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Hi all! As the Halloween season creeps closer, I decided to produce a small, ultra-short film rooted in my love of the holiday. A couple years ago I produced a similar short featuring some of these same characters, which I did also share on here. This is a pseudo-sequel to that video as well. I would love to hear your thoughts, feedback, and such! I did submit this to a local film festival and will hear back soon on if my submission was accepted. It was fun trying to play with some different things sonically, especially with the introduction of the theremin into the mix. While trying to go from an almost cartoony sound and look at the beginning, to a more sinister one at the end. Hope you enjoy the watch/listen!

Hi to all. Here's my latest attempt at orchestration practice. This one's from a piano miniature by Ravel. Haven't put all the slurs and fermatas in yet; but it's otherwise more or less complete. (N.B. Later revisions are attached lower down the thread.)

ah, I see your point now, brotha. Since I've tried to emulate a more "jazzy" style, there is probably a lot of improvised-sounding sections. At that time, I wasn't sure how to develop the theme since it doesn't really lend itself to motivic transformation, at least in the classical sense. I just had to, most of the time, repeat it with slight variations and different key schemes throughout the piece. You're actually right about the ostinato being the center of attention from bars 1 - 20; it makes its full appearance at b.21. Now that you've mentioned it, I can't stop unhearing the piano ostinato in the B section, perhaps there are balance issues there too. Thanks for clarifying your thoughts, peter. I am glad you found good things about my piece.

Danke, Henry!

I still think it's the best piano piece I ever wrote, in 38 years. I am 56. When are they going to kick me off this site for not being a "Young Composer?" Young at heart, I guess.

Schumann orchestration? Contrary to legend, Schumann was not a bad orchestrator. Workaday, like Brahms. Not a colorist like Mahler, Ravel, let's see...Rimsky -Korsakov? Just keep working, but only when you feel like it. That would be my advice, and it is what I do. Great exercise to orchestrate a Schumann piano piece, and piano music in general is hard to orchestrate.