2 small pieces

Hail

I 'm pretty new to composing, and I would like you to tell me what do you think of my first pieces. (Keep in mind, i 'm new, i have no clue about music theory, (or music itself :blush: ) etc)

so um....

1) http://www.freewebs.com/velvet_blasphemy/introd.mp3

2) http://www.freewebs.com/velvet_blasphemy/One.mp3

-Thanks

Pandelis

PS. I know these probably suck, but what the hell, i 'll get better, won't i ? :unsure:

Can you supply the MIDI-files too? That would be very helpful.

These pieces are pretty advanced for someone with no knowledge of music theory at all. I do recommend buying a book on harmony.

Your work is pretty limited, in a sense that creating a spooky atmosphere is not very difficult. The pieces aren't very exciting by itself. The most important problem you're facing is organizing the music. You'll have to think about form, movement, contrast. I suggest taking the time to write an extended piece of about 5 minutes for solo piano, in which you explore change and contrast. Think about the atmosphere: maybe you want to start off very lightly, head towards a darker setting and finish in a rejoicing mood (just one possibility). Also, think about ideas, motives, themes. They should be guiding the listener through your work. Listen to a piano sonata by Mozart.

Spooky music, good job with freaking me out :)

There really isn't too much to say. I can't really provide any useful criticism since there just isn't much to these compositions.

Ok let me try my best. The first noticeable problem is your theme seems to be stagnant. You repeat it many many times. A possible reason is maybe you just don't know how to change it up, but in order to keep someone's interest, you really should learn how to change up your music. Unless you want this to be classified as background music, but do you really want that?

Another problem is, you stick in the same key signature for the most part. In my opinion, if the ears are exposed to one key signature for a long period of time, you start to lose sensitivity. This is even worse when the music doesn't change up.

So this combination of no key changing, and stagnant theme numbs the listener. Again, your pieces are really too short for any useful comments, but I treated your pieces as complete works.

And since these are your first pieces, I congratulate you, they certainly are more organized than my first pieces!

Thank you very much for your comments.

I do understand (for all the reasons you mentioned, and much more), that my pieces arenot v good. Thus, i find it natural since I just started.

About the music theory thing. My knowledge is limited to the, do, re, mi.. (c, d, e....). In other words to the.... most basic parts, and I composed these two pieces by plugging in my keyboards (to my pc), and recording what I 'm playing (that's why the tempo of "One" is 182 - and... it is a slow piece).

Oh, well... I 'm not planning on continuing with the "I 'm theory-less" truth, because that would be really stupid and close-minded of me. So I guess I should start studying theory immediately.

-Thanks in advance

PS. Um... don't mind me asking, but could you give me some pointers on what kind of books I should get, or if there is a special category for composing ? Or maybe... someone out there willing to spend some time helping me out ?

PS2. Oh, I wrotte a new one. It's longer than the others, and in kinda different mood. I 'm kinda pleased... (considering it took me around an hour, composing it and playing/recording it). But yet an amateur's work.

New) http://www.freewebs.com/velvet_blasphemy/Bariomoun.mp3

(folk like)

Here is the midi file of 'One'

one.mid

that my pieces arenot v good

No one said that statement. We simply are saying they just need work. Obviously, you just started out.

So I guess I should start studying theory immediately.

If I were you, I wouldn't waste so much time on theory. You don't even seem to have any problems with your harmonization. Your problems lie simply in lack of experience. The only way to get better is by composing over and over again. While studying theory can be useful, it is not something that will help you magically compose better. Possibly your best ways of learning is by listening and studying music you like. This is much better than reading about music theory.

considering it took me around an hour, composing it and playing/recording it

You need to spend more time on your compositions. You said it yourself, this is possibly the reason why your music is sounding rushed, repetitive, and lacking progression.

Regarding the new piece you posted: Musically, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, I didn't really catch any mistakes. But you aren't adventurous enough, and you need to be a little bit more daring. So what if you make a mistake, thats what practice is for. When I make mistakes, they almost always turn out even better than when I was being cautious! Your piece simply needs more care than an hour's worth of work if you want it to sound like something. Try spending a few hours a day on a composition for about a week, and see what you can come up with! You will be surprised!

Ok. Thanks!

I 'm going to spend more time on my next piece. I 'll let you know ;)

Thanks again

-Pandelis

PS. Um... don't mind me asking, but could you give me some pointers on what kind of books I should get,  or if there is a special category for composing ? Or maybe... someone out there willing to spend some time helping me out ?

There are a lot of books on music. First of all, there are books on basic music theory. Reading what your knowledge is at this point, one of those might be suitable. However, I can't recommend you any book that's written in English. They shouldn't be too expensive (about 15 dollars I guess).

When you're ready to, you should also read a book on harmony.

If I were you, I wouldn't waste so much time on theory.  You don't even seem to have any problems with your harmonization.  Your problems lie simply in lack of experience.  The only way to get better is by composing over and over again.  While studying theory can be useful, it is not something that will help you magically compose better.  Possibly your best ways of learning is by listening and studying music you like.  This is much better than reading about music theory.

You need to spend more time on your compositions.  You said it yourself, this is possibly the reason why your music is sounding rushed, repetitive, and lacking progression. 

Partially, I agree with you. A lot can be learned from listening to the ancient masters. However, every composer will face problems during composition. How should I harmonize this note, why does this progression sound awkward, what should I do with the string section? The more complex a piece gets, the more problems a composer faces. Studying theory doesn't make one a superb composer, it can teach one how to solve these problems. I've just been screening some works in the Orchestral section on this board, and I've noticed a lot of young composers face these kinds of problems.