Leaderboard

So I thought to start a topic about all the different kinds of exercises musicians/composers might do. Do you do any (and what kind if you do) warm-up exercises on your instrument when you first start playing for the day? Do you do any particular etudes that get your fingers (or arms/hands for percussion) nimble? Do you do any exercises before composing such as ear-training? (and what tools/websites do you use to train your ear?) Do you do any singing exercises? Are you currently doing any composition exercises such as practice transitioning between two unrelated themes, or four-part chorale writing? (which I guess would also qualify as a voice-leading exercise) Have you done any orchestration exercises? What about transposition exercises?

I have made some more progress on that sonata of mine, but I'm stuck now as I don't know whether to stay in minor or go to major for the passage for which I have already written the violin part. I haven't put in any dynamics or slurs yet as those typically come last in my compositional process. Bar 21 is where it goes from the A section that emphasizes relative motion to the B section that emphasizes parallel motion. Bar 22 starts an Alberti bass texture. And speaking of parallel, Bar 40 is where it moves from D major to the parallel D minor. And Bar 48 is where my composer's block hit. You see, starting at Bar 48 and continuing to Bar 55, the violin does a circle of fifths motion from Bb to F to C. This and the melody itself scream major key(I mean just look at Bar 55, it screams C major chord). However, I don't want to go to a major key too early, as I intend to return back to the D major Alberti bass via some foreshadowing. So I figure staying in a minor key, and having Bar 55 actually be in A minor would fit the B section better. On the other hand, if you just take the melody into account and nothing else, you get what I stated before, a circle of fifths motion through major keys. And this is partly why I've been having that composer's block with this sonata, is because essentially, the major and minor are battling each other in my head, each having their pros and cons and I don't know which to do. Do I thwart the melody's major key intentions to make the return to D major all that more climactic by doing a Gm -> Dm -> Am motion in the cello? Or do I keep the melody's intentions intact by moving to major through the circle of fifths, but at the risk of having a very obvious G -> A7 -> D following it. I don't want to make the D major too obvious and I'm worried that if I keep the major key of the melody, the cadence to D major will be too obvious. And since I'm wanting to foreshadow the return of the D major Alberti bass, an obvious cadence to D major would defeat the purpose of that foreshadowing because you already know the D major is coming. Even evading the cadence and moving to B minor wouldn't really be a viable option as that's the key of the A section and so would be bringing the movement to a close too early. Here's what I have so far of the second movement of my sonata.

I would like to enter as entrant. But if there aren't enough judges I could help, but only if it's really necessary. xD Also, that short melody at the end of the post is the one we have to use for the competition, right?

Yes. It took me over a year to get Feux Follets into any sort of shape but it does contain a lot of material that can be replicated elsewhere! Liszt put almost no pedal markings in and I wanted to play it that way. Most "professionals" have the pedal down the whole time blurring the harmony and detail, and making it sound more like stirring treacle than will-o-the-wisps!! But it is easier to play like that as un-smoothness gets covered up. As for hand exercises, a teacher gave me a book called 'the Cowling System'. I never looked back. Also made an octave stick. As our supermarket Tesco says: "Every little helps". But you've done well enough with Chopin's studies, surely? They aren't easy at all and I'd fear to even think of trying with most of them. No 12 Op 25 appeals but it looks horrendous. Well done with those. It rather puts you in the virtuoso bracket I'd say. EDIT: I still don't know how to divide up a quote, like you can split the quoted post into separate parts to answer points separately. Obviously I'm a bit dim. .

Do you mean the Transcendental Etudes? If you can play any of those you're definitely a virtuoso in my book! I've played some Chopin Etudes myself but I don't use them as a warm-up! LoL The Revolutionary and the Aeolian Harp etude are among the easier ones and I've also tried my hand at the Op. 10 No. 1 Etude in C major and the "Winter Wind" Etude is probably the most difficult that I've ever tried to learn. I twiddle my thumbs and I've so far been unsuccessful at learning how to twiddle a pen/pencil between my fingers LoL...

I would like to enter as an entrant.

I guess another question I should ask is: do you find the exercises that you do gratifying, beneficial and effective in honing the particular skills that you're practicing with that exercise? I've known many musicians that have struggled with making their practice time more effective and meaningful.

Ok thanks!

I would like to enter as an entrant.

Oh, cool! Another competition! I'll be happy to judge again.

Hi Joshua, see my note to Quinn just above. Sorry for the confusion.

Hi Quinn, sorry for the confusion. As a general announcement: You don't have to use the whole piece, just the fragment that was identified in the member voting post. I will post it here as well to hopefully clear up any confusion about that.

I'd like to enter as an entrant.

"Takashi Yoshimatsu, "Waltz of Rainbow Colored Roses" " Oh God-d-d. It's in a key by the look of that b-shaped thing immediately after the clef.......I presume if one enters, one need take no notice of that and doesn't have to follow the harmonic pattern. Edit: Crikey, it's LONG. Entrants have to do a make-over of the whole thing? It'll take a day copying it into the daw.

Hi, could I ask it I could use only a shortened version of the piece as a theme for a theme and variations? Or do I need to quote the piece in full if I were to use that form?

I would like to enter as an entrant!

I would like to enter as an entrant

I would like to enter as a participant. I'm very much looking forward to this.