Flute and Harp Piece - RONDO

Working on a 5 part rondo piece 

These are the key areas I'm thinking of going with -- Bb -> Db -> Bb -> G (with some modal mixture from gm) -> Bb

- For my modulation to Db, I took some jazz inspiration, and used my Bb in the flute melody to make an Ab9 chord (V7 in Db), and then a CT dim7 chord before landing on the tonic, but that transition could be smoother. I'm going to use that same chord as a Tritone Sub (or a bII - almost a Neopolotian 6th) to modulate to G Major. 

- I feel like my melody sounds too "rigid" if that makes sense; I almost always start with my harmonic progressions and after I get all that figured out is when I go back and write a melody to match or compliment it. 

I would appreciate your feedback - thanks in advance!

If you're going for a happy-go-lucky flute and harp sound then I think you've succeeded!  I think this piece is actually in 3/4 though, rather than 6/8 (at least that's what it sounds like to me).  Also, you have both the harp and the flute at the same dynamic throughout the piece.  It would bring much definition to the music if you brought out the melody and softened the accompaniment to better balance those elements and have a hierarchy of importance to the sounds.  Speaking of melody though, I personally write the melody first (or write the melody and harmony simultaneously but still while letting the melody guide the process rather than the other way around).  I never start with harmony because I find that pieces written that way tend to sound like harmony exercises or chorales to me.  Those are my thoughts.  Thanks for sharing!

Hi @GospelPiano12,

I really feel like you have improved on the harmonic progressions and voice leadings! Good job on that.

Be sure to mark which accidentals each of the harp strings are using at the beginning and in each passages using new accidentals.For example in b.4 if you wanna have the Gb, you will require the harpist to change the F natural pedal to a F sharp one or a G natural pedal to a Gb one which can be hard since G is in b.3 and F is in b.5. To modulate you should mark all the pedals used too.

I agree with Peter on the time signature choice. Is b.42 two bar rest intentional or not?

Thx for sharing!

Henry

8 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

If you're going for a happy-go-lucky flute and harp sound then I think you've succeeded!  I think this piece is actually in 3/4 though, rather than 6/8 (at least that's what it sounds like to me).  Also, you have both the harp and the flute at the same dynamic throughout the piece.  It would bring much definition to the music if you brought out the melody and softened the accompaniment to better balance those elements and have a hierarchy of importance to the sounds.  Speaking of melody though, I personally write the melody first (or write the melody and harmony simultaneously but still while letting the melody guide the process rather than the other way around).  I never start with harmony because I find that pieces written that way tend to sound like harmony exercises or chorales to me.  Those are my thoughts.  Thanks for sharing!

 

Thank you @PeterthePapercomPoser for taking the time to listen to my piece and provide me with some feedback, I really appreciate it. 

Happy-go-lucky wasn't exactly the vibe I was going for with the whole piece, I wanted my A to sound a little more "serious", and have the B and C sections with a bit of a more playful sound. 

I agree with the 3/4, BUT my harp part was written in 6/8, and I wrote the flute melody afterward, so I had to make it fit in 6/8. My B section is in 3/4 because the harp keeps arpeggiating, but the beat emphasis is a little different. 

I also noticed that dynamics issue and I'm going to go back and add them in Musescore. The different sections will need different tempo markings as well. 

1 hour ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Hi @GospelPiano12,

I really feel like you have improved on the harmonic progressions and voice leadings! Good job on that.

Be sure to mark which accidentals each of the harp strings are using at the beginning and in each passages using new accidentals.For example in b.4 if you wanna have the Gb, you will require the harpist to change the F natural pedal to a F sharp one or a G natural pedal to a Gb one which can be hard since G is in b.3 and F is in b.5. To modulate you should mark all the pedals used too.

I agree with Peter on the time signature choice. Is b.42 two bar rest intentional or not?

Thx for sharing!

Henry

 

Thank you @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu 3 semesters of college theory ( and 1 more to go!) have definitely helped me!

Yes, dealing with the harp's pedals and the need for enharmonic spelling is exactly why I chose to have the accompaniment for this piece be a harp instead of a piano. 

The two-measure rest was intentional, I am still trying to come up with a retransition from Db Major to Bb Major