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Oh this is fantastic!! I don't have any critiques really, your dynamic contrast and harmony throughout the piece is very nice. And it moves very smoothly and logically. I would love a copy of the score if you do decide to share it - this is the kind of piece you start air-playing when you listen to it (you'll get it since you're a pianist).

Nicely done...I would do some research into the form of sonatinas and their form/structure. Other than that, I think this is a great first attempt - I sat down and sight-read through it and it's very easy to read, which makes it more approachable if you were wanting to distribute the piece for educational purposes (sorry, piano teacher brain taking over lol!). If you add a second movement, please post it so we can hear both together.

The name is very fitting!! Your piece has a playfulness to it that is refreshing and fun. It's easy to listen to. I wonder what would happen if you gave the tuba the melody at times and used the other instruments to harmonize above it, could be especially nice with the Flute, Clarinet, and Oboe. I will also echo what @maestrowick said - the tuba can do so much more! Use it's different registers and play with the rhythm some more. Tuba, Bass clarinet, Bassoon etc are used to the one note, barely moving bass lines in pieces, but you have a chance to let the tuba shine, so let it shine. Please update us if you make any edits to the piece - good work

Amazing notes! Any I thought saying , you already posted!

So....wow....I like this...a lot. A lot to dissect. Okay, here's the thing. As much as it pains me to say this: This instrumentation isn't realistic. With that being said, this can be something special. I would say: go ahead and have the full string section. That would further give this a chance to get played. It would also give your bottom more depth. With that also being said..this is. astart: you have the making of either a tone poem or a flute concerto of some sort. I know you said you wanted to write short simple pieces. Problem is, what you wrote wants us to hear more. The reality is, no one is going to program this while paying a full orchestra, especially the strings. Sorry, you wrote such a great piece thinking this was it? Nope, you got to write more...you have at least seven more minutes with this....maybe 10. FLute: M13: get rid of the slur. breath should be before Eb5. M14: Phrase marking on Ab4 should go to M15 and end on the Bb5. The next phrase marking starts on Db6 and end on the F5 of M16. Meas 20, the phrase should end after the Eb5. Also, get rid of Flute 1. It would be just Flute. HARP: Unfortunately, your beaming is off some. When you write octaves, the harpist would automatically switch hands. The lowest note would be played with ring finger and the octave would be played with thumb (we don't use pinky in harp). Therefore, the right hand would automatically have to play the next note. I know you were for the automatic three in each hand, but ergonomically, what you wrote wouldn't lay like that in some spots. M10: Perfect example. You could do 2 in the left hand and do 4 in the right. The other beats however do work. HARP PART 2: You stay in the throat register the whole time. You could expand the "breath of the music by having harp continue the run by repeating in the higher octave and maybe at times another octave. The harp's rang is VAST. Harp part 3: Give the harp a final not on the down beat in the end. MAYBE have the harp repeat the previous measure but play it up an octave? Put in your notation program just to see. Special note: Maybe add a clarinet also so you could keep the strings as your lush padding and you could play with harmonies with it...or countermelodies. Ravel LOVED doing that. Extra Special Note: Speaking of Ravel. I wonder how this would be for Alto flute? Maybe have it optional for Alto Flute. My $0.02

Nice: I have listen a lot of pointers since this is a big-band piece. I am a self-proclaimed Basieologist and I love this stuff. This is all to help. Take my critiques with a grain of salt: Plunger is written with o and + , o = open), and + = closed. Think about doubling them with the trombone (makes it tighter). Also, we don't use "normal." You actually don't need to write anything, but if you must, you use "open." Also in Jazz, the "&" beat are played long. You'll be hard pressed to find a jazz band that will play the & of 4 short. It's just not jazz and it doesn't swing. Same thing for measure 24. It would be played as short long instead of long short. it's like saying "apartment."" We don't pronounce it "AYpartment" or "apartMENT." M56: It's better to write it as 8th Quarter 8th. That's the aforementioned of the standard swing feel. It is always played, ba-dum-BOW! M61: No need to write duples. Write "straight 8ths" Some of the piano part won't swing having those blocks go for so long. 6ths would work. But once again, You should probably have a chord chart OR write a guitar part so there is some chordal comp. You already have it in the saxes. No need to double. Let the piano swing and do its own obligatos. For the rhythm section, write the chord changes. NEVER write a specified note part for a jazz bassist, unless it's for transitions, setups, or melodies. M29 is a great example. Also, no need to double piano with the bass. here's an example of how laconic Basie's comping is but the saxes are still playing lines! I also attached some of the parts so you can see how the best ever did it. My $0.02 Basie Straight Ahead Alto 01.pdf Basie Straight Ahead Bass.pdf Basie Straight Ahead Drums.pdf

Once again. Fine critique. I will also add, you can create counterpoint/melodies from within. Diminution would build this piece a lot!

A friend of mine requested that I write something with a tuba part, so I wrote something centered around the tuba. A link to the score: https://musescore.com/user/118018538/scores/35329313 A Joke for Tubists.mp3

@maestrowick Thank you for the specific feedback. I'm not surprised with your comment on the C-section; I thought the same thing, and I added or subtracted a quarter-note here or there to help it along, but I do understand that's fairly subtle at the listed tempo, and its repetitive structure does lead it towards sounding like those variations are inadequate when it comes to keeping it interesting. I haven't thought about the rest of the content of your comment prior to my posting, but I feel like there's some really helpful information in there. I am relatively new to writing orchestration after all. I'll keep posting and implement whatever I can!

Hey! You can just write "Tuba." Tuba transpositions don't work the as other instruments. Bb, F, C, Eb tubas all read the same part. This instrumentation is different. Perhaps consider adding the French horn so you would have standard instrumentation with a tuba. Also, the tuba can do way more. Since you have it here, think about adding more rhythmic variety with the tuba (especially in the counterpoint section)/ You could give the tuba part to the clarinet, and then write a virtuosic part there. My 0.02/

In general, you have some great ideas. I wonder at the end, perhaps the trumpet should play the opening theme in major to connect the end. Same with French horns. It would connect the ending with the beginning more.

Hello again, I decided to spend some time today to give more specific feedback. In this PDF are some annotations for you: H. Zheng - Dawn and Nightfall [ANNOTATED].pdf