Waltz

I decided recently to compose a Waltz, feedback greatly appreciated. Thanks🙂

Also, yes, the beginning is not a waltz.

Edited August 29, 20205 yr by PBStu

This is very heavy sounding waltz /-:  You rely heavily upon the tonic and dominant harmonies to harmonize your main flute (and later doubled by trumpet) melody.  Measure 25 (and every time that measure is repeated) is to me an especially poorly chosen chord.  It's fine once I get used to it but if it were my piece I would have chosen the dominant with an F# in the bass for those melody notes (especially since the measure before you had a C# in the bass - it would have made a nice 2nd to 5th degree bass motion).  But that's just my personal taste.

3 minutes ago, PaperComposer said:

This is very heavy sounding waltz /-:  You rely heavily upon the tonic and dominant harmonies to harmonize your main flute (and later doubled by trumpet) melody.  Measure 25 (and every time that measure is repeated) is to me an especially poorly chosen chord.  It's fine once I get used to it but if it were my piece I would have chosen the dominant with an F# in the bass for those melody notes (especially since the measure before you had a C# in the bass - it would have made a nice 2nd to 5th degree bass motion).  But that's just my personal taste.

 

Thanks for reviewing, I see what you are saying there, I agree on that, I just suck at writing chords (chording?).

6 minutes ago, PBStu said:

Thanks for reviewing, I see what you are saying there, I agree on that, I just suck at writing chords (chording?).

Nonsense.  I advise you to study the works you enjoy the most and look at the harmony.  Usually if all you care about is understanding the harmony downloading a midi file of any given work should be easiest as there are lots of midis available on the internet and not as easy to get a score and most scores are not in concert pitch (Prokofiev being an exception - and Prokofiev scores I hear are especially difficult to find).  What is your favorite kind of music/favorite composers?

54 minutes ago, PaperComposer said:

Nonsense.  I advise you to study the works you enjoy the most and look at the harmony.  Usually if all you care about is understanding the harmony downloading a midi file of any given work should be easiest as there are lots of midis available on the internet and not as easy to get a score and most scores are not in concert pitch (Prokofiev being an exception - and Prokofiev scores I hear are especially difficult to find).  What is your favorite kind of music/favorite composers?

 

Ummm...

Debussy, Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Teleman, Prokofiev, etc.

Good job. Even though this wouldn't be the typical instrumentation for a waltz, it still sounded fine, if not somewhat heavy (and electronic lol). Using the brass for the underlying waltz rhythm maybe wasn't the best choice. I would advise you to explore more modulations and harmonies (as mentioned above) and it would make this even better.