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So anyway, the last time I tried to write a symphony was almost 8 years ago, and it was so terrible that it's now called Symphony No. 0 and we never speak of it. I was 15 at the time. I suppose (most) teenagers aren't generally known for writing great symphonies. But I recently tried again. This is now my Symphony No. 1. I just finished it today. It's in one vast, slow through-composed movement. I wonder if, as you listen, it is obvious who my main stylistic influences were. The entire piece is built from one motif, the three-note figure that bookends the whole thing of the rising leap followed by the falling step. I've been working on this for about six months. This symphony was the product of a lot of experimentation and often changing course on the fly. Not only have I never written this much slow music all at once before, but these are the largest orchestral forces I've ever handled, with the greatest variety of orchestral color at my disposal. It's also the first time in a while I have allowed myself the luxury of a harp, as previously I had always been wary of giving myself the opportunity to commit any of a number of common orchestration blunders. I'm enjoying the fruits of the new Muse Sounds I have gained access to by virtue of switching to Musescore. They're wonderful. They can be a bit buggy, but sometimes it's almost scary how human they sound. Curious about how this will be received.

Wow, this is so great! You're a gifted writer, and I really love the fact that you took to heart your goal of constructing the entire symphony from the rising then falling motif. Brilliant execution of that. I admit I heard this when you first posted, but something this massive took a while with repeated listens to really figure out what I could even say, or what I even wanted to say haha. This is just bloated with drama, and a great introduction of your symphonic prowess. I've noticed that no matter what I'm writing, part of who I am and what my personal situation is leaks out into the notes. I'm curious how personal this is to you, since it's your first symphony "no.1" (😛)? It sounds so emotional that I'd have a hard time believing it was all puzzle fitting and theory crafting. I really enjoyed the overall arch of the dynamics. Even though it was slow, as you say, it had plenty of motion and variation within it that it wasn't a bother to me. But this kind of crescendo then diminuendo of the dynamics overall throughout it's duration was really cool, and helped make it cohesive as a one movement symphony. The melodies are all superb, it's so rich in emotional depth to me. I love how you're a phenomenal string player, but you didn't make this about the violin. The tossing around of motifs and careful planning of color balance was a treat. I also can't thank you enough for hiding empty staves, it makes it so much easier to read and much more worth a composer peer's time. I love this kind of discussion. THIS is what makes people better at composition. There's no right or wrong here, just opinions from talented people. I agree with Peter in a way. I'm not sure if he meant a literal scherzando, but a change in texture would be advantageous, especially for a one movement symphony. Right at M, I love where you go here. But I think this would have been the perfect spot to build your motif in a faster rhythmic way. I love the heavy drama here, the light-heartedness might not fit. But I found myself continuing to relisten to this spot, where it builds really massively and then ends solemnly. I just kept zoning out, and I think it's because I was so used to the slower texture that my ears wanted a change rhythmically. If this was movement 1 of a multimovement work, I think it's more than fine as is. But as a one-movement symphony, it may have been something to consider deeper, and definitely for future thought. Overall though, this piece of yours hits closer to my heart than you might know, as I'm almost done with a long symphonic work that's slower... and in the same key sig... and nearly as long... But I digress. 😄 Lovely music, wonderfully clean score, and congratulations on completing your first symphony! I've listened to this numerous times now, and can say that I'll reference this when I have my own orchestration or notation questions. Extraordinarily beautiful composition 🙂

G'day fellas, Happy belated Easter! I must have composed this tune at least two years ago, but decided to rework it a bit. I'm not overly fond of it, I will admit but believe that it has the most distinctly Australian feel out of everything I have ever written. You might also notice some ragtime influence in it, too. I'm considering writing a middle section as well, and hence making the piece into a ternary form. Yay or nay? Cheers, Quinn Humoresque No 1.mid

As the poster above me asked: How well do you know your theory and the craft of composition? If it is simply that you're feeling stumped, or struggling to get it to sound how you want, then this is usually the source. I would also recommend you get a MIDI controller to input notes into Musescore that way if you don't already. It would be painfully slow trying to input it with mouse and keyboard. Your piano trio may go faster if you use a DAW and kontakt libraries instead of musescore. Then, you can just record your piece in real time, and with pianos, you don't have to worry about keyswitches and other MIDI annoyances. Honestly, it really isn't. Especially if your goal is concert/neo-classical stuff. It is better to put out 5 pieces per year that are amazing, then to release 10 middling ones just because you feel you have to hit a certain number. Even from the most iconic composers, only a handful of their pieces are really well known to the masses. In many cases, the composer spent anywhere from weeks to years writing them. Even bands, who typically are doing way simpler music than classical; each new album is a result of 1-2 years (or more) of songwriting and selecting the best ones for the album. Back in the days of record deals, labels would demand an album of X number of songs within a short time-frame, which is partly why "Girls, Girls Girls" is the only decent song on that album. Also, remember that Carl Douglas's only song of note was 'Kung Fu Fighting' 50 years ago and he wound up with a net worth of 5 million. In other words, if no one is breathing down your neck to get this done and paying you to do so, take all the time you need. Lastly, since you say you're in school it's safe to assume you're pretty young: Know that the field of professional orchestral and neo-classical music is not a pursuit for low-time preference individuals; it is mainly an old man's game. I lucked out when I was 18, and got my first professional job, but that is an extreme rarity. Most guys don't see any success (financially or otherwise) until they have DECADES of experience under their belts. So aside from the aforementioned advice, I'd say: Take your time, and just keep chipping away at your pieces. Even 1 bar a day is progress. Because as the saying goes:

Hi @PeterthePapercomPoser and @Hcab5861! I've modelled the overall texture and soundscape off of the bass aria of BWV 159 (which is imo the most beautiful aria Bach has ever written). The omission of a harpsichord continuo and the strings "harmonic halo" are both completely intentional - I want the mood of the music to be gentle, warm, embracing. In addition, I'm a little bit torn on Da Capo form. I think it works well in duets but by default I tend to avoid it. From a singer point of view I don't get excited about singing the first part of the piece exactly twice, and from a compositional point of view, your ritornello theme better be REALLY good to warrant a minimum of four exact repetitions (but more typically six to eight repetitions including fragments), at least for those themes that are tonally closed. I much prefer the scheme of ABA' in these cases (e.g. see the alto aria in BWV 197), where A ends in the dominant and A' ends in the tonic.

Hey all! I just completed what was for me a massive project, Three Scenes for Ensemble is a set of chamber pieces (one of my first compositions) which I composed and recorded at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin. I felt this would be a great place to get some feedback. I know it's a ton of music, but it would be incredibly helpful to even if focus on one measure to show an example of different choices I could have made orchestration-wise, harmonically, notation-wise, etc... Thank you in advance and I hope you enjoy! If you would like to support please consider also listening on Spotify. Score Video: About the Music! Credits: Composer: Nicholas Schuman, Flute: Thomas Hahn, Oboe: Anna Schulkowski, Clarinet: Constance Morvan, French Horn: Melinda Gál, Piano: Daniel Zhao, Cello: Josiah Simonds, Sound Engineer: Arne Bergner, Assistant Engineer: Marian Hafenstein

Hot dang boy are you lucky. You got a review from @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu. Man, just typing @H pulls up Henry first. He's our forums most illustrious member, and anything he says is Chinese wisdom we all learn from. Sorry, I'm an unsuccessful clown with a guitar. 🤔 This was great! And wow, for your first piece, you have a studio performance? Wow, holy opportunity! I hope you asked them every question in the book, because the more you know of their instruments, the better you'll compose for them. Do they work with your school? What's it like to study abroad and record in Berlin? It sounds like you have an incredibly interesting story to tell 🙂 I agree with Henry with the score being rife with labeling and coloring. It's cool to see your analysis, and there is an audience for that. It shows you care enough to explain in further details questions listeners might have, or that you know your stuff. But I'd post a version of just the score too; I bet it would get more views than the analysis version 😉 Your music is lovely, and for your first composition, this shows a lot of promise. I like that your background is film scoring and the like. It'll help shape your voice, because it's your inspiration. But I really encourage you to study up on the great composers. Watch Youtube for hours of the score videos. It's free, bruh. Look up Romantic-era composers first; it seems to suit the style of the film people. But let it lead you to others. Study scores of Chopin and Beethoven (and WOW, many more!) if you're writing for piano. A lot of your parts are elementary and conservative, especially in solo moments. Guess what, that's ok! You made it work, you went through the recording process, the whole shebang. You COMPLETED your project, and you followed through. That's what it takes to make it in my eyes, to see it through to the end. Congrats 🙂 My advice, like I said, is to keep studying up on the instruments. I forget... do you play an instrument? It would be greatly beneficial to you to continue to explore one instrument in it's full capacity and to write for it in tandem with your school studies and projects. I'm a guitarist, and my knowledge gained of the instrument always leads me to perpetual new ideas about what other instruments might be able to achieve. You seem like you have a lot to offer the musical world, and hopefully the forum here. There are loads of talented people here to learn from, and their advice is free. And if you want piano pieces performed, Henry Ng charges $1,000,000 USD for a complete full album. It's worth it Oh yeah, welcome 😄

This dialog is pretty much correct I think. There's a difference between writing something abstract and writing something unidiomatic and needlessly difficult. Hiding behind supposed goals of abstraction and complexity to excuse bad writing is not an easily definable thing, but like pornography according to the Supreme Court, "you know it when you see it" if you are a relatively experienced composer. My use of harp is very sparing, but that's roughly in line with how it should be used. As Thomas Goss (of OrchestrationOnline) says: decoration, filigree, support. The harp is like dessert, adding great delicacy to a thin texture but rapidly becoming stale if overused. Every orchestration challenge he issues stipulates NO HARP CONCERTOS for a reason: beginner composers see the double staff and get overexcited about what they (think they) can give the harpist, and wildly overestimate the instrument's real capabilities. At the end of the day the harpist has an ungodly difficult part that just gets drowned or forgotten in the texture. Let the harp do what it does best. The harpist won't mind if they have to sit and count some rests any more than my poor trumpet players will. They're paid to do that, so to speak. Notice that some of the most idiomatic harp writing I employ comes in the come una danza sections where I use glissandi and rolled chords - two extremely common and standard harp techniques to just add some background lush flavor to the texture. The exact notes played, insofar as they make the right chords, aren't important. The most I have the harpist do in a foreground role throughout the entire piece is that little dainty rising scale in the reprise of the danza. Again, decoration, filigree, support. To the other point, this work is actually not drawing on minimalism at all. The glacial note values are an emotional expression tool, not an attempt to simplify or pare anything down. My contrapuntal lines are actually fairly intricate a lot of the time even when the note values are long and the textures are thin.

Hi @Quinn St. Mark, Me like Vince don’t know the difference between them! I have never heard the term Saltarello LoL !! Watching this I think they are literally the same thing?? I really enjoy those complex chord progression! By the way, why don’t you write the piece in 12/8 so that you can cancel out all those triplets? I think those octaves in b.15 onwards can be really difficult to play! I mean even Brahms Piano Sonata or Chopin Scherzo no.3 are around the same or even slower tempo! I think like Vince said, you can develop a bit further first before having those virtuosic passages! Thx for sharing, it does look promising! Henry

Greetings! I am back with yet another Muzoracle casting - this time of our very own @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu!!! (Muzoracle is a storytelling/divination tool similar to the Tarot card deck, but with cards with musical concepts and 12-sided Musician's dice and Solfege dice.) This time, Henry asked the Muzoracle "Will I become a great composer": My interpretation of the cards and dice are displayed below. This time I used brass and voices since the Major 7th card at left is in the suit of brass and the Perfect 4th card, underneath the Style card is in the suit of voices. If you'd like to find out more about Muzoracle and how castings are interpreted go here: https://muzoracle.com/ These interpretations I'm making seem to be getting more and more elaborate, while the musical pieces they yield seem to be getting shorter and shorter! 🤣 This piece is only a few seconds long but it is an accurate aural representation of the casting which is the main purpose of the music. But, if you have any suggestions for how I can extend these pieces while still staying true to the casting please let me know! This time the black Musician's die landed on Gb and the casting is descending, which means that the diatonic solfege dice that land on their respective degrees will descend to the next degree, while the chromatic solfege dice will ascend up to the next degree. So, the dice landed on Re (Ab), Me (Bbb), Do (Gb), So (Db), and Mi (Bb). These are the tones used in the composition. The direction of the melody is shown by the arrows on each page, and they also lead the reader from the preceding to the concluding statements in the casting. I just tried to find a way to symbolize the variety of different brasses playing at different times coming together at the end because of the orchestration card. And I added the voices since there's a voices card and accelerated to the climax since there's an accelerando card. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy listening to this short musical idea/aural representation of Henry's casting! Any comments are welcome.

I originally wrote the beginnings of a scherzando section that was going to appear at M, but I eventually scrapped it and put in what is there now. So it's definitely a thought I had, but I rejected it. I didn't think it fit. It broke the dramatic arc for me. I don't know very much of the oeuvre of either Bruckner or Sibelius, though I've started trying to explore Bruckner more recently and I am at least consciously aware that at times his influence did start to make itself felt as I got into the middle and end of the symphony. However, a much nearer and dearer inspiration to me is Mahler, and Tchaikovsky was on my mind heavily when composing the dance-like sections, despite me not really being aware of any specific piece by him that has those characteristics. I wasn't aiming to emulate any particular person though, so I could very well have created a hybrid style.

Hello! I've recently gotten a bit into the art of Muzoracle - a storytelling/divination tool similar to the Tarot card deck, but with cards with musical concepts and 12-sided Musician's dice and Solfege dice. I did a casting of a friend named Bradley - he asked the Muzoracle if he would ever gain "fame and fortune": My interpretation of the cards and dice are attached in a pdf if you care to get into it. I decided to compose a short piece to represent the casting using pitched percussion (since the Minor 7th card at the left is in the suit of Percussion) and choir (since the Conductor card on the right is in the suit of Voices). If you'd like to find out more about Muzoracle and how castings are interpreted go here: https://muzoracle.com/ The piece isn't meant to be long or showy - it's in the key of C since that is how the 12-sided Musician's Die up top landed and uses the scale degrees of So, Me, La and Te (G, Eb, A, Bb). The casting as a whole is a descending one which means that the default direction of the diatonic scale degrees is to fall to the next rolled solfege die. However, if a solfege die lands on a chromatic scale degree it goes in opposition to the predominant direction of the casting (in this case - ascending). So the melody of the casting is G falling to Eb, rising to A, and falling to Bb, which is the melody you will hear in the music. If you've gotten this far - thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy listening to the short piece! Any comments, critiques, suggestions or even questions (if you're curious about the Muzoracle) are welcome!

The thought of you in HK rotating your iPad around with possibly other distractions playing in the corner of the screen (like basketball haha) trying to read Peter's handwriting made me literally laugh out loud. You're the best Henry, I hope you win the lotto or something

Yo Peter, My complain is also it’s too short. The beginning really reminds me of Gamelan music! I really hope that interlocking pattern keeps going and going! I think this one is actually a great idea LoL! Or even some aleatory music! Peter is showing his real colour here (from an MBTI perspective)!! Like me I would NEVER write such a detailed description on how to write my music logically since I usually just have a big picture never these details and with zero logic LoL!! And me find myself dumb too to rotate the images when my iPad I am holding now keeps rotating my rotations and I can never find the right way to read Famous PeterPapercomPoser’s Paper…. Nice sharing Peter! Henry

Hello dear folks. This is an attempt at the 3 handed piano effect. Any feedback would be awesome especially regarding how well the piece developed and the form of the piece so far. Thank you very much. Best regards. Bjarke. 3 hand concert piece effect - Flow 1.mp3

As you may have guessed from the title. I've been doing little exercises with different melodic ideas and the likes. I wrote out this little piece to convey Lusciousness.

after a quick listen if you want some feedback I think this needs more contrast in terms of instrumentation at least like what happens at around 1 minutes and 40 seconds. Nuances in all aspects is good for the ear but if you stay to long for the same instrumentation, tonality, what ever it may become boring for the ear as is quickly get used to the sound. Instead of the Guitar (i think) Having the main theme always try to give it to other instruments. Let them have sort of conversation so the speak where maybe the strings have the main theme then the Guitar becomes background element and then the Guitar takes over instead of mostly having the theme. I just think switching the main focus here and there could improve it overall. Maybe also some Rythmic variations as the Rythm or tempo seem to be constant through out. Maybe a few Nuances here could help as well. I also think that the piece starts too sudden maybe spend a few minutes building up to it. It feels sort of like starting at a climax at the piece. If you want some listening recommendation i would recommend Mozart - Jupiter fourth movement (as it demonstrates what i am talking about regarding instruments having a conversation) Maybe some music from Ramin Djawadi some of his horror music? Like Slender Man, Game of thrones? Maybe Penderecki - Threnody for inspiration. Overall i think the concept is really promising. Good work.

@gaspard I don't see a stand alone post of yours for the entry, so I'll just say here that your entry is awesome to me. It's very colorful and jaunty, and even if I didn't know the space battle theme beforehand, I would've definitely stood in favor of it depicting a battle. Very cool music! Your writing is superb, and only outshined by your handwriting. The score is beautiful 😄 Peter, your orchestration is awesome too, and really brought Gaspard's music to life. It's very rich and heavy, but lighter when it needs to be. I like when you took out the clarinets and trumpets, that seemed like a wise orchestration decision to make the music more gentle over the flurry of harp notes. I think the theme could be easily heard with both versions. Maybe a little easier with the orchestra since it's not all homogenous in sound.

Hello! I recently started writing this Nocturne for my final project in my Music Appreciation class. I wanted to know your thoughts on the A section so far. As you can tell there will be a contrasting B section that hasn't been completed. But what can I improve on this piece? Nocturne_in_E_major.mp3 I FORGOT TO ADD "ADAGIO" TO THE TOP PRETEND ITS THERE.

We must pronounce restaurant differently. I've always pronounced it "rest-raunt", as long, long. I never realized there were Americans who pronounced all three syllables, I thought that was a british thing. Anyways, I find that I quite often break the rule you're talking about. Because even though the word is pronounced as [stressed, unstressed] I find myself wanting to extend it. I imagine it as a trailing off at the end of the phrase, with an assumed softening (rest-raunt) that I find natural in the way I might sing these lines, with less forward motion, specifically with no intent to move forward, but rather hold to a pitch. I'm curious as to whether after this explanation you still disagree with me. Because this has become something I have accustomed to doing, hearing another perspective would be quite helpful. I've also edited the score a bit, mostly minor harmonic stuff, singability things.

well you don’t know me - am I expected to? "I’m older than you" If you say so. "and have greatest regard for my teachers of the past and for the luminaries I seek to marinate my mind with." Mine taught me how to use the tools but not how to create unique work. My important teachers were dead or very old when I arrived on the planet. DAWs. I use Reaper because it has an exceptionally good midi editor for its price as a private, non-commercial composer, along with very good audio editing. Like other DAWs it has its complexities and its failings. Trying to get a detailed specification for any DAW is difficult and probably best to look at its user manual (at least the index where it should tell you what it can do). Notation software: people here speak highly of Musescore's latest incarnation. It comes with its own sound sample library which produces some pretty good results. I do not use notation software for the actual process of composing. For engraving (preparing the final copy) I use Dorico. It has strengths and weaknesses. Basically I don't like notation software but use it if I have to produce a score (because individual parts can be extracted). So I go from a paper draft into the DAW, make adjustments then create a midi export which can be picked up by Dorico. .

An astute comment if ever! Agreed, and I suppose it's an exercise and something to aim for among beginner to intermediate experience composers (if you'll pardon those descriptions, please). I also agree with about 5 minutes being a reasonable time for a concert piece. Perhaps there are cases when a piece may go on for longer but they should be the exception. Maybe a concertante movement since there are soloists still around. I half-heartedly tried a single movement Sinfonietta (which I thought was ok but failed with inadequate rendering), then a Symphony which was unsatisfactory so I kept just the middle movement as a lone piece. I've no intention of writing another unless it's for fun - light music, e.g. Don Gillis' Symphony 5 1/2. Like many musical forms if you include dances of the same era, they're now outdated, relics from the days of the Sunday concert being "higher-brow" entertainment. Minuets, Sarabands, Bourees...enjoyed by the elite and the effete. This doesn't mean that these forms or the associated music shouldn't be the basis of composition, as long as the composer is aware of their provenance. .

You are welcome and that make sense. However i would recommend that each piece should be able to be a standalone piece yet continuously work together further moving the drama forward for a more impact full listening experience. James Horner does this for example very well In his film scores such as Krull, Star trek the wrath of khan, and others.

Frankly, and I know I'm in the minority here, but most long-form musical works are simply vanity projects in an era where rich people no longer pay you to compose them. I do not know that I have ever listened to any symphony in its entirety, in a single sitting, no matter how good it is. Honestly, most pieces of music longer than 5 minutes really have no business being that long, and starts to either descend into an unnecessary amount of variations and repetition, or may as well be multiple pieces. Elvis had over 20 #1 hits and I don't think any of them were longer than 3 minutes. This was in the '50s and '60s, when we are told people had longer attention spans. I feel there is an important thing to learn there. Most people here don't seem to be film composers or TV, but rather aspiring concert composers (at least from what I've noticed) and thus they don't really realize just how much story can be told in 1-2 minutes. In most cases, that is plenty long enough to say what you want to musically, in one coherent idea. So in short: I don't have any plans of writing a symphony. Right now, I'm putting the finishing touches on an album of adventure orchestral music for TV. The company requires at least 10 tracks, but if I'm being honest, I do feel like I said what needed to be in 8.

Hi @Guardian25! I think the trills can be fixed and redered better if you use the Musesounds Violin instead of the MS Basic soundfont! I think whenever Musescore renders a trill with the MS Basic soundfonts, it just alternates between the two notes as quickly as possible which does not sound good and results in a very robotic sound, like you said. But if you use Musesounds it will be much more humanized and realistic sounding imo! I think there are some notes that sound really wrong to me! Meas. 18 & 19 - the G#'s sound really bad to my ear! I think if you kept them as G naturals, it might sound better because an E minor chord is more diatonic to the key than a major one. Also at measure 24, the B natural sounds out of place to me as well, since the key has a Bb in it - I think a Bb would fit much better (but it's just my opinion and you are the composer and are free to do as you wish of course). Thanks for sharing! Peter

The overall sketch has been completed minus a couple parts where I need to change some stuff. So it’s almost completely done at least for my presentation in class. I plan to extend it later though. I do play piano but unfortunately playing this is too high of a level for me. But someday I’ll be able to perform it. I know I will.

So you want someone to notate that recording for you or something? I'm not sure I follow. Or maybe you have questions on how to properly notate for percussion? If so, there's a plethora of info I could direct you to. Happy composing 😄

Oh I like where you were about to take this! Those heavy triplets at the end were really cool, it gave me Rach or Debussy vibes. I'd continue that and develop it into something mysterious... idk lol. Have you been working on this? I'd love to hear this completed. Are you a pianist? Can you play this?

Hey man, cool start you have to this They're very thin, perhaps fleshing out the piano chords would be a good start? Maybe arpeggiating the block chords after a while in the intro section? The crunchy spicy chords at 1:37 or so are really nice, I'd develop that. For the contrasting part, I think it's a good move to go there. Again, the sound is thin, and again I'd fill out the piano more. It's just an easy start, and the notes so far don't look very pianistic. Maybe have some bouncy chords play with that piano line? I think you're fine here I know you're using a DAW, so we don't have to talk about the score 😛 I'm gonna move this to the unfinished section, you might get some more help and attention in that sub forum. Thanks for sharing, and keep us posted on updates! Lovely start so far my friend

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I wrote Pictures for String Quartet today with the idea in my head that the listener is in a space occupied by different paintings. This current work is called Gallery One. I will continue to write some more. Gallery Two, Three etc. All feedback welcome. Whatever you say, I will consider it for the upcoming movements.

Hi @PeterthePapercomPoser Thank you for your kind words. It's a relief and a great compliment when I see someone use the 'unique' word. And a hypnotic trance is certainly the effect I was trying to achieve. Yes, I used Musesounds. To achieve the portamento glisasandi, I went to the pallete, selected the guitar bending effect, and then applied it to the strings.

Great reference.

I have recently had an interesting mind experiment with myself. I have sometimes thought of maybe going back to school for a master's in music and I've heard some great advice on discord stating that one should seek out a good composer/composition teacher that one would want to study with and go to that school where you'd be able to study with them. So I imagine to myself that I have already done that and I'm sitting with my teacher in their office, listening to some of my music, and they ask me "So what are your musical goals in regards to musical composition? What do you really want to achieve here?" That question is what inspired the following list (in no particular order): Write mimesis music - mimicry of various natural/unnatural sounds through reinforcement of harmonics in the orchestra Feature aural illusions in my music Continue writing variations pieces on various beloved pre-existing themes or newly composed themes Write a programmatic symphony Write an original piano sonata in a unique style without resorting to cliche pianism Continue finishing old pieces that I started over a decade ago to stay connected to my past Learn galant schema and use them to write original pieces of music Continue writing old Baroque dances in a new style and include different dances besides the minuet in my symphony Write occasional pieces of music utilizing dice and/or chance/aleatoric techniques/elements But ultimately - just follow my heart and write passion projects rather than cerebral exercises. Those are the goals I came up with. Share what you think of them or what your own personal goals are and how they might be different from mine! Thanks for reading. Peter

For me, - To learn styles from diverse or even all sources - exposure to as many as possible, but to ofc focus on what truly resonates with you - and develop your very individualized styles . I learn a lot of and from western classical forms ( largely from Baroque to Modern ) and genres but also beyond that especially in terms of geography. But at the end of the day it is to incorporate the elements and understanding to composing what you want and not merely for the sake of fulfilling some numbers ( unless it becomes something official ), yet what you compose should be both personalized for yourself but also universal for others ( as many as possible ) to appreciate, enjoy and keep and ring with them and enrich their lives too. As much as I root myself in baroque and classical traditions, and be open and experimental when I really do, I still love Late Romantic music the most. As per my limitations and inclinations, I am only largely able and willing to compose for piano. And as I compose and publish, I realize most of my pieces are kind of programmatic - it has to be about something, whatever it is interpreted as. All that said, I have to agree that it is just this: Thank You Ke Shen

100 % that I feel like i have a bunch more early keyboard stuff on the docket, whether it’s composing or playing. Late renaissance, besides just being a foundation for me is also a language I feel I can use to express my inner self and not merely a relic of the past, so i think it would be a shame if i didn’t do more of that. But eventually i would also like to get involved in something more popular and maybe more symphonic in scope, like film or video game music or something, but in a way that’s not too commercial and in which i can still be myself. Perhaps there will be someone with some interesting or eclectic project, as i think that is what id work the best with. that might be naive and optimistic but w/e

Almost all great themes share a few common traits • They fit within 8 bars • They follow either sentence or period structure • They have a clear apex (only one highest or one lowest point which is not repeated) • They have an obvious rhythmic pattern to such an extent that they would be memorable purely by rhythm alone Start with your C major scale on piano. Start at C and play down, one note in the scale at a time until you reach the C the octave below. Then, all you have to do is alter the rhythm in which you descend and you'll discover something quite famous That is how important rhythm is to great melodies. It can turn the most boring C major scale into one of the most recognizable tunes in all Western music

I was recently inspired by @gaspard's vision for a "Space Battle" variation of Brahms' Lullaby (for @chopin's Lullaby Challenge): I also link his YouTube video here: Brahms Lullaby, Space Opera Version (not orchestrated) You may also view his hand-written score here: And you may also listen to his performance of this variation on his clavichord below. In my orchestration of the piece I tried to channel @gaspard's vision for a "Space Battle" variation. I added some dissonance in certain places and tried to make the orchestration overall sound as big as possible. Let me know what you think of this collaboration! I really got a kick out of writing this orchestration. In the spirit of the original poster, I have included my hand-written score as well as a score exported from Musescore. I hope you don't lose yourself in the mess of files! LoL Edit: Also, it would be useful to know if the original Brahms' Lullaby is still audible in both the original and orchestral version. Thanks for any comments, suggestions or critiques!

Just a house keeping/engraving issue. By the way ... My composition Elegy is scheduled to be rehearsed on May 23rd with Island Symphony Orchestra ... NY. I am preparing the engraving/parts now.

Hey Gabriel, Nice work on this short minuet, it sounds quite good. A few suggestions: For that final cadence I think it would've been better to use a V7 chord instead of a regular dominant chord. The dominant seventh chord contains what is known as the tonal tritone between the third and the flattened seventh which has a dissonant sound to it, but has a more satisfying resolution when it resolves to the tonic chord. I think you could've use a few more dynamic contrasts between the phrases to make them stand out. Overall, good work and I hope to see and hear more from you. Nga Mihi, Arjuna

I haven’t pondered on ‘goals’ too much as I’ve ben involved with music in some way as far back as I can remember. It was a assumed I’d be a composer, an amateur, rather than performer, administrator, impresario or technician. No one ever asked me. If there are goals: 1 Yes - portray aural illusion but of a kind that ignites visuals in listeners’ imaginations. (synaesthesia, I suppose). 2 Musically capture moods and impressions without being programmatic. 3 Write the sound tracks to dreams. 4 Write music for modern dance. 5 Keep in touch with standard (if modern) forms and tonality. 6 Experiment, including electronics and dice. 7. But above all, to borrow PeterthePapercomPoser’s words: ultimately to write from the heart. A goal? Yes, because it means clearing the pitch of debris on the way. Whether I’ll ever achieve 1-4 is debatable but it’s worth a try. I simply can’t put music down in spite of so many other things needing to be done!

Hello people! I just wanted to share a quote from a musical book that was recommended to me by @Thatguy v2.0 "The magic strings of Frankie Presto" by Mitch Albom about a fictional character (Franke Presto) who was purported to be the greatest guitar player to ever walk the Earth, told from the perspective of music itself, narrating. Feel free to share your own favorite quotes from books you've read about music! And if you got this far, thanks for reading! Peter

Inspector Looso searched the entire manor to find the body of Dick Boneman and found him in a little study hidden behind the library and lighted by a candlestick. No blood, no knife and no rope. Dick Boneman was absolutely alive and perfectly healthy. However, he was laughing his guts. He spent the night preparing his fool trap. He had absolutely no intention to disclose any fraud report to the media that would put the value of Boneman & Sacks Relic Asset Management Inc. down the drain. Instead, he called every broker of the guests to setup a bad joke to his guests and the brokers made them believe during a phone call that their share had no value anymore, which was not exactly true. In fact, Dick Boneman used some of the asset of Boneman & Sacks Relic Asset Management Inc. to buy three Social Media companies, “Switter”, “Analphabet” and “Minigram” for 69 billion dollars with the intention to layoff every employee and replace them with Artificial Intelligence. He then named the new social media company Y. Y would be the greatest misleading social media in the world providing chaos and dumbness to every country on earth. This way Dick Boneman would be the new god of social media and lies. Consequently, Y would be able to help Ronald Dumm to become the leader of his country using stupid catchwords such as "Make Anemics Greed Again". Soon after, on a press release, Dick Boneman declared to all the shareholders of Boneman & Sacks Relic Asset Management Inc. “Rust & Bones is history”, our new moto will be “Mud and shitt is our Bread and Butter”. Dick Boneman is surely as slippery as a fish isn’t he? THE END “This story is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is purely coincidental.” Music & Production: Syrel Photography of Marisol Escobar sculpture “The fisherman”: Syrel Musical Note: I started this track with a gentle blend of Ravel and Satie to express the underwhelming finding of Inspector Looso. User-461764443 – Rust-bones-betflix-tv-series-inspector-looso But then, when Dick Boneman started his evil plan to be the social media world leader I felt extreme and my score writing became as bombastic as Hans Zimmer. Was it a good choice? I don’t know. What do you think?

Hi @Symphonic! Very unique harmonic and melodic approach in this quartet! I love how the piece lulls you into a hypnotic trance. I also love the modal exchanges. The high violin ostinati are very interesting with the long lines underneath. You say you used Musesounds for this - how did you achieve the portamento glissandi? As far as I am aware portamento glissandi aren't possible in Musesounds at the moment. Thanks for sharing this! Peter

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu recommended me a fictional novel, "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" by Milan Kundera and I happened to find a great musical example/discussion about Beethoven in it!

A few more. Here's what the book says about Mahler: Mahler had an incurable ambition to write the longest, noisiest and most expensive symphonies in the world. This he actually achieved several times and not surprisingly, it was a long time before people could be persuaded to listen to them or that impresarios felt like trying to make them do so. It was suddenly realised that Mahler had not written long, boring symphonies of the Brahms type which you have to listen to carefully from beginning to end in order not to miss the themes, but had, in fact, simply strung together hundreds of attractive little tunes, and it was possible to go into a coma for a lot of the symphony and still get involved when you came to again. It is possible to switch on the car radio in the depths of Surrey to what appears to be a Mahler symphony well in its stride and to arrive in London and find a parking place with it still going on in a forgetfully energetic way that suggests it might still be in progress at 5.30. It is quite obvious that all conductors get lost during a work like the 7th which Mr Cooke has now called the ‘Mad’. No doubt someone will prove one day that Mahler was crazy. If not, why did he go to such trouble to write so much when he achieved better results in his short symphonies like the 1st and 4th. ABOUT Bruckner: "It is generally said that Bruckner was a simple man - practically a Nature Boy, you would gather from some writers. If, after listening to one of his symphonies, you still feel that he was simple, then we must all be gibbering idiots - well, perhaps there is something in that. In fact Bruckner was as deep as the Ocean. He was also an organist and organists are far from simple men. / Another misrepresentation of Bruckner is to bracket him with Mahler. The only thing they had in common was a liking for long symphonies.....(etc) = = = = And another couple of definitions: Pentatonic: Music that can be played on bagpipes. Perfect Interval: A period of time long enough to queue up for and consume a cup of coffee. .

Hi there! I finally got around to sitting down and working on a symphony. So far, I've composed the major themes and motifs, as well as come up with an outline for everything, but the only thing that is ready to post is the Second Movement. The brassy pentatonic theme at 183 is actually a throwback to a theme that will be used heavily in the first movement. I also recycled and expounded on a melody I previously used for a TTBB choral piece. This is what I have so far. Looking for legit feedback. Thanks!

Hi @JorgeDavid, It would be great to have antiphonal effect in the first expedition between the two trumpets if you use different dynamics for them! Just like the opening of the 2nd movement of Mahler’s 7th Symphony. B.48 is great since it’s the 1st time the other instruments shine! I like that and want it happen earlier! I like the piece with its simplicity which achieve great effect with the use of G major, thx for sharing! Henry

Hi there, I've had so much frustration with orchestral stuff recently that I gave in to write a couple of solo pieces, this being one. It's simple, fairly tonal and explores a less familiar instrument. Alas, though, the samples available were quite limited so it isn't as adventurous as I'd have liked. Even so, I'm hopeless at writing and developing melody so any criticism good or bad or ideas for improvement in future would be gratefully received. And if you can give it a listen, many thanks.

here’s my other variation. It’s supposed to be in a “space battle” style and is definitely supposed to be orchestrated but as i haven’t done any orchestrating in quite a while i don’t feel confident about doing it myself.