FossMaNo1

So, I understand the mechanics of tritone substitution, however I am struggling with the "real world" application of it. I am particuarly struggling with using it when my melody has notes that become non-chord tones in the substitution. For example, my chord progression is Bbmin - F7(b9) - Bbmin. Using a tritone substitution, that would become Bbmin - B7(b9) - Bbmin. The problem arising when an F-natural is in the melody from the dominant chord to the tonic. It seems like this would cause a nasty clash. Another question: Does this chord progression make sense?: Bbmin - F7(b9) - B7(b9) - Bbmin

Would I get punched in the mouth if I voted for John Williams? He is the reason I started studying composition.

Lordy, I'm not even sure how I would play anything beyond fff or ppp (and I play brass which tend to have the reputation of being able to play a blastissimo!). As a general rule I do not use anything beyond fortissimo (ff) and pianissimo (pp)--I just don't think anything beyond those two markings is really feasible...but that's just me.

Is there some place online (not YouTube!) where I can listen to the various bowing techniques in strings. For example, for someone who does not play a string, it is hard to understand the difference in marcato from spiccato fom martellato.

I definitely struggle with developing something I've already written. Oh, I can take a melody and repeat it over and over, changing the accompaniment during each rendition, but I don't think this is what "development" means. As a result, I struggle to make my pieces over 3.5 minutes in length. *Sigh*

Well, I have to say I am impressed. I partly posted this thread to see if I could get some activity on my works, but I also posted this to see what the maturity level was like on this site. Ladies and gentlemen, my hat is off to you! Very mature feedback... no flaming... just good solid replies. This is quite refreshing!

So, if no one will give you a review of your work, does that pretty much mean it's crapolla?

In general, the softer you notate a brass instrument to play, the less timbre-change is available. The louder, the more you have to play with. Timbre quality is generally notated as text above the staff. For example, Brassy! is a common notation, letting the player know to somewhat overblow so the bell of the instrument rings with an edginess to it. Similarly, in French Horn music the notation Bells Up is a common way to say to the horn players "I want people on the other side of the world to hear you!" Still, the options for timbre are limited. Generally speaking, the timbre is controlled by the amount of air being forced through the instrument (the dynamic marking). Slurs, dynamic markings, and articulation marks have the most impact on the sound/timbre coming out of the instrument: > = Accent the beginning of the note sfz = Really accent the beginning of the note (you can even exagerate this with sffz) fp = hit the note at forte, but then back way off to piano . = stacatto; play the note short (often about half the length written--often used simply to add separation between notes, helping accent subphrases without actually accenting notes!) _ = legato; almost slur the note into the following note (you still tongue the next note, however) -- this does generally have the effect of making the tome more mellow > with _ = Accent the start of the note making it a bell tone--very common in brass There are a myriad examples of how a composer can subtly give clues to the performer on what the intended sound should be. Remember, if all else fails, you can simply write above the staff the sound you are going for (e.g., distant sounding or brassy!). I would highly recommend that you study some brass scores with a recording of it next to you as you analyze the score.

If I am writing for a small ensemble (say, a brass quintet) I just lay out the staves and start writing. I might have scratch paper next to me to experiement with chord progressions, but pretty much everything goes onto the main project. Now, if I am writing for a larger group (e.g. orchestra), I've found that sketching the piece out on a system of four staves is the most efficient. Four staves gives me plenty of room for counterpoint as well as space to jot down ideas for instrumental groups I have in mind. I will sketch the entire before I actually try to orchestrate it (check out my "The Strasburg Song" under my profile for an example--I still haven't orchestrated it, but the score posted will give you a great example of what I'm talking about).

I think using actual melodies from other sources can happen, but it should be pretty rare. Now, borrowing orchestration styles, hamronic progression and the like I'm not sure you can avoid--especially if you are studying other composers.