The Ice Symphony

Thanks thatguy, SaX!

TG: On my computer, well....... ughh....... I can never get an mp3 to work. I have tried all of Ron's suggestions, but....*sigh* they never work.... if I ever do get an mp3 to work, then I will post it, for sure.

Hey, anyone else want to listen?

Hey everyone. Thanks for commenting, if I have not gotten back to you yet. Keep them comin'! I am very interested in what you have to say :)

Sorry I took awhile to look at this. Well, I don't have extensive analysis training, so I just listened and didn't read the score, so forgive me if I can't be very specific. I also do not claim to be an expert on symphonies whatsoever!:sweat:

First movement: I believe you captured the ice cavern imagery very well, as I've seen in countless games and movies. The intro sets a very mysterious stage and makes me feel cautious as to what might be lurking around the corner. I liked the long periods of dissonance with pockets of resolve. However, at some points (probably because it's MIDI) the strings seem drawn out too long and I wanted to hit some kind of Panic button. However, if this was a movie score, the suspense created by the sustained notes would work well with visuals. I think toward the middle you had a Celtic theme playing, which gave it a more warm and airy, instead of cold and claustrophobic, feeling. I liked the use of fifths--very Celtic. The last thing I didn't like was at the end, as it felt like you were using root position triads for the I IV V chord progression (I could be wrong). Perhaps using inversions would help it not sound so mechanical. Before that part, maybe give the bass notes a little room, as chords played that low seem to create some dissonant overtones and make it sound jumbled and a little muddy.

Second: I love the contrast from the first movement. It might sound nice with a flowing melody under the staccato feel. The fifths and Mixolydian are a very nice touch. But, at times there seemed to be too much dissonance without resolve. The last part made me smile. It would be nice if a reoccuring motif would play throughout this movement, as it seems a bit random, because I really enjoy the melodies you have in this part.

Third: I like the sort of pentatonic feel at times. The drum solo in the middle was a bit out of place, maybe cut it a little shorter. I love the tension that leads up to the end, but I think it would sound cool to just end with the suspense at 3:23.

Four: Oh, there's a celebration! The drone of the strings coming in is lovely. I love how it is building little by little. I literally got goosebumps! I was disappointed when the happiness ended so suddenly at :47. Would be nice to not have a rest before the next notes come in. I love the area near the end when the drums and horn (trumpet?) were talking to each other. I personally think, maybe at the end, it would be neat if you blended in some motifs from the first movement. It would be like a return home from the adventure.:D

Overall, I am very impressed at your creativity and level of sophistication. You should be proud of yourself for this accomplishment!:nod::toothygrin:

Sorry I took awhile to look at this. Well, I don't have extensive analysis training, so I just listened and didn't read the score, so forgive me if I can't be very specific. I also do not claim to be an expert on symphonies whatsoever!

First movement: I believe you captured the ice cavern imagery very well, as I've seen in countless games and movies. The intro sets a very mysterious stage and makes me feel cautious as to what might be lurking around the corner. I liked the long periods of dissonance with pockets of resolve. However, at some points (probably because it's MIDI) the strings seem drawn out too long and I wanted to hit some kind of Panic button. However, if this was a movie score, the suspense created by the sustained notes would work well with visuals. I think toward the middle you had a Celtic theme playing, which gave it a more warm and airy, instead of cold and claustrophobic, feeling. I liked the use of fifths--very Celtic. The last thing I didn't like was at the end, as it felt like you were using root position triads for the I IV V chord progression (I could be wrong). Perhaps using inversions would help it not sound so mechanical. Before that part, maybe give the bass notes a little room, as chords played that low seem to create some dissonant overtones and make it sound jumbled and a little muddy.

Second: I love the contrast from the first movement. It might sound nice with a flowing melody under the staccato feel. The fifths and Mixolydian are a very nice touch. But, at times there seemed to be too much dissonance without resolve. The last part made me smile. It would be nice if a reoccuring motif would play throughout this movement, as it seems a bit random, because I really enjoy the melodies you have in this part.

Third: I like the sort of pentatonic feel at times. The drum solo in the middle was a bit out of place, maybe cut it a little shorter. I love the tension that leads up to the end, but I think it would sound cool to just end with the suspense at 3:23.

Four: Oh, there's a celebration! The drone of the strings coming in is lovely. I love how it is building little by little. I literally got goosebumps! I was disappointed when the happiness ended so suddenly at :47. Would be nice to not have a rest before the next notes come in. I love the area near the end when the drums and horn (trumpet?) were talking to each other. I personally think, maybe at the end, it would be neat if you blended in some motifs from the first movement. It would be like a return home from the adventure.:D

Overall, I am very impressed at your creativity and level of sophistication. You should be proud of yourself for this accomplishment!

:cool:

Wow. All I can say is wow. This is literally one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. The comments are so nice, the complaints obviously well thought out and not a smack in the face in any way. I almost came up in tears when I heard this comment. :happytears: Thanks for commenting. Please comment some more! Complaints welcome as well! :)

A symphony! At age 10! Don't know what to say, pretty much everything has been mentioned, so, well done. :)

A symphony! At age 10! Don't know what to say, pretty much everything has been mentioned, so, well done. :)

:happytears: Thanks Max!

Is that a sitar I see in the score? I have no complaints about this (I love the sitar myself), but this can induce problems in the future for performances if a sitar(ist) is not available - in such case, it would be advisable to say in the score that the sitar could be substituted by an instrument closest to your wishes (harp or guitar I think would be the best choice). In addition, you may want to specify which tuning you'd want to use and to make sure that all your chords are playable. Here is a good site explaining all the tuning possibilities of the sitar: TUNING CHART

Anyhow, I'm very impressed with this work given your age. I'm also very impressed by the maturity of the orchestration - I recall my writing for orchestra around your age to be of extremely poor quality. You have a few issues, but I think all of them have been explained by the rest of the posters in this topic.

All in all, good work, and I look forward to hearing what else you have to offer.

Thanks a lot Magna! I'm glad for the tuning chart website... thanks again. Yea, the sitar can be replaced by a guitar if necessary. And either way it must be amplified to be heard :)