Aw Ke Shen

What are your thoughts around performing your own piece or having others perform your piece? Performing your piece can be a great way to share your interpretation and intentions of your own piece, and playing your own piece forces you to assess the playability of your piece, and make adjustments where necessary. You can prove your piece can be played by a human, removing accusations that it is just a computer-generated "impossible" piece. However, since different people have different abilities and interpretations, playing your piece might not necessarily help in making your piece more accessible (though it still can), especially when one performs and reinforce opinions of one's piece, as if a self-fulfilling prophecy, where your piece is the prophecy itself, which can be limiting - but again, this can be countered with an open mind. Personally I always find it interesting how people can have so many different interpretations and ways of playing the exact same piece, with the exact same notes, markings and instructions, we all to some extend follow the score, took things out, or added things, according to our practical abilities and personal preferences, it reflects character - whether the persona or the person. Same goes to one's piece, one cannot expect everyone to have the same interpretation as you, even if you are the composer. Yet, it can be quite personal because your piece is almost like a part of you and when others play it it is like engaging with you/ a part of you. It can be fulfilling when someone plays or improvise in an interesting and you thought " Oh, I never thought of that", or way of expressing love, like between Schuman and Clara, yet sometimes one may be offended as what might be disrespect as well. Chopin liked it when Liszt played his Etudes with virtuosity but not when adding unnecessary ornaments to his nocturnes. How y'all experience this? Have you had experience of playing your piece in front of an audience (irl or online) - how was the reception like? Have you had someone else play your piece? how did they play/interpreted it and how you feel about it? Any other thoughts about these Personally I realized I have really played/ have others play my piece? Maybe I should haha, and post them in my socials...

Yea, it is good find out what works for oneself like you have done. I think at the end of the day, to try out and and do what works best for oneself - interesting to see how different individuals approach composing and how our habits may stay or evolve over time. Interesting to hear your approach: Personally, while I generally compose in sections, in order, before moving on, it is not a rule I will stick to strictly. Because I tend to change things after composing the next section so I feel it "makes more sense",the transitions are smoother, and the overall piece is more coherent overall. Sometimes I just have parts where I am not as sure about compared to others so I'll work on the others first, even if they may not appear in chronological order in the piece.

yeah, and that's why I think it is still possible to love one's music - as long as one does not impose it upon other people it is not arrogant I guess?

I think this is a refreshing perspective on the potential positive aspects of this tendency of narcissism, in the specific context of music composition, with regard to my above response (dk why cant put this quote there but whatever). And especially here, I like how you expanded this idea to say it is not just that it can be positive for self development and composition, but can be a pre-requisite even, which removes the guilt of being narcissistic, as long as one strive for something bigger beyond oneself then, by viewing oneself as a vessel for something larger, narcissism is selfless, not selfish, or maybe at this point the specific words don't matter anymore, since the two are kind of one and the binary does not matter or exist anymore even.

I think as long as it does not make you discriminate other people such that one would harm them, at least narcissism is not that destructive. That said, just only hearing your own music has the risk of being in ones echo chamber. Even if one gets objectively better and like to - and thus - hear more of ones music, which is nothing wrong, it would still be great to listen to other's people good stuff to enrich oneself. I think the term narcissism can be quite subjective, nothing wrong in itself though at times, it can be helpful to use more specific terms or like"X type of narcissism" to describe some behaviours or attitudes.

lol, like Eric Satie's Vexations? but on a more serious note, I do like this piece, it is so classical yet so catchy and fun, something I would like to play, especially if forced to choose a classical piece that are not the ones I like , the boring ones. Also, this is generally suited for children and beginners to play, maybe at a slower tempo. One issue might be that it looks quite easily to trip off when playing in a fast tempo.

Continuing from this threads in reddit and here - https://www.youngcomposers.com/t47262/inquiry-for-parts-of-a-piecepiece-without-a-clear-tonal-centre-how-do-we-put-accidentals/#comment-1186752923 - where I asked for notation advice for my score and integrated them in my edits (thanks again to those who advised me), I would now like to ask how might I actually make this piece more of a Scherzo (whether its the conventional matrices of 3 time, ABA structure, more parts with playful/satiric parts, or beyond these) using the themes/motifs I already have or should I make new ones? https://musescore.com/user/62605720/scores/25131706 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O29_xr6AwbA This is because while I find there is contrasts as "touching/happy" parts and more allegro parts and quite some parts in 3 time, but they are (1) not really fun/playful (2) not really satirical (3) not really majority 3 time, I know a scherzo doesn't really need all parts as such but still... Imposter syndrome here, and my main title and initial for the piece is a Prelude, not Scherzo, though in the process I felt like I want a Scherzo (story can be found in my YT/Musescore). Some forms are more flexible than others, especially because people have broken the rules much and overtime. Scherzo seems to be a form which inherently is more flexible and encourage people to go beyond? Correct me if I am wrong. How flexible do you think the Scherzo form is compared to others?

Thanks for reminding me about Schubert!

Updated version of the score here: https://musescore.com/user/62605720/scores/25131706 Most of the changes were done using the feedbacks fr reddit but thanks for the additional feedback here too, the score is now much easier to read, more intuitive and makes way more sense. haha : )

Some people have also suggested this and I have changed measures 35-39 to Cb Major (not very used to Cb Maj haha). I have also made other changes elsewhere, like to (suggested by you), also suggested by others (in reddit) "to specify the key signature" on the basis of more practical reasons like score readability.

Noted

Yea, this^ seems to be the consensus and what I observed as for this opinions (from reddit, where I also asked) seems more diverse, but thks for the input!

Beyond simple general use of sharps flats and double sharps and flats, how do we decide which direction to go ( like go more sharps or flats on the circle or fifths) or is there a more underlying principal to this. I currently have the below score, would like to know how should I notate the score for parts: - that are not in a clearly stated key - are mor more less in a key but they only last one/two bar(s), should I put key signature or just all the necessary accidentals? - to make it consistent with the above options, for parts that are more or less in a certain key for over 4 bars, do I take away the key signature, maintaining the exact notes via accidentals? https://musescore.com/user/62605720/scores/25131706?from=notification#comment-9314725 I'm asking cos a simple google and Ai search doesn't quite address my concerns above, and have not converted it into a vid to be posted elsewhere. ( ofc the scherzo thing is another thing but not my main concern here, maybe ill ask abt that later on in another post) Thanks very much!

Hi @Alant! I like your revised version more than the original, with more variation making it more interesting and unleashing more potential, sharing @user011235's thoughts. I thought it might be better if this version (which can sound a little more harsh than the original) can have the tenderness from the first combined/weaved into here - wld there be a gd way for this you might consider?

Hi @Mooravioli, I think these are good pieces for learning and practicing children and young adults. especially for younger children/early beginners, maybe there can be an even easier version: - physically (and maybe even in terms of sight reading), by simplifying the ornaments, chords and thickness of chords - or have the optional parts/notes marked out, so that players who cant reach some notes still can play with ease without them or with more reachable alternatives. Liked the pieces and subbed to your channel in YT!