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Showing content with the highest reputation on 07/06/2026 in all areas

  1. Hello! Over the last few days, I’ve listened and looked at the score quite a lot. I felt it within my interest to analyze the score. The attached PDF is culmination of my annotations and comments. If you have any questions, I’ll do my best to answer! Good work! A. Ko - Poem for Orchestra [ANNOTATED].pdf
  2. Hello @MK_Piano , It's an honor to get such extensive feedback, and I'm especially thankful for your notes on engraving in particular. As a string player, I know how much notation matters for performers, and I'll be sure to make those changes as I revise (though I don't anticipate this piece seeing a live orchestra any time soon, especially as an amateur composer). I fully agree that this piece is pretty texturally monotonous, and think that I'll need to continue studying scores to gain a better grasp on orchestration, texture, thematic development, and the likes. Thank you again for your time, knowledge, and the depth of commentary you've provided! I was wondering if you had any particular suggestions for creating more motion throughout the piece, and if you know of any particular scores/treatises that I might be able to study and make my piece more effective (I'll do lots of listening/studying on my own as well) -- I would definitely like to develop more robust parts for the brass and other areas that I haven't quite done justice.
  3. I decided to not waste my life and compose something*. Sibelius crashed so I used musescore. This song is meant to sound not evil or phonk. I spent around idk like maybe 30-40 hours on this piece in total? I tried to use some "counterpoint" but since I am not good at music theory I have no idea whether I did it correctly. I used caesura's 3 times in total. Again I don't know if that's correct or not. Also, some voice crossings are in there, but I couldn't find it. I honestly have no clue how polished the piece is, it's one of my first 10 pieces. I started it in like 8th grade and finished it this summer (going into 9th grade) in case anyone decides to comment on how dogwater my skills are. Also, first time using tremolo in any piece. I play violin well, CM'd like 2 years so I'm PRETTY sure the violin portion is playable and well, but I have 0 clue about the other parts because I don't play any of the other string instruments. Most of the song is in the last part.... another issue probobly That said, well, I would like some feedback. ESPECIALLY in these spots: 1. Middle section, I don't know why I wrote it but, is it fitting? It's slow and not very "elaborate" and also it's placed weirdly IMO cause it's like supposed to be in the middle, but it's also not really centered. the part after it is MUCH more than the first portion. It's like centered but not centered but also centered but technically not centered but also IG kind of centered, but like it's not really centered. 2. Whole notes. I know like barber do it often especially in adagio but a bunch of people I saw in like online threads saying like that whole notes are generally not good? IDK I personally don't mind it too much but yeah. 3. counterpoint, I feel like I messed it up bad, but then I don't know how to improve it 4. dynamics. I know there is MASSIVE room for improvement because, yeah, it's really bad Structure. I never studied structure before, so I have no idea what is what. I TRIED to use like ABA but the second A portion is very off balanced. So the structure is trash and could use much improvement Thank you for your critique in advance, and thank you for your time. *I'm composing because I broke my nvidia rtx 5090 and now I can't play games at 1000 fps so I quit entirely dawn-and-nightfall.mp3 Dawn-and-nightfall.pdf
  4. Welcome to the forum! Let be one of the first to say hello and congratulate you on this endeavour. All of us know how hard creating a convincing and satisfying piece of music can be, let alone an original one! You are off to a great start, one of which not all adults can do. I enjoyed listening to your piece. This said, I do have initial comments and a deeper set of specific annotations I would like to share later. Here are my initial comments: The ensemble balance is too similar for too long. Violin 1 & 2 dominate the piece, and the other strings just act as support versus having a convincing conversation/ role in the piece. Use of whole notes is more than okay. If you like it, then keep them! This said, having a lack of pulse in the texture can make the music feel stagnant. Some of the other comments you have received may have been coming from this angle. To add, since the violins dominate the music over the course of 4 minutes, it makes the listener "zone out" as nothing major changed to their ear. Do not forget about slurs! As a string player, remind yourself that the use of a slur conveys bowing information. Even if you are not as aware as the other bowing styles, using slurs is a great way to showcase bowing information. The context of the music will inform them whether to up-bow or down-bow. Creating motion. To help the "stagnant" nature of the piece, one way to create motion is this: When the melody is slow, move the accompaniment. When the melody is moving, slow the accompaniment. Doing this will help drive the piece forward in a simple manner. Using rests for effect! While Barber's Adagio for strings is wonderful, remind yourself that even in such a thick and lush piece of music, he used silence for effect. Not all instruments need to play at the same time, nor do they always need to play in the same octave. You have the whole string section to move and pass ideas around. Strings can do double stops and divisi playing. It's another way to create an effect as using silence will elevate the moments you use all the sounds or all the instruments. Keep up the good work!
  5. https://musescore.com/user/96214813/scores/35416328 This is my set of 34 variations on the famous theme Caprice 24. It is written in a minor, and has: Allegro Theme (A minor) Var 1 (A minor) Var 2 (A minor) Var 3 (A minor) Var 4 (A minor) Andante Var 5 (A major) Var 6 (A Major) Var 7 (F# Minor) Var 8 (D Major) Var 9 (E Minor) Vivace Var 10 (E Minor) Var 11 (C minor) Tempo Primo Var 12 (Bb Major) Var 13 (B Major) Var 14 (C# Minor) Var 15 (C#Minor) Var 16 (E Minor) Var 17 (A Minor) Prestissimo Var 18 (A Minor) Var 19 (A Minor) Adagio Var 20 (A Minor) Var 21 (A Minor) Var 22 (F# Minor) Var 23 (Ab Minor) Andante Var 24 (Ab Major) Var 25 (Eb Minor) Allegro Var 26 (Autism) Prestissimo Var 27 (B Major) Presto Var 28 (G Major) Molto Vivace Var 29 (G Minor) Var 30 (G Minor) Var 31 (G Major, Alla Polacca) Prestissimo Var 32 (A Minor) Allegro Var 33, Fugue (A Minor) Presto Var 34, Finale (A Minor) Variations on a Theme by Paganini.mp3 Variations on a Theme by Paganini.pdf
  6. 1 point
    Hello, Little fugue i wrote today in the north german baroque style. First musical output in years. Simple in harmony, joyful and melodic in theme and counterpoint. Scored for four voices, work well enough with organ or strings. Fuga in g.mp3 Fuga in G.pdf
  7. Hello The important thing: a massive piece of work... Very interesting, it really draws me in, and it’s very well presented; the sound is brilliant. I must admit that variations aren’t really my favourite genre, but then again, when there’s quality, there’s quality. One thing I particularly liked is that, although some of the variations are very short, the transitions between them are, on the whole, very well executed. That gives it continuity, within the nature of the genre: variation. I’ll just mention a couple of things: One is a matter of personal taste: all those fast sections – vivace, presto, prestissimo, etc. – tire me out a bit. But as I say, that’s subjective. And another thing – this I do find a bit odd. Bars 20 and 24 in the first variation… My ears and brain weren’t prepared for that. Mind you, I’m no stranger to dissonance, but it has to be in context. Those extremely strong minor second dissonances – there aren’t any more powerful ones in the entire consonant tonal environment – sound like a mistake. If they’d been set up, if they were repeated… but like this, so suddenly and in isolation… You could have used other, more subtle dissonances here and there… Yes, we sometimes think that in music ‘anything goes’, but well, in moderation. Later on there are sections that include dissonances, but they’re well contextualised. Congratulations on your work.
  8. Hi everyone, I recently completed a draft of a short symphonic poem, after a long period of writer's block and not writing anything. I haven't put all the finishing touches on my scores (divisi, part divisions, crescendos are all lowk messed up etc.), but I would really appreciate feedback/suggestions relating to development and harmony. I'd also appreciate knowing what images, if any, it conjures up for you as you listen to it (I'd like to figure out a more evocative title). Thank you for your time :D! Poem for Orchestra.mp3 Poem for Orchestra.pdf
  9. Of course, it was a treat! In my opinion, I think in terms of creating motion, it makes more sense to try simple things. Pulsing eighth notes or quarter notes. In terms of orchestration, creating effects of sustain or replicating the piano sustain pedal is a good goal to try. I don't have source material now off the top of my head, however, I may reply back tomorrow (for me) with some sources. Using French horn or trombone to hold sustain notes around Middle C and another instrument to pulse the same pitches on any note duration is a simple way to create the illusion. If not the brass, doing so in the strings is another way. Lastly, to not over complicate my words, keep it simple. If you have the melody sustaining, have the accompaniment move. If the melody is moving, pull the accompaniment back.

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