The BitterDuck Page

:D

I am going to post all my music in this thread for now on. I suggest some other heavy posters also make their own little page.

1)It keeps the board clean!

2)It makes it easier to find all your work.

So about this piece!

This is my first ever brass quintet! I am not really sure how to compose! Much less anything for brass, so bare with me. I want some real advice. What would you change? What did you hate about it? What did you like about it? I need some good tips, because in a month I have to give this to my friends brass group! :lol:

Brass.mid

Well... this won't be helpful, but personally I would change... well... the brass. I've always thought that composers abuse brass and it's given me a bad view on solo brass pieces. But then again, were I given the opportunity to have my pieces performed but it required that I write a brass quintet, I would do it. So... call me Mr. Hypocrisy!!

The music itself: It is nice, tis true. I liked the introduction very much... the build up was well done and much to my likings. Overall I think that this piece will be well received by your friend's brass quintet. I didn't have time to check the ranges, so my apologise there. But I am quite sure that you have already researched that and wrote accordingly.

Keep up the good work.

Lol, well, I am not a big fan of the brass, but you know can't pass up this chance! As for the ranges. They are all correct. Some of the trumpet parts may seem high, but I've known the first trumpet guy since 5th grade, and know he can play those notes. Thank you for your kind words!

I don't have much knowlage of brass instruments,nor i'm a big fan, but i really enjoyed the epic melody. I won't add any comments (and i can't) because it's very good!

It's a pretty neat piece - I like the pseudo-cannoning parts, which gives it a nice sense of movement while still keeping the piece sounding "full" harmony-wise. However, some of the "tutti" parts that follow sound kinda out of place, because it doesn't really sound like you've built enough tension to make it work. Rhythmically, there could be more variation, but that's just to my taste mostly :D. But why don't you show them this piece now, and see how they think of it so far? Sure, you would lose the opportunity to pleasantly surprise them, but that would also saves them from an unpleasant surprise :blink:.

It's a pretty neat piece - I like the pseudo-cannoning parts, which gives it a nice sense of movement while still keeping the piece sounding "full" harmony-wise. However, some of the "tutti" parts that follow sound kinda out of place, because it doesn't really sound like you've built enough tension to make it work. Rhythmically, there could be more variation, but that's just to my taste mostly ;). But why don't you show them this piece now, and see how they think of it so far? Sure, you would lose the opportunity to pleasantly surprise them, but that would also saves them from an unpleasant surprise :D.

Spc's right about some of the tutti passages. They sound of out place. Also, when writing from a small group like that you need not double parts, like you have. If a player has the melody he will bring it out, there's little worry of having it not come through an accompaniment. In the parts where you did double the melody, I suggest taking the lower part and making it a harmony instead. Or if say the trombone has the melody and it's high in it's register, give the trumpet part a harmony in its lower register, even if still higher than trombone.

When writing for a small group you really need to be more conscious of how the people are going to play each part. You're working with individuals. A lot of your fast notes might get sputtered out by the horn and the trombone, especially. There are quite a few jumps as well. But the jumps should(should) be ok. There are a number of measures where you give the horn a low part and the trombone a high part, but the next measure, the horn flies up like an octave, and the trombone goes down. This is not right. You should keep the lines fluid, removing those unnecessary jumps. The trombone should be the lower instrument and the horn should be up the octave so it doesn't jump so much.

Overall, it sounds good, yet a bit too rooted for my tastes. Good job!

Spc's right about some of the tutti passages. They sound of out place. Also, when writing from a small group like that you need not double parts, like you have. If a player has the melody he will bring it out, there's little worry of having it not come through an accompaniment. In the parts where you did double the melody, I suggest taking the lower part and making it a harmony instead. Or if say the trombone has the melody and it's high in it's register, give the trumpet part a harmony in its lower register, even if still higher than trombone.

When writing for a small group you really need to be more conscious of how the people are going to play each part. You're working with individuals. A lot of your fast notes might get sputtered out by the horn and the trombone, especially. There are quite a few jumps as well. But the jumps should(should) be ok. There are a number of measures where you give the horn a low part and the trombone a high part, but the next measure, the horn flies up like an octave, and the trombone goes down. This is not right. You should keep the lines fluid, removing those unnecessary jumps. The trombone should be the lower instrument and the horn should be up the octave so it doesn't jump so much.

Overall, it sounds good, yet a bit too rooted for my tastes. Good job!

Here is an edited verison of my Brass Quintet. Tell me how it improved or deproved. Any input is helpful. Also piece tell me what you think of this guitar duet.

Edit: I forgot to save the edit verison, so let me save it and reload it first!

Edit: Brass readded

Audition_piece_Number_1.mid

Brass.mid

Here is a string orchestra I was working on, but I ran out of ideas. Like always, any input would be helpful! :P

untitled_6.mid

Here is a woodwind piece. I wrote this while sitting at the park the other day. I was very relaxed, and enjoying myself. However, I was kind of thinking about some troubling stuff. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and any reviews will be appericated.

:)

wooods.sib

wooods.mid

Regarding the Brass quintet, one of the things that a lot of folks mistakenly do when writing for the Brass is attempt to put pianistic effets in the brass line. Try to avoid a lot of the quick note changes like the trill or mordents. Those can trip up some players. More advanced players can handle them, but they are not a native technique.

The brass is best for repeatedly attacking certain notes, and are especially good for clear held notes. You've got some good material here though, so don't give up on it.

In listening to the woodwind piece, it has a nice little melody that just wants to announce itself and that's about it. And so, because of the simplicity therein, the dissonant chord changes around 2:00, though nice on their own, sound a bit out of place in these piece. But save them for something else, because I thought they were good, just not here.

Thank Matusleo for the advice and i've been working on that. I'll post the finish pieces later. Here is another string orchestra in 9/8 time, a minor. I ran out of ideas, so it's not "complete", but as always any advice is appericated.

untitled.mid

untitled.sib

This is a duet for Violin and Viola

:mellow:

Dark_Eyes_Duet.sib

Dark_Eyes_Duet.mid

I thought i put an replay for you but somehow it's not here.

Doesn't matter, anyway:

String orchestra piece 1 - very nice ideas here! continue it with the same beuatiful flow. But i don't like that you gave the entire melody to the 1st violins. it's not like it's not good or anything but i think you should try and send the melody to other instruments too.

String orchestra piece 2 - Better then the previous one, and an even nicer melody. But im not sure on what should i tell you on how to go on.... the piece has the same flow and you should hang on to it.

Dark eyes duet - i see you like russian music! good for you! Now for this duet of yours - it's very abrupt but it sounds ok however, exept i didn't quite like the viola jumps in measures 35-39. makes it hard to follow the melody.

I love russian music. I guess i will change that part from 35-39 where the viola jumps 7ths. I first want to see how it sounds with a real violin and viola. Also thanks for the encouragement and the advice! :D

No problem! I listend to more of your pieces:

Audition piece 1 - A beuatiful melody and harmony as always and very plesant to the ear. But maybe the break at the beginning (0:08) is a bit too long. And do you really need that slide thingy around 0:39? sort of spoils it for me. If you plan on playing this publicly im sure that everyone will enjoy it!

Come to think about it..... after i heard this audition piece i thougt a little about your composing in total... (since i heard lots of your stuff). And it seems to me like you thing too much like a guitar player (and that is good if you write a piece for the guitar and maybe not too good if you write for something else). Somehow the harmony is always good and the passages or loufs too (im not sure if i used the right term here), but sometimes your orchestarizaton seems too monotone and gets old quickly. Do you sometimes write down what you just played on the guitar?

I rarely used the guitar to compose music, but I think I few sheet music as if it's guitar music. I don't see big jumps are difficult but easy, so I suppose I should work on that. I will try to make my orchestra more exciting.

I liked your Dark Eyes arrangement, though it almost sounds latin with the swingy rhymths :cool:. Personally, I'd used more double/triple-stopped harmonies to accentuate the rhythms more - the arpeggios feel a bit overdone and out of style. The ending's kind of abrupt, though maybe that's just MIDI. Not a bad job, overall.

I liked your Dark Eyes arrangement, though it almost sounds latin with the swingy rhymths :cool:. Personally, I'd used more double/triple-stopped harmonies to accentuate the rhythms more - the arpeggios feel a bit overdone and out of style. The ending's kind of abrupt, though maybe that's just MIDI. Not a bad job, overall.

arpeggioes are used in a lot of tradition russian music.

You'r right, but these ones seem to snappy, if you get what im saying.

hey! i really like your woodwinds piece. It was really interesting. THe only thing i have to say is that the dissonants were not my favorite thing. They popped up in the song every now and then, and well, yah, i didn't like them too much. But, the song, overall was great...no comments, other than the one above!

You'r right, but these ones seem to snappy, if you get what im saying.

I am not sure what you are talking about when you say swigny rhythem it's a simple 4/4 straight rythem.  Also arpeggioes are used in a lot of tradition russian music.

I wasn't talking about the meter, but the rhymthic "feel" of the piece; the viola part suggests a pretty "snappy" rhymth, in the words of Wolf 88's words :). But the arpeggios feel too concert etude-ish and rigid - you don't necessarily have to make it harder to make it more "snappier" - why don't you try omitting some of the notes that don't fall on the beats?