skowals1

It does tire out after a bit, but this would be a perfect introduction to a more lively and thematically structured section. It's true the MIDI takes so much away, because this would have a nice dramatic touch on something like a Steinway. I'd say try to develop more interesting and independent rhythms and harmonies for the following section. You've got a great start though

I'm no Schoenberg expert (or fan, for what it's worth), but my understanding is that you use each note of the chromatic scale in whichever fashion you please. You use each note once in the aptly named "twelve-tone sequence". Example (just pitches, not harmony): F, F#, C, A#, D#, G#, A (Natural), E, C#, B, G (Natural), D (Natural) You would use something like this as your melody and use less conventional harmonies and interesting rhythms to add your own style to it. This is a good way to practice moving away from tonal music if that's what you're trying to do. But, if you want to go in the direction of Debussy, my advice would be to produce a nice, floating melody (try to move away from tonality with it), and put an interesting bass line in - maybe employ the rhythms of the arpeggiations in the treble you have in the beginning to the bass of this next section. Just a possibility...I'm no Debussy expert either lol, but that would be my advice.

Very short and sweet. The best way to get out of tonality in my opinion is to try to cycle through related keys and develop interesting ways in which to move between them (try some fully diminished seventh chords, augmented sixth, Neopolitan, etc.). This way you can have a less tonally based piece that still makes sense musically. Or if you really want to go wild you can always try Schoenberg's twelve-tone scale system. That may be a little too much in a piece like this though, as the tonal feel is appropriate for the musical setting. I think this would fit more as a beginning to a piece. A nice introduction to establish very solid thematic ideas. Sounds awesome

Very nice piece. I agree with Zetetic in that the melody often is overdone, and I think this is because of the lack of dynamic variation. I think this piece could sound very sweet and Chopin-esque if you can manage to make the dynamics a tad more interesting. It could just be the MIDI playback though (which has overtly soured the excellent quality of the piece). You are clearly a talented musician and I was very taken by this piece. Very nice runs with good harmonic support in the bass. Very Polish sounding in my opinion, I might even call this a Mazurka lol. Keep up the good work!

Thanks so much for your criticisms....the file from the website above is the same as the Finale file posted...I just thought I'd put up some sort of sound for those who didn't have Finale (I don't know how to make MIDI files). If you could help me convert it to a MIDI file, I'd be more than happy to post one :). Thanks again and keep the criticism coming!!!

This is a complete beginning to the third movement of my first sonata. Let me know what you think... www.myspace.com/samuelkowalsky Sonata in E (2).mus Sonata in E (2).mid

I suggest everyone either take a listen to or watch a performance (on YouTube) of Franz Liszt's Grand Galop Chromatique. Absolutely one of my favourite bravura pieces...on YouTube you can watch Gyorgy Cziffra bang it out...it's pretty incredible to watch this guy absolutely shred on piano.

This is an incredible romantic gestation. The harmony was static at times, but the static nature of the harmony gave more emphasis to the sonorous and seductive melody. It has a very nice flow to it and it had great direction. Really an aural pleasure for the listener, much like Chopin.

true about the freedom of the fantasia, but i feel there's a misinterpretation about my criticism... when I said it lacked direction, I didn't mean it in the sense that it lacked direction towards a particular tonic, more like general melodic direction. Fluidity would probably be a more appropriate term. If each of the sections had a little more cadence to each other, it would definitely help the listener. Just my opinion, I'm just a musician with a personal disposition like all of us :)

I think the biggest problem with this piece is a lack of direction. I felt like the melody really didn't take me anywhere and the harmonies were sometimes arbitrary and akward. Each section's ending also seems to be to disconnected from the next section's beginning. My advice would be to reconnect the piece...there are some spots I did enjoy (particularly around 1:10...) that showed good thematic and harmonic development, but as a whole, this is more of a compilation of parts than a single piece.