Sinfonia Moto for Band

Hi everybody! This is my first post in the YC forums so I am a bit nervous of how everybody will view my "style". Anyways...

This is a 3 movement piece for band based on motion. Not so much in the kinetic sense, but in the musical sense. I have completed the 1st and 2nd movements and the3rd is well underway. The 3 movements are entitled Forward, Parallel, and Contrary.

I have attached the first movement. It is a short and very fast work. It is full of driving ostinati, blazing rhythyms and interesting melodies. The piece has an interesting key signature with a "home" of D but only F and G sharps. Sometimes these are written as G and A b's. I love the almost jazzy feel of this piece in some places. If I do say so it reminds me of David Holsinger in a way. But back to the point,

The second movement, Parallel, is of a far different style than the first. It starts out with the clarinets playing this parallel motif that continues through the whole work. It is full of parralel intervals. (I know, some of you music majors are about to throw up, but it makes for good music.) It almost seems to drag on and on, until eventually you wind up right back where you started from.

I am going to keep everyone posted as the piece goes on. Each movement is going to get progressively longer with the second "slow" movement being about 4 minutes and the last being about 9 or 10. The last movement is soon to come. Any comments and/or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks. (By the way, there are some places in the recording where the mallet percussion is too heavy. But you can still hear the necessary parts.)

I was wondering if anybody could make me a mp3 recording of the 2nd movement.?

Price Walden

MP3 recording: Box.net - Free Online File Storage, Internet File Sharing, Online Storage, Access Documents & Files Anywhere, Backup Data, Send Files

Motion 1. Forward.MID

[1. Forward-Transposed.MUS].pdf

[2. Parallel-Transposed.MUS].pdf

2. Parallel-Transposed.MID

how long is this actually? i like it as a band field show. lol

It is about 1:15 with the fermatas at the beginning that the recording leaves out. It might sound good but there are some things that would have to be changed in order to work as a field show. For instance the oboe solo, etc.

Oboes can be added to a field show. They are just placed in the put.

EDIT: oops.. i mean pit

But they are highly impractical for the outdoors.

Any comments on my piece will be greatly appreciated!!!!

But they are highly impractical for the outdoors.

Hah, do you want me to try it? I'll do it. I'll even march my oboe!

The piece is wonderful, I'm glad I was able to listen to the piece!

Thanks, and don't put your oboe through that.

Oh well.

EDIT:

For the Bb Clarinet 1 part... those go a little high. I don't know anyone that can play that high (i know i definitely can't!). Its rather difficult to get in that register.

oh, measures 6-8, 9 and 10, etc. Maybe bring it down an octave?!?! For the player's sake?

Edit: also, th jump at measure... after the 3/4 C time thing and the cresendo (near the beginning, in concert pitch its a G# to an e for clarinet 1)... a bit of a jump?

Also, its extremely hard to do a 2 octave jump for oboe. especially when it starts to go to the E, D, C, B area. many players have a rough enough time getting there. This piece is definitely not a happy piece for the Oboes and Clarinet 1s.

But, the song is great as a whole. And I'm glad I took a look at the score.

Hey everybody. I have added the second movement and changed the name. Hope you like it!

I liked it, sounds crazy..lol....The beginning sounded a bit off that's actually not a compliment or criticism whether you liked it that way or not, keep going the only real

ly bad thing was the midi obviously what is the instrumentation just curios....?

You need to do more with the second movement, don't just say, "I have a theme that's being doubled at a perfect-5th and I'm going to repeat it until it's as trite as can be". Develop it, have appear at different intervals. Experiment with the colors you can create with this simple idea and develop it into something bigger than itself. If you want to keep with more open intervals, then experiment with quartal/quintal harmonies. For a good example of this, see the 2nd movement of The Pines of Rome. If I were you I'd just rewrite the 2nd movement, because there is much that you can do as far as expression, timbre, texture, harmonic language and everything else.

I kind of see what you are saying. But I think I achieved the effect I wanted to. I wanted it to feel like I was taking you somewhere but then, we realize we are back where we started from.

I would really like some more opinions if somebody wants to comment

I kind of see what you are saying. But I think I achieved the effect I wanted to. I wanted it to feel like I was taking you somewhere but then, we realize we are back where we started from.

That's the problem, the movement is completely stagnant

Contrabassclarinet is quite high.

The 1st. Bb clarinet is also very high. Usually in a concert band there is a Eb clarinet, who can play this alone. It will be high enough to be heard above the whole orchestra, so there is no need to play it with a whole bunch of clarinets.

I'll listen to the score when I'm @home. It looks interesting. Is it grade 5?

I agree with several other people. It sounded a bit like one of the marching band shows we saw this year at competition. I like it, but it doesn't have a concert band feeling.

EDIT:

For the Bb Clarinet 1 part... those go a little high. I don't know anyone that can play that high (i know i definitely can't!). Its rather difficult to get in that register.

They can. Our Clarinet players have that Ab almost regularly in our marching shows. Its obnoxious, but its there. But again, I agree. Down an otcave would help a LOT.

I liked this piece quite a lot, it's very interesting and it does almost sound like a field show. Your second movement seems kind of repetitive to me though. It seems like the same thing over and over with different melodies on top. It's still very beautiful music, maybe just some more development would improve upon it? I can't wait for the third movement!

I only listened to the second movement. I feel like it had the potential to be a good piece. Pieces working over repeating motifs have been done a lot, and can be done quite successfully. I believe that this piece was not successful not because of the repetition, but because of the lack of harmonic motion. Not only do you not change keys, it doesn't even sound like you change chords. Is this the case?

Hi everybody! This is my first post in the YC forums so I am a bit nervous of how everybody will view my "style". Anyways...

This is a 3 movement piece for band based on motion. Not so much in the kinetic sense, but in the musical sense. I have completed the 1st and 2nd movements and the3rd is well underway. The 3 movements are entitled Forward, Parallel, and Contrary.

I liked you "style". Its relaxing, has a sense of motion - as you say - but it do not get me bored.