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Hello my dear composers. Here my latest composition .6 Dances for piano . I hope you like it

Based on the same core concept as the last two canons, this one took roughly under four hours to complete (as time seems to fly once I finally get inspired) and is intended to incapsulate the essential technique employed in these more recent compositions with a greater measure of brevity and conciseness involved, for perhaps three minutes of the same nonstop iterations (as was the case in the previous one) may have turned out quite a bit too repetitive, I regret. YouTube video link:

Hi to all. I've recently been asked to write a 5 minute piece for chamber orchestra, prominently featuring the bassoon. A sort of mini bassoon concerto if you will, for a concert next summer. Here's what I have so far. Only started writing it two days ago: so it's not remotely finished, and I haven't put in slurs or articulation yet. Some of the dynamics are just for the midi playback. Wanted to ask my fellow composers if you think it's any good? And where it needs improvements? As usual I wrote it mostly by instinct, and didn't really think much about voice leading, or harmonic progressions. As some of you know, I quite like sparse textures; but I wonder if it's a little too sparse? Also whether it features the bassoon prominently enough to hit the brief? A critique of my harmonic progressions and orchestration would be very helpful. Also I don't have a name for it yet: so any suggestions welcome! (Updated versions will be posted below.)

Hello dear fellow composers. This poem (1886) is part of Laforgue’s Imitation of Our Lady the Moon. Here the Moon is no longer a muse or confidante, but becomes the star of farewell and forgetting, sealing human hopes in silence and nothingness. I truly believe that this cycle reflects a part of Laforgue’s own biography — that of a young poet caught in an impossible, broken love story, one almost erased from history, save perhaps for the initial of a name glimpsed in his correspondence. At least, that is the conviction I had while reading these poems. And so here is the end of my cycle: a piece deliberately sparse, rarefied, silent. It is also, perhaps, a farewell to Laforgue — for now. Time has come for me to explore new paths (and I have been kindly reminded more than once that I am probably composing with a delay of about 120 years…). I can only hope that these pieces may nevertheless have found some resonance with you. This is one of my most sincere works, born from a curious overlapping of states of mind with Laforgue. And I believe — to confess under the cover of anonymity — that one is never truly safe from falling secretly in love, even at my age. Perhaps this is what makes the kinship so troubling.

I am so pleased you enjoyed the work!!!! I'll correct the oversight .................. Mark

I've never heard of that term before lol, is that a good thing?

Many thanks for your review Peter. Do you think this can be salvaged; or should just rip it up and start again? I can't make it too virtuosic, as I'm writing for an amateur bassoonist. I had a choice of instruments, and decided bassoon would be the most challenging. Since it's a quiet instrument, it doesn't come through very strongly against the orchestra. Plus it's in the bass register: so maybe not a natural instrument to carry the melody. I was trying to create a dialogue between the bassoon and orchestra, using call and response. Guess I haven't done a very good job though. The 5-minute time limit is also a challenge, since it doesn't give much opportunity for development.

Thank you so much for your wonderful words and your appreciation of my music. Yes, I consider myself a composer mainly for the piano, although I truly love orchestral music, and especially chamber music. Chamber music is my favorite... I just don’t feel familiar enough with the other instruments, although I have written a divertimento for winds and two minuets for string quartet. For a first attempt, it was quite a respectable effort, and I would definitely like to continue and write music for more instruments—it’s just that, at this point in my life, I don’t have enough free time to achieve that. I have also played Chopin’s mazurkas and polonaises in my repertoire, but I haven’t yet happened to compose something similar, although I would very much like to, and I thank you for pointing it out.

No I've never heard these Dvorak Bagatelles before. You've introduced me to them, so thanks for that! Yes, that's what I always do.

Thanks Peter. Was this a suite you'd not heard before? Will definitely try your suggestion with the strings. Think slurs would probably help too. The flute renditions are the most problematic for me. I don't like the sound where two virtual flutes are playing the same line. I did this because the melodies were sometimes being drowned out by the rest of the orchestra. Think I might resolve the problem by using a single flute track with the fader pushed up, rather than having two flutes.

Hey @therealAJGS! I like the Locrian inflection in this bass line you've come up with! I think the tambourine works but the drum kit is far from how an actual drummer would play. Improving your drumming patterns could really help this instrumental. Check out this video if you haven't already: Also another thing - I used to participate in an online monthly music contest website called midi-contest.com. It's now defunct and doesn't exist, but the owner of the site put a minimum duration limit on all submissions to the contest - 1 minute 30 seconds. As far as he was concerned everything under that duration was total trash! LoL From then on I've always tried to make my pieces at least that long haha. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Alex Weidmann! I know it's hard working with the Musesounds sometimes in getting it to perform good articulations especially with the strings. But, could you have maybe made the 2nd Bagatelle a bit more clearly articulated by using staccato marks on the 16th notes and accents on the dotted 8ths or something? It's really unclear in this rendering. I see you tried using staccati at meas. 234 but you articulated the 3rd note in the triplets where for me it would make more sense to staccato the 2nd one since the repeated G comes right after that. Those are just some things I wanted to pick on LoL. But overall I really enjoyed these bagatelles! I really love your choice of repertoire that you're orchestrating! Great job and thanks for sharing!

Hi again @Vasilis Michael! I love this little set of waltzes! And I like how you composed them to be played one after another. They're both Chopinesque and perhaps Schubertian or Schumannesque too. I love the chromaticism! No. 5 is perhaps my favorite of the bunch with it's chromatically descending harmonies. I wonder if you've ever tried your hand at a polonaise or mazurka? But also, from what I've seen of your YouTube channel you consider yourself, like Chopin, a composer primarily for the piano. Maybe you could explore composing some chamber works or even works for orchestra? Thanks for sharing these gems!

Hey @Alex Weidmann! To me the Bassoon is far from center stage nor juxtaposed as a soloist against the orchestra. Usually the title of "concerto" implies some virtuosity from the soloist but there doesn't seem to be any here. Also, the bassoon is not given any kind of definitive thematic material that would give it the spotlight. Usually concerti have double expositions of the thematic material to allow the orchestra and soloist to be juxtaposed against each other with the character of the main theme. It doesn't have to be like that of course as sometimes the soloist and orchestra start together like in a concertante. And whether the soloist or the orchestra starts first is also up for debate. But from what I hear so far there doesn't seem to be any thematic material that has potential for this kind of treatment in this piece. Perhaps you could make this into the slow movement of a concerto, but the main introduction and finale of the concerto would be expected to be more athletic, catchy and to have a antagonistic relationship between the soloist and the orchestra with a recognizable theme driving that antagonism. That's my take on that. Thanks for sharing!

Idea for a piano duet. Maybe it’s better off being a synth based work but I came up with it playing the piano. It's a short idea but any impressions and feedback is appreciated. Its performed with a midi keyboard

Edited the melody a bit for some more interest and movement

Few little updates to this one, and an improved score.