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Hello Peter, Thank you for your quick reply to this. I do think your point is very valid, in that the child may need time to really absorb the harmonies and rhythms; I've also included a few unorthodox hand crossings which makes the technique trickier. Now that I think of it, the capybara piece would probably be a mid to late intermediate piece. As for the tempo, I just thought there should be a very subtle and gradual ritardando into the B section(measure 71) starting from measure 57. Perhaps, if I recorded my own piece, the quirky tempo change would be more clear. I'll try to work on learning it myself. very happy you enjoyed the capybara piece, though. It definitely took a while to conceive and the whole piece pretty much grew out of the idea at measure 101 - 104. I am also quite glad I am finding my own style with the piece, though perhaps the blend of styles could be a bit smoother in my subsequent numbers.

Any and all feedback (for example if the high arpeggio notes are too repetitive) and advice is appreciated. I like the piece but can’t really think of any new ideas for it

Thanks for listening and sharing! Yeah, I struggled with the form quite a bit. It's my first time ever writing a piece this long. I had sketched out all of those different ideas based on the opening motive, so then "the material dictates the form" Yes the piece is definitely tonal, but the note selection is a bit more modern. There is no tertiary harmony at all, for instance, except maybe incidental passing notes. I would describe it as "neotonal". I like tonality enough and will likely always write in that style.

uploaded a new version with score! check it out 🙂

uploaded a new version with score! check it out 🙂

i uploaded a new version with score! check it out 🙂

I was asked to add score so this time I will do it properly

It's been a while since I've done work in progress stuff. So, in order to stay motivated, I'm gonna post some progress on this revision. I've been in the mood for doing revision of my older pieces, and I wanna rework them with my current knowledge of composition. I've mentioned before that I've been doing some rework on the Alula Variations but I'd probably put it in indefinite pause. With that said, I really love the themes in this but I felt like I could do better with the current version. I've thickened up the accompaniment, added and varied the articulations on both instruments, experimented with dynamics, added a bunch of ornaments, neighbor notes, passing notes, counter point, you name it, added more variety to the harmony, and tinkered with the registral characteristics of the clarinet and used them to my advantages. I especially liked the quasi dance-like rhythm on the current version so I've made the rhythm clearer and more pronounced on that section. I've rewritten the cadenza so it actually contains previous materials and not just some random arpeggios. Although, I've not inputted in the notes on the score yet. You could listen to it on the audio, however. Anyways, feedbacks are always appreciated, tysm. Here's the old version for comparison.

An interesting piece. But my main quibble: a lot of material that follows one another and in the end doesn't create a sense of unity. Yes, I think that, partially, the goal you raise is achieved. There are a multitude of “modern” techniques here and there. Some things I think are excessive (like pizzicato chords, that has to sound like arpeggiated). But in many other moments, most of them, the piece sounds tonal. Not that I'm wrong..... But, believe me, knowing how to get out of the cage of tonal and functional music, successfully, is not easy at all. I think that, whatever you want to do, the overall structure of the work is essential, and it's something we must consider from the beginning.

@Luis Hernández that's cool. I didn't know (and don't know theory so probably couldn't do much about it even if I did). So, purely co-incidence...

Today, harmony in fourths is considered dissonant, except perhaps in contemporary music. But in ancient times, fourths were consonant, so they have an ancestral air.

Thanks for your comments @Luis Hernández. I really hope it can be performed by real humans and real instruments one day... Did you mean they sounded old as in more consonant, or with a certain dissonance?

I want to write some simple choral music and I see that very often the tenor part plays easily and comfortably at least an octave above middle C. I've bought some high quality Solo Voice samples from VSL. The problem is that when they go anywhere near that sort of range the tenor sounds strained and struggling and it doesn't sound very natural. Other voices also seem to struggle in their upper registers. Is there a reason for this? Is it a known issue with these samples that this problem arises? What can I do about it?

Hello... Whenever I see Nocturno, it always catches my attention. Although it is not a totally defined genre, I like very much to hear how everyone interprets this question. One impression I get from the piece is that it has a lot of different material and could be used for more than one nocturne. But the choice is always up to the composer. To me it seems like a rhapsodic nocturne..... In this sense, I think it loses a little bit the formal or organizational sense of a nocturne. These usually have very defined structures of parts. Which does not prevent it from being equally enjoyable. There are some issues that seem original to me and that, I think, work well, like not giving any note in the bass at the beginning of the first beat.

Hello... It's fine to write short things as ideas, but they can also be thoroughly worked out and result in something on their own. Here's what happens here. I don't value a work less or more for its length. In fact, I always prefer to dispense with exactly the same repetitions etc. This Poème has a polyrhythmic language very well embedded. Apart from making good use of the piano's latesitura in that little time. I also think it has a great sense of melody. It is very good.

Took the Liberty of Processing Part of your composition,starting @313.00..............into the Studio-pre-CD Master-Max™ to ascertain the final CD prosessed sound of your composition,which i found quite impressive. Re-Edit : Added..."60 Second Condensed Main-Theme" feel free to remove & delete,if you find it offensive. Start 313.00 Studio-pre-CD Master-Max.mp3 60 Second Condensed Main-Theme.mp3

I have listened to the whole thing again with the score. True, you can tell it comes out of Cubase, but enough to see a lot of things. I really like the vocal lines and the harmonies sometimes sounding like “old”, for intervals today considered less consonant. I also saw better the role of the violin, pity that the sound is only passable. It is also emotional.

Of course, it is very different... It's the kind of vocal treatment that reminded me of that opera. The Window of Appearances

Hi y'all, second post on this forum... Here's a piece I finished a while back. Hope you like it!

Hi y'all, first post here :) My assignment was to write a piece that used multiple kinds of "modern" harmony. I settled on a motive harmonized quartally, which could also be a PC set [0,2,5]. This informed all the variations throughout the piece. Hope you like it!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW What a piece. I've listened to it many times now. Movement 1 Part 1: I love all the pentatonic themes, they're extremely beautiful, especially the one at m. 35 derived from your clarinet quintet, I just wish the audio was a little clearer and brought them out over the texture better. The texture itself is great too. However, the idea that appears first at m. 19 I think is too textural for my taste, almost as if there should be something more melodious overtop of it. The sequencing at m. 111-114, I would include tenuto marks along with the slur which is the more standard way to notate it, and it's clearer to performers what to do. For example, we know with Beethoven's Grosse Fuga, some performers play the slurred quarter notes as half notes, and others play them as quarter notes in one bowing. you do similar things throughout the piece. Some more positive thoughts I had, at rehearsal mark F, it sounds like a call to action! And all the modulating and texture at the end of this first part makes me think of a violent river 🌊 Movement 1 Part 2: I think my favorite part of the movement. Provides a good contrast, but still sounds oriental, so it doesn't feel out of place to the soundscape you've thus far presented. The contrapuntally dense section immediately following the fugato is so powerful!! 🤯 The next part is almost too sparse after that, and not a whole lot really happens for me. My first listen I remember being tempted to skip ahead because I was kind of getting bored 😕 I'm glad for the lighter, simpler mood, and I think it's well earned, just maybe a little too sparse for my taste. The transition back to the beginning atmosphere is epic though 😎 Movement 1 Part 3: Similar thoughts to part 1. Great melodies that are hidden by the texture, not by your fault, but just the audio. The ending is satisfying enough to close the movement but still leaves enough for me to want to listen more. ~~~ Movement 2 Part 1: The sheer pain I hear in the first sections of this part. I think it's too raw for it to warrant or need any criticism. I once again wish the audio could bring out the melody clearer, but it's better here than in the last movement I suppose. I will say about notation this is not how you should notate this. 8th notes already have one tail, so it only needs 2 tremolo lines. Likewise, a 16th would only need 1 tremolo line, etc. The section starting at m. 92 makes me emotional. Well done. The following section is a good break, and was perfectly timed. Had the first section gone on any longer, I would have felt maybe that it was too long, but here it's the perfect length. m.179-182 is oddly very beautiful to me. Almost a taste of what the idea from m.92 would be in a better light. And immediately following, back to tragedy, AGH 😫 Movement 2 Part 2: THE 6 VOICE FUGUE 😮 I don't feel qualified to properly go over your counterpoint and I understand it's not supposed to be the strictest fugue. It sounds correct to me, and it certainly does a good job at expressing what it's meant to, which is the MOST important thing of course. Now, you're going to hate me for this, but I think the cellos being so close so often is really really muddy and creates extremely unpleasant overtones. It might be better with real cellos, probably not though, I wouldn't ride on it. Again, the counterpoint is really great to me, the modulations are smooth and so dramatic, and I love it. I don't want to hate on it, it's just really muddy 🙈 you fix the muddiness later in the fugue which is nice. Movement 2 Part 3: Final part!! The start really makes you feel like it's preparing for something. It makes me excited for the end every time!! As someone trained in singing gregorian chant, I think the chant section is VERY effective, and I love the beautiful passionate chords between 🥹 The turning point and the build to the original Tao material is wonderful too and definitely well-earned after all that! The themes are beautiful like before, and they feel freer almost. It's like a fireworks celebration!! A very good and satisfying and Chinesy ending xP Overall, I think it's definitely a masterpiece and deserves all the praise it's getting and more, (except maybe the deification of you from Fugax Contrapunctus xD). However, I'm sorry but I think I'm partial to your clarinet quintet because I still enjoy that more, or maybe I just like sad music 😛 Anyways thanks for sharing your wonderful music.

Hi @Elad_Hevron! Great job on this quartet! I would also like to see a score. I especially love the canonic imitation in the last movement. The last movement actually reminds me a bit of Bach's Concerto for 2 Harpsichords BWV 1060. The 3rd movement of that work is really reminiscent of the style and first few notes of your 3rd movement of this quartet. I don't know if you're familiar with that work but I highly recommend the 1st and 3rd movements! Thanks for sharing!

Most pleasant! Is there a score we could see too?

Thank you so much for your writeup and listen! I hope you never have to feel the world crumble around you, especially alone. I don’t know your life, but I can relay that the removal of autonomy of your body really can make perception itself seem like it is melting. yes, annoying high winds are annoying. Perhaps childish of me. Luckily for you, I only like to toy with sounds instead of overly lean into them. So, done and away as quick as it came! I think it creates a cool juxtaposition, though, which is why I wrote high winds in the 3 sections I did. What do you want to steal? By all means, take it! I am especially proud of the celli melody split by quarter tones. And any quarter tone chords in the leadup to the end. Honestly the chords in this piece are just so hecking rad. Never heard anything like it.

Hello Evan, After reading through your post and listening to the music, I can feel a lot of struggle and suffering, as well as descent into madness(portrayed quite vividly in that last chord). Especially living alone, My biggest fear has always been to wake up one day and realize I am trapped inside my body. I have to agree with Peter's last post that this has a unique sound-world, but it is also a haunting one. Although a few sections are a little too gritty to my ear(high-pitched winds), you've incorporated so many novel techniques worth exploring, and perhaps I'll incorporate those into my pieces too if you don't mind. Really hope you get better soon.