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Hello, friends. About three years ago, I penned this song cycle for a friend from El Salvador, based on poems by the beloved Salvadoran poet, Alfredo Espino. These hold a special place in my heart because they're the last music I've ever written, though they were sadly never performed. The songs and directions are completely in Spanish. Here they've been rendered by Cantamus (unfortunately sung in a Castilian accent and not the Latin American accent spoken in El Salvador) and the piano accompaniment has been [poorly] played by me. They're not the best recordings and some of the lyrics didn't render properly, but hopefully they deliver the music effectively. The cycle is chiasmic in structure (i.e., the first and last movements and the second and fourth movements mirror each other) and it tells the story of a day in El Salvador. I. Madrugada: This means early morning. The lyrics and music represent the waking of the Salvadoran countryside: farmers starting their day, roosters crowing, birds chirping. It begins mysteriously but soon "warms up," preparing us for the rest of the song cycle. II. Plombagina: The title is about a tiny flower found along the riverbanks in El Salvador; here it represents the playfulness of the river and the hopefulness of midmorning. This one is unmistakably waltzlike and lyrical. III. Tardecitas: "Little afternoons" is a piece about watching the rainfall in the heat of the day. It's lazy and less ambitious than the others in the cycle, representing the languor of a dreary, rainy day. IV. Estrella in el río: We return once more to a song about the river, this time in a more contemplative frame of mind. "Star in the river" is shimmering and reflective, capturing the tranquility of twilight as the stars begin to pinprick the sky and cast their reflections into the river below. V. Nocturno: While "Madrugada" expresses the joys of a new morning, "Nocturno" explores the angst found at the close of the day. It's by far the most restless of the cycle, employing a sort of perverted tango rhythm in mockery of the soothing sway of a nocturne. In it, you'll find themes of grief and fear and anxiety, embedded in harmonies very reminiscent of Spain/Latin America. Even if you don't understand Spanish, I hope these songs move you and perhaps inspire you. As ever, I'm happy to receive any feedback you may have. Best, Jordan Canciones de El Salvador.pdf I. Madrugada.mp3 II. Plombagina.mp3 III. Tardecitas.mp3 IV. Estrella en el río.mp3 V. Nocturno.mp3

What fascinating music. The compositions are fantastic. The piano part is very well crafted but complements the vocals perfectly. I think you’ve captured many Latin rhythms perfectly; in this style, it’s difficult to separate the Spanish from the Latin American elements, as the influences are mutual. I really appreciate the effort you’ve put into playing the piano yourself, as I understand it. The overall sound is very distinctive because this cycle of songs sounds entirely like a style of popular Spanish ‘tonada’ (from which the ‘tonadilleras’ are derived). Originally, the ‘tonadilla’ was a traditional Spanish song of a cheerful and popular nature, performed as an interlude or at the end of satirical plays between the 18th and 19th centuries. Over time, the concept evolved from classical theatre towards the café-theatres and variety shows of the 20th century. Nowadays, the term is directly associated with the great divas of Andalusian copla and Spanish folklore, characterised by their high level of expressiveness, the wearing of long-tailed gowns and a highly dramatic stage presence. Initially, this type of music was accompanied by the guitar and perhaps a small orchestra featuring folk instruments (castanets, tambourines, dulzainas, etc.). But at the start of the 20th century, it evolved to be accompanied by a solo piano – which is how your music sounds – and it also has a very strong ‘cabaret’ feel to it, as it is recorded live, as I gather. As for the language. Well, I’m a native Spanish speaker. It’s quite – very well done. I’m also struggling with these programmes that sing along to lyrics… and I know what a pain it is… The accent is very neutral. It certainly doesn’t sound like any Latin American accent I recognise, let alone an Andalusian one. It’s close to a central Spanish accent (Castilian, as you rightly say) but there are moments when it sounds a bit ‘forced’ – something that many real singers in Spain do. Bravo, and it’s a pleasure to listen to it. And I love it when someone delves deeply into cultures that aren’t their own, perhaps, to bring all this out.

Cloudburst 9 was one of my 3 attempts at a high energy, big jazz band work I wrote in 2007. I played keys in high school and college jazz band. But could I reproduce a 70s big jazz band like Buddy Rich, Maynard Ferguson, etc in my Cakewalk DAW? I decided to gave it a try. My track in 2007 was ok but the drums lacked sophistication. So I opened up the folder and discovered I had audio file tracks without drums. The instrument wav files sounded amazing still. Which I was surprised. Drums now remixed with variation and punch. The trombone and trumpet leads are from the same synth brass from my Roland keyboard. It sounded very much like a trombone and trumpet, but it's a synth patch. One of my fav sections is the final trombone solo where the rhythm section energy picks up a notch. Also I have a favorite minor chord in the work. Maybe you'll notice it. Music and virtual instruments composed and performed by me, no AI . Not really a jazz genre, more like show tune maybe, and fusion. I know the mix can be much improved, but I'm not going to remake all instruments right now. Maybe later. DAW: Cakewalk Sonar 7(in 2007) and remixed with current Cakewalk Sonar All Instruments: Roland Fantom, with added vsti DSK Brass for the sax section Effects - Sunset Live Room, and a touch of spring reverb

I enjoyed this too. Has the Chattanooga vibe 100 percent! It's less than 3 minutes and doesn't need a fancy development. Once you get to 4 minutes + maybe add a sax solo or something over a verse. I wrote a few big jazz band pieces as well, in 70's style. Check out my Cloudburst 9. Hope you post something again!

The program does the heavy lifting by itself. However, you should check over what you write. "Behind Bars" is what everyone using these days. Stone's "Music notation in the 20 century" comes is second. Stone is about modern notation conventions. Behind Bars is about the standards. Both are useful. I would use Behind Bars make sure my score meets standards. Then if there are modern convetitions i might use stone's. Or score study. (score study is the best.)

Sympfonija nr1 2 mov.mp3Simpfonija nr 1 jud 2.pdfHere is my symphony

helloooo "The Voyage of a Lone Ship" is a piece for mixed quintet (violin, cello, horn, timpani, and piano). it is based on a sketch from the website youraislopbores.me*. i've asked a random person to draw a landscape for me to base my composition on and what i got is this sketch of a lone ship sailing on the sea under a starry night. the piece contains many different aspects that i try to portray: the lone night voyage, the shimmering star, the creaking wooden ship, the wavy sea, the exciting morning conundrum, and the night fall once more. *of note, youraislopbores.me is a website where real people can roleplay as an ai and answer/draw prompts from humans. people can also be the role of the humans and give the "ai(s)" (people who's roleplaying as ai(s)) many kinds of prompts. therefore, this artwork is not made by ai. a real anonymous person sketched my prompt and created the artwork below. this website is an act against ai art in general. im going to be honest, composing this piece was a tough journey. i had to rewrote the early sections so many times and my motivation keeps dwindling down day by day to finish this, but ive pulled through!!! i'd say there are many things that i'm not entirely satisfied with the piece, but it's in a good enough condition for me to post. also mightve gone overboard with the duration, oh well lmao enjoy the piece guysss The Voyage of a Lone Ship.mp3 The Voyage of A Lone Ship.pdf

Here are my overall thoughts about this competition: Overall, the competition was competition went well. I think new members might find the three-month time limit a challenge. However, seasoned members, with the flow. It allows entries to submitted and to be scored fairly. For the spring competition, I was a judge! There was one entry that stand out! Sadly, it was scored very low. For now, the competition should be for fun. and open to all. But I do not want to anyone to bummed out if they score low. So maybe new members should encourage from seasoned to join after they have a couple works? (just a thought).

Oh, you will reach the point where you don't even need to think of analysis anymore. Use the accidentals that are easiest; even if the music is complicated, make it as easy to read as possible.