhao, a singer from China. Today is Children's Day on June 1st. Here, I'd like to share with you a R&B love song that I composed and sang, titled "Fairy Tale". I hope that those who hear it will feel as happy and content as in a fairy tale every day. 大家好，我是来自中国的创作歌手张文灏。今天是六一儿童节，在这里大家分享一首我创作、演唱的R&B情歌《童话》，祝福听到的人们每一天都过得像童话一样开心、满足。 歌词如下/The lyrics are as follows： 《童话》/《Fairy Tale》 作曲/Composed by：张文灏 Zhang Wenhao 作词/Lyrics by：张文灏 Zhang Wenhao 走在热闹路口 我挽着你的手 害怕稍一放手你就会走丢 你嘻嘻地笑着 像年幼的孩童 纯真的脸在路灯下分在清秀 不知什么时候 因为什么理由 呵护傻傻的你变成了坚守 舍不得你难过 舍不得你忧愁 舍不得你伤心失望皱眉头 你是我最珍贵的骄傲 我会把你精心呵护好 一直到老 那些痛苦烦恼 统统帮你消灭掉 自豪地看着 你可爱脸颊 在旋转木马 笑成一幅画 在我怀中只需做个天真的傻瓜 我会守护好你和你心中的童话 用陪伴画下 所有的牵挂 用呵护擦去 所有的尘杂 手交给我不必害怕风沙有多大 我会挡下所有风吹雨打 你只需 笑靥如花

This is fantastic, and I can only imagine it doesn't have more reviews because people like to be able to suggest something that should be improved upon, and this is perfect as it is. I agree with Henry that the 5/8 is an excellent fit here, partly because it rushes things along, and partly because it feels slightly off-balance, like a mad love affaire. Well played and well sung! Now I want to go look up some Jules Laforgue poetry. Are there other texts you particularly recommend?

At last, I can post the studio recording of my Piano Quartet in C minor. The two movements were recorded in a 4 hour session on 5/23, and spliced/mixed today 5/30. I've learned so much, and am very happy with the result, as solo strings are not good on ANY VST, compared to professional string players. The pianist stepped in on short notice and did wonders humanizing the piano part--the chorale and 2nd movement theme sound fantastic! Now I have a concrete reference for what my writing sounds like with actual musicians. I plan to do another pass over the score, as there are things that need improving on my part. A worthwhile and important step in my DIY musical education!.... The artists: Fantastic musicians, and they all helped me consider my writing, score/part preparation and musical issues in new ways!---- Violin: Dan Winnick Viola: Chloe Thominet Cello: Michelle Kulwicki Piano: Derek Szlauer Recorded and mixed and Big Sky Recording, Ann Arbor, Mich. Geoff Michael, Engineer. 5/23/25 and 5/30/25.

Well, it's yielding excellent results. Keep going!!! Look forward to hearing more as your own style evolves.

Well, flattery will get you everywhere! I think the Mendelssohn/early romantic style is quite clear. That said, it DOES take some knowledge and a little skill even to copy! Thank you! I learned a ton in the approx 2 years it took to get it to this point, with some long breaks in between.... Despite the cost--and being grateful I could do it--it was a hugely benefical experience, from getting the right musicans together, learning about part preparation, doing a read-through, the recording session, and post-production concerns and what I need to be attentive to. I am committed to having the next live recording process go much smoother, including having ALL my music ready , and in a highly polished form! Thank you again! I worked really hard on it--it didn't just happen... I have corrections (I won't say "final") I want to make in my score, and some refinement yet to do as a follow up...

This sounds really nice - as if it's by one of the greats!!! It really stands out amongst recordings shared in this way. Congratulations on writing it and even more so on getting it professionally performed!!

Its been a while since I've posted anything here, I've actually been quite busy in my new life in São Paulo (moved from Brasília to São Paulo this year to study with the principal clarinetist at the São Paulo Symphony), and I'm sad to not find enough time to compose as much as I did in high school. Anyways, finally, after 4 months here I finally managed to complete a work. I'm quite satisified with this quartet, since I believe I'm getting closer with each attempt to an authentic romantic work. Please, have a listen, and tell me what you think. Nothing matters more than the listener's opinion!

I don't think the music is that great. I still have a long way to go. But I'm having some interesting and rather effective ideas. Keep in mind that I started designing this thing from scratch less than half a month ago. So obviously it hasn't attained anything approaching its final state. EDIT: My goal was to be able to take a simple melody and have this program do something elaborate with it, something that preserves the melody's governing role and its status as initiator and foundation. That's basically what I've been doing so far, with ever greater precision.

It's great you have a great confidence in your own works. For me personally I like your earlier music than recent music written from the program, as for me the earlier music sound more beautiful and have more varities than the recent ones when the timbre of those program music are a bit piercing to me. But that's personal and I'm sure you won't mind my very personal opinion, given how much you like your own music. Henry

I agree, the piece I posted most recently did have a grating sound. I took a slight misstep, although it's interesting that I was able to get that shivering sound consistently. It at least means I was onto some kind of principle behind sound, and I learned something from it. I'm using what is called a phasor to produce the sound. It is indeed a sawtooth wave, which is, yes, a grating sound. I intend to swap it out for something more organic, or at least pleasanter-sounding, but I haven't yet gotten around to doing that. The phasor object is what is provided ready-made in the programming language I'm using, so I've defaulted to it for now. Here's a piece I accidentally deleted and had to reupload. I like it even if you don't:

Like I said, I rarely listened to them all the way through for the reasons I cited, so my apologies if my experience of your sounds isn't complete. If you're happy with the progress you're making then by all means continue! I just thought you were posting your pieces here to receive feedback about how others experience what you produce. Nowhere did I say that you didn't know what you're talking about - I'm sure you're an expert on your own program and how you've learned to create sound using it. Do I understand why you would want to try to create music using this method or this particular grating saw-tooth wave sound? No, but maybe you do and as long as you do that's all that matters. But that's my experience of what you've presented.

I'm gradually improving the program. Obviously, it's not perfect. It's just getting better and better. As far as why I'm doing this, it's because I want to understand the nature of music. I don't care that AI can do a better job. That isn't the point of this endeavor.

I wonder if you're aware that today's A.I. tools are already capable of creating contrapuntal works that give imo much better results than what you've presented here. The biggest drawback, as you mentioned is that your program only doubles the given melody in similar motion. Usually, counterpoint involves independent voices and one of the first and most important rules in creating independent voices is that you shouldn't double them for any substantial length of time at the same interval. Even 3rds and 6ths doubled for too long stop being independent and blend together into just one voice. Counterpoint would also involve the different voices moving in different independent rhythmic values and in contrary, oblique and similar motion. There is nothing contrapuntal about what you've presented in my opinion. Another issue is that your renditions are really grating on the ears and hard to listen to. Why do your renditions use sawtooth-wave synthesizer sounds? Even if you subscribe to the moog-synthesizer invention style of music, there are more palatable sounds available to you that you don't seem to use. I honestly haven't listened to any of your recent submissions all the way through because of this. I just can't listen to something that grating for it's full duration - and I don't understand how anyone could find anything about this beautiful. I hope you don't take this as a damning criticism, I'm just trying to describe my listening experience and put my reaction into words. Thanks for sharing though.

Hey Peter, thx for your quick review! I don't know how on earth do I get the idea from, maybe from playing the naughty @Thatguy v2.0's preludes haha 🤪! But I really love that passage too! This is wonderful and 10 times better than mine lol! I will if you commision me to write one and play me $99999999999999999999999999999! But I have to know how to orchestrate first of course! Yup, stupid me! I removed it immediately and thought no one would notice it, but thx to you everyone knows!!!! Waiting for your book-length review! Henry

Hi @ferrum.wav! Like Peter said I enjoy your orchestration very much by enriching the color without getting too heavy like many of the film composers do. Your music here maintains a sense of cute and beautiful naviety and freshness which I enjoy very much! Your orchestration is what I will have to learn from. I love your orchestral interludes after each stanza, and I love that imitation between the voice and clarinet in 2:01 in b.53, very clever! The modulation into E major is so well prepared and so well made, yet so refreshing and funny and doesn't sound you take a lot of effort into making it despite you must take a lot effort in it! I should be the one feel honored that you use my theme in a much more colorful way than I did. When my Image theme gets in at b.89 I just instantly laugh out because it's so colorful, and the horn color is so cute, and as a secondary theme it sounds like an old white rabbit assisting Alice in the wonderland! The run to Eb major is so so cute!! And one things I notice at the end: you use your motive so well and probably too well that I only notice how coherent and organized this piece is, probably because I was more attracted to the wonderful colorful at first and ignore the structual tightness in the beginning. This is so fascinating! Congrats on composing this and thx for sharing it to us! Henry

Hello @Cafebabe, This piece reminds me very much of Scarlatti given its light touch, texture and also how you modulate to distnat key A minor in b.81 from F sharp major! The harmony in the piece is very fitting to the style and I love your German sixth usage. Thx for sharing this light hearted piece! Henry

Hi @Cafebabe! What a wonderfully delightful Galant piece! I think it could easily be a middle movement in a sonata - a fast minuet or a scherzo. The only thing that I see to critique is that the piece seems to be in 6/8 throughout its duration except for the brief part in 4/4. And you group your notes quite often into 2 groups of 3 rather than 3 groups of 2 as would be customary in 3/4. 6/8 is basically in 2 where each beat is subdivided into 3 notes. Thanks for sharing and I'm stoked for the other movement(s)!