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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?

I wrote this for fun and exercise. Thank you.

Hi @Luis Hernández, This one is very funny to listen to! Just notice a few things: the double flats in section G looks a bit scary to me haha, and there’s a parallel fifth in b.61 for the stretto. Nonetheless it’s craftily written and I like its light heartedness! I sep. like section E for a little spicier harmony. Thx for sharing! Henry

I like this a lot. It's very creative, daring, always interesting and with a few moments that are just.. beautiful. I agree with others that sometimes the writing is not I think ideal for what you are expressing. My 2c, from hobbyist to hobbyist, mainly would be: play more with sonorities, the four instruments don't all have to play the entire time, and silencing some would enhance some passages, and make the piece even more interesting. It's amazing what you manage to do not moving much if at all from b minor.

OK, here's the second movement, F major 2/4 Allegretto with a 4/4 G major mid section Scorrevole...The general form is ABA' - CD - ABA' and a short coda based on A. I wanted a contrast with the dramatic tone of the first movement, a bit lyrical with the initial arpeggios and the violin triplets and the cello theme in the mid section.

Oh wow, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu! I think you might be busy polishing the sextet hence the no suggestions. I'm sure there's lot to improve. For instance I don't love the connection between b. 34 and 35 but I can't figure out how to do it nicely! But in any case means a lot to hear your praise! Thank you thank you thank you! As per your question, this is embarrassing... So much time has passed since I wrote the first movement that somehow in my head it became f minor (f minor was the main key in development I guess), and so I wrote the last movement in f minor. Then I published this post yesterday and I look at the title and it says... c minor! So now I'm not sure what to do. I can't transpose c into f or f into c, everything would be too high or too low. So I was thinking to minimize damage: first movement transposed from c to d minor. Second movement is and stays in F major. Third is and stays in g minor. Fourth transposed to f to d minor. not ideal, but I can't think of anything better other than rewrite the first or the last movements!

@Henry Ng Tsz Kiu Thanks for taking time to comment! I really like your idea of just trying to write easier pieces. I struggle a lot with, "Is this even good?", if you know what I mean. I'm trying to be balanced regarding what I write, because on the one hand, I don't want to be too picky about every little thing I write, because then, it's easy to lose enthusiasm. But on the other hand, I really hate the idea of wasting anybody's time with something that's really just not worth listening to. Maybe one day, I'll figure it out 🤷‍♂️ Again, thanks for your comment!

Hey @Giacomo925! Long time no see and congrats on your new movement! No doubt I really love it, your writing definitely improves. I really enjoy the energy in this movement! I particularly like b.128 with those imitations! I really don’t have any suggestion since for me it’s really good. Just one question, is this movement the final one or will there be a last movement in tonic c minor? Thx for sharing! Henry

Hi Zack @SergeOfArniVillage, I think the title “impromptu” does give justice to the piece with the more improvisatory character and the drilling of a single motive. Even though you are in a difficult period for composing, your marvellous modulation skill hasn’t lost at all, I love all of them and particularly the Neapolitan ending which for me gives some hope. I really like b.72 when the main theme and its diminution appear together, just like the ending of Beethoven’s op. 110. For me I feel like the use of the same motive is maybe a bit overbearing, and I think you’re trying to escape from the writer’s block shows here. Maybe go for an easier piece or just allow yourself to free from any coherence concern by writing a fantasy? Still I enjoy this one, I definitely feel the pain in it. I had an even worse writer’s block last year starting from May 2025. And I did the same thing with you which is to attempt to break my lack of inspiration in the 2nd movement of my C sharp minor Piano Sonata and I think I succeed, since after that I manage to finish the whole Sonata, the Sextet which lasts for 2 and a half years and some shorter pieces. (May I shameless repost my sonata movement link here lol) I hope your inspiration will slowly recover Zach! Henry

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.

Hi @Ivan1791! I think this writing of yours, especially the 2nd Prelude is very Wagnerian. The 2nd Prelude's first phrase reminds of Wagner's first melodic phrase before the harmony comes in in the Prelude to Tristan & Isolde (at least to me). Your playing of the piano and orchestration are both very expressive and fit nicely into the neo-romantic tradition. They are in fact both very dark indeed, with some occasional parting of the clouds to let the sunlight shine through. Thanks for sharing! Also, I'm sure the reviewers of your music, as well as myself would really appreciate it if you gave them a ❤️ or a 🏆 for the reputation points that corroborate our community! I think it fosters a good and communicative little musical society that we have here. Thank you!

Final Version + Animation of this piece:

Luckily in musescore you can place a dynamic and then change the letters or just place two dynamics and deactivate one and make the good one invisible. I hope this piece gets performed someday by some lucky chance, I want to know how convincing some of my choices would sound in real life.

Thank you very much! I think I might have overdone dynamics but it's better than my past try. 🙂 Yes, it is something that has sparked a new flame in me. Now when I listen to orchestral music I pay attention to new details and it inspires me to write music with a more orchestral language, at least more polyphonic. That's a good idea. Although I was referring more to the use of dynamics. I have heard "ppp" should be used scarcely and "mp" shouldn't be overused either. But in piano they are not too uncommon, so I need to change the mindset regarding dynamics.

Glad to hear from you again, Peter, and also elated to hear your favorite part was around 4:09 since I think the part starting from 3:40 is one of the best I've written thus far. I've tried out your advice beforehand but a problem presents itself in the violin cadenza: I can't tell if this is ok for an orchestral score, because I've never seen anything like this appear even in "Scheherazade". Would love to know both your thoughts on this.

It's probably too late, but I only got around to finishing my little composition today. I wish you all a wonderful new year! Although late, but hopefully my little piece will at least make you happy. Hurray to the snowy countryside for a sleigh ride.

It’s the same Sextet in two years time… I always admire ppl who can write both quickly and greatly at the same time while I can’t at all… But thx!

Oh! Happy Birthday! I hope I have more energy and time for both composing and reviewing….

Hello @Giacomo925, I think all of the feedback about the music has already been said, so I will comment on something seemingly less important, but key to be taken seriously: The score: I think you suffer from overnotation. I can count eight different dynamics in the piano part in the first ten bars, that is without counting the doubling of the dynamics in both staves of the piano plus different ones in the strings. Moreover, The strings are displayed as a piano and not as two different parts. I think this has happened to all of us at some point, as at this moment in time we have music softwares that are not human, and do not understand how music should be performed, so you have to give them lots of instructions, but we have to understand that performers aren’t dumb, and know how to perform a piece correctly. (To clarify, when I say overnotate, I mean the hairpins and dynamic markings are too much, but the slurs, tenutos etc are fine) What surprises me the most is the absence of pedal markings In the piano parts, they are definitely needed in a piece like this and will make the piece much better sounding in this case. To make it look better, the score could be more condensed, as you only have eight to ten bars per page The solution to the overnotating problem (or at least my preferred solution) is to make an extremely overnotated copy of the score, from where you extract the audio. And present a balanced not overnotated score as the sheet music. I hope this helps and thanks for sharing Manuel

Re: redefining metric groupings in any meter; your melody is the heart and soul of your music and (usually) its most deliberate element which should allow you to use it to logically lead changes in metric structure. But the melody has to be rhythmically assertive to pull it off.