Piney Orchard

This is a new pice for young band that we are playing in our next concet.

Piney Orchard

This is a new pice for young band that we are playing in our next concet.

Piney Orchard

First off, congratulations on getting your piece played! I wish I could get mine performed but my band director is a dick. How are you getting it perfomed anyway? Isn't school over in most places? ANYWAY,

let's get into it.

1. When you said this was for young band you weren't kidding. There is a lot of doubling and I don't think there was any harmonic structure besides being broken in octaves, so to help you I'll outline measure by measure.

1. I would harmonize this "vamp" right here and I would add tenor saxes to get a better start.

2. In measure four single reeds enter with their melody, I would harmonize this as well! You have two clarinet staves going to waste playing the same thing!

3. The cresendo from the beginning lasts too long and I would suggest you end it earlier and put an ending dynamic.

4. In measure 6 you waste harmonic opportunity to break trumpets in octaves. Trumpet is not the strongest instrument to do this with. The notes on the second part are too low. The lowest I would write for trumpet is a low Bb but I hate even going lower than C.

5. In measure 9 you have the melody broken up in octaves once more AND you have bari sax and tenor sax playing the melody! I would suggest moving Bari sax on the bassline and giving tenors/altos/horns (why don't you have baritones? ) a counter melodic line.

6. In measure 17 your trumpet randomly drops out, I will give him the flute/clarinet part so people don't think he passed out or something. ;D

7. In measure 46 please take a note that not all bari saxes have the low a key, so i would move it to a different part, take it up and octave or HARMONIZE it.

8. In measure 52, 53, and 55 there does not need to be a Rit in each of these. Put a molto rit in 52 and that should seal the deal!

9 in 54 there is no need for the andante in each staff. just on top.

10. Measure 61 wooo! harmonization finally!

11. 67 for closure purposes I would repeat the half notes in the tuba instead of ending with a whole note.

12. 68 once again the tempo mark does not need to be on every staff.

13. Instead of Tbones, Tuba and Bari Sax playing this line, I would have tenor sax and trombones play it, and then have the lower voices play a supporting bass line.

14. 81! perfect place to make some chords! but nope, all unison. ):

15. 87. okay, lets give this big faster section a better entrance than just flute?

16. can you come up with a better percussion part than straight eighth notes?

17. Last- note! Chord please ?

That's all I have to say, I would suggest you add more percussion study some harmony/chord structures and then come back to writing. Don't take this review as an insult , you have alot of potential!

Good Work!

Even though it's written for young players, I think harmony would be more than appropriate... I like the melodies and all, but much of the orchestration is missing thickness and power provided by harmony and counterpoint. I think the next step in your progress would be to learn more about harmony :santa:

I hope you got something out of my review! I don't wanna think I spent an hour writing nothing. ):

yeah I did