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Hi there! It's been a while, mostly because of internet issues. Hopefully everyone around here has been well :) I never share much about these, I figure I'll start trying to be better about that. Because of said internet issues, I started focusing on writing by hand, and it's been great. As I translated back and forth from paper to Sibelius, I felt my voice was more intimate and clear, without the possibilities of what a computer can do. Especially for dynamics, just reading the score without playback has been instrumental in getting better at envisioning dynamics. Maybe that sounds dumb, but it's been a plus in my new writing habits. I've actually more or less finished all of these (there are 24 in total), I've just been touching up scores. I'll probably give a few weeks in between each post, but the goal is regular posting. These preludes aren't preludes to fugues or any other planned pieces, but rather preludes to a future voice I'm always amending and crafting. I also think a prelude should be somewhat experimental, and with each one I've strived to have some interesting nugget to explore compositionally that I haven't before. With this one, No. 17, I wanted an abstract rhythm to be dominant, for the tonal center to be constantly moving, and a palindrome-like form as a structure. This is one of the strangest of the bunch, and as always, and advice or comments are welcome! I hope you enjoy 😁 Prelude 17.mp3 Prelude 17 - Full Score.pdf

Opposed to orchestral percussion, percussion ensembles usually get alot more room, which allows them to position instruments where its easy to transfer. Also mallet bags assist with this. Truthfully the rule about giving alot of time for percussionists is only if you do not know what their set-up will look like. However if you can calmly and easily switch in a quick time, then there is no issue.

Good evening, Many of you know me as a die hard zealot of the common practice period. But I have been experimenting recently with model / non-functional harmony. My reason for this centre largely on my admiration for the music of Jeremy Soule (famous as the composer of the video game series 'Elder Scrolls'), the film music of Howard Shore (e.g. LOTR) as well as my general appreciation of minimalism (Max Richter, for example). In many respects the theoretical basis of modal and non-functional harmony could not be more different - even sacrilegious - compared with CCP given the more 'liberal' approach to voice leading. For example, there is often an appetite for omitting the third of a chord for the effect it produces can be aligned with the 'scene' being supported (e.g. inducing a feeling of emptiness and mystery) as well as usage of consecutive 5ths to produce an 'archaic' style of voice (which could work if the scene involves exploration of a dark, ancient ruin, for example). Thus, with this type of music, what matters is less the 'rules' than the effect the writing produces. This has fascinated me. Although my own background, in which many of these 'rules have been embedded into my consciousness, taking this different approach to music has its challenges. It is all too tempting to revert to the voice leading that I know best. But it doesn't necessarily need to be one or the other... perhaps I can combine the two approaches. So I share with you my first serious attempt at this style. A few notes on my approach: In the first half, I prioritize establishing a tonal centre around C & G. The E is intentionally omitted to create tonal ambiguity - are we in C minor or C major? The first violin opens with a central motif that I later manipulate and exchange between the different voices at various pitches. This motif applies chromaticism that further adds mystery to the tonal centre Resolutions are avoided in a traditional sense: the cadence may end on an inversion without the third. Only towards the end of the piece do I start to apply resolutions but not without several evasions, before finishing with a compound cadence that marks the first and only moment with a complete cadence. Naturally I'd like to hear your thoughts. What do you feel? Also - those experienced in this type of music - what could I have done better? With thanks, Markus Weariness.mp3 Weariness.pdf

Hello, It's been a blast listening to all your pieces for the past few weeks. I joined this forum many years ago when I was a "young composer". Writing music has always been a hobby of mine, though I am no longer a "young composer". I have a career, I have a family and I have kids. So, this is a song about my two boys. I wrote a set of 14 piano pieces for my kids meant to be played as a set last year. I've been working on getting the sheets engraved nicely and making some nice recordings at home on a grand piano. This one is called Kid's Perfect. It's a bit of a play on words I guess. The idea behind this piece is that I'm just messing around with perfect fifths. The twist is that I challenged myself to only play 6 sequential perfect fifth notes in any bar/phrase. So, it all starts with FCGDAE, or the first 6 notes of the C major scale rearranged, or a D minor 11 chord. I guess it's all the same thing in some ways. But I try to make it a bit more interesting later on. Thanks for listening, and let me know what you guys think. If you crank the volume up, you get to hear the rich harmonics that resonate in the piano sound board. https://youtu.be/U4IetXzY2Us

OK. They’re different things. I don’t think these systems can be compared because their foundations are very different. That doesn’t prevent them from being used in combination or simultaneously. What I said in my previous message applies to anything in music. If you introduce something completely unrelated to what’s playing—suddenly—and it doesn’t reappear… it will be perceived as a mistake. That’s why, if I were to do something like that (and I know I’ve done it many times—after all, modal exchange in tonal harmony is based on this very principle), I would combine both systems as the piece unfolds, so that it doesn’t sound strange. Repetition in music gives a piece familiarity, coherence, and memorability. Another way to do this—though I think it goes beyond what you’re aiming for, since it sounds much more radical—is what was common in Bartók’s music: polymodal chromaticism. That is, writing simultaneously in two modes. One can be tonal and functional, and the other can be non-tonal. Here: BARTÓK: CROMATICISMO POLIMODAL

@Lithl I agree with your comments. I had considered lengthening the opening, actually. I couldn’t quite pull it off but there must be an effective way to extend the idea. It’s interesting that you and @Luis Hernández expressed disengagement with the ending, that is the first and only genuine tonal cadence. My rationale was an attempt to somehow merge the tonal and modal into a simple and relatable narrative: anguish first, uncertainty in direction that follows, before a somber finish with a picardie third cadence that offers some form of renewal. That was the concept, anyway. I can certainly play around with it more, but i have a question… If a tonal conclusion is not satisfactory for this type of music, where the expectation is perhaps sustain ambiguity above all, how should it end? I am aware of layering technique in this genre, where essentially in the latter sections the music just falls away - disintegrates if you will - as a collapse. It leaves not resolution but a lingering unease. In the ‘more’ tonal music of Jeremy Soule, he sometimes ends the music with a central motif but with ‘messy harmony’ with ‘sonorities’ that correspond not with the harmony but contribute towards a lush atmosphere that sounds beautiful but does not make much logical sense. I’ll share it, if you want to hear.

Apart from you there's always one guy who can never get "Better than Thatguy" badge: @Thatguy v2.0 himself lol!

Allow me to offer my interpretation: When it comes to the basics of music composition, there are two fundamental concepts/ vocabulary: Melody and Harmony. Melody describes the side-to-side motion of music. Harmony is the up-and-down motion of music, aka chords. Think of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, or of your favorite movie theme; what you might notice is that you can sing or hum the tune pretty close, however can you also sing the chords? Most likely, the answer should be no, as chords contain multiple notes played together/ at the same time, which is something the average person cannot do. Thus, when it comes to creating a melody or adding harmony, we tell our brain to think in one or two ways. As Markus was describing, the entire ensemble plays the same note/ pitch a lot. Straight away, looking at beat one of measures (mm.) one and two, both Violins and Viola play the same pitches: Bar 1 = F4 (F above middle C), Bar 2 = D4 (D right next to middle C). When played live by a quartet, you'll immediately hear that the music doesn't sound "full" or "rich," instead, it will just sound like the same note distinctly louder than the cello. If you want the ensemble to sound full, you need the instruments to occupy the other pitches of a chord. Since you say this work is in D-minor, then immediately in the opening chord, we expect to see D-F-A. However, your chord is missing an A-natural and the result is a thin sound. To give body and foundation to the opening bar, add an A-natural in the Viola, and move Violin 2 down to D-natural. By making a change such as this, you will make the opening chord strong and resonant; to add, with F-natural being in Violin 1, it will naturally stand out and draw attention to the instrument versus having three instruments do the same thing. Now apply this thinking to other measures in the work. Instead of doubling pitches and repeating things, try to fill out the instruments by making them sustain different pitches of a chord; allow them to be unique and enjoyable. Attached on this comment is my educational PDF, and mp3 for the examples, on understanding Melody and Harmony. It was made for a different user, so please excuse the pronouns or context in the latter half of the document. (Which I need to update). PDF-Undstanding Melody.pdfPDF-Undstanding Melody.mp3

Hi @GMoneywroteasong ! I think you should just keep the meter displayed as 13/8 but change how the 8th notes are beamed/grouped in your piece accordingly in each bar. I think this also allows you to have different instruments group the 8ths notes differently specific to what they are doing. I once wrote a piece that was in 5/4 but with many instruments playing in two groups of 5/8, each half of the bar being grouped again differently depending on the specific situation as 2+3/8 or as 3+2/8. The only problem I see is that of such a piece being conducted. In my case, the conductor would still conduct the piece in 5/4 as that was the displayed time signature. But the individual instruments would be encouraged to count the piece in 5/8 if their part was displayed that particular way. In your case you could display your rhythms like so: The notes are clearly grouped, and even if not using 8th notes can still be grouped according to the beat lengths you described, regardless of what kind of particular rhythm they might be playing. Hope this helps!

Becoz there ain't no fairy tales in modern world now lolol 😝 Also it reminds you drinking more milk lolol

Hello everyone. I have two very different pieces I'd like to show you guys First is my etude in E major, which I composed a few months ago. The overall form is very much like chopin etudes, but the harmonic language, particularly in the b section, can become more like late liszt or even impressionism. The main exercise of the etude is a focus on voicing and keeping the fast right hand very light, which is difficult since the voiced notes are double stemmed with the 16th note arpeggiated-like figure. The right hand can also get a little awkward in certain parts, the left hand requires specific articulation, and I even wrote the piece using 3 staves. The pedaling is also a big challenge, and I myself struggle with it as you may hear in the recording. With all that said, while I believe it’s very musically difficult, it is definitely nowhere close to the harder chopin and liszt etudes technically, but I hope you found it interesting to listen to and let me know what you guys think. Heres my recording: https://youtube.com/shorts/_oecn04h1xg Then this is my second etude in C# minor, the one after the one in E major, which is more recent. The main challenge of the etude is maintaining a cantabile melody in the left hand thumb (and index finger), alongside a smooth rolled chord gesture in the same hand, and a rapid, but light, right hand with a 10 note tuplet in 32nd notes, which acts as a sort of ostinato. As you can tell from listening to the piece, it is very different from the first etude, which was more chopinesque in form, lisztian in harmony (particularly mid period liszt), and slightly impressionistic in texture. In this etude, however, I decided to expand further on the impressionistic aspect of my writing, experimenting with these flowing textures and ambiguous harmonies through devices like polyrythms and tuplets, changes in meter, the arpeggiated like flow of the right hand ostinato, having two different time signatures with the same number of beats working together in measures (for example having 12/8 and 4/4 or 9/8 and 3/4 together, and ravel does exactly this in “une barque sur l’ocean” in his miroirs), as well as using extended harmonies and other other random harmonic stuff i figured out through hearing these composers and improvisation which may be too difficult to explain in this text lol. Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this composition, I learned a lot of new things through it, I hope you enjoy it, and let me know what yall think. Here is the recording: https://youtube.com/shorts/JzwQNJA4yO8 Etude in E major - Full Score.pdf Etude in C-Sharp Minor, No 2 - Full Score.pdf

just what the title says also pls give rating out of 10 string quratet 1.mp3

You have created a guide on harmony! Awesome! So many of us are prepared to impart knowledge and experience without a single penny. I think such things are a wonderful testament to the commitment and passion of this community.

Yeah, I have a lot of feedback actually So, what about this exactly makes it a Chaconne? According to Britannica: "The musical form of the chaconne is a continuous variation, usually in triple metre and a major key; it is generally characterized by a short, repeating bass line or harmonic progression." I would be sure you know what the type of piece your writing is before naming it such. Musically, there are a lot of issues that need correction, and generally I think more care could be taken when writing this piece. Since it seems you're trying to write in a classical style, I will judge it that way. First of all, provide dynamics! Is it forte, piano? where would the dynamics change? Rehearsal markings are for rehearsals. Since this is a solo piano piece, you don't need rehearsal markings. You also don't need them every 4 bars. To mark the new variations, simply use double bar lines. Next, the left-hand block chords are really clunky. This is partly because they frequently jump around in root position. Even when writing keyboard music, keep voice leading in mind. But also, the simple fact they're block chords lends to its clunky nature. The left hand is providing accompaniment, and block chords are just uninteresting. Give some rhythm to it. Or make them broken chords in some way. The right hand has no melody, just broken chords, until bar 9, and then it goes away again. This is a Chaconne, a type of theme and variations, what exactly is being varied. The melodic writing itself is workable, but unclear. The notes you pair with the melody seem to have been chosen a little haphazardly. They really just reinforce the harmony, which is already very clear thanks to the block chords, and doesn't support the melody at all. It also has similar 5ths that make it sound clunky. Again, keep basic voice leading rules in mind. The rhythms in mm. 13-15 are very "pop"-like and feel out of place here, but that's not necessarily bad. Just make sure whatever you're doing, you're being stylistically consistent. The suspended chords in mm. 17-20 are non-functional and are extremely dissonant and out of place. Likewise, the left-had arpeggios starting m. 21 don't outline any functional harmony. Harmonically, the interlude just meanders. Structurally, a 4-bar theme doesn't really lend itself to anything interesting, especially with the fast tempo and very short and (and overused) chord progression. An 8-bar theme or longer would not only be more interesting but would give you more to work with for the following variations. Another structural issue is the lack of direction. In something like a chaconne or passacaglia, the harmony loops, so you can't really develop the music with modulations, sequences, etc. But there still needs to be momentum. Have each variation increase in dynamics, or note-duration, or something else, but make it gradual, and make it feel like the music has a goal. Right now, it just meanders, and it makes it quite boring. So, to summarize: work on the accompaniment to make it more interesting, make the melody stronger and clearer, consider expanding the duration of each variation, and make sure the music has a momentum.

Hello everyone! I composed today a really short waltz theme. I am practicing the "Merry-Go-Round" waltz from Joe Hisaishi at the piano and decided to use the initial harmony and melodic voice leading for composing a theme as an exercise (I used it only as an harmonic template and did not try to imitate the "Ghibli" sound). The first 7 measures use the exact same accompaniment and melodic voice leading. I tried experimenting a little bit with harmony, particularly in m.12~14 and m.28~30. I think the motive in m.2 might need to be notated with a trill (since I think it needs to sound more rubato and less rhythmic , but the trill in MuseScore sounds too bad so I notated like this). Hope you like it and any feedback is welcome! Thank you!

Thanks for the feedback, @MK_Piano ! As you commented, the exact repetition was too much so I added some variations and also moved the repeated melody an octave higher (with some instances of octave playing) for contrast. I also added more internal notes, improved the melody a little, and exchanged a couple measures for improving the flow of the theme. Thank you so much for these links! Specially, I was browsing through both of them yesterday and found them really insightful! As I commented, I did not try to imitate Ghibli sound in this theme (probably I used to many notes for that, since Hisaishi in Ghibli's films tend to stick to whole, quartet, and some eight notes) but I want to do it some day and that is why I am trying to learn his pieces in piano first. I will make sure to review the channels to understand the style better. Thank you!

Hello @Thatguy v2.0! I enjoyed this piece! It has a kind of blues atmosphere. Playing in a bar with some drinks, people-watching, and having fun. I especially like the 0:46 section and the one starting from 1:42; this piece is intriguing. Since this is so well composed, I feel like I will probably never be able to get the "Better Than Thatguy" badge, haha! Thank you for sharing! Best, Lithl.

i know a tiny bit of music theory i also play violin and played viola for a little bit and its been a week since i got my flute

Hi all, My entry for the "From Nothing, to Something" Summer 2026 Composition Competition is a short mixed quintet called "Your dear beauty lovelier still". This was definitely the most challenging piece I have made: making something from nothing was by far the hardest thing I have done so far here. I couldn't find anything that would represent summer apart from giving this song the lyrics of the poem this competition is based on (Donc, ce sera par un clair jour d'été). Btw, since Musescore doesn't have any soundfonts that can sing lyrics, you won't be able to hear the lyrics in the audio. Here is the pdf I hope you enjoy 😁 your-dear-beauty-lovelier-still-musicbro456.custom_score.mp3

Hisaishi is a name that will come up in online circles every now and again and it is one to talk about! When it comes to studying his music and replicating it for ourselves, the first thing I would point out is the form. Even though Hisaishi's works can vary in form or length of form, the first time he presents a theme, he likes to use AABA form. I notice that in your version, you repeat the phrase twice, using a deceptive cadence to minor iv. If you were to continue it, then a modulation or tonicization of the dominant or relative major would be expected to the B-section. As you mentioned briefly, including variation is also warranted as a pure repeat can be a weaker approach. If not the melody, change the accompaniment pattern slightly or add an extra voice/ harmony in the right hand. So much to say in efforts to evolve this simple theme. Check out Alex Hepplemann on YouTube as he has a great series on Hisaishi and explaining how to write in that style. Also check out MomentsMusicaux on YouTube to see some excerpts of Hisaishi and their analysis.

Hello I’m writing a series of short pieces for orchestra using ‘modern’ musical languages. I’m doing this because I enjoy it and to develop my skills in orchestration. I write them for piano first, but with orchestration already in mind. However, I don’t include the piano version. In this case, it’s a PC Set (postonal theory) consisting of just four notes, with the form (0125) corresponding to Forte 4-4. As an example, starting from C, it would be: C – C# – D – F. It is then treated in many different ways: horizontally, vertically, inverted, rotated, etc., etc.... The piece has been reviewed by an expert composer and orchestrator. Although, of course, there are a thousand things that could be said about it. SKETCH 4_4.mp3 SKETCH 4_4.pdf

Thank you so much for the award Peter, and Luis for nominating me. I'm very honoured! 😃

Can you nominate colleagues here? I’d love to see @Alex Weidmann recognised as ‘Outstanding Orchestrator’

Ok, yes, indeed, this topic about mental illness is really controversial. And I basically don't talk about this, but this opportunity is gonna be good for me. I will pick some of them. One of them (Daddy, Stalaggh) is really, kind of... One of the only genres which I can't listen to a lot. And another one called "Everywhere At The End Od Time" is, honestly, amazing and I liked it; it's too long though. I hope this helps you! The Caretaker - Everywhere At The End Of Time Penderecki: Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima I suppose you already know about Penderecki, though! KoRn - Daddy Stalaggh - Projekt Misanthropia I listened to your Andante for Strings and that was really good! I truly hope your mental condition is good, Peter. I feel I need to listen to some of your old works :) And I agree that this subject is a difficult topic. Grant Weep, creating this topic might be a bit controversial and require some courage, but thank you for doing so. Best, Lithl.

Hi Alex I’m here after having listened to Part 3 first. Sorry, I missed it, but anyway, it was well worth coming to listen. Congratulations on this piece. It’s beautiful. The delicacy with which you’ve handled this is tremendous. The work with the woodwinds in general, and especially in the first movement, is spectacular. I find it all very well balanced. I love the detailed score as well. I’ll be keeping an eye out for the other parts of this work you’re working on. I also really enjoy exploring and discovering these somewhat forgotten composers. Best regards.

Hi Alex, First of all, I’d like to say that I wasn’t familiar with this piece. Nor, I must confess, with this composer, although his name rang a bell. So I went on YouTube to listen to it and look at the score, and I absolutely loved it. This third movement in particular is so delicate… And it’s one of the trickiest parts to orchestrate. I really liked your orchestral arrangement and, to be honest, I’m not going to comment on anything in particular as I’m not in a position to assess it in such depth. I like the way the woodwinds unfold in bars 24, 25… the oboe mingling with the flutes, and so on… I just have one thing I’d like to learn. When the vibraphone comes in – which is a lovely element – how does it produce such big chords? I imagine it’s two mallets per hand… Best regards.

Thanks for explaining. I suggest you keep it simple for the time being. Focus on smaller scale and short pieces with two part harmony only. Perhaps a waltz or minuet which provide a clear and simple structure to adhere to. Listen extensively to music you like to build up a creative vocabulary. Learn the art of voice leading: that is, rather than viewing harmony as static, consider the linear relationship between the notes that you write. Transitions should be smooth and each part independent where possible. Share those small pieces on this forum for targeted feedback. The added advantage of smaller scale works for intensive feedback is that the reviewer is not overwhelmed by the amount of material to analyze. I welcome you to tag me in such future posts and i will try to offer some in depth feedback.

Thanks for the comments! Yes, it’s largely homophonic as I kept it simple for my workflow and to get it submitted for YCF. However, after being reached out to by a composer based in North Dakota, he wanted to work together on this piece of music. He’s a composer with over 30 years of experience and during our call, he gave me a lot of practical advice for this work and what would happen if it were played live. Thus, I’m currently undergoing revisions for this work to address the ensemble aspect and to remove the dependencies between the piano and strings.

Hello everyone! I’m happy to be posting my first piece on this forum. It’s a short and unpretentious waltz for piano in A major. After a couple years of much reading and sketching, but without a single completed work, I decided to revive one of my old ideas, with the encouragement of my best friend. It took me a little over a week to complete, during a vacation in Paris, and it’s very satisfying to be able to put a double bar on the end! I’m dedicating it to my friend, who plays the piano herself, and now lives on the other side of the world. It’s in a very tonal and functional idiom, and I had no intention of making the piece stylistically distinctive, though I think a few elements of my personal style definitely found their way in, such as a certain motivic organicism, and penchant for harmonic variety. Any feedback is greatly appreciated! (Sorry for the bad recording—I figured it was still better than the MIDI output, especially since I don’t know how to configure dynamics playback in Dorico yet). Home recording - Waltz A major .mp3 01 - Full score - Waltz in A major.pdf

Aw! well, your feedback regarding any other aspects of my work is just as valuable as feedback regarding Brass as a whole. I am always open to any/all perspectives of what I submit here for review, and have always made honest attempts to consider the responses I receive while writing / editing my scores. I am not a professional composer, by any means, and I don't consider my work to be of top-notch quality, however, I am always looking to improve, so any feedback that you are able to give is much appreciated and valued! I am also glad that you were able to enjoy my work, as, after-all, that is the point, isn't it? To respond to the Major/Minor comments, No, I didn't choose to utilize the minor sonority very much in this score, since, as I explain in the description of the score above, It's meant to have a sense of reverence and patriotism, so I tended to focus more on creating that atmosphere, which tends to lean more towards the Major Sonority, rather than the minor one. Although, I made attempts to utilize the minor sonority in select areas where it might be the most impactful.

I listened twice, and you managed to put a smile on my face. You evidently know your stuff for it is very well crafted. I have no constructive feedback with regards to your writing. Keep up the good work. Looking forward to the next upload. ;)

Good evening! I listened to the whole piece. I love it! Unfortunately I am not really in a position to offer any constructive feedback about the brass writing, for I am least experienced with brass. In addition, the transpositions make it difficult to judge the voice leading at face value. More broadly, however, your use of the major and minor modes does come to mind. Pardon me if I am mistaken in my impression that you don't really utilize the minor mode much; nor do you appear to explore different tonalities, remaining very much in the same key signature (with exception to changes at certain new sections). Whether that is a weakness, though, I am not sure; as I was still very much engaged with the work. I will be sure to follow your profile to keep an eye on your new posts ;)

Anytime! To an extent you're right about the baroque idiom creeping through in my example. But do recognize that the classical idiom is based on the same principles. You cannot really escape the 'rules' when applying traditional approaches to harmony. In addition, I did not intend to influence the direction of your work, but illustrate how one might otherwise approach the initial compositional process. Credit to you, though, for approaching composition in a free spirited way. I do understand your reasons. But don't feel intimidated by the 'rules'; they are only there to guide best practice. If you need help with anything please feel free to message me.

@Markus Boyd Hey! I really appreciate your time and effort, especially since you took the time to actually rewrite parts of the piece. That's really valuable to see! I just wanted to clarify that my main focus with this sonatina is Classical motivic integrity and structure. I feel like some of your suggestions approach the piece from a stricter Baroque counterpoint perspective, whereas I'm aiming for a somewhat different stylistic direction. That said, I really appreciate seeing how you reworked the material, and I'll definitely think about some of the things you pointed out. It's just that I don't think I'd want to take the piece entirely in that contrapuntal direction. I actually used to be very obsessed with counterpoint, but I found that it made me way more burned out from writing music. So nowadays I try to use it as a tool but break a lot of its rules when I want the motivic integrity to be the more important role. Thanks again for taking the time to review it!

Thank you! Like i've said i'm not a theoryst or anything similar to a composer. What I do is from hearing a lot of music. The choise of the First inversion is to mantain a non perfect start. The other chords seems also not to finish themself. I don't know if you understand. But the objective was to make the start like an "ambient" music. The melody itself is quite hidden in is length (there all semiquaver or longer note). This is also the first time i try to compose in a sonata form (probably i've missed something), but the real piece is in the development, with primary and secondary melody going togheter. Also the recapitulation is more "classic" with more voicing also for introducing the third movement (which i havent started to compose) Hope i satisfaied your question :)

Hello! it seems like you're trying to write in a classical style, perhaps inspired by Clementi's sonatina's? The opening movement starts a bit like an invention and as such there are opportunities to contrast the treble and bass parts. To illustrate those opportunities, I have reworked some of your ideas (first and second movement). I have altered your leading in certain places that demanded it (to facilitate better two part harmony) and the motivic development to improve coherenceI hope this helps you. My advice: Focus on the outer parts first and listen. Remember the three types of motion: parallel, oblique and contrary Prioritize opportunities for contrary motion, otherwise consider parallel thirds or sixths, Oblique motion can be useful for pedal points (and suspensions if your experience allows). Avoid parallel motion if octaves or 5ths apart. If you do this, you are most probably missing an alternative and better solution. With regards to the development of your ideas You have the right idea with mirroring the left and right hand. But compare my solution in the first two bars of the first movement. How does it differ? Feel free to ask me any questions. I am here to help with anything :) MinGry's Sonatina.mp3 MinGry's Sonatina.pdf

Ah, I thought I changed the title on this post, only to realize I did so on my profile, not the thread. The title has been updated and as of now, I’m indecisive to share or not. Short answer is TBD

Interesting. Reminds me of Sigur Rós and a little Radiohead 🤷 Nice ideas and instrumentation, although the tuning sounds very off. Was that intentional?

Hey Henry! This is actually a very clever piece! I loved the wit infused in the instrumental dialogues. My only question: was it intended for the movement to be predominantly - even entirely - in the minor mode? You see, I am largely familiar with music that contains a balance between the minor and major modes, which I understand as integral to narrative. Effective narratives in music tends to connect with human experience of this world, which generally centre on conflict and resolution - much like plot in literature. Switching between the major and minor modes is quite often integral to the movement between those two states; and the more skilled a composer, the more compelling the story telling. So, stepping back from the music itself (which I repeat is excellently done), what is the story you are telling?

First time properly hearing your music, Mark! Have to say you captured my interest with this delightful work. I feel the structure falls into place very well. I did feel the ending could have been more interesting but overall it works. Importantly, it feels French! Looking at your writing in more detail, it seems to largely be homophonic, right? Is this unique to this work? Very well done, Mark.

Hey Tristan, Apologies for the late reply to your request for comments. I listened to the majority of it and evidently there is a lot to unpack. I see @MK_Piano has already done a great job with the technicalities and orchestration, and even made some voice leading suggestions where needed. I don't feel I can or should add anything further to that. I am, however, interested in your inspiration for such a mammoth of a project - what were your influences and aspirations? And how do you feel it fits together? My won impression is that, stylistically, it seems a quite erratic. With all due respect, the part writing and orchestration seems a little immature and makes me wonder whether you are ready for writing such a large scale work. That said, your harmonic progressions, in several places, sound influenced by the Viennese and proto-romantic schools. I am well acquainted with Mozart's piano concerto's, for example, and I heard some resemblances.

1. It is good to use triad make full if possible. 2. Note that continuously from start to end for phrase, make characteristique for rhythm and line. Every VOCI(Deutschen) is good to be independant and irregular or having variaty. Don't use same rhythm too continuously in same VOCI. It makes sounds very poor.

Couldn't resist giving it a go I have taken your outer parts only, which I suggest be your focus at first before attempting 4 part harmony. My suggestion is not perfect by any means, but be instructive on how you might better approach voice leading in the outer parts. Composers of past tended to write the outer parts first before adding the inner ones. This makes sense, because the outer parts will form the skeleton that you will be working with. If you have nailed the outer parts, in that it sounds interesting and coherent, then the rest should follow suit. Inversely, you will be working with a shaky foundation... Example.mp3 Example.pdf

I'd like to listen your work in real instrument. Very Very good stuff and architecture what I've never thought.

Without going into detail, there are a few things to consider: Consecutives: If your intention is to maintain independence between the parts (which seems to be the case) then you should note the parallel octaves. I saw several between the outer and inner parts. My pointing this out is less to say your part writing is ‘wrong’ than there are missed opportunities to enrich the voice leading/harmony, especially when two voices move in the same direction to the same note without apparent justification. In on instance where there are parallels, for example (bar 7) the A7 chord initially lacks the third which is not great. Your choice of harmony, combined with melodic writing could be improved. Bar 8, for example, which contains only the tonic chord then proceeds to another tonic chord on the first beat of bar 9. I would personally look for opportunities for contrary motion where the upper voice is ascending. For example, with the ascent to the D in the first violin, perhaps the bass could descend to a B flat instead leading to a VI chord. I haven’t checked to see if my suggestion works, but try to think in that way. Allow your melodic writing to flow naturally while considering the range of voice leading opportunities (that is, the movement of the other parts) your writing permits.

Hello, It's a nice waltz. It's always great to hear live performances of original works! It's perhaps a bit short...leaves me wanting a bit more :) Thanks for sharing!

@CrystalCanon Thanks for the extensive review! As far as the formatting goes, could you expand on what you mean by separate flows? I definitely agree with the triple-forte and the alignment part, that's just laziness on my side when editing, and it definitely shouldn't make it through to the final draft! The reason I sometimes wrote the hairpin above or below the staff was to make it clearer that it only applies to one stave. I'm not sure if that's actually a good idea in practice though haha. In retrospect, it's funny how composition works! Now that you pointed it out, I can see how bar 11 is so obviously out of place. I actually had it connected to everything originally, but during some voice leading edits I thought it was a bit too difficult to play for a piece like this, so I simplified it to the point where it doesn't really make sense anymore haha. It's always fun seeing people find all these different ways that the material is connected to each other. I never really thought about making that connection more obvious, but your comment actually sparked something in my brain. I really appreciate that feedback!

@CrystalCanon I completely agree that neoclassicism is a continuation (following a hiatus of more than a century). Of course, these composers looked to everything that came before, in response to what they considered “chaos” in the 20th century. But what prompted me to start this thread is the fact that many people automatically label music as neoclassical simply because it sounds like 18th-century music even though it was composed today. And that’s not the case. Neoclassicism has its own (new) characteristics. It uses dissonance—sometimes very subtle, other times blatantly so—along with polytonality. It employs surprise through rhythms and/or accents that become irregular and ever-changing. It shuns the idealized beauty of Classicism and seeks instead a sense of detachment and intellectual order (many composers omit violins for this reason). Here’s a very clear example:

Thanks for sharing @Alex Weidmann! I’m not qualified to comment on the orchestration, but I really love Koechlin’s colorful sense of harmony and sonority. It reminds me of Mompou in some ways, though less static. I’ll have to dig deeper into his work…

Hello @MinGry, I really enjoyed your piece, and I love the amount of thought you put into its design! It even gives me some inspiration for my next sonatina! I’ll focus on the first movement right now, since it’s the most important, and I think it also shows the most room for improvement. Score formatting: The movements should be formatted into separate flows. When a hairpin follows a dynamic marking, the two should typically be on the same level. Also it’s easier for performers to read when they are between the two staves. Most of the time these guidelines are followed, but there were a few points that could be slightly cleaner (for example, ms. 22, 32-33, 43). The triple-forte in m.66 is probably excessive in a sonata—fortissimo will suffice! Compositional elements: I must admit, my first general impression of the piece was that I couldn’t tell if I was hearing neoclassicism, or bad counterpoint. I settled on the latter by the end of the movement, and more so by the end of the second movement — though I think you could set the scene earlier so the listener doesn’t have to guess. You could be a little bolder in your dissonances in this part, using a few more sonorities that can’t be reduced to triads or incomplete triads. The main figure for the transition (m.9) gave me a little bit of trouble, for two reasons. First, it contains a lot of internal rhythmic contrast, more than I’d expect in a transitional theme. Second, I didn’t hear how it connected either to the primary or secondary themes — it just sounds a bit out of place. I then observed that it could be derived from the figure in bars 6-7: But I think the link could be made stronger, and more audible, by slightly modifying the figure’s metrical position. One possible solution for m.9: I would also personally omit bar 11, as I don’t think it’s really necessary. My favorite part of the movement was the secondary theme, and I also liked how it was introduced first in the bass! Moving onto the mini-development, I wasn’t initially convinced by the figure in bars 24-25, though I find it creative how it connects to the coda, and to the accompaniment of the secondary theme. To give it more interest, I’d suggest consistently omitting the first eighth note when it occurs in the right hand, as you did in bars 24-25. It also leads more naturally to its target note that way. Overall, really good work! I have much less to say about the other two movements, because I think they’re pretty strong.