My Symphony

I hope it will be considered a major work because it took me 1 year to complete it, the lenght is 14 minutes, it has full orchestra and other secondary effects and instruments, every sound on it is MIDI so nothing is missing, it varies through multiple styles and music genres so I consider it a major work and I hope you will to.

The_Lost_Temple.mid

I'm liking it so far, although my MIDI card insists on playing everything really badly apart from the timpani and horns, which sound absolutely awesome. I'm finding the timpani a bit loud though overall (might want to tweak the MIDI settings).

I love the horns and piano section. I might have to steal that instrument combination.

(Having listened to the whole thing)

A general comment, some stuff (notable example directly after the horn/piano bit) comes out of the blue a bit. If you have woven that bits of that theme - maybe the low strings rhythm - in earlier (maybe you did, but I didn't notice), it might make more sense. It also jumps around random styles a bit too much for my taste. Maybe if you did it as more of a rondo type thing rather than largely through-composing lots of different bits without as much continuity, it would be more effective. That said, I feel the overall balance of tempo, texture and dynamics is very good.

I also disagree with ending on the major, especially if this is the first movement of a larger work.

Then again, I can hear you are a better composer than me. :D

What is the random squelchy thing by the way? Is it a real instrument or some crazy sped-up looped frog sound or something?

Also, I would change the title before a concert. "Lost Temple" sounds quite overtly cheesy. Maybe just put it in Italian or something :D

and correct your instrument ranges...

flute does not go that low, and it is generally not a good idea to always have the flute below the oboe (actually, it's almost never a good idea).

a "normal" flute part would see the large majority of its playing material be in the range of the C 3rd space in treble clef and the G one and a half octaves above that (as a general range).

a book on instrumentation/orchestration might be a good investment.

I hope it will be considered a major work because it took me 1 year to complete it, the lenght is 14 minutes, it has full orchestra and other secondary effects and instruments, every sound on it is MIDI so nothing is missing, it varies through multiple styles and music genres so I consider it a major work and I hope you will to.

if you want to see if it really is a major work, just read the Major Works Guidelines, that'll help a bit

Qcowboy, I am very familiar with instrument ranges and combinations, as I am a member of the highschool orchestra myself so I get to see every instrument close enough to write a book of instrument definitions. However the reason I pass some limits it's because I sometimes run out of ideas to express myself in other ways than the unusual flute parts and whatever may occur.

For example I have a piece called "Riding With The Wind" and I wrote an impossible harp part but it sounds great and that's the reason I allowed it, considering that the computer can play it. You can find it at "Experimantal, Atonal or Other" at "My Early Songs" Topic.

Anyway, thank you all for your evaluation. I appreciate that.

I also was wondering about that funny sounding instrument. It almost sounds like a bird or something. And there is also another one that sounds like a wave or swooshing sound.

I really like the first part, but after a while it kinda sounded like a cheesey Zelda theme or something; however, that is probably because it is in Midi form.

As far as styles go, maybe try to transition differently, like a cool retard and some chords or something

You might want to consider turning this into a piano concerto or something... that would make it all the better

Welcome to the forum and good composition.

Qcowboy, I am very familiar with instrument ranges and combinations, as I am a member of the highschool orchestra myself so I get to see every instrument close enough to write a book of instrument definitions. However the reason I pass some limits it's because I sometimes run out of ideas to express myself in other ways than the unusual flute parts and whatever may occur.

This is why the techniques of orchestration are such important skills to master. Qc is a very, very skilled professional composer who has taken the time to offer you some valuable advice. From the tenor of your comment, I am unsure if you are making a one-time excuse, or if you intent to continue writing "beyond limits". Especially, when you are learning, there is practically no good reason to compose something that is unplayable.

Let's be honest.......what orchestra would stand around to play that symphony? Sometimes you can afford little exceptions and if by any chance it will be played by an orchestra, don't you think little adjustments can be made? It happens with Mozart, Strauss, Beethoven......it happens with enough of them to happen several times more but as I said...what are the chances to be played? so I make exception....

I've only listened to the MIDI (and that, yesterday), and am not sure which parts are being referred to, but would it not be more interesting and productive for you to investigate a solution to this practical problem (e.g. bass flute), thus expanding your orchestration armoury and making your piece playable in the process?

That said, I'm currently guilty of unplayable harp parts (although I am about to adapt it for classical guitar, where I can attain the desired arpeggio speed, and actually a closer timbre to my ideal).

what are the chances to be played? so I make exception....

This is not a good excuse. Please understand my stubbornness. You will not better yourself if you do not practice writing music that is performable.

May I suggest that you actually try writing for musicians that you personally know, with the actual intent of getting it played. Don't worry if they are not accomplished players - remember, you are not an accomplished composer.. yet! That is precisely what the real word is about. Learning to write for real people. I guaranty that if you continue to write works that are unplayable, people here will continue to call you on it.

I know you are a new composer here and I don't want to scare you away or discourage you because you have talent. I challenge you to always compose as if the music will someday be played. You never know....

Leightwing, I will remeber tour advice but I wanted to mention that I have composed for real people, real people have played some of my music and regarding exceptions I only have a few....most of my pieces are totaly playeble....infact, all of them, except one or two but I thought I could afford an exception because it could never be played but as you said..you never know....

Mircea, I'm sorry. As you have just mentioned, you do have experience writing for the real world, and I was not aware of that. Despite this, you have responded to my criticism with much respect. Thank you, and continued good luck with your work.

leightwing, i'm guilty of writing impossible things too, i mean, take a look at my Piano Impromptu:

http://www.music-scores.com/composer/andrew.php

it's pretty evil. Although i did have someone e-mail me saying they learnt it and it took hours!

Yeah, same :laugh:. I know it'll never be played so...hey if it sounds good...

I don't necessarily think thats the best way to go about it...

leightwing, i'm guilty of writing impossible things too, i mean, take a look at my Piano Impromptu:

http://www.music-scores.com/composer/andrew.php

it's pretty evil. Although i did have someone e-mail me saying they learnt it and it took hours!

I'm no pianist, but I wouldn't say yours is impossible. Playing in 6 while simultaneously playing in 4 may not be a party for the brain, but it's not physically difficult for the hands. M. 13 has a jump in it, the difficulty of which could possibly be mitigated by playing the fourth note of the right hand part in the left hand.

If you guys are testing or attempting to expand technical boundaries in your writing, that's one thing. But ignoring them all together is another. In many cases, beginning, and therefore some if not many of the young composers that post here for the first time don't even understand them - ranges, fingerings, etc. - and so when I see writing here that is unplayable, I usually feel compelled to make a point. If someone can adequately defend their position, I back off.

On the one hand you can do anything you want, but on the other, you can't deliberately or conscientiously break a rule if you don't know it exists in the first place.

I'm gonna have to agree with Nico that this piece is mainly just the same melody with chords under it throughout. The only real "variation" you gave it was that you changed up the orhcestration... but that isn't enough. Yes, of course the orchestration can help things not become monotonous and boring, but a simple harmonic, melodic, or rhytmic variation can go far. Even some modulation would be nice... as for the sound effects: i found them more distracting than anything. I think around 2:50 you had something going very nice. You strayed away from the main theme, and that was good. Then you came in with a beautiful violin melody... and that was nice. But still even here, I don't think you're doing enough with the music. The accompaniment was the same thing throughout this section. Also, I found the music to predictable. Before you'd even get halfway through one measure, I knew exactly what the next 4 harmonies would be, and how you'd move around them. Predictability is something that you DON'T want in your music. Think about it like this: When you're watching a horror movie, they try to make you think that one thing is happening so you get really bent on thinking that "ohh, he was the one that killed them" etc. Then last second with 10 minutes left in the movie they throw in a hook... making it unpredictable... THAT is good. But I really feel like I guessed correctly everything that was coming.

This music had good and bad points, but I feel it could be improved. It seemed like each section, while contrasting, still had NOTHING do to with the other. When you make things contrast you still want to have them generally related... but I didn't get that with this piece...

I think you should go back (remove the sound effects) and edit this keeping in mind to variate A LOT.

This was a nice piece though. Thanks for posting. :laugh: