Sunset (Serenade for flute & piano|mp3+score)

I felt like making jazzy, mellow, orchestral music. It didn't come out quite jazzy enough for me, but I think I like it. It evoluated into some kind of James Bond music with an oriental touch in it.

Influenced by Hamauzu's Aqua Memory. It sounds a bit like Gabriel Faur

Dang, that was good. It had such an understated beauty to it, and I loved all the jazzy elements you added. Your piano writing was especially fun to listen to, and I think that is what really carried this piece. Altogether, though, it was a very pleasant combination of instruments. However, I fear this piece might be moved to another part of the forum because it does not strictly qualify as orchestral (not that I care myself). Thanks for sharing this.

It has celli and violins in it! With surround system and reverb. Not to mention a concert flute! Of course you can put it in Jazz, but I think it's more for big band pieces, which is not the case here. Or you can even put it in chamber music, but the thing is, you don't play this piece in a little chamber, it wouldn't sound as good as on a stage.

I even forgot, there was a gluckenspiel in it too. (those are 18 violinists and 9 celli players you know :D )

Very nice! I love this piece! You have a talent for sweet, simple and very memorable melodies and how to sometimes spruce them up with an unexpected harmony - I guess that comes from your jazz experience. Very enjoyable! Only after a while does it become more obvious that there is jazz influence in this so props on staying somewhat more unique stylistically (although actually I am not that familiar with jazz)! Right at 1:15 actually, rhythmically it becomes very obviously jazzy. This is the first piece I've heard written by you so I don't know how much this is your own unique voice ... what I would find interesting is to see how chromatic and extended you could make the harmony while keeping the style and feel of this kind of music.

Great Job!

Piotr

I liked this. It is readily apparent that you have some talent. You could be a great asset to many composers here. All you have to do is listen to their music and comment on it. It doesn't have to be an in depth analysis, just a little something now and then. It will help you learn to gauge others music and it will help them as well. And most of the guys will return the favor.

Well if you are interested in my other works they are all here:

Songs by katchum, Citizen of ACIDplanet.com

It has celli and violins in it! With surround system and reverb. Not to mention a concert flute! Of course you can put it in Jazz, but I think it's more for big band pieces, which is not the case here. Or you can even put it in chamber music, but the thing is, you don't play this piece in a little chamber, it wouldn't sound as good as on a stage.

I even forgot, there was a gluckenspiel in it too. (those are 18 violinists and 9 celli players you know :) )

just to clear up any misconceptions you might have:

surround and reverb have nothing to do with whether a piece is "orchestral" or "chamber".

Nor a "concert flute" (which, technicaly, doesn't exist).

Chamber music does not mean it is "played in a chamber" rather than "on a stage". It means that the ensemble is "of chamber music size". Chamber music is normally played on a concert stage.

And the instrument is called a glOckenspiel, not a gluckenspiel. You should probably correct that in your score.

A quick word about score set-up as well: normally, strings are at the bottom of a score, woodwinds at the top, percussion and piano in the middle.

I would suggest you re-arrange the order of staves in your score so that it is as follows:

flute

glockenspiel

piano

string section

Also, it would be best to have the instrument names to the left of the staff, not above it as you've written it. AND you really should repeat the staff name (in abbreviated form: "Fl." for flute, "Glock." for glockenspiel, etc... I'm sure you can find a list of the appropriate abbreviations somewhere) on ALL system staves as well.

*********

I would suggest moving this to the Jazz forum. It really doesn't belong in the orchestral forum.

*********

I will follow your advice for my next song, though, Noteworthy is incapable of placing the Fl., Glock. at the left of a staff.