Gold Plating That Rusts

I wrote this piece for a history project. It's a narrative that follows immigrant workers in the Gilded Age period. My history teacher isn't a musician, so I think I may have gotten 100%... ;DComments are so welcome it's unhealthy. Thanks for listening!If you're interested in reading my essay on the piece, here it is: http://www.megaupload.com/?d=46FQC1QV

Gold Plating That Rusts

This is a very interesting piece! I enjoyed listening. Just a few notes here.

1. Change the key. D Major is a hard key for a band to perform in especially with a piece as technical as this. Even G is a difficult key but I would at least change the key to C Major. Also, I would check your orchestration in several places. For example the horn/trumpet part at A. Horns would make that melody sound very muffled so I would trade their pars with the saxes or come up with a new part for them altogether.

2, I liked the modulation at D. Good stuff.

3. The repeat 4 after F is unnecessary you're only going to confuse people in counting and what not and the ostinato is short enough to not hurt to write it out three more extra times.

4. I didn't really care for the trumpet solo at G it just doesn't fit instrumentation wise for me. I see it more as a sax solo. Nitpicky, i know.

5. I like the woodwind interjections but triple forte is too much, they'll be heard, trust me.

6. The rhythms at K are orchestrated so sloppily that its just gonna sound like the band is trying to play the same thing but horribly failing, i see where you're getting at here though. My suggestion would be to make every section play a different rhythm instead of different rhythms in the same sections.

7. I liked that little circus esque section. But i don't think it fit since it isn't developed later or before, it's just there.

8 also this is a personal choice, but i would combine some of your staves, especially horns.

9. Alot of those runs would be very difficult to almost impossible to play in the clarinet and flute due to register and fingering issues, just a though.

10. Great work i enjoyed listening and please keep composing!

Thanks for the comments! Just note for anyone else interested:

I might try to make this piece fit for performance, but that was not the original intention. I'm aware of the technical limitations of instruments and of how difficult runs might be, but I never meant for anybody to play it anyways, so I wrote for the imaginary perfect band in my head :happy:

Now, on to responding. 1. As far as the key, I'd change it if anyone played it. 2. Thanks, that's personally my favorite section of the piece. 3. If it's a people playing it thing, then I'm not worried, but yeah, I see your point. 4. Hm... D'ya think so? I'll try it, I suppose! 5. The woodwinds don't just need to be heard, they need to bug the heck out of the listener. I was actually disappointed that the MIDI couldn't be louder. 6. If this were ever played in a real setting, this would be the first thing I'd change. You're right, it'd work better that way. 7. If you didn't read the essay, do so, because that theme is not supposed to have a correlation to any other- it specifically represents the stark contrast of the lives o the rich and the poor in the time period. 8. Does laziness count as an excuse? .........I didn't think so, yeah, it'll get changed some time or another. 9. Yeah, I know, difficulty wasn't a concern. If this were played by 30 pianos and percussion, it wouldn't have mattered to me. Wind band is just more powerful and impactful. 10. Thanks a bunch for the comments!

You're welcome for the comments! it's a nice piece!

I didn't know you didn't write for a performance or seriousness or anything, so good job! check out my new piece if you get a moment!

what percussion sound library are you using on this?

I'm willing to bet anything that it's sibelius sound essentials.

Right on the money- low tom, brake drum, woodblocks, bass drum, crash cymbal. Your point being?

wut? i was just asking. they sound good, i like those percussion sounds more than the stock finale ones

Sound Essentials is the equivalent to Garritan on Finale.

I don't like the wind sounds from either.

but the perc sounds are pretty nice.