Alex Weidmann

Just wanted to say well done for completing such a monumental work. I haven't listened to it all yet; but everything I've heard so far has been amazing!

Hi all. Just wanted to share this experimental composition I made some time ago in GarageBand. Was trying to get away from any idea of structure or form, and make something that sounds quite random. It does have an ostinato, to give the listener something to latch onto; but is otherwise very free. It's probably garbage, but I thought I'd post it anyway.

The ending is pretty weird; but it definitely made me laugh! (So lived up to the title.) Hope you're fully recovered from your recent illness Henry. Sending good wishes, Alex

Where you have a key change that only lasts one or two bars, I think the usual practice is not to change key signature. When the harmony is free roaming, it's quite common these days to have the whole piece in a neutral key (i.e. no key signature). That would also apply to atonal works, or those with no clear tonal centre. When there's a recognisable chord for a particular key, then you should use the enharmonic spelling for that key. (But you seem to have done this already in your work.)

Hi Mooravioli, I really enjoy your harmonic language in these works. It sounds quite jazzy and reminds me of Ravel at times.

Just thought I'd post an earlier version of this piece, performed by me on my electric piano. Sorry the sound quality's so awful! You can hear the piano keys clattering throughout. Think the rubato is better though? This version is mostly Uematsu's original, with some of my own added material.

What a delightful piece! I especially like your oboe melody in bars 30-35, and the false ending on page 12. The alternation between arco and pizz in the strings is nice too.

It was my composition tutor who made the comment. He's a professional composer. He said MuseScore doesn't have the same granular control as Dorico or Sibelius. One thing that's definitely easier in Dorico, is switching to Film Score format. I gather it can be done at the touch of a button; whereas in MuseScore it's very fiddly. Also creating a condensed score for the conductor can be done with one keystroke in Dorico. Not sure if there's anything that simply can't be done in MuseScore though, as there are often ways of fudging things. I've never tried making an aleatoric score: so maybe that's one problem area?

Hi to my fellow musicophiles! Here is my latest work, which was heavily influenced by Nobuo Uematsu's "To Zanarkand" from "Final Fantasy X" (after I came across it by chance on You Tube). The main thing I was aiming for, was to write something I could easily play myself, as a very rusty pianist. Though it's largely my work, I am still quoting some of the original material. (Hopefully not enough to be sued!) Happy to hear all your comments, even if you hate the idea of rewriting Uematsu! N.B. I've never played "Final Fantasy": so have no idea what the original music represents. It sounds quite floaty and ethereal: so hence my title.

Hi all. Just wanted to ask a general question about scoring software. I've been using MuseScore for a couple of years now, but have been told it's not capable of producing an engraving to professional standards. Just wondered what features it's missing that would be essential to professional quality work?

Yes, you're dead right about that. Will take most of those staccato marks out in my next revision. Glad you liked it otherwise! I created the piece in sporadic bursts of rapid composition over the course of three months or so, with long breaks inbetween. Each time I came back to it, the character of the next section I composed was always different from the previous section. At one point it was sounding a bit too saccharine sweet: so I decided to introduce an octatonic scale, then played with dissonance to make a more contemporary sounding ending. Didn't really analyse the tone clusters I made, just experimented with lots of copying and pasting between instruments, and moved pitches around. Think the results were quite Stravinskian. I don't expect it'll ever be played by a real orchestra: so not sure I'm going to bother with a proper score? Also: I found this cool video on You Tube of what life may be like on Tau Ceti f:

I actually like those triplet gestures. You can't hear them very clearly in the mix; but they create a blurry effect that I enjoy.

Peter, many thanks for listening! The key modulations were designed to move the music up a gear: so it would ramp up tension. The final chord is intended to be a little surprise at the end, and it just felt right to me; although it's a suspension. ("We Are The Champions" by Queen ends on a suspension as well: so it is a device that's been used occasionally in pop/rock.) I did try using E major; but it didn't sound as good to my ear. Can't quite remember; but I think the development arc of the piece was partly improvised; though I added the opening drone later. The podcaster seems happy with it anyway; though I have to enhance the bass somehow (maybe with EQ).

Nice work! I like the dreamy quality you evoke with your orchestration, and the mood changes you create. The lamentoso sections were my favourite.

Hi Mark, I especially enjoyed your harmonic planing in this piece, and the way you effortlessly blend consonance and dissonance (a common feature of many of your works). It reminds me a little bit of Hindemith's "Mathis De Maler" (which I saw live at London's Barbican last year). Hope others will chime in here, as I'm not the best analyst! Alex