A melody

I wrote this piece in about three hours, I had this idea floating around in my head for a while. It starts of sorta like Ave Maria, with solo harp playing an arpeggiated figure. You could describe this piece as a theme and variations. there is no really complex harmony's just a few key changes.

I called this piece A melody because I really like the melody, but if you think you have a better name feel free to run it by me.

Enjoy

If you want to hear an mp3 of this piece go to Audio Xanga

A melody.MUS

Pretty melody. The first half of this piece made more sense to me...it was fairly well organised and clear, and there were only a few awkwardnesses. As you started to add more parts, I thought it meandered off-course a bit and became less organised. Toward the end, the doubling of the melody in so many octaves didn't work very well...if you're going to do that, you need a much stronger foundation in the bass line.

Speaking of which, examining the score more closely, I don't understand why you'd want to have the contrabasses sit out the whole piece until the last three measures. I think I realise that you're after an etherial character for at least the first part of the piece, but when things start to fill out, a cello section playing in the tenor range and a single bassoon aren't going to give you a very good foundation or a full sound. There are several other instruments you leave out until the very end as well, like the 2nd Clarinet and Trombone; this is not good form. Find at least a little something more for them to do, or in the interest of economy, you may as well leave them out altogether...but I would never leave out the contrabasses that long in an orchestral texture; they're just too useful. If I were you, I'd have brought them in when the texture starts to fill out, about measure 84, if not sooner. In an orchestral texture, the cello section isn't strong enough to carry a bass line alone for long as it would in a string quartet.

There are quite a few other problems in the orchestration, I'm afraid. I'd like to show you a few of them, not to pick your work to pieces for its own sake, but so you can learn, so I mean all this in a very friendly way.

As you're a brass player, I'm curious as to why you'd have written your horn parts so high. The top of the practical range of the modern horn in F is concert F below high-C, and that's a screamer. It's nearly impossible for even the best horn player to double the trumpets on a melody that climbs to concert high-B-flat. Even if he could, you don't need him; when trumpets are playing a melody like that, horns do better lower down padding the middle register. You must always keep in mind the practical ranges of the instruments for which you're writing; don't assume that just because it sounds OK in a MIDI file that it's going to be fine or even possible in the real world.

You have at least 6 timpani going in this piece. Best to pare it down to four at most. If this were Carmina Burana, employing six timpani might make sense, but not here. Remember, economy.

As a general rule, the piccolo doesn't sound very good on sustained notes doubling the flute an octave up, especially when you take them both to the top of their ranges; on B-flat two octaves above high-C, the piccolo sounds more like a dog whistle than anything else. If I were you, I'd use the piccolo much more sparingly; it penetrates like a laser beam through everything and doesn't add much that's desirable in a mostly introspective piece like this. You might look to Beethoven as an example...he used the piccolo for brilliant runs at climactic points in his work, such as the big tuttis in the finale of 5th Symphony. Later composers used the piccolo similary, and also gave it melodies and solos, but only those that were appropriate to its character. Something else to keep in mind: the character of the insrument you're writing for. Imagine the sound of the insrument in your mind and always ask yourself if what you're writing for it matches that kind of sound.

Those are a few of the things I noticed. If you don't already have one, I'd suggest getting a good orchestration book. Keep writing...you're doing well.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

As I said this piece was written in about three hours and I haven't had time to go over the parts carefully. I think I did do some things to hastily, which is a problem of mine.

I am actually planning on getting a book on orchestration soon.

Thanks again

If you want to watch a piece I had recently performed go to YouTube - Young Composers Part 1

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

As I said this piece was written in about three hours and I haven't had time to go over the parts carefully. I think I did do some things to hastily, which is a problem of mine.

I am actually planning on getting a book on orchestration soon.

Thanks again

If you want to watch a piece I had recently performed go to YouTube - Young Composers Part 1

Don't really want to make a scene, but what you just said really bothered me.

'As I said this piece was written in about three hours and I haven't had time to go over the parts carefully'

Is that some excuse? Oh I made a bunch full of errors, but it is ok since I wrote it too fast...

Just found it very annoying.

It's a problem of mine I do thing's to hastily, I'm working on it.

What else can I say.

Sorry if it bothers you.

No hard feelings by the way, I appreciate you stating your honest opinion.

Beethovensheir

Ok people I'm sorry. I joined this forum and though I should post a piece, I sort of just grabbed on from my collection to give people an idea of the sort of music I write, I realize that it wasn't perfect. I apologize. I shouldn't have done it in such hast.

Just listen to my cello concerto tell me what you think, I spent some more time on that, I am quite happy with the way it turned out.

Thanks for making people achieve a high standard.

Beethovensheir

beethovensheir's Xanga Site

Sounds good Beety, but then it did before too...:-)

There you are was wondering when you'd show up.