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Hi @TristanTheTristan! Perhaps I should have said "switching to a different plugin" instead of proposing the word "fix"! It might just be me, but doesn't that Pizz sound a bit... blurry, or muffled? It could just be my ears playing tricks on me (haha). I found myself thinking that something like "Berlin Free Orchestra" or "SSO Discover", whatever has a clearer sound, might have been a better choice. But it comes down to personal preference, so it might not be a big deal after all. In any case, thank you for sharing your work! I liked it! Best, Lithl.

Fair point. I agree with this (without nostalgia, of course). It seems that because people are being exposed to so many musical languages today, there can be an underlying sentiment that "all music is equal". Or else the classical canon is treated as something sacred and inviolable, and its composers above all criticism. Either approach bypasses the hard and necessary work of actually understanding WHAT makes these pieces work, on a level deeper than that of surface rule-following (since rules evolve and change, but the principles behind music don't). Quoting Boulez here: "In order truly to harness the power of the classics, you have to dig deeper, reach down to what made them behave in a particular way, to understand and to analyze their approach. It is not enough to observe the results and to dispossess them (quotation, stylistic imitation, etc.); creativity does not have sufficiently powerful thematicism at its disposal, but becomes spent, though referencing and distorting, no longer able to forge material only for itself."

Talk of "innovation" is a moot point when we are inundated with music that isn't even "good" to begin with. If something is new, but it sucks, then it doesn't matter how different it is. So the conversation is kind of cart before horse. People mistakenly assume, in a world right now of endless remakes, re-releases, etc. that the problem is a lack of "new ideas". The reality is that we, as a society, are not presently able to replicate what made the the old things great in the first place. And if we can't do that, then no "innovative" idea is going to be worth a damn.

CALLING ALL ARTISTS! I need someone to help me make the cover page better. Thanks!

Hi Wieland, Thank you so much for your detailed review! When I encounter the squiggly arpeggiation symbol on a piano chord, I tend to either put these in the harp; or ignore the arpeggiation altogether and make them into block chords distributed across an instrument group. As for the key signature, I'm reliably informed it's nothing to worry about. Not having the option to use open strings is not really a problem, since the string section are trained not to use them anyway, unless specifically indicated in the score. (That's because they're too resonant, and tend to stand out like a sore thumb against the other notes.) Apparently E flat minor is no problem at all for the harp, and does not place any extra strain on the instrument. Also for transposing instruments, they will be looking at a key signature with fewer accidentals: so it doesn't cause them any issues either. I think the idea that this key is a problem is something of a myth. (N.B. The tutor who told me this, has worked with the London Symphony Orchestra: so he definitely knows what he's talking about!)

I really liked it. The beginning at least sounds a bit like the music from the Zelda video game series. Thanks for sharing… definately keep making music like this. I’ll be coming to listen!

@CrystalCanon I think the current landscape of academic music is complicated. On the one hand, the few major venues that remain play it safe and, yes, every now and then, they programme something from the 20th century. Contemporary composers are rarely programmed, and often these are commissions that result in a premiere and little else, with a few exceptions. Ideally, more opportunities should be given to this contemporary music. Another issue concerns composers who build their careers within a closed environment such as music academies or conservatoires, where they have access to musicians to perform their works. As for the idea of learning from all sources and styles, that’s only logical. But it strikes me that many people have little or no interest in listening to, let alone learning how, other styles work. What strikes me even more are those who, when writing music, limit themselves to imitating very specific periods, whilst showing no interest in anything else. And I also agree with your final point. Each person’s preferences influence their objective compositional style. I, for example, thoroughly enjoy the Baroque, the style galant and Romanticism, though I’m less keen on Classicism. And I’ve studied everything from the Renaissance right through to rotational matrices… Yet my preference is for the modern language of music, from Impressionism onwards. In order to start doing something in that vein, I’ve had to spend a long time learning (with great pleasure) about tonal music, and I still enjoy it to this day.

But you're not implying that composers should imitate all the classical, romantic, and 20th century composers that are getting into programs, right? I don't know--I'm not discouraging eclecticism in any way, but I'm a bit wary of composers imitating other composers simply because they are the ones currently being programmed. Popularity is often a good signal to dig into examine someone's work more closely, examine it's "why". But I think it also pays off to be honest about the music you really like, what inspires you on an intuitive and visceral level. Sometimes it just isn't worth compromising. Agreed--you often don't know what works for you and what doesn't unless you try. The music one listens to can be different from the composers that actually influence your creative processes. You can't develop any kind of original style without all the practical work of trying out many different things (and accumulating many failed sketches in the process!) I think the personality of the composer also has a lot to do with that, besides just the professional/amateur divide. Or maybe those who feel the need to define their singular "personal voice" are also those more likely to commit to a head-on, professional career. But I think both approaches can be quite respectable.