Oboe Concerto

Any feedback or ideas on ways to help me continue developing the piece?

To critique these fragments so far as a piece of music:

1. In the beginning, I can't hear the bassoon part.
2. In general the whole piece sounds like it's being played either too fast, or it's too metronomic and mechanical and could maybe use some rubato.
3. You've balanced all the instruments at the same dynamic - the melody should be balanced in high-relief above the rest of the voices and I think it would bring a much more musical impression.

Those are the things that jump out at me as getting in the way of giving the music a more fair appraisal and of really being able to hear how good or bad it really is.  It does seem like the intro is a bit meandering, but I can't tell without any accompaniment or even just hearing the bassoon part might help.  But I do really like the structure so far of having the strings and Flute come in first, before the Oboe takes center stage.  Looking good so far!  Thanks for sharing.

On 10/16/2025 at 12:49 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

In the beginning, I can't hear the bassoon part.

It is possible that I had it muted in the mixer lol

On 10/16/2025 at 12:49 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

In general the whole piece sounds like it's being played either too fast, or it's too metronomic and mechanical and could maybe use some rubato.

I agree, but I'm not exactly sure how to add rubato in on muscscore

On 10/16/2025 at 12:49 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

You've balanced all the instruments at the same dynamic - the melody should be balanced in high-relief above the rest of the voices and I think it would bring a much more musical impression.

Yes, still working on this and deciding what dynamics I want where

On 10/16/2025 at 12:49 AM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

hear how good or bad it really is. 

Yikes lol

I appreciate the feedback; the piece definitely needs more work. I would love to write some more melodic material, but I love that theme so much that it's hard for me to write new stuff without being drawn back to the same intervals and the same lines. 

Dramatic chord change from the key of Fm and Dbm/C#m?  The change will be happening under a sustained tone, and Ab is that sustained tone... Any thoughts?

Edited November 18, 2025Nov 18 by BlackkBeethoven

11 minutes ago, BlackkBeethoven said:

Dramatic chord change from the key of Fm and Dbm/C#m?  The change will be happening under a sustained tone, and Ab is that sustained tone... Any thoughts?

Yeah it's easy to modulate from C# minor back, just through D flat major and then F minor!

15 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Yeah it's easy to modulate from C# minor back, just through D flat major and then F minor!

 

I want to go from Fm to C#m, though

12 minutes ago, BlackkBeethoven said:

28 minutes ago, Henry Ng Tsz Kiu said:

Yeah it's easy to modulate from C# minor back, just through D flat major and then F minor!

 

I want to go from Fm to C#m, though

Still easy, though

On 11/17/2025 at 9:57 PM, BlackkBeethoven said:

Dramatic chord change from the key of Fm and Dbm/C#m?  The change will be happening under a sustained tone, and Ab is that sustained tone... Any thoughts?

I think that's a good plan considering that the Ab note is a chord tone in both Fm and Dbm.  But I do hope that during the Ab pedal note, the harmony that smoothly leads you from F to Db includes some dissonances with the Ab.

On 11/20/2025 at 10:07 PM, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

But I do hope that during the Ab pedal note, the harmony that smoothly leads you from F to Db includes some dissonances with the Ab.

Hmm, why is that?

I was thinking about bringing in some NRT and going AbM-EbM/G-Gbmaj9-Dbm

But not exactly sure how I should orchestrate that, b/c I liked it on the piano, but in the strings, it's kind of wonky lol

I LOVE the section with the triplets

2 hours ago, BlackkBeethoven said:

Hmm, why is that?

To me, the whole point of having a pedal tone over some changes is that at some point or another it becomes a non-harmonic tone in relation to the harmony which brings in some nice dissonant color.  But your plan of having AbM-EbM/G-Gbmaj9-Dbm works because the G's and Gb's are dissonant with Ab.  Now, the only thing that puzzles me is .. why did you take the trouble of modulating to Db minor if you immediately go back to Ab major?  I thought you were going to stay in the Db minor key longer to introduce a contrasting theme or something?

11 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

non-harmonic tone in relation to the harmony which brings in some nice dissonant color.

Yes, which I really like...my progression has some of that, but it's not as dramatic as I would've wanted.

11 hours ago, PeterthePapercomPoser said:

I thought you were going to stay in the Db minor key longer to introduce a contrasting theme or something?

Yes lol...That was just some material that I had written previously that I harmonized...I tend to write like I'm making a quilt, little sections here and there until it comes together.

I probably should've included this in my original message, but if you guys could also share orchestrations for a modulation as well, that would be helpful. Mine sounds atrocious. 

Fm → Bbm9 → Dbm(add9)

Fm → Amaj(add#11) → C#m9

Fm → Ab(sus4 add9) → C#m9/E

Fm → E7(#9) → C#m9

Fm → Amaj → C#m → Emaj(add#11) → G#m11 → C#m

Edited November 25, 2025Nov 25 by BlackkBeethoven

So I took some time away from the piece, and I let it rest for a bit...Now I have more material, but I'm editing some of my original harmonies

P.S - My horn part sounds TERRRRRIBLE b/c I think I transposed it wrong, but I'm posting anyway b/c I'm kind of happy wit how it sound overall so far

Notes:

- Wanting some more cinematic harmonies & fullness

- Smoother modulation -- the chord progression I was going for :

(descending line in 6ths over the top of the chord changes)

Ab6  - Abmaj7 - Abm6 - E (#11) - Bmaj7 (7-6 suspension)

- Smoother inner lines (aiming for 3rds, but idk if this is getting the desired effect)

- How to incorporate the other instruments in a way that's smart and adds to the piece

oboe.pdf