Classical Guitar composition

I spent about 5 months last year writing this piece and re-writing the piece. [to end up with only 1:13 seconds of a piece ]

My MAIN challenge was the fact that i didn't know any real music theory.

I honestly don't even know what to call this piece.

Also my main source of Inspiration/Influence musically is Agustin Barrios the "Paganini of Classical Guitar from the Jungles of Paraguay".

Anyway i hope at least one person likes it.

BIRDLINE.MID

I'm also not sure where to put it on the forums if an admin would like to put it else where than please by all means do. =)

Slow_piece_in_Amin..mid

On a quick first listen and without further analysis I can just say that I like it. But it seems to me that there's enough material in it to develop it further. You have some nice motifs going on that could be modulated and developed. I'd continue to play around with this stuff and see what further ideas can be inspired by what you already have.

You won't win the price for the shortest guitar piece anyway because I'm going to post a 0'59'' guitar piece as soon as I find the time to record it. :)

Marcel

how come you change to 3/4 time musically but not with the score?

I does change to 3/4 in the score, did you import the midi into a program?

I does change to 3/4 in the score, did you import the midi into a program?

then it's just an import error.

I'm sorry.

You need to do a better job from switching from low to high position. The shifts seem very random and like you forced that quick lick into the piece. Stick with a basic idea and then move on.

You seem like a guitarist. Composers who don't play guitar generally hate writing for it, because it's one of the hardest instruments to write for, along with voice, percussion and harp. One composer was famously asked by his wife, who was taking a commission for him, "How much should I charge for the comission? It's for guitar." The composer replied, "One guitar: $7,000. Two guitars: $75,000."

For the most part, all but the entire peice can be played in first, second, and third position. There is certainly nothing difficult about this piece except maybe the ending, but even that should be easily negotiated by a 3rd or 4th year (grade) guitar player. If you want your compositions to be taken more seriously, and you would like guitarists to try them out, you need to learn to notate them better. For instance, maybe my 2006 version of Finale isn't happy with your midi file generator, but my score was full of A flats. Your piece is in A minor. You should be using G#s. I'm guessing this is because of your lack of theoretical knowledge. I could be wrong, but if you were a serious student of classical guitar, you would be reading a LOT of music in A minor that is similar to this in most method books, and you would know that the E major chord that you constantly find yourself gravitating to is spelled E, G#, B.

If this is the case, you need to get a method book - or something with a lot of Giuliani, Sor, etc. in it.

The way you presented your peice with a midi file makes it very hard to analyse technically, unless one merges your voices etc. You have no fingerings also, which can add to confusion. Correctly notated, 95% of this peice is an easy sight read for a good guitarist. I noticed you have another thread started re: a classical guitar board and I will address this issue there.

Regarding the general aesthetic of the piece, you seen to have no clear melodic destination. It is not unpleasant sounding, in fact at any given point in time, it sounds nice, but it all sounds the same. Occasionally your voiceleading is a tad awkward, but at this stage in your musical development, this is not unexpected.

You use the same two chords (Aminor and Emajor) and inversions of them about 90% of the time, which makes for a monochromatic harmonic pallette, which, unless you find other ways to make the peice interesting, becomes very boring. Because of this, the peice rambles like a pre-rennaisance composition with very little harmonizations to give the melody wings. If your melody isn't very strong, this is a recipe for an unmemorable piece. Also, your melody tends to use all the same notes tangled in different ways. Here is a suggestion; try singing a melody, and then setting it to the guitar.

Good luck with your work.

For the most part, all but the entire peice can be played in first, second, and third position. There is certainly nothing difficult about this piece except maybe the ending, but even that should be easily negotiated by a 3rd or 4th year (grade) guitar player. If you want your compositions to be taken more seriously, and you would like guitarists to try them out, you need to learn to notate them better. For instance, maybe my 2006 version of Finale isn't happy with your midi file generator, but my score was full of A flats. Your piece is in A minor. You should be using G#s. I'm guessing this is because of your lack of theoretical knowledge. I could be wrong, but if you were a serious student of classical guitar, you would be reading a LOT of music in A minor that is similar to this in most method books, and you would know that the E major chord that you constantly find yourself gravitating to is spelled E, G#, B.

If this is the case, you need to get a method book - or something with a lot of Giuliani, Sor, etc. in it.

The way you presented your peice with a midi file makes it very hard to analyse technically, unless one merges your voices etc. You have no fingerings also, which can add to confusion. Correctly notated, 95% of this peice is an easy sight read for a good guitarist. I noticed you have another thread started re: a classical guitar board and I will address this issue there.

Regarding the general aesthetic of the piece, you seen to have no clear melodic destination. It is not unpleasant sounding, in fact at any given point in time, it sounds nice, but it all sounds the same. Occasionally your voiceleading is a tad awkward, but at this stage in your musical development, this is not unexpected.

You use the same two chords (Aminor and Emajor) and inversions of them about 90% of the time, which makes for a monochromatic harmonic pallette, which, unless you find other ways to make the peice interesting, becomes very boring. Because of this, the peice rambles like a pre-rennaisance composition with very little harmonizations to give the melody wings. If your melody isn't very strong, this is a recipe for an unmemorable piece. Also, your melody tends to use all the same notes tangled in different ways. Here is a suggestion; try singing a melody, and then setting it to the guitar.

Good luck with your work.

Um....ok yeah most of that is import error.

Believe me i knew enoguh theory to know that it was G# not Ab, I'm sorry for the confusion due to the midi import errors.

"or something with a lot of Giuliani, Sor, etc. in it. " oooh believe me Giuliani,Sor,Aguado,Carcassi...All my favorites i have TONS of music by them.

You are probably right about the same 2 chord usage and i'm sorry.

Thankyou very much for your thoughts.

You are probably right about the same 2 chord usage and i'm sorry.

Please, don't be sorry. As I said, the peice is pleasant sounding. You simply need to start finding ways to spice it up. Look at all that music you have for inspiration. Find a piece in A minor and locate a harmonic device or chord that might help to take your piece somewhere else...

Then... Yes, STEAL IT! It's only a chord. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing this. You are bound to incorporate it into your peice very differentely than the original composer, who may have very well stolen it from someone else! Look at it this way, You are only paying homage to the composer by quoting them for one instant. You are borrowing inspiration. Inevitably, it will open up horizons for you as you try to integrate it into your piece in your own unique way

Go for it!

Thankyou Leightwing,

In the word of Igor Stravinsky, "A good composer does not imitate, he steals."

I'm going to do that, I really need to do things like that, or how else will I learn right?

Experience is a great teacher i guess.

i think your piece sounds great.. it´s good to listen to criticisim but don´t let the critics change your view on your song.. after all it´s YOUR composition and if you felt good with it then be happy about it... composing is not a competition but a way of expressing yourself..

haha, wow.

My oppinion is swayed EASILY when it comes to my music. i always want to make sure everyone else likes it. =\