Ode to Bach for Harpsichord and Strings

I can't believe I'm constantly listening to Bach's brandenburgse concerti and piano concerti, oboe concerti and violin concerti. I'm like addicted to Bach.

So I'm thanking Bach now for having made me listen to everything he wrote.

This ode is mostly based on the fifth Brandenburg concerto. The difficult part was writing the orchestra, I couldn't find any interesting background for the orchestra so I just made the contrabass play what the piano played in the left hand.

Ode to Bach for Harpsichord and Strings

Piano concerto on a theme of .pdf

I'll listen to this either tonight or tomorrow and make more comments, but by looking at your score:

1. We need instrument names.

2. Your bass part isn't playable. A traditional contrabass only goes to the E below the staff. And I really hope you don't intend for your bass to play those notes as double stops.

3. Your voice leading is extremely sloppy. There are all sorts of parallel octaves and fifths. Bach would never let this fly.

4. Whole notes!!?? Really??! Use those notes in a rhythmic pattern or use countermelodies. There's no reason to use whole notes like you're using them.

5. related to four, there are many areas where your piece lacks texture. That is, there is a melody, and there is a harmony... that's it. Your harmony should accompany and compliment the melody.

I know contrapunctus needs much more attention, the way I wrote it is just make a piano part and then add on the orchestra in a sloppy way. Bach is of course a super genius in composing, where I just have no knowledge in inventing creative second voices in the strings.

About the Cbass being playable, I know there are some notes that are too high, the library EWQL couldn't play some of the notes, so I lowered them while mixing, forgot to do that in the score. Also two notes in the harpsichord were too high too, I've lowered them in the mix but not in the score.

Sometimes it does sound extremely unisono in piano and strings, how should I deal with that? I've no ideas.

I found that an enjoyable listen.

The bass isn't too high - it's too low. Using a standard contrabass, you can't go BELOW the E below the staff. The bass will naturally sound down an octave, so don't worry about it sounding too high on here. As long as you stay below the G above the staff (it can go higher, but not always very cleanly) and above the E below the staff, your bass part will be fine.

The bass will naturally sound down an octave? So this means that everything you write on the score sounds an octave lower in reality?

Then why not just write it an octave lower? Is it because Cbass players can't read it?

Despite the various mistakes pointed out, it is actually a very good piece of music. Modulations, chord progressions, rhythms etc... are all very J S Bach, including modulations/transitions to the relative minor which were very smooth indeed.

The bass will naturally sound down an octave? So this means that everything you write on the score sounds an octave lower in reality?

Then why not just write it an octave lower? Is it because Cbass players can't read it?

No, it's because of the length and frequency of the strings. I mean look at the size of the instrument compared to the cello - strings are longer and thicker.

If you write at the same pitch as a cello, it will sound an octave lower on the double bass. That's the way it has always been! :toothygrin:

And if you write it down an octave, there will be too many ledger lines for it to be practical. It's written so the playing range falls mostly within the staff. That's why we have the clef family in the first place.

I see, but when you convert the midi into a mix-sequencer, the frequency will not be lowered.

It depends on what you use for notation. What is your setup? It might be an issue with transposition.

Just using EWQL with that piano keyboard roll. It doesn't matter, you can just drag all the notes up/down an octave.

This is a delightful piece and easy listening. Thank you for posting. I enjoyed it.

Are you on Windows or Linux? If you're on Linux (or would consider switching), I'd recommend MuseScore. That way, you can do all of your notation there and either output a midi or output a music xml file that can be mastered in Muse.

Despite what others have said, this piece shows amazing skill at baroque writing. There are many voice leading problems and if you were to clean them up it would be a true masterpiece of baroque music. Job well done!

I'm on Windows and use Noteworthy Composer to export a midi, almost the same method as your MuseScore.

I'm willing to improve on the string section, because I want to try out EWQL Gold edition to test out its sound quality.

I'm on Windows and use Noteworthy Composer to export a midi, almost the same method as your MuseScore.

I'm willing to improve on the string section, because I want to try out EWQL Gold edition to test out its sound quality.

katchum, I used to use noteworthy as well. I would be curious to try a comparison of EWQL and VSL strings. If you send me or post a midi file of your piece I will run it through my VSL SE so we can hear the difference if you're interested/curious.

p.s. katchum how long you been composing/how old are you?

I've been composing for 3 years and I made this piece in one day. I'll send you a midi or a Cubase SX file when I have time. Nice to hear VSL, can't afford it yet. I'm 24 and have played piano for 18 years. In total I made like 50 compositions ranging from classical, medieval, electronic, movie, jazz, atonal, vgm, asian J-pop, trance to vocal music. I haven't tried rock yet, and I won't. My best work would be "piano concerto", hehe.

Here we go:

The Cubase file:

http://two.xthost.info/katchum/Piano%20concerto%20on%20a%20theme%20of%20Bach%202.cpr

The midi:

http://two.xthost.info/katchum/Piano%20concerto%20on%20a%20theme%20of%20Bach.mid

Here we go:

The Cubase file:

http://two.xthost.info/katchum/Piano%20concerto%20on%20a%20theme%20of%20Bach%202.cpr

The midi:

http://two.xthost.info/katchum/Piano%20concerto%20on%20a%20theme%20of%20Bach.mid

Hey sorry I been out for a while. Here's a VSL try. I just ran it through cubase didn't mess with any dynamics or anything just set some VSL vsti's up and added a slight cubase roomworks se reverb.

zSHARE - odetobach.mp3

Nice! (midi has some wrong notes, too high and all, I know)

I just realize that a little harpsichord can't cope against a huge orchestra. And my orchestration is real ugly.

Nice! (midi has some wrong notes, too high and all, I know)

I just realize that a little harpsichord can't cope against a huge orchestra. And my orchestration is real ugly.

that's the only problem is your orchestration seems sloppy(for example why is there a minor 2nd dissonance in the 12th/15th measures between the bottom string voices (g# and A)) but the ideas themselves are amazing and highly authentic baroque. I just finished my first baroque concerto grosso zSHARE - concertogrosso.mp3 which I posted and it's far more clean in terms of orchestra but it still pales in comparison to your melodies and ideas and general authentic baroque/idiom/feel so I am envious!

You've got those Bach-ian modulations/sequences down, you just need to do an extensive study of counterpoint to clean up your lines because like I said there are a lot of strange minor 2nd dissonances that shouldn't be there amongst other things like 6/4 inversions etc.

NICE ONE

This Concerto Grosso sounds almost like video game music, which is a good thing because I like vgm very much. Like music during a ballroom scene.

It doesn't sound much like Bach of course, but you didn't intend to imitate Bach. I do miss a good melody to hum with though. Nice sound too.