Piano Suite No. 1 | No. 1: Whimsy

hello

been taking a break from working on the variations, thought I'd continue working on this piece. if you had already read my catalogue, then you'd have probably known the other planned movements already.

movements planned:

No. 1 : Whimsy 
No. 2 : Home (Omah) 
No. 3 : Scherzo 
No. 4 : Affection
No. 5 : Festive

i'll continue to work on the variations after this

as always, enjoy the piece. lemme know what you all think!!!

Great piece! are the mistakes at 10 - 12 on purpose? kinda playful and goofy in a good way, but also sincere. this literally reminds me of untitled goose game music😅 can't wait for more variations! (P. S. maybe sometime try making a 5 or 6 minute original song with no variations?)

8 hours ago, therealAJGS said:

are the mistakes at 10 - 12 on purpose?

yeah, just a wacky modulation to G-flat major tonic

8 hours ago, therealAJGS said:

kinda playful and goofy in a good way, but also sincere

they're actually the mood that I'm trying to achieve, thus "whimsy." so, it's great that you felt that way!

8 hours ago, therealAJGS said:

this literally reminds me of untitled goose game music😅

yeah I could see that, I guess the harmony is similar to debussy, and the carefree-ness of both music, is similiar.

8 hours ago, therealAJGS said:

maybe sometime try making a 5 or 6 minute original song with no variations?

well, this is actually my attempt at that since I've been working with existing materials and wanted to actually go back to composing original stuff so, there ya go. i guess i could try with the no variations. i'll keep that in mind.

Thanks for commenting!

This was a lot to digest, but I liked it! I have to admit, it took a few listens to grasp everything going on, but there's no denying your talent with composition. It's wonderful. 

I feel like I've asked but I can't remember... do you play piano? It seems very difficult in some areas, and although that's not bad, I just wonder if this could be executed how you intend. 

What I love about your music is how fresh your ideas are. I guess I'm speaking of your music in general instead of just this piece, but it's a pattern I've noticed.

Something I would be mindful of is to me you really teeter the balance of too many ideas and developing existing ones.

I think your balance works, but sometimes I wish you would strip down the amount of new musical material you write within a piece and develop more. Maybe you do this and I don't always hear it, or maybe it has to do with how complex your music gets. I just get lost sometimes listening, and it might help.

It's not necessarily your language, btw. For instance, right before :30 we're hit with a ritard... but I was just getting into the rhythms! Now at :47 or so, there's another change of pace... all that drive we had lost again. You could argue that is the effect you're going for, but it's just an example of what I mean. 

However, I'm reminded of Debussy pissing off his professors because he didn't develop his music the "right" way. I do like your free flowing jazzy way of writing, I think it's a really vibrant way to approach form. I personally just need my ears to rest a little when listening to your music. It's like, your flavor of cheese is great for nachos, just don't drown them! 

The score looks amazing to me, bar 92 D# should be Eb was the only thing that caught my eye. 

I'm excited to hear the other pieces in the suite, hopefully it isn't too long before you continue them! 

1 hour ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

I wish you would strip down the amount of new musical material you write within a piece and develop more.

It's really funny that you said this but I really only sketched out 2 themes: b.1 - b.35 forwards and the waltz, then, I added in the theme starting from b.36 in the middle of realizing the sketches. I kid you not, I did not add any materials outside from these themes. And you know what's even funnier? Those three themes has motifs of the first theme, particularly the first 5 notes of the first bar on left hand. In fact, it is a very very important motif.

All of the other things that you heard outside from this are literally developments of these three themes, heck I could even say that the 2nd theme is a development of the first theme.

The bit from b.97? That's a development of the waltz. The three 8th note figure from bar 101? That's also from the waltz. What about bar 109? Whoopsie, that's the waltz version of the first theme. What about bar 117? That's just the combination of the waltz theme and the first theme. Bar 129? That's the rhythmically augmented version of the first theme used as transition, and the bit after that? It's a repeat of the whole first theme with little variations. What about bar 151? That's a development of the transition from b.17 onwards, which is then used to transition to the repetition of the second theme. 

2nd theme repetition starts from b.159, much more sweeter. Then I literally just took that theme and develop it even more on bar 175 onwards with more movements.

What about bar 189? Oh look, the three 8th note figure is back but I developed it even more so that I can use it to transition to the waltz theme. Ooh the waltz theme now is a bit more calmer, more melancholic.

What about the bit from bar 212 onwards? It's the Coda containing all previous materials that leads to the Risoluto section, which is again, just the development of the first theme. Bar 245? That's just theme 1 and theme 3 played together contrapuntally. 

Bar 250. It's bar 9-10 from theme 1 played and developed with the waltz theme. Bar 259? Sadder version of the first theme, which rises up to.....the three 8th note figure with a dissonant that eventually resolves to the tonic. And it's part of the first theme.

I've added no new materials outside from these three themes. Though I get that you feel lost sometimes. I'd say the developments kinda distort the themes so it's unrecognizable on a couple of listens. But trust me that I only use the same themes throughout.

1 hour ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

I feel like I've asked but I can't remember... do you play piano? It seems very difficult in some areas, and although that's not bad, I just wonder if this could be executed how you intend. 

I don't play the piano but honestly I don't mind if a player would execute some passage differently than my own intentions. If it works, it works. I'd probably revise though If I were given feedbacks on that.

1 hour ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

For instance, right before :30 we're hit with a ritard... but I was just getting into the rhythms! Now at :47 or so, there's another change of pace... all that drive we had lost again. You could argue that is the effect you're going for, but it's just an example of what I mean. 

Before :30, that's a transition to a repeat of the first theme. Then at :47, I mean I used that second theme to contrast the much more rhythmically heavy third theme. I could also argue that the lost of the drive is worth it cus literally the next section is a build up to a climax and it's so much more exciting.

1 hour ago, Thatguy v2.0 said:

I'm excited to hear the other pieces in the suite, hopefully it isn't too long before you continue them! 

No. 2 and No. 4 are like, 20% done, No. 3 is 40% done. Hopefully I get enough motivation to actually finish this suite too!

Thanks for the feedbacks! Really appreciate it.