piajo

I'm glad you think so! I think playing and listening helps me, but writing music is usually for when I am feeling a little clearer, after things have settled down a bit. Until then, these improvisations can hopefully spark some ideas!

Simple and expressive - I really like pieces of this kind. To me, it feels sombre but not overly so, perhaps as if controlling that feeling or just waiting. I like the title too. Are you playing the piano here?

I see! Thank you, this will be useful if I later try to fashion this into an actual piece of music. I'll be honest, I had to listen to this again because I could barely remember what I played. Then I think you must listen to NIN's Together, or preferably the entire Ghosts: V album. It's one of my favourite albums ever, and Together is one of my favourite pieces of music. Nine Inch Nails in general is pretty great. I basically copied parts of that track while playing.

Here are two random pieces of piano audio. What happened here is I sat down and just started playing; I didn't think about the scale, or rhythym, or mood, or much for the first one, and for the second I had NIN's Ghosts VI: Together in mind. I was planning on writing some pieces this month. I had some ideas, but something very bad and unexpected happened, and now most of them feel futile, and I might not have the time/energy/motivation for the ones that do not, so I am hoping putting these improvisations here will help that somehow. For anyone who chooses to listen to this, you have my thanks. It really is random and feels like nothing. P.S. I might keep updating this. I got it wrong.mp3 I don't know.mp3

The friend who got me into classical music predicted that I would write music that is simple but good, so perhaps I'm trying to live up to her expectations, haha! I did consider that, and the airy tone is actually why I didn't choose the flute! It would give a happier/lighter tone that I didn't want. Thank you so much for your comments, it means a lot to me, and I'm glad you enjoyed it! Also, I apologise for not responding sooner - I usually like to do so right away, but a personal crisis came up.

I listened to this a while ago for the first time (when I made my account on this forum; I even bookmarked the page to listen to it repeatedly) and have been meaning to say something, but everything I think of feels like a massive understatement. This is absolutely incredible! Great idea, perfect title, very well executed. Super satisfying usage of techniques to create intricate textures; it's a transcendental form of music that I absolutely adore, wherein the piece isn't just sound. It's a scene. Ahh I can't explain it, but with the title and the music, I feel like I can picture what you're portraying very clearly in my head. Listening to this while walking with a fair presence of nature is a great feeling too. Kudos to the performers for bringing your piece to life! And thank you so much for sharing!

I don't really have any criticism. I just wanted to share my thoughts as I listened the second time, because to me, this piece simultaneously plays contrasting elements really well! I get a similar feeling quite often (which I refer to as a "sinusoidal mood with varying frequency"). Though I generally don't listen to symphonies much (which is why I can't offer useful feedback), I liked this quite a lot! I really like the introduction. Starts off a little ominous or uncertain, and then seemlessly transforms into something ethereal and happy (which to me reminds me of music that could accompany a character's first few of a destination in a fantasy story), and back again! The grace notes did feel a little odd to me, like a jazzy or humorous element, but that might be a repercussion of system-generated sound more than anything else. Those contrasting elements continue in the next lighter section, and they still go together so well! The happier elements almost feel waltz-like, and the minor tones like a stumble or a hesitant step, if that makes sense. The Tutti(?) at 3:20 reminded me of a scene from HTTYD 2, again with that feeling of our character seeing a new and otherworldly destination for the first time. And then again at 7:04! I thought around 7:50 it would fall into a despairing mood for a bit, but no, that optimistic voice is there again! I really like that because I'm particularly fond of pieces of art that aren't pessimistic (assuming my interpretation is somewhat right). That bit of percussion around 8:35 felt incomplete though, which I think could be developed more as it sound a bit like a metronome, though it also works to give a "pausing" or trailing off effect. 9:20 onwards finally started to feel tumultuous, as if the emotions our character has bottled up are starting to leak out, and yet the optimistic voice comes again. In general, I really like the melody of the woodwinds at 10:42 and the strings at 11:36, and every repetition or variation of it is like a spark of joy or some form of comforting epiphany. I think around 12:50 onwards feels incomplete, as if it's either missing elements or is like a placeholder (relative to the rest of the piece), but the shift in the mood until 14:00 is a nice change! The melody I like comes again at 14:42 with its uncertain partner, nice, hehe. The ending is strong and turns sweet (I love the piano and the harp(?)), though it feels incomplete, as if something is unsaid. Overall, it's a lovely and interesting piece. Thanks for sharing!

I wanted to ask you all about your favourite non-English songs for two reasons: 1. Different styles of music! I like some French and Japanese songs, and then there's Bossa Nova; I was listening to some today and I thought this would be a good way to explore. 2. This post is mostly an excuse to share this song ("Koi Hai to Sahee") - it's by a Pakistani band Kaavish. I'm a big fan of their album Gunkali, the drums for which were done by Louis J. Pinto. I absolutely love what he did with this song and I go mad trying to figure out what is going on, ahh, I'll have to extract the stems for each part and maybe then I might understand what is going on. The song as a whole (and the album too) is incredible! Edit: Forgot to mention their song Faasle, which is what got me listening to them. Both versions are too good.

Ahh, I'm glad this did that for you. That's a neat idea, I'll try it out! Thank you so much for listening!

Just came here to say that this is absolutely lovely. I've already listened to it too much in the last two days; maybe it's my adoration for melancholic music, or fingerstyle guitar, or just the song, but along with being enjoyable to listen to, it's thought-provoking and sent me into some odd contemplations (which of course happens only during my final exams, but I indulge anyway). I also listened to Dandelions (which is super clean, ahh, maybe I'll try it on the guitar after, let's say, 20 years?) and I can't help but wonder if these two songs are related. If they are, they contrast each other well; I feel like the first one is happy and excited, while this is grateful(?) and a little sad. I liked both of course, but this one is especially nice. Oh, and for some reason, I really, really like bar 11. Technical details aside, it's a perfect moment after the introduction, as if it's punctuating that grateful feeling, perhaps. Thank you very much for sharing!

This is lovely! I couldn't possibly give any criticism, and one reason I liked it a lot is because I adore impressionistic music. The piece itself progresses well and both parts feel balanced, having distinct characters but going well together. What I wanted to particularly mention is that I am a fan of the playing, as it truly brought out the mood of each phrase and the transitions.

This is really nice! Listening to both versions makes me curious about what this would sound like if it's sped up a little bit, played mostly in pianissimo, and completely enveloped in pedals—a bit Ravel-esque. I am tempted to try it out myself now...

This is a very fun and interesting sound! I think it's a little difficult to give feedback on jazz because of its improvisational nature - I have seen proficient players in jam sessions just decide on a song, play impromptu, then throw the solo to each other so that each instrument gets their moment to shine. If your intention is to provide players with a basic outline and let them do their thing, then this is really nice! However, if you want something more concrete and write a stronger outline for those solo sections (or the development of the piece in general), then I think you can develop the individual sections more (regarding this, I especially like how the bass is an independent character and yet still works well with the others). A note on the piano and drums, since I play one and am learning the other: I think since you are including them, these are the instruments that have the most scope for development. Maybe you can have a section in the middle, after the main theme is played the first or second time, where the other instruments take a backseat and provide basic accompaniment to the piano! Develop the melody with the piano and the rhythym with the drums. Perhaps you can have one section with the piano expanding the chord progressions, and another section where the drums go wild (I love looking through Drumeo's videos on YouTube to understand the drums) with the piano and the rest of the band providing little accompaniment with those developed progressions. Good job! I myself have never written a jazz piece because I find it incredibly daunting, so to me this is impressive already!

Thank you very much! I did that because while reading, the scene I wrote it for was "that long", but I agree that some modifications can be done! Thank you!! Ah this is good advice, I think it'll help really help me with the revision I have in mind. Oh I didn't think of it that way, hehe, makes sense!

Thank you very much for the feedback! Hopefully I'll be able to work on the score soon, it shouldn't take too long. When I write for a scene, there are some thematic elements that make me restrict the music, but what you say about the middle register is interesting!

Hello! Here is a short track I recorded for a chapter of my story about three years ago; I thought I’d share it here once I’ve made the score but that hasn’t happened yet, so it might not happen soon, hehe. Track on YouTube. Any comments are appreciated! Unfortunately, I do not know anyone who plays the oboe, nor can I play it myself, so I used the built-in sound in my piano. Let me know if the oboe sounds playable! Edits: 1. I forgot to add that I am mostly happy with this because my priority is how it sounds with the scene it was composed for. However, I think I will change the oboe part from 1:33 to 1:53, because it doesn't highlight the piano and takes away from it instead. 2. If anyone is curious, here is a piano only version.

I see what you mean, the transitions could definitely be smoother! Thank you for your feedback!

Oh wow, thank you so much for this amazing feedback! I appreciate it very much that you took the time to listen and write something so helpful! Ahh I can't tell if you're being nice or genuinely think that, but thank you very much! You are right, I just started trying to write music in scores, and I couldn't do it for a while because of my studies. This piece is something I started writing a while back, and I liked the initial piano melody, so I wanted to put this up in the forum. I resumed it recently and finished it in a rush because I was getting impatient, which is why the strings are so underdeveloped and why this is so short. Someone else here suggested developing the other instruments too on another piece I put up here, so I should definitely try that! It's also easier for me to write sensibly when I have my piano (I don't have access to a piano right now) with me so that I can actually play it and see the placement because I'm not good with sight reading and I've only just started writing, so this is great advice to develop my writing! It only occurred to me today that I should've given some of the bass's parts to the cello when I saw someone play the bass today - I should watch live performances and study these other instruments too when writing for them. Thank you very much, this is highly encouraging!

Braid has a pretty nice soundtrack! I suppose it's style is a little classical, but it sets a great mood. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mVKJdgF19k&list=PLE09A650B6C70332A&index=5 Going in another direction, Life is Strange has a nice soundtrack too. You have Jonathan Morali's sweet guitar, and then there's Daughter writing heavy impact music for Before The Storm (song like, but not quite): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Td330GWYYFQ

Absolutely any advice is appreciated because I don't know what I did here. I definitely want to revise this because it sounds rushed and I think I can expand this and improve this, but how is this as a first draft? Also, to any drummers, do the rhythms make sense? I tried it out on the drums and it made sense to me, but I don't really play the drums so I don't know.

@maestrowick C# major is sort of symbolic, but I suppose that doesn't really matter! I'll change it to Db major.

Ah I see, that makes sense. I will try something out! That was the intention! I am also not sure of that, perhaps I will change the dynamics to bring out the harp's sound. Essentially, at times I want it to stand out while at the others it's in the background. Thank you very much for your insights!

I am glad you think so! I see. Is that plucking the multiple notes would be too fast? I still have to acquaint myself with how most instruments work, I only play the piano and the guitar. I referred to this (Saint-Saëns's Faintaisie for Harp, Op. 95) which seems very difficult. Would splitting the notes alternatively for the violin and the viola work? I think that might be too fast too. I see. I liked your suggestion and I've changed bar 11 to your version, and slightly modified bar 10 (changed the Viola's A to D). What key signature did you use? While I prefer the sound of the semiquaver version over the quavers, it doesn't make much of a difference when there are many instruments playing, only when the piano's sound is dominant, so that could work! Thank you very much for your suggestions, they're very helpful!

Any feedback is welcome! Hopefully the parts for the Marimba and the Harp are playable; I still have to check how pedals work in Harp, but for now I want to know what this sounds like to everyone and if this is enjoyable!Quintet_1.pdf

I actually did not try that! I'm not sure if it'll help with the modal shift though.