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Thank you very much for the detailed and extensive feedback! Cheers.

Hi Tristan! I really like this piece! There are definitely a variety of textures in the music and all instruments are utilised in their own unique way. The range also keeps the music flowing, which many pieces do not include (even I am sometimes a victim!!) Something to keep in mind is in the winds. There is a solo flute line of semiquavers which as a whole I really like. Just remember that real flutists would have to tongue very fast at that tempo to hit them accurately! Adding a few slurs can help immensely! You can leave some semiquavers, about two thirds, detached, but us fellow wind players’ tongues get tired when they are working that hard! Two more quick things: The viola plays an incredibly high note (relative to the normal range) at one point. Remember the alto clef is lower, so instead of placing a load of ledger lines, it’s no harm to change to treble! And near the beginning, the violin, again, plays a high note. I couldn’t exactly tell because of the ledger lines, so maybe edit this to an 8va? Overall, I really love this, although take my advice with a grain of salt. I’m no ensemble expert! gooberro

Hello, I tried to create a symphony from scratch again. Maybe this time I made a better version. It's only 1 movement, so it's quite short, 6:22 min. And I would like a review because I want to start a 2nd movement. Simfonija no 1 1 mov.mp3 Simfonija no 1 1 mov.pdf

Don't undersell yourself! This is quite a good attempt, and you've clearly put a lot of thought in the orchestration. I mentioned the slurs mostly because of the bowing/sound implications. With less bow to use for more notes, string player tend to play softer which in your case helps with the softer dynamics (in addition to the legato articulation). I know software can be finicky so totally understand your workaround. "...when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour." I'm going to disagree with that somewhat. Yes, he wanted different colors, but he was very conscious about experimenting with different timbres/ranges of different instrument families. The harmonics issue: technically playable, yes...but writing 5th touch artificial harmonics is pretty rare in orchestral music. Unless those violinists have big hands, they'd have to stretch more than normal to play that. That's why 4th touch harmonics are better and the standard (I think you might be able to convert some of those)

Hi everyone! I took a break from composing for a while. Recently, I started composing again, and I would like to present my latest composition, an Impromptu, written between May and July 2026. Writing this piece proved challenging – choosing the right material was an endeavor, and most of the effort was spent on completing the coda section. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Carl Koh Wei Hao

Hi @danishali903 I appreciate your comments and will reply to a few in case anyone’s interested I don’t usually write expression slurs (legato) on the strings, except for very short groups of notes. Instead, if I want to do this, I specify ‘legato’ (as an articulation, which the software I use does recognise) and hide the text. Bear in mind that this is an exercise and that the economy of instrumentalists/instruments has not been the priority, although it was not intended to be used indiscriminately either. That is why there is a piccolo alongside the flute and the alto flute, because that line in bar 18 requires three instruments from the same family. The same applies to the four horns and the tuba. Another of the ideas is that, as far as possible, the families should sound harmonically complete, as in the chord in bar 9. As for the harmonics, they have all been checked and are feasible, though I may have made a mistake. I’ve had another look at the ones you mention and they’re fine. In this regard, I recommend this webpage, which lists all the natural and artificial harmonics that can be played (and those that are best avoided). https://conductit.eu/study-room/rehearsal/rehearsal-4/4-6-string-harmonics/ When it comes to orchestration, there are endless possibilities. Probably, by assigning a few lines to other instruments, I could have done without the piccolo or one of the two horns… But then again, let’s be realistic: when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour. Best. Addendum The issue of legato slurs in the strings is something I’m going to consider writing about (always bearing in mind what they might do, as I understand it). It’s a more specific point. In fact, as I have a few final amendments to make to this orchestration, I’m going to include that point. Thank you. I’m still at 5% in my orchestration skills.

Here's a musical quote from Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's Flow - The Psychology of Optimal Experience: And if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading!

https://musescore.com/user/96214813/scores/28405348 This is my second concerto, written in e minor for piano and orchestra. It consists of three movements. Mov. 1 E Moll Mov. 2 B Dur-E Dur Mov. 3 E Moll. My Internet is low so I won't bother with the details. Thx! Byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. -TristanTheTristan

@danishali903 "...when Debussy orchestrated, he didn’t care about the number of instruments – it was all in the service of colour." OK, I think I didn’t express myself very well on this point. What I meant was that it’s not unusual for him to use a large number of musicians, precisely, as you say, to experiment with all those timbres and ranges. When you look at the instrumentation he uses in some of these orchestral pieces, you tend to think it’s going to sound ‘grand’ in the style of Mahler or something like that. But of course, he does it to create all those wonderful atmospheres. As for the harmonics played with a 5th touch, I agree, and that’s something I’ll bear in mind (i.e. using the 4th artificial harmonics). Cheers.

YES .............In the recent past competitions,the forum had awarded winners, "BADGES" for specific Criteria . A "Contemporary composer" Badge would be the same Contemporary , generally means simply "modern" or "new" , Not from a Previous Era classical composers from the | The Last Decade : 10 years - Living or Dead | would fit this style a recent example was posted here :

Ah yes, I'd forgotten about the Colin Matthews version. When I orchestrated Debussy's "Footsteps in the Snow", I was aware of his version; but deliberately avoided listening to it, so I wouldn't be influenced. Afterwards I compared the two, and discovered I'd come to some of the same decisions as Colin with my orchestration; but also some radically different ones!

@interlect is "Contemporary Composers Sector" supposed to be a competition theme proposal? How would it work?

Hello It has a very classical sound. First of all, I find it strange that there are no cellos. Or is it the double bass line that’s written an octave higher? Apart from that, it all sounds rather ‘homophonic’ to me; in other words, although there’s a certain degree of counterpoint here and there, the melody is played on all the instruments for much of the time, either doubled or in octaves. Given that the rhythmic motif appears constantly, it does end up sounding a bit monotonous. I think that in a classical orchestration of this kind, there need to be some basic orchestral layers: a bass line (usually reinforced), a purer melodic line—not overwhelmed by too many instruments at once—and harmonic support. And then you can add counter-melodies, transitions, ‘riffs’ and ornamentation. All of this serves to emphasise the climactic moments.

Very Nice........ i really like the waltz style, and you've achieved a high level of professionalism the Melody is instantly recognized as a Melody, and stands above the rest of the composition well done.

Hey y’all! I hope you are doing great. A couple of months ago, I was asked to write a string quartet for the University of Michigan to perform. Though many other composers also premiered their own works, I could tell in rehearsal with these string players that there was so much fun to looking into something more conceptual, though I tried as not to make it too contemporary. I also got to speak with the composition director at University of Michigan Dr. Roshane Etezady, who’s a wonderful sweet person as well as some conductors and composers. It took about a month to write, and with only 6 minutes to write I had to shorten a lot because I was so captivated by this opportunity. Thank you for listening and feel free to check out any files or anything! I have a YouTube and an Audio.com, but I would keep to the YouTube, I upload more often. YouTube Link: File: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1zsbitZUELu9KCGlhchJqwqhDEUSNZvEv/view?usp=drivesdk

Hi all! It's been since the first of the year that I posted here...so sorry for going dark for a while. Life got busy! But I wanted to share this piece I worked on in May and have since finalized. It's called..."The Duel". I leaned heavily into drums and keeping momentum going, trying to use some more articulations and varying techniques that are inspired by some of the music I was listening to at the time. I created this in FL Studio using a variety of VSTs...mostly from Native Instruments' Symphony Series. But including a cimbalom from Spitfire Audio in there also, as well as their Epic Choirs. Hope you enjoy the listen and can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts.

I’m curious about what kind of music you were listening to when you composed this.

This is a very evocative and Debussy-like orchestration! Some minor things: I think you can add slurs in the third measure when strings come in. The articulation is suppose to be legato and smooth, and slurs will help with that. Continue the slurs in the viola/cello/bass melody in bar 5 onwards. Same thing in bar 28...and since the violins are PP, slurs would DEFINITELY help. Probably can consolidate the 3 flute parts to 2, with the 2nd player doubling on alto and piccolo. Probably can remove the tuba too since it's mostly doubling the double basses. You might also be able to consolidate the 4 horns to 2. Play around with mixing bassoons or clarinets with horns. Some of the violin harmonics look suspicious...measure 19 specifically in 1st violins.

Hello! As other people have mentioned, this is pretty darned good for a second composition ever. Not finished, but plenty of material to work with and plenty of places to go I think.... I read the title of the piece (Hansel and Gretel), I listen and close my eyes and I can imagine Hansel and Gretel. So, I mean, mission accomplished! I played along a bit on the keyboard and there are some nice chord changes that capture the mood changes. It all seems fairly smooth. Transitions seem pretty good to me. There is enough variation to keep things interested. It really tells a story...I'd be interested in hearing/seeing more!!!

Hello! *disclaimer, I know nothing about Polkas I listened to the entire thing and on first impression is that ending seems a bit too abrupt. With all the nice loud right hand chords...just kinda feels like it's needs another punch in the right direction at the end. Maybe it's because you modulate to Bb and end on the F, which feels like ending on the dominant? Maybe just do the last note with both right hand an left hand? I don't know, but yeah, if that's the not fully resolved sound that you were going for then, mission accomplished I think. Listened to a second time, ending still felt weird. Then I tried to play along with the piece on the keyboard Sometimes, the chords just kinda clash with the melody and the harmony feels a bit off. Like in measure 6/7. Bb, C D in the right hand, and F root triad going to D octaves in the left hand. You end up with this sort of weird class between the A in the left hand and the Bb in the right hand and this sort of "power chord" without any thirds in in the beginning of measure 7. Maybe instead of a F root triad, gotta throw in a first inversion C7 chord. And instead of the D octaves, adding a third somewhere in there. For the nice big loud part (around measure 25), personal preference for my ears...I'd add a F to nice big G chord in the right hand in measure 25, play the G/F with my thumb to make it all sound a bit thicker and maybe transition from the Bb chord nicer. It sounds nice enough the way you had it, so more of a preference thing for my ears. The title is amazing, do all Polkas have funny song titles?

Hi layneleefilm! This piece is amazing. The impact of the percussion is powerful and captures the feel of "The Duel." You have wonderful skills in both composition and music production. The composition is excellent, the way it quiets down at 1:14 and creates an atmosphere of something looming. I like the melody lines, too. I’m curious about what kind of music you were listening to when you composed this. I’d love it if you could share that with me! Best, Lithl.