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Hello everyone, I've been working quietly behind the scenes away from Young Composers for the past couple of weeks, working on my compositions and even having occasional practice sessions on my violin and piano. One day, I improvised on my piano and recorded it. I played back the video to myself and found the result so touching that I decided to create a complete composition of it on my Finale software. I'm really happy with this work and dream it will be the next "Song from a Secret Garden," both pieces having origins as solo piano pieces and eventually becoming full-blown orchestral works (in my case, "will" become). Yeah, that's a bit too ambitious, but a guy could always dream, right?! :D Your feedback is welcome!(: ~Frank

If you were going for a movie score feel then you got it, because it sounds like the soundtrack for a Marvel movie (not meant as a slight). I do agree with what Peter is saying about the accompaniment overpowering the melodic lines. This is something I have struggled with as well, in sometimes layering too much, and ending up with a muddy mess. It sounds good, but it hinders the ability to focus. I would suggest going through, the softer moments especially, and seeing where you can edit out some of the underscoring, to let the melody shine through a little better.

In the Mood for Love is always my fxxking all time favourite film. I watched it several before but only at home’s small screen. Last week I watched the 4K restoration of director’s cut in cinema’s big screen, and fxxk! I got the music much more! I used to feel like this music boring and only functional, but when I got to the cinema, those pizzicatios are really powerful to reflect what the main characters were thinking! And this must be one of my all time fxxking favourite music. The music matches so well with the film itself (in the video it doesn’t correspond though), and I used to cry watching this scene, this time no exception. Also, freakingly beautiful Maggie Cheng and handsome Tony Leung!! As well as the cinematography and direction and art design and costume design!

Next is Porco Rossi. I have never heard of this until recently even though it’s a miyazaki film! My favourite must be this one, with the piano version arranged as the set piece for ABRSM grade 8 piece lol: To be honest I love this only after watching the film. I got the resigned and helpless feeling of the music only after watching the film, knowing what Porco Rosso had faced. It’s an insanely good film as well, very unexpected to what I expect in Miyazaki’s film!

I have watched quite a lot of films these few weeks and I will share the music one by one! First is Kiki the Delivery Service. Probably this is my favourite. It’s the agitated version of the main theme of the film music when there’s a disaster happening in the town. I love how the danger is depicted with some sort of funniness.

Hi Luis! Thank you! I just try my newly acquired style after the Sextet and I quite like the result here. Never listen to Cowell’s piece even though his name is the same as me lol, but honestly I don’t like his idea to hurt the piano strings! Henry

Hi my bro, As I have heard all of these before, I think they would be suitable for intermediate children pianist. I like you’re trying to vary your style which is always nice for a composer no matter the result is, and the result here is good. My favourite is poem no.1. No.2 and 3 are quickly funny and I like them too. Thx for sharing! Henry

I just threw up several times yesterday and actually don’t get well for two whole weeks so I am less active here lol…

Hi @user011235! I like this especially the piano interlude in b.18. Just one thing, are you sure you want the high Bb from the soprano? It’s quite a high note for the singer and I feel like the drama isn’t that high to have that high note! I don’t see the use of the high note frequently in a Lied. Thx for sharing your old piece! Henry

Hi @Alant, Actually I like it as it acts like a good ostinato! For me you can keep adding instruments as different layers with the increasing of layers and colours to increase the intensity of the piece, just like Ravel’s Bolero. Henry

Hi Pabio! I love the hunting character of the fugue! For me I would have the 2nd subject in a less hunting character, as to provide a contrast with the 1st subject as well as a easier counterpoint between the two subjects, because like Luis I would also love to have the two subjects coincide with each other. I love the stretto in b.84, even if it’s not a very strict one! I like the less polyphonic cadenza too, I love contrasting texture. Thx for sharing! Henry

3rd movement: Nice melody, and like the arppegiated octave theme. Nice playing in b.23! The theme in b.53 reminds me of the turbulent theme in Chopin’s Fantasies in F minor. Again b.66 should have a Meno Mosso marking I think. 4th movement: I like the reintroduction of the motive from 1st movement with tremolo under it like the coda of 1st movement. I think you can change the key signature earlier. I love the outburst in b.15! It’s kind of foreshadowed in mov.3. The modulation to E major is very unexpected and a nice change! Probably the warmest key ever especially as the tritone key, like how I use that in my Clarinet Quintet and Sextet LoL! I lie b.133 since it’s probably the first time you introduce imitations between hands! You should do more of that! The Rachmanioffian E minor theme is a nice change of the consolation theme! I have no comment towards the ending since I like it. I love the ending too! Who’s not alone in the world, especially for artists! You should be, especially given how difficult this is to perform! Well done Jonathon and thx for sharing! Henry

Hey Jonathon! @ComposaBoi Thx for your review on my Sextet, I am going to return the favour to your huge work lol! 1st movement: I like the beginning, though I feel like it can has less repetition and moves more quickly away to the 2nd theme. I like the D flat Major theme as it sounds like Liszt, but I find the exposition repetition too much personally, especially with the very slow first theme! I love the development, it’s much more dramatic especially when tremolo is introduced at the latter half. I also love your modulation to G major, a very distant key as consolation giving its refreshing quality. I love the retransition to B flat Major very much, as with all those diminished 7ths it sounds really Lisztian. I find the B flat Major theme as it bit short, so the return back to tonic minor a bit abrupt for me, but the 1st theme sounds much better with tremolo under it. The reintroduction of 2nd theme in coda is unexpected for me, but it’s lovely. 2nd movement: Like the waltz theme and your flat 6th to denote the dangerous tonic minor. Love the G minor theme, but I find the transition to the quicker variant of A minor in b.93 a bit abrupt for me. Maybe a longer dominant preparation before modulating to A minor? It helps both the transition of harmony and speed. I love your return to the open transition from the 1st movement before returning to the 2nd movement first theme! The quick part reminds me of the Scherzo of Chopin’s 2nd movement, though less crazy here haha. B.222 should add a further Meno Mosso for an even slower tempo!

Thank you very much! This is a very gratifying discovery. Thank you for the time you have given to the composition. I wish you all the best.

There were issues in the past: ---------------------------

Oh boy, I didn't realize there was an issue with the previously uploaded audio. Must've been something to do with the MS4 Studio Exporting. I apologize for that! I exported the audio from the MS.com website this time.

I do agree with you on the issue of balancing, and I can also see how the melodic choices I made didn't contribute much toward melodic development. As I said in my response to the initial feedback you gave, I went through with a new friend of mine who was willing to take his free time to instruct me on some of the Music Theory material that I was unfamiliarized with, that related to some of the things he noticed wrong with it, which were much in line with what your critique of it has been so far. So moving forward, I'll be looking to improve upon what you've mentioned, among other things as well. do always appreciate your feedback, and will be using this information to further progress my skill in dabbling with composition. And I do hope that you were able to enjoy this piece, despite the issues with it. I feel that with this one, I at least had some awesome chord modulations 😅 Especially there at the end, modulating back to the original key of F minor, just before the transition from strings harmonies to brass harmonies.

Hi Petr..... Let me one of the 1st to Congratulate you on a Fine-Performance Your compostion has a Professionalism equal to what one hears, on Mainstream-commercial Classical music Radio stations.

Hi everyone, I would like to share with you my first major composition: a string quartet. My compositional style is evident in it, which is quite unusual, but at the same time I think it is accessible to a wider audience. I'd appreciate it if you gave it a listen! Thank you! https://youtu.be/WPfU9OKB8Aw?si=EFZEiZDdlTbWXOnu

I finished the other two movements hooray!! Here's the YouTube upload. Please let me know what you think so I might apply the advice for future piano works 🙂 As for the piece itself, it's so personal to me I'm not willing to change anything, though I recognise it's not flawless. I think it is my very best piano piece and I'm extremely proud of it despite its issues. I'll do a rundown of the piece real quick so ya'll know what to expect. Movement 1. Sonata form, both themes are derived from the same rhythmic idea. A theme for desolation and a theme for consolation, which alternate in rotations becoming less and less certain until neither resolve. closes on a 6 4 chord. attaca into... Movement 2. Ternary form. A is a waltz with violent interruptions. B is more restless and dramatic. The return to A is based on first movement closing 6 4. Ending of A is infected with B motifs. Closes with a satisfying cadence at last. Movement 3. Ternary form. This movement is meant to be "looking back" at the events of the previous movements. B section is turbulent again. A section returns. The movement closes with a chorale "prayer." attaca into... Movement 4. Sonata form. Opens with a return to the consolation motifs from movement 1. First theme is dramatic and modulates constantly. Second theme is a combination of consolation and prayer. The climax of the development (and I think the climax of the whole piece really) with the minor version of the consolation theme from the first movement is in E minor which is a tritone away from tonic key. Recap has no proper second theme, only fragments. It ends resolved on a single note all by itself. All alone. Thank you for listening and for any feedback :3

Yeah that chord i was wanting to change in bar 14. As for experimenting with rhythm I sorta kept it simple just cuz I don't really have lots of experince playing this type of music. Right now I'm learning Schoenburgs op11 so hopefully some of his ideas rub off on me. I usually write what I can play but even still I think I could've added triplets or sixteenth notes at the least to vary it. I'll see about adding more experimentation in terms of rhythm.

Hey @Rafael Avila! Thanks for posting this here! I enjoyed some of the harmonies created by this set! The set itself is interesting being created by two 5ths a half step apart (A, Bb, E, F). I think the piece sounds kind of strange sometimes at points where there's strong consonances where I would expect a dissonance (like at bar 14, beat 2). Also, this is a good experiment in using a set (presumably the first time you've tried writing a piece using a set?). But it does come off kind of like an exercise because of the constant, mechanical and metronomic pulse and almost exclusive use of only 8th notes and quarter notes. You have a ritardando towards the last chord which does function well to make the piece feel like it concludes well (and the last chord is also pretty cool - a Bb maj7 #11)! But the rest of the piece kind of ambles along at a constant unchanging tempo which feels very pedestrian. There are so many more individual musical gestures to be made using triplets and more complex rhythms and quicker or accelerating and decelerating note values. I just feel like there is so much more experimentation to be made here - but it's definitely a good first try at a piece using a set! Thanks for sharing!

How do non-musicians listen to music? Their all waiting for a FEELING.........if you cant provide that FEELING..........You've lost them,Theyv'e Clicked-Off . "You never get a second chance to make a first impression"

Hi this is a piano piece I'm working on, it's almost done and needs some touching up. It uses a set. Would love feedback and thoughts on it.

Really good work! I love the trills in the winds against the prominent lower strings that starts around the 2:00 mark. The one thing I would advise is with the snare part starting at measure 48 could be a little repetitive. Maybe adding in an upbeat hit every other measure to break it up could work.