Clarinet Concerto- How to continue?

Hi guys, this is a piece I wrote recently, and I'm already stuck at bar 21 😞

I feel like my music is proceeding far too quickly, but I have no idea as of how to slow it down to make it more logical. I also get stuck easily whenever my initial ideas ran out...

PS:It is a homework assigned by my music teacher, we were given a one-bar rhythm (I used it in the first bar) and are required to write a piece based on it. However, the music lesson does not focus much on composition- also there are many students in my class- so the teacher only glanced through my work and gave a few suggestions without telling me what I should actually do. (I've never had any formal training on composition, only some music theory knowledge at about ABRSM grade 6)

PPS: I am a very slow composer and spent like four weeks writing these twenty bars of music. Sometimes it takes weeks to generate ideas. Is this normal? How should I improve on the speed and quality of my work?

All suggestions/advice and criticisms are welcomed!

Thanks in advance 😉

Saltypenguin

Hey @Saltypenguin,

Is the solo clarinet in here? If yes you should separate it for a single staff, if not than it's fine.

I see this is in Classical Concerto style. Will you use the double exposition noramlly used in Classical concerto?

The clarinet passage is very lovely. After the pause I think it's the time for transition to the dominant A major with the interaction between the orchestra and solo clarinet. You can probably use the opening dotted rhythm as the hook for transition!

Henry

Hi @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu,

Thanks for the reply!

4 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Is the solo clarinet in here? If yes you should separate it for a single staff, if not than it's fine.

 

Yes, there is a solo clarinet. I pulled the "classical symphony" template straight from musescore, and forgot to separate the clarinet from the rest of the orchestra. 

5 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Will you use the double exposition noramlly used in Classical concerto?

This is a great idea! I will let the solo clarinet play the opening theme in the second section.

I might proceed the piece by transposing to A major or relative minor, whichever sounds best... thanks for the useful suggestions!

Saltypenguin

Hello there,

I think what you've got here is very lovely, a few criticisms:

• The first violin melody from bar seven sounds 'weak' to me. I feel like you should bring it out more by dobling it an octave down in the seconds and also doubling it in the celli. This is a very common way of strengthening a melody with strings in Classical/romantic music and I strongly recomend that you try it. 
• As Henry has said above, the solo clarinet should be on a seperate stave of its own as per convention. This stave should go above the strings and below the woodwinds. 

Keep writing, and I hope my criticisms are of some help.

Arriverderci,

Arjuna

@expert21, thanks for the criticism! I will try to improve on my melody and share it when I finish the whole piece ;)