Prelude No.9 - Live Performance by Henry Ng

The main rhythm that starts this piece off was an old guitar riff I've had from years ago. I always wanted to make it a song, but just never did. So I decided maybe as a piano piece it would be cool. The b.29 rhythm came from it as well. 

Let me know what you think, I'm always eager for feedback and criticism 😄

EDIT:

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 HENRY  🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Hey Vince,

I feel like in this and prelude no.8 is more "you". I feel that in these two you are trying to write something but they're just there. So improvisatory here with the unchanging bass and I'm feeling like having a lesson of improvisation from Prof. Vince!

But despite this you write very motivically here. For certain my fav. section is b.29-36 since the texture is real interesting here.

With the quick tempo, 7/4 metre and fleeing notes this could be difficult to play.

Thanks for sharing Vince!

Henry

Absolute banger - Has funky written all over it.

I really like the fact that you stuck with a 7/4 time signature throughout the piece. It's already a hard time signature to initially feel. However, since you kept it throughout the piece, I was able to catch on without needing to look at the music. Sounds almost like a twelve-bar blues without the twelve bars. I like the tri-tone sub you add for the ending of some of the phrases. I also really like the spacing you give to the dissonances and intervals - This shows me that you have careful and concise intentions when writing. 

Small critiques:

M. 15 - Any chance you could put this right hand in bass clef for simpler reading? Use M. 13 for example, an experienced pianist has seen octaves a lot and is familiar with what they look like. The low C# in the right hand of M. 13 is doubled with an octave above, so it's easy to read. The M. 15 doesn't have doubled octaves in the right hand. One will eventually figure out that both hands are playing the exact same thing, but I believe putting the right hand in bass clef here would make it simpler.

M. 18-27 - I only wish there was a clear downbeat here. I've listened to this about 6 times now and always find myself mixing up the downbeat during this section. Maybe I'm a bad counter I don't know. 

Overall, good stuff here. Very motoric, rhythmic, and modern. Kinda makes me wonder what Prokofiev would've done with Jazz music. 

13 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I feel like in this and prelude no.8 is more "you". I feel that in these two you are trying to write something but they're just there. So improvisatory here with the unchanging bass and I'm feeling like having a lesson of improvisation from Prof. Vince!

hey thanks Henry. When you say these are more "me", are you saying they have more of my character in them? Or perhaps they're not as reminiscent of something else you've heard? 

13 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

For certain my fav. section is b.29-36

Same. Now just imagine is as a heavy guitar part lol. It originally was 😄

13 hours ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

With the quick tempo, 7/4 metre and fleeing notes this could be difficult to play.

true, it could be difficult in parts. I usually pedaled the first low note of the phrase in the left hand to be able to hit the C without having a painful stretch. Would that be something you would notate?

Thanks again for checking it out!

8 hours ago, WowBroThatWasReallyEdgy said:

Sounds almost like a twelve-bar blues without the twelve bars. I like the tri-tone sub you add for the ending of some of the phrases.

Ah, you're very smart, nice catch. I used the 12 bar blues as a framework for those sections, and the sub V chord instead of the V for the progression.

8 hours ago, WowBroThatWasReallyEdgy said:

M. 15 - Any chance you could put this right hand in bass clef for simpler reading? Use M. 13 for example, an experienced pianist has seen octaves a lot and is familiar with what they look like. The low C# in the right hand of M. 13 is doubled with an octave above, so it's easy to read. The M. 15 doesn't have doubled octaves in the right hand. One will eventually figure out that both hands are playing the exact same thing, but I believe putting the right hand in bass clef here would make it simpler.

Yeah I think you're right on this. I'll make it bass clef in the final edit. Probably a good idea to do something similar with the last measures in the left hand too. 

8 hours ago, WowBroThatWasReallyEdgy said:

M. 18-27 - I only wish there was a clear downbeat here. I've listened to this about 6 times now and always find myself mixing up the downbeat during this section. Maybe I'm a bad counter I don't know. 

I originally had two eighth notes at the start of every measure for the left hand to show the downbeat for each bar, but ultimately I thought it sounded bad and not as fluid. Maybe I over thought it? I'll reconsider that section since maybe you weren't the only one who had an issue with it. Personally, I got so used to the rhythm that I never counted, but I can see how it might be difficult when trying to perform this. It could also be that the right hand chords sometimes landed on the 1st downbeat of the bar, while others hit on the and of 7. Maybe if that timing was more consistent it'd be easier to count. I'll check it out. 

Thanks for checking it out dude, I haven't seen you around lately. Excited to hear more of your stuff. 

3 hours ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

Thanks for checking it out dude, I haven't seen you around lately. Excited to hear more of your stuff. 

I'm about to graduate from college, so I've been really focused on schoolwork.

I've been working on the 4th movement of my symphony. In regards to completing compositions, I don't like spitting stuff out. I'd rather take time crafting something I can be proud of. I'm about 5 minutes into it and plan on it being roughly 15-20. The Symphony might not be completed until the end of the year, possibly sooner.

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 HENRY 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Just to say that I liked it very much.
I find it difficult to write about an ostinato and not have it be monotonous, which is not the case here.
In another moment of the development some percussive chords sound that remind us of Stravinsky.
The execution...., essential.

11 hours ago, Luis Hernández said:

The execution....

The execution.... is bad 😆😆😜🤪?

On 8/28/2023 at 11:34 AM, Thatguy v2.0 said:

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 HENRY 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

I think I do play this with fire! After playing this on piano, this one becomes my favourite. I get so high and energized playing this one that I add many accents through the swing of the body to the keys like I'm dancing. I agree with @Luis Hernández that some chords are Stravinskian, particularly p.3 when it reminds me the Augurs of Spring form the Rite. This one is also the most difficult one out of the set I have played so far. The rhythm, the offbeat in p.3 and the trills PLUS notes fly up high in p.4 are all really challenging. But they all worth the effort! I am just afraid I had scared people around when I practiced this one since it's very loud which is not shown in the recording!!

Henry

Noooo.... The execution is excellent. It gives life to the work.
Maybe I didn't translate well, ...

On 8/28/2023 at 10:39 PM, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

I am just afraid I had scared people around when I practiced this one since it's very loud which is not shown in the recording!!

mmmmmmmmmmyes

Amazing performance Henry! This has such a funk that I had on repeat while cleaning my house. Simple yet perfect execution of rhythm.

10 hours ago, SoloYH said:

Amazing performance Henry! This has such a funk that I had on repeat while cleaning my house. Simple yet perfect execution of rhythm.

Thx! Initially it is indeed very difficult to get the funk and rhythm right especially when I'm not a rhythmic musician at all, but Vince's music has some kind of magic and I enjoy it very much and I think I get it at the end, except in 1:04 when I slightly failed to control my fingers haha. 

Very nice but difficult to play with the sort of verve of your performance. Vaguely in the mood of Gershwin's Preludes without sounding like them but probably as difficult to play! The insistent 7/4 really adds a level of interest. 

In the way preludes are today It would make an excellent concert piece or encore.

(I'm a bit late with commenting but I had to take a break from electronics projects and thought to devote some time here just listening.)

Cheers. 

11 hours ago, Quinn said:

Very nice but difficult to play with the sort of verve of your performance. Vaguely in the mood of Gershwin's Preludes without sounding like them but probably as difficult to play! The insistent 7/4 really adds a level of interest. 

To be honest, I think the verve is quite easy to achieve! Vince's music just easily brings out the fire from you and you will just have to follow it and play it. I play the prelude with all my body parts like dancing, or like a pop musician enjoying his music!

Henry

This is great.  I love the odd time signature and the jazz inflection with those Stravinskian chords.  In a way it reminds me of the more avant-garde stuff done by classically trained "novelty ragtime" pianists like Zez Confrey.  And a very fun and energetic performance by Henry!

8 hours ago, Aiwendil said:

And a very fun and energetic performance by Henry!

Thx! I dare say this is the funniest one out of the twelve preludes! Vince's piece is so great to awake my usually dormant rhythmic soul LoL.

Henry

Hey Vince,

I've a feeling of feeling your prelude reminds of Gershwin preludes.