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Wow, there are some really colorful moments here! I love 4:00 - 5:00, it's like you treat the orchestra as a percussion instrument 🙂 Very very cool! Love the big unanticipated chord at 8:30 too. Aw, lame, but I get it. I've been there, we are our own worst critics. I would have submitted anyway, it is quite good to me. Your score looks great too. I think the big changes you would want to do are better left alone, as you've done. Save those ideas for the next one. You can sit there and tinker with orchestra pieces forever, no shame in letting it be as is. Watch your levels in the mix, you have a few spots where I hear distortion, but that's an easy fix. Around the 9 min mark is an example. I think it's brass? Lovely piece, thanks for sharing! I've heard your music a few times now, I dig your style.

Movement 1 - Just commenting on the guitar. - must show fingering and hand positions with notation. There are several moments where I had to try and figure out things, and when I did, sometimes the chords worked but felt awkward. I write tablature with notation, it helps and I don't have to show positions and fingerings. Sometimes I'll write fingering if it's weird. - in general, the guitar strumming sounds very parallel 5th heavy, to me it clashes with the string writing. Parallel octaves and fifths don't sound bad on guitar, but they just jump out in the midi. Maybe it's just that, dunno. Some of the chords could have smoother voice leading, it seems like you were rooted with open chords. - bar 2, last chord doesn't work (mistake?) - bar 8, why not have the pedal A? - bars 13-16, you do this a few times, but check the voices. You tend to drop or add voices freely between chords, and it gives a choppiness to me - bar 18, why the different Bb shape? - bar 49, first chord sounds out of place - bars 75-77, voices again - bars 85-87, because my hands are too big, I can't play that C barre chord on the A string (my finger mutes the high e), I have to play in on the E. When I got to bar 87, it took a minute to realize I couldn't play it there and had to be on the A string. I would've omitted the top note if I were the performer. Just an example of why positions in the notation are very helpful. - bar 90, let any of these ring? - bar 99, impossible chord - bar 107, last chord sounds out of place, it's a jarring transition That's all that popped out at me, hopefully this helps your writing!

When @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu first joined, he posted his clarinet quintet, it's like an hour long... and it wasn't until SIX weeks later that he got someone to give legitimate feedback, and all that while he listened to nearly everyone's music and posted quality advice. It seems unbelievable, but like literally everyone lol. No one even cared to reciprocate all his generosity and FREE labor for weeks and weeks, and it wasn't until @Omicronrg9 gave him quite possibly the greatest most in depth review I've ever seen. From that, I got to know Henry and Daniel better, and eventually @PeterthePapercomPoser, @chopin, and I all started conversing on discord. It's cool how you can meet people from all over the world with like-minded passions, and we still chat here and there on discord. I'm thankful for the community, for the friendships. But this happens because we're all actively engaged with each other's music. We're interested in helping each other out, getting to know each other, etc. Now whenever I see any of their new music posted, I'm quick to notice and excited to share a thought or two. Mostly because I just WANT to, but also because I know they'll do the same for me. Even if I never post music anywhere else, I know the YC bros will at least check it out. You seem young, get to know some people first! A lot of people here are in their teens and twenties, and they'll be more eager to share thoughts with a familiar username than a foreign one. You'll fit right in. And until then, poke around the forums too! There's TONS of cool music here. TONS of great composers roam this forum, even if some only come by occasionally, so don't be afraid to reach out 🙂 People will get around to your post, it's usually not as instant as you (or I) would like. I write song lyrics, but not much else as far as words. Keep posting more music too, because the more cool pieces people interested in your question can sift through, the better chance you'll have.

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

Hello again. I had posted my minuets for string quartet in another topic, and after a suggestion from peterpapercomposer, I’m now creating a separate topic just for them. As I mentioned in a previous topic, I am mainly a composer for piano, but I equally love orchestral music and chamber music. Chamber music in particular is my favorite genre. It’s just that, as a pianist, I had never really sat down to work with other instruments, since in the past I never had ambitions to become a composer. The desire to compose came about two years ago. I’ve made two attempts writing for other instruments, and I can say it’s quite a good effort. For now, I don’t have a cleaner score. I’ll post the video now, and at some point I’ll edit it and add a clearer score. Thank you again. Edit: I forgot to mention that both of them are once again in a classical, Mozart-like style.

Minuet 1 I find this piece of music very appealing to my ears, especially the part from bar 4 to bar 7. It is very smart of you to write that area. I am completely impressed by this amazing composition, though I believe you should write subito to these bars as well. I really like that it is Allegro but feels like Allegretto, which is slightly slower. I see that you might have taken inspiration from Mozart's Rondo Alla Turca from his 11th Sonata. This because from bar 15-17 you have that thing for the Violencello. All of the four instruments work well together, which is another area of this composition that is impressive. You also have a very original idea. Lastly, you have a clear idea of the main theme, which is a rare talent found in few people. Minuet 2 Another very Mozart-like minuet. I can clearly hear the main theme in C major. I see you really sudden notes, which are marked fz. Again, your Violoncello is doing an important job. I really like the small A minor bit, with the subito thing. This time Allegro is actually Allegro (lol). I think that Ternary Form does in fact fit in well! Sadly, I feel like that there are too many sudden notes. I am afraid of getting a heart attack from this. Otherwise, it is very good, and I believe you have a lot of talent, potential, and hard work when it comes to composing. As I said, before, I am incredibly impressed.

Well, me: can't play piano at all! Well, a simple thing like that Chopin E Minor prelude or the accompaniment to Schumann's Ich Grolle Nicht aus Dichterliebe, 1840 I could play if I practiced for a few hours, but it still wouldn't be very good. I guess the best instrument I play is Electric Bass, and I'm far from the best!

Damn, five measures or so is enough to tell me you know already how to write for strings. I could probably teach you something about double-stops and chords, but not much else. As the Germans say, Kein Problem! I'll listen to the rest later. You are a fine Neoclassical composer.

I love Beethovens violin concerto. Actually is my favourite violin concerto. 🙂 Ok I'll post my 2 minuets here if you want to check and let me know .

Sure, post one! Even MY favorite composer, Beethoven, could not always write perfectly for violin, so of course I can't either. His violin concerto is a masterpiece, but has too many scales and arpeggios.

And you say you love chamber music but are scared because you feel you are unfamiliar with the instruments as compared to piano, which you play very well and tastefully? I could teach you to write for violin in an afternoon, with both of us sharing a few beers! Guitar is harder, but I keep writing guitar music anyway.

Thank you so much my dear friend. I'm so glad that you like it 🙏

Good Lord, but you can write a waltz, a good one I mean! Highlight of my morning so far.

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.

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!

Another Interpretation!

Hello! I’ve sent a message your way

I would like to share this with our high school ladies choir. Is this free to be used or do I need to pay a fee? Don't want to do something untoward. terri

I made a new record of this piece with score. Here is it

Just a friendly reminder to please try and keep the discussion strictly about the piece.

Thanks Henry for pointing this out. @Churchcantor In your own words: So basically your posts so far could basically be summed up as "Haven't yet had the time nor mood to listen to it yet." I would rather hear what you might have to say about the music once you actually do listen to it, instead of posting 6 replies to my topic which don't discuss anything about the music. Before you replied, my topic had one reply by Chopin and was still on the "Works with Few Reviews" List. But now that you've cluttered the topic with meaningless posts, the topic is no longer on that list and is less likely to receive actual substantive reviews from the other members of the forum. There are places on the forum where you can post this kind of content though - such as in Off Topic - Journals. Or in the case of the Russian cartoon - either Random or Repertoire. Or you can tell your stories by posting status updates in your profile. But I think you are trashing the forum with the way you are currently using it.

there’s more where this came from

https://youtu.be/9C14iTBm3z0 first track is calry! second track - lana! https://youtu.be/q-XmSZtvxt4 would like to know what poeple think about the mix and the song wirting material! tahnks! - Nikkol.

I just feel weird you leave comments completely unrelated to the piece posted, maybe you can move to post in the Random post? That would be much more appropriate. Henry

Hey, you know that Ravel once said to Gershwin when Gershwin tried to study composition with Ravel... Gershwin: Yo bro, you seem cool, can I study composition with you? Ravel: Nah... Gershwin: Why not? Ravel: I don't want to teach-... I meant why become an awful Ravel when you could become a perfect Gershwin? Gershwin: %$!@?٪35@DF3#^... Gershwin died of a heart attack. No. Just kidding! But you get the point. And yes, I did enjoy The music.

I wrote this piece with the goal of submitting it to a competition. However I could not get myself to format the music to my preferred level, and a general disdain for the form of the piece, so I decided not to submit it. I have worked quite hard on this piece, bringing out many new textures for myself. But I am at a point where I am too entrenched into this piece to make the large formal changes I want. So I would like to share it with you all. This piece is about a Whale and a Whaling ship, and their corresponding battle, capture of the whale, and bringing it home. I thought this might be an interesting idea for a competition, with a lot of dramaticism inherit, and generally a little easier for a listener to make the connection. Let me know what you think of the piece. I'd love to hear your input on the different textures throughout. I think this piece has some pretty awesome moments and I hope you guys will let me know.

1. A minor. Again, just like the string quartet one, this one is very Mozart. I find a great use of grace notes (acciaturas) here. In the opening, you have the two hands play parallel, just like in Chopin's Scherzo No.3 . I see that after that, you had an immediate F Major Part. And then my favourite part is the syncopation with grace notes part. I think that this contains a lot of great ideas. 2. A major. The transition makes a lot of sense. e, f sharp, e part at the start is great, and very Mozart-like. The double-thirds runs seem fun to play! The left hand parts are very good. I think it is wrong at bar 44 to be in minor key, as that you haven't notated a natural sign. Overall, very good use of the second voice. 3. F major. Really waltzy. Bar 50 has a sharped C, which is a very smart choice. D minor is also a brilliant transition. I like the way it is intense from bar 56, and how it is in A minor, and transitions back to F major at bar 60. It feels magical in a way. Very great. 4. C# Major. Nice Introduction here. A major is something I like personally. The transitions are incredibly nice. It is smart to go back to the original key. Nice piece. Not done yet.

It is quite good!

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:

Not me; Freddie Mercury quote!

Too much beer to compose now, but I can still research or listen! Beeerrrr...Der menschliche Zustand erfordert Medikamente. The human condition requires medication.

So, be like a Tritone; Diabolus in Musica. Be the Devil, and Devil may care!

“Ein Teil von jener Kraft, die stets das Böse will und stets das Gute schafft” Hey, Goethe quotes never fail, even if he was (the quote) the Devil, Teufel. A part of that power that would alone work evil, and creates the good.

FYI, Classical Period Proper is by a nose the BEST period in music, and really if you think about it, the farthest we should ever have gone in technology in general. It becomes unsustainable...

GOTT IM HIMMEL! My YouTube channel has compositions I wrote in college and grad school in 1987-1993, and they have some good ideas, but my compositions improved after I jumped off that Ivory Tower. Some drunken Rock covers...

Because I'm at work right now I'll check it later. I subscribed to your channel already my dear friend

Thank you very much. I don’t know any other instruments besides the piano, but ever since I was a child—since my adolescence and up to this day—I have listened only to classical music, especially from the Baroque to the Romantic era. I love the Classical period the most, and as the years went by, studying all these works, I became one with them. With a little talent, some musical perception, and my musical instinct, I gathered the courage to begin timidly composing. The most daring work I wrote is the Divertimento for winds, and you know very well how difficult and how different it is. In that piece, I did most of my work; it took time and filled me with much anxiety, but I enjoyed it once the result satisfied me.

Oh, I guess my favorite violin concerto is either Tchaikovsky's or Mendelssohn's.

Well, who wrote perfectly for violin; Paganini? Violinist, play it! Liszt for piano? Even world-class pianists have to leave out a note or two.

Thank you so much, my dear friend, for your willingness. For the time being, it’s not necessary, because I don’t really have the luxury of time to dedicate to it. With two small children and work, the time I have for composing is extremely limited. At most, I have 2 hours, and those are at midnight. In the meantime, I’ve written two minuets for string quartet and a divertimento for winds, again in a Mozartian style. If you’d like, I can post them and you can tell me your opinion. For a first attempt, I did quite well—it was a respectable effort.

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.)

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

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!

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

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

Sounds good. But here are a few observations: In my opinion, there is little use of inverted chords. So much movement of the bass in root notes is very strict and not very melodious (it is not in keeping with the counterpoint style). There are some strange twists in some modulations. In measure 7 you have Bm - E.... and then Gm!! It's true that Gm - C - modulates to F. But that jump from E to Gm is harsh in this context. Something similar happens in bar 11: F - Em(b5) -- F# (b5) - B... to go to Em. These are progressions that appear with sudden changes and make it sound very strange. I'm not saying that this can't be written, but in this absolutely tonal context, I think it's out of style. If you do this in a contemporary language, it could work.

Hi @jejrekmek! Nice guitar piece my man. I don't know much about guitar playing, maybe my boi @Thatguy v2.0 will know it much more, but I really enjoy your playing and composition. Although those sound effects in 2:30 quite scare my shit out tbh! Nice ending with your(?) singing! Henry

Hi @Ben Callender, I'm not familiar with rock music at all but I like this. The glissando for the guitar is nice, as well as those jazz chords. The modulation to Eb minor in 2:40 sounds nice to me. 3:48 sounds very nice as well with the G#-A dissonance. I don't know why but the E major pentatonic ending reminds me of Vince's Orchestral Overture: Thx for sharing! Henry