Violin Concerto in E Minor - stuck...

Hi,

I'd like some critique on this piece... which is hopefully going to become my first major composition. I'm stuck right now - i like the ideas but I'm worried about the structure of it. I just wonder if it will work if I continue like this. :sadtears::sadtears:

Please just listen to this piece and tell me what you think.

Thanks.

Concerto in G Major for Solo Violin and Orchestra.sib

Concerto in G Major for Solo Violin and Orchestra.mid

Promising start - you have some interesting material. I find a good way to "unstick" myself is to open a new score and just sketch ideas, short passages, bits of development and figuration. This allows me to explore things without the pressure of worrying that I might be taking things too far down a blind alley. You don't even have to work in a linear fashion - part of one sketch may suggest a basis for your finale, which you can then seed back through the piece to unify the structure.

Treat it as playing with the material: "Hmm, how would it sound if I had the main theme upside-down in the woodwinds accompanied by itself in semibreves in the low strings?" "I wonder what kind of harmony I could come up with if I have part of that other motif played backwards as roots and then build chords on top?" That sort of thing.

I know this is work in progress, but there are a couple of things I'd think about sooner rather than later. First, I'm concerned at the extent to which you have the 1st Violins doubling the soloist. In a sense, when this happens you don't really have a soloist anymore - just an extra 1st Violin who happens to be standing up.

Second, bear in mind the concept of 1st and 3rd horns being high-note specialists, 2nd and 4th horns being low-note specialists. It's possible to go back and sort this out later on, but it'll save you time and trouble to bear it in mind from the start.

Anyway, the most important advice I can give is keep at it!

J

Oh yeah, thanks for the advice.

I've never thought of the opening up a new score thing, and i've never done it before. Maybe I should try that =D