Variating Competition

Added. Yep, you start right now. :)

ALRIGHT!

So, how is everyone doing on this? Progress? Anyone finished? If you are, please let us know...so we can set-up a Submissions thread.

I find the melody and the rythym a little hard to work with. Later on, when we have to harmonize our variations and stuff, it's going to be a little challenging with the akward intonation and stuff, but I always love a challenge!

As the composer of the variations, you can make it as much your taste as you want. You can go as far away from the melody as you want, as long as you can still prove how the variation was taken from the original.

This competition seems to be way to complicated.

How long before its over, like a year?

If it were more basic in the rules, then I am sure way more would enter these.

Jeremy

I have found that a lot of my problems in writing music comes from not knowing how to variate on a theme. I've also noticed this in other people's music. Whether or not this continues on, at least you will have learned something, if you do write the variations. If one is so inclined, outside of the contest, to create a piece with the variations, they may. But apparently some people don't like this idea, whether or not they think they don't need help variating, or whether they don't like being restricted, or whatever. If you don't want to do it, then please stop posting in this thread. It's becoming very negative.

Okie Dokie. :mellow:

Ooh, another competition. Love to do some judging again :)

What dates have you provisionally booked for submission deadlines and judging deadlines? (just to make sure I'll be free and in the country - summer holidays, woohoo :D!)

I don't think there are any dates set, none officially at least. Best to contact Nickthoven about it I guess.

P.S. Added you as a judge.

Thanks :closedeyes:

In case whoever's adding people hasn't added me, I'm in. I got your PM, Nick, but I haven't got anything yet because I nearly forgot about this competition! Go figure. I've got plenty of free time for now, though, so I'll probably whip something up tonight.

(To those who keep complaining: this ought to be fun! All you have to do is mess with this melody ten different ways. If you want some GENERAL tips on variation, feel free to PM me. Just stop bothering Nick, please.)

Yeah, I also recieved his PM. I should be able to finish at least in a week.

Well, I did do some work on this last night. I've got three good variations and hardly any more ideas! What, TEN?! Holy crud, this is going to be tough... oh well, I asked for it! ;)

I'm out.

Unfortunatley due to intense marching band

practices beginning, school, work, and other

unforeseen complications, I must withdraw

myself from this competition, unless it doesn't

end until December. I don't want to hold the

competition back so I do not believe I can

participate. Sorry for any problems this may

cause. I had five themes done already, but

five more would take some time and I don't

have time to committ. Sorry once again. :whistling:

-Matt

Do you want just the melodies of the 10 variations, or do you want essentially the whole piece without harmony? Because I'll give this a shot, but I'm writing it out in whole to get the melodies I want. I'm not sure whether you want just to basic melodies of each variation, or the repetitions and developments and all or what.

I'm done with five variations... as I'm new at this and Nick's melody already has its own character, I'm running out of steam. Ten melodies really seems extreme, now that I'm halfway. Not only that, but I'm thinking more and more that my variations are more textbook than creative, save one or two.

Anybody else besides tenorman actually done anything yet?

Well, we've got two people left in the running. If you guys are ok with it, we're thinking of cancelling this one. It seems to be a little too complicated for people who want to write for fun, and it probably wouldn't make it past this stage anyway. So let me know what you think, either in here or in a PM sent to either myself or Mike. Thanks for the work so far, though!

Never mind, I quit too. Next time, why don't you make the melody a little more simple? That way, more people can join.

Are you guys that came up with some material going to post it?

I butchered up the melody and came up with a few sketches that I can play around with in spare time. I guess I'm allowed to post rough sketches on here? o.O They're nothing substantial and it looks like you're cancelling so it I don't suppose it would matter.

You should recognize where the beginning of the 'melody in A' thing came from (most if it's not in A btw), and the nocturne thing is a variation derived from the second measure, and the sundance bit is just the measures of your melody that outlined a maj7 chord that I connected to one another for something to come back to, to maybe make something out of in an old dance form.

This is the kind of butchering I had in mind when I asked you if it would be in agreement with the rules, Nick. Otherwise it would've been too awkward for me to vary the whole melody.

I was writing a decent amount of material last weekend and playing around with maybe orchestrating it, until I realized how much material 10 variations would be, even if most of them were only a couple minutes long, lol. So yeah. Maybe next year I'll post some completed variations and point back to this, and maybe some of you other guys can do that too. I'm at least interested in how you treated it so far.

Note that by sketch I mean totally unfilled-out bits of melody and transitions to other themes not included.

_01__Variating_Competition__Melody_in_A__brief.mid

_04__Variating_Competition__Sundance_.mid

_02__Variating_Competition__Nocturne_maj7s__brief.mid

Yes, yes! Very good! Aside from the harmonies and chords along with it, this is exactly what I was looking for when I created this thing! Good work, sir.

And Iguess if the other contestants would like to present what they have, they can. If not, let me know and I'll close the thread.

But, the competition is OFFICIALLY CLOSED.

I guess I might as well post what I came up with! What do you think?

YC_Variation_1.MID

YC_Variation_2.MID

YC_Variation_3.MID

YC_Variation_4.MID

YC_Variation_5.MID

YC_Variation_6.MID

Out of those, I'd say 6 was your strongest. You seemed to have the urge to repeat the form I used in the main melody- 8 ms, then phrase modulation to the relative minor for a bit, then back. I think bsbray took a little more liberty with the melody, while still keeping some main ideas intact. Good work, however.

Thanks. I'm kind of new to this varying thing, so I'm not surprised the last one was the best - I had to think a LOT more once I got to number four or so, thus I was more creative. The earlier ones are stuff like modified rhythmic retrogrades, modified inversions, mode/time changes, simple stuff like that. I like number 6 too, maybe I'll use it somewhere.