String Trio No.1 First Movement

First movement of my first piece with several instruments.

String Trio No.1 First Movement

Please tell me what you think of the MVMT. Also, i did not have any musical ideas in my head when i started, but i felt that it would be a good idea to get some practice in composing for several instruments.

Ok, I found the rhythms to be actually quite amusing, but I don't think it flowed very well. Because this piece was heavily atonal, I would suggest that you use the C major key signature instead of C sharp. If you were trying to imitate contemporary composers such as Schoenberg and Xenakis, you did a good job...but unfortunately I'm not fond of that kind of music XD Anyway, I know it's your first work and you may think it sounds bad, but keep going. When I started composing, my first pieces of music weren't the best... Don't be too hard on yourself.

Firstly, if this is your first composition, congratulations on stepping out! That's way more music than I'd have the guts to put down for my first project.

Please tell me what you think of the MVMT

Since you asked, I'll answer completely honestly. I think the fact that you "had no music in mind" when you wrote it hurt this piece.

You used some nice imitation and had some definite motives that you came back to, but they weren't tied together. I didn't feel direction or cohesion, which is very important for atonal works. Atonal works typically follow strict forms and conventions to keep them from being a mishmash of wrong-sounding notes; I remember one of the first atonal pieces we analyzed in my music theory class was a piece by Schoenberg, a WALTZ. The notes were crazy and sounded "wrong", but the strict, simple form made it easy to follow and latch onto what he was actually doing with those atonal ideas.

In any event, I recommend having some music in mind when writing your next piece. Or have some formula in mind. ;) My bet is you'll end up with something you have more confidence in.

Some practical things:

1- the score order is wrong. In general, score from highest voice to lowest voice.

2- if you're going to write basically atonal, use an open key signature (or the key of C if you're using an OLD notation program).

3- re: beaming. In general, when you have sixteenth notes syncopated, you should be able to see every beat in the way you tie and beam. This is a courtesy for the performers. Deviations should only be done with a specific purpose.

4- in a piece like this, dynamics and articulations are important. You could sell this much more effectively with dynamics and note treatments (legato, tenuto, accents, <, >, etc.)

I noticed in the shoutbox that you weren't exactly thrilled with this piece? What's it about?

actually, i did have one idea when i started it. That is what you hear betweem bar 3 and 7. I know it sounds very similar to Vivaldi's mandolin concerto in c. I wanted to develop, that idea, but i am very bad at developing musical ideas, but im practicing, and i hope it will help. Also about the order of the voices. I know the order is wrong, but i was very tired (it was around 3 am) so i basicly just selected the instruments in a random order, and i actually also just randomly picked the key sig.

This piece is not atonal. It's actually completely diatonic. All the accidentals you have could be respelled to be notes in the key of C#. Most of your harmony is based in seconds though, this might have been throwing people off.

I like that main idea that you mention, it has that groovy syncopation. I think the main point where this piece sorta falls flat is that it looses this grooviness pretty quickly when you have those slow sections. The first 6 bars are very nice, then I'm a bit confused as to the point of the music. I would focus on the main motive more and try to keep the rhythm more constant and faster, keeping with the interesting syncopation, rather slipping into uninteresting straight rhythms (which I assume are only there because you were tired :P). It could be cool if you had several parts playing interlocking rhythmic patterns (one part filling in the beats which the other one isn't playing). Don't repeats notes too many times, otherwise it feels like we're going nowhere. Keep playing around, I think this could be quite nice.

Good luck! I think this a wonderful start!

This piece is not atonal. It's actually completely diatonic. All the accidentals you have could be respelled to be notes in the key of C#. Most of your harmony is based in seconds though, this might have been throwing people off.

...! Well what do you know, it IS in C#. Just kinda hard to tell looking at the score and there being no real bass. But C# is definitely the tonal center.

Good ear.

Well, I actually think the idea is cool, with all the rhythms and all, but...

1. the idea has to change. I got bored just hearing de dum, da da da de dum, over and over again.

2. WHY in the world did you use F natural and C natural in the piece at all? The key signature has E sharp and B sharp, so there is no need for that.

Overall, however, I do think that with a bit of work (and clean-up of the score) the piece would be better. But don't change those rhythms! They are actually quite cool and compliment the idea.

Heklaphone

I'm new in the composing world. But, I have to ask: why in the world would you end on a D-sharp, f, c-sharp chord? Little hint; aim for musical harmony, that makes sense, especially in your closing. Very good ideas, though.