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hello everyone, I am back, this is my new piece, hope you like it! The video (portrait): 【微分音钢琴】作品7之2 无标题_哔哩哔哩_bilibili

I'm stil not done with my orchestrations, I will probably come to this section a bunch of times this year haha. What do you think? I believe I managed to portray a dark aura. I still don't know how to assign dynamics to the instruments, any advice for that so I don't have to rely on "mp" and "ppp" so much?

Hi all, This composition is called A Child's Walk. Over the years I have revisited the work .... this version (4th) and has some new transitions, orchestration and a brand new ending. Imagine a young girl going about her walk and encountering lots of interesting encounters along the way. She has a very lively theme ... which by the way is my cell phone ring! Mark Engraving still in progress .... A Child's Walk - 03-10-25.pdf

I’m sure dynamics could improve the piece, thank you! This piece was originally an exercise of my composition class, so maybe that’s why it’s not too complex or harmonically interesting. But I liked it so much (especially the instrumentation) so that’s why I’m sharing it hehe

Hi Peter! Thanks for the feedback and compliment🙂. I tried adding a melody, but it needs work. I might replace the crystal bowls I added with a guitar as a melody. I don't know yet. And yes, I second-guess myself all the time. I added a melody 'cause a friend said it needed one. If I keep going with this, I would say this is 20% done - at most. So much cleaning up to do. Thanks for the advice regarding older files.

Hi @EnriqueMZ! What an unusual piece with a unique instrumentation! Very pretty, but I think it could be improved if you included changes in dynamics to make the music feel more alive and ebbing and flowing! It would also force you to have a specific destination for your phrases. Despite being very good already, dynamically the piece is kind of flat and the chromatic inflections don't take the listener to any new harmonic destinations but instead are just used as a kind of ornament. Thanks for sharing!

Hi @Atlantis_! Glad to see that you're back and still making music after all this time! I see you just edited your file. I remember really enjoying the original one you posted the very first time and thought it was really emotive and perfect for a "fairy garden". This one sounds good too but for me the old one was better. I don't know your work ethic but do you often second-guess yourself and your music? Sometimes in the process of composing we lose objectivity about our own creations - it seems like this might be happening to you. If I were you I would keep all my files and make sure that if I make any sweeping changes to my piece of music that the old versions are kept intact so I can later compare and contemplate whether the changes I made really made my piece better. That's just my 2¢. Thanks for sharing! P.S.: You seem to have a real knack for writing really great music for a specific mood or place for games or cinematic backgrounds!

Hi @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu! This reminds me of the Brahms Intermezzi! After having listened to it a few times it doesn't bother me as much anymore but the modulation into Ab at bar 20 kinda seemed forced or too sudden for me. In general whenever you go into the minor version of a previous dominant sonority it was uncomfortable for me. But I'm used to it now and love the harmonic adventurousness! Ewww! What's with the random pause at bar 37?! And at measure 46 you have a cross-relation between the D in the right hand and the D# in the left in beat 6. Although I don't think it's a mistake LoL. I guess I would have done the same thing in the same situation. The rule I would cite that negates the cross-relation is that you're using the melodic minor scale and since the left hand is ascending and the right is descending it's okay for there to be a difference in chromatic notes in the 6th and 7th degrees of the scale. It's cool that in measure 72 you make a roulade/fioratura figuration variation of the main theme. Your main theme is very easily transformed by inserting a whole bunch of 16th notes in between the melodic notes to make it more virtuosic! Thanks for sharing this fun piece!

Very Schumanesque ..... Lovely. Mark

More please .... Mark

The thing that strikes me most - is the warmth of the music. It reminds a bit of Aaron Copland (Our Town) and Samuel Barber (Summer of 1915). Mark

Hey all, trying something new with my videos. Here is a MIDI sequencer playback of "En Route To Atlantis", which is both the first track on the list and the first one I composed for my "Lost Worlds" album. Let me know what you think.

So I listen to the first movement and a bit of the third movement but focusing on the first movement, I found that it sounded very interesting and sort of like 20th century stuff. It definitely has a unique sound the third Quartet sounds nice and is lively and also it being in a major key at points. I do feel like that all four quartets should be packaged as one piece, but that’s my take on it. You could keep them separate, but I think that each movement would contrast nicely with each other. also, I couldn’t look at the scores for the first and third movement because it just showed up as a blank Google doc

It's very pretty and I think there's a nice counterpoint. I would just point out that the range of the flute intermingles with the violin a bit. Although they are different timbres.

I just discovered the Jazz, Band, Pop, Rock page today. I honestly had no idea this place existed. So here's one of my Rock songs that I wrote, recorded and produced. It will be included on an upcoming EP that I have been working on.

This year, The Capital Hearings presents its 11th Annual Young Composers Competition. We want to hear from you. What do you believe in? What sparks your dreams? What struggles have threatened your faith, whether in goodness or God—and what inspires you to persist? If you feel like you or someone you know has something to say–or find that something you’ve already written might speak to us–we’d love to hear it! Today more than ever, communities around the world are experiencing deep uncertainty and fear. Whether we are experiencing the denial or erasure of basic rights once considered unalienable, or watching helplessly as violence and conflict spawns death and destruction, we are finding it harder and harder to believe in the ideals and ideas that we once cherished—and we are more and more desperate for bright spots to cling to in the midst of confusion and fear. This theme explores faith in the traditional sense. But it also explores different kinds of human belief and faith—faith in love, faith in nationalism, faith in the strength of the human spirit. And it explores how music has helped communities weather storms of varying magnitudes—how humans have used music to express their grief and fear when their faith is shaken, and also to remind us all to keep the faith, even when it feels impossible. All U.S. & Canadian residents aged 18-40 are welcome to submit a 2-5 minute original composition (arranged for mixed, unaccompanied choir) related to this theme, and we especially welcome submissions from unique or underrepresented perspectives – and in unique or underrepresented styles. Submissions are due by May 14, 2025, by 11:59 pm, and a prize of $1,000 will be awarded to the winner. Read the competition rules before submitting, and feel free to share widely with your network!