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[INFO DUMP pt.2] Unfortunately this scenario is only hypothetical and will stay hypothetical. To be as blunt as possible, there is flaw in the logic. So far, no one I have seen on the forums or any of your uploads have critiqued the raw music. It has been often aimed on the presentation of the music and in this case, about the sheet music. Having music performed is a competitive goal. 100s-1000s of people submit works every year for performance opportunities, both in the educational and professional scene. Speaking from my own experience, all the opportunities I have applied for have asked for a Resume and portfolio. Even if you have "the best work" from an subjective standpoint, they will go with the more experienced person in the professional scene and in the educational realm, they are more likely to give more chances to newer composers. I have made over 20 original pieces that I personally say are perfect and several arrangements. Most of my pieces are for the orchestra, and in my notation engine... I have over 100 files worth of scores. Out of all my music, I've been given the chance to have only four of my pieces performed, three of which were by me. I cannot understate how hard it is to get music performed for large ensembles. Yes, I know a lot and can guide a lot of musicians, but I am just another dude who does not have a big portfolio. I have to start small and work my way up. If a producer asks if you have a portfolio, this indirectly will show if you have had music performed, NOT just if it was made. I can draw a stickman but I do not call myself Monet or Dali. Just because you made a song or two is great, yet, how much experience do you have hearing your music live? If you haven't... then how often are you participating in the music community? Have you worked with other conductors, professors, soloists and varying ensembles? To tie back into the forum, we only want to see others succeed. This is why I share such detailed analysis of varying scores. It may be the one encounter that opens a new door in their thinking, or help provide an expectation of scores in the community. This is why I comment now. None of it is personal, at least coming from me. If you wish to talk about score engraving, then I'd be willing. It's a different ballgame compared to the music creation.

I'm impressed both by your light touch playing this, and the lack of scratching out on your handwritten copy. If I wrote that way, it would be all chaotic scribbled out former ideas. The interplay between your first and second sections works very well! A very satisfying piece to listen to!

Hello! It is time. As you asked, I have delivered. Attached on this comment are my annotations on the arrangement thus far. Directly under, I have attached a sample PDF and sample Audio file to pair with my notes. The notes are found at the end of the current score and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask! Kvothe - Reger Humoresque (ANNOTATED).pdf Attached Files: Kvothe_Example.pdf Kvothe_ExampleAudio.mp3

Hi all, it's been a really long time, I decided I wanted to come back and check out what's going on! I also wanted to share two successes of mine in the past several months: Slipping, which was written in early-2025, written for Symphonic Orchestra, was performed by the California Youth Symphony in November 2025. I have attached the score and two recordings of it, one MIDI and one of the performance. The Dunning-Kruger Effect, written in mid-2025, written for String Orchestra, was performed by my school orchestra, which I conducted. I have attached the score and here's the video: https://youtu.be/CQBDUVbKEpQ?si=psCVro_MLM3NfmEV . Looking forward to seeing what's going on in this forum after so long! Slipping.mp3 Slipping FINAL MIDI.mp3 Slipping-score.pdf the dunning-kruger effect score.pdf

Hello Have you heard of this virtual instrument called CANTAI? Please note: I have no affiliation with these programmes, even though I use them. https://cantai.app/ It’s a virtual instrument for voices and choirs. It works with MuseScore (which is more advanced), Dorico (the official version was released a couple of days ago) and Sibelius. The novelty is that you write the score, add the parts (soprano, alto, tenor, bass, choir) and write the lyrics... And once everything is set up, the result is that it ‘sings’. I use it with Dorico. It still needs improving, because although it interprets dynamics and accents, and there are many voices available, there will be more. At the moment, in Dorico you can write in English and Latin. But Chinese and Spanish are already available in MuseScore (I think). I’ve written this little sample song to see how it works.

Thanks for listening luderart, glad you enjoyed it :) Hey Kvothe, thanks for listening! Regarding your point #1, yeah you're correct, it was more for playback. @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu was kind enough to record it, I could just write con pedale or something now 🙂

Dear all. I am glad to share with you the final movement of my Symphony No.1! This is the official conclusion of my whole set of Symphony No.1! I can't believe it is done after few years. Hope you all enjoy it! About the work As usual, the highly motivic and related to other movements. The third three notes "dat-dat dat!" serves the main motive (and new material) of this movement. As an answer, the motive from First movement (blue) is immediately recalled with little modiciation in rhythm. The second mvt. motive (green) also enter the party very soon. The work reaches the climax at m.244 from the build up of m.193 which goes into a very big bright chord. The last part of the work starts are m.274 and ended with a crash of different motives.

Thank you for your kind comments! You are not the first one who recall Bartok while listening my works - I guess it is because of the crude dissonance. I mainly write on computer as it gives me immediate playback which makes my writing more convenient. It is important the method of writing follows the speed my idea comes! haha. It also make the engraving easier. Here is the full set of my Symphony No.1: Symphony No.1 - First Movement - Orchestral and Large Ensemble - Young Composers Music Forum Symphony No.1 - Second Movement - Orchestral and Large Ensemble - Young Composers Music Forum Symphony No.1 - Finale - Orchestral and Large Ensemble - Young Composers Music Forum

Hello my dear friend, First of all, thank you for taking the time to listen to my sonata, and I’m truly happy that you enjoyed it. I thought it might be nice to share with you how I conceive these sonatas in my mind. The truth is that I have blended many different elements into binary form with the intention of creating something personal—my own voice through binary form. Structurally, it is indeed binary, as expected. What I do differently is to approach it with a more Classical sense of transitions and dramatic development. So in essence, my sonatas are fundamentally binary, but with a Classical morphology, featuring clear transitions and the sense of dramaturgy found in the Classical era. Harmonically, I would say it is a mixture of many influences—primarily Classical, with touches of early Romanticism. I absolutely love binary form. Domenico Scarlatti has been an incredible inspiration to me, and I decided that I, too, wanted to create a vast musical diary of binary sonatas—works that truly feel like my own personal musical journal. At the same time, this form encourages me to be bolder, more innovative, and more adventurous compared with other genres. Once again, thank you, my dear friend.

Hello @Vasilis Michael It is refreshing to see a binary sonata form. Binary was primarily used by baroque period composers before the proper form took off. In the A section, you would have your primary theme in tonic. Followed by contrasting B section in the Dominant. What makes binary stand out: the lack of transition between the two sections. Or maybe there is one(?) We can tell there are two major sections. One that repeats and one that follows after repeat of first section. Ergo. binary! I love how the main motive is used thorough out the entire piece. It moves so flawlessly. As usually, your writing is on par! I could not hear anything wrong. :)

Hello YC gang, Below I have attached the first ten measures of arrangement of Meger second Humorquse. The cast is woods in pairs and two horns. Here is what needs to you check for me: Score this as if this this was entry for YC contest. My goals; I want to successfully score for orchestra->check balance, texture, and timbre. Check for engraving errors I have missed. check for instrumation errors Harmony errors etc Reger Humor no. 2 untitled.mp3 Meger.pdf

Not normally, no. They are standard in our industry. The only time it would be broken is when you have a larger ensemble or other instrument combinations that are not standard. In this case, it’s not about orchestral order, it’s about highest-> lowest instrument for the layout.

Hi to all, Here's my first attempt to orchestrate this nocturne. I actually started this last year, and never really finished it properly. I know there's a load of things wrong with it! Not least all the missing slurs and clumsy handovers, etc... The cadenza-like figure on Pages 8 and 9 is particularly awkward to orchestrate: so any suggestions would be very welcome! Maybe I should divide up the runs into shorter figures, and spread them out across different instruments? Perhaps dovetailing these together with overlapping notes, or single handover notes? That way the cadenza could work its way around the orchestra to give a nice 3D effect? Anyway, just thinking outloud! Hope you enjoy. Nocturne No.1 in Eb minor (Faure orchestration) #41.mp3 Nocturne No.1 in Eb minor (Faure orchestration) #41.pdf

I don’t know why it’s called ‘Cantai’. But I don’t think it has anything to do with artificial intelligence; rather, it means ‘to sing’ or one of its verb forms in various Latin-based languages. What’s more, it uses recordings of real professional singers (soloists and choirs). I’m familiar with that software you mention. And I used to have it, but depending on what you want to do or what your needs are, it’s better or worse for different people. What I like about Cantai is that you write the notes and the text in the same editing programme (MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico). And that’s it. It uses expression maps for dynamics and so on. You don’t have to work outside the editing programme (in a DAW, or in XML, etc.). Which is fine, if that’s what you want to do

I'm really enjoying this movement and shall have to check out the rest! One thing your orchestral style reminds me of is the style of parts of Bartok's Concerto for Orchestra, where folksy tunes and whimsical syncopation disguise rather dissonant harmony! Just wondering; do you write directly into the computer, or on paper? Honestly, I can't tell, which is a good thing...I will write directly into the computer for a piano piece, but wouldn't do so for a symphony, if I ever wanted to write another. Heck, it kinda reminds me of the Shostakovich First, teenage masterpiece, in its playful quirkiness. I'll be looking into more of your stuff.

I want to join the competition, but I'm not sure if I'll make it.

I declare my intent to join into this competition

To fix this, I'd suggest setting your page margins and score size to fit Letter sized pages, only. As when you export PDF, it will try to fit the score on a standard printer sized page. You can also attempt to shrink the size of the score by going to Format > Page Settings... > Staff Space: (Lower this value to decrease the size of the staff, which will allow for more room on the page to fit it while shrinking the overall size, or, increase it to enlarge the staff, allowing for less to fit on the page.)

Hi Bioplar, The choice of instrument for this composition, certainty, was correct. Harp, Bassoon, and Oboe do create the tonal colors for a pastoral piece. You could have choose any wood wind instrument, for they soft, warm colors. When I hear the harp, I envision mermaid playing on rock. (that is just me) The woods, I think, create dreamy aura in this piece. I enjoy interplay oboe and bassoon with the harp. Overall...nice job

Those are very different things. If I buy a hydraulic press and use it to flatten a stainless steel pipe, obviously I'm morally responsible for flattening the pipe. If that pipe belonged to someone else, I can hardly evade responsibility by saying, "Hey, it wasn't me! It was the hydraulic press!" On the other hand, it's equally obvious that I can't lay claim to flattening the pipe as a feat of strength. If I cry, "Behold my strength!" as I hold the flattened piece of steel aloft, I am quite rightly met with, "Uh... you didn't do that. The hydraulic press did."

That's a lot of info dumping...with very valid comments from @Kvothe and @MK_Piano. I am curious if this specific piece was requested by a 3rd party or did you create for your own learning/pleasure? I'm also not understanding your answer to @MK_Piano's question of how you write your pieces? You mentioned keyboard...do you input the notes and everything using that keyboard? Or it does it come with pre-rendered samples and you just mash them together? I'm a noob when it comes to electronic music... As for the piece of music here, it's alright. It's catchy but repetitive and generic. Not really sure how it ties to Alaska...if you didn't have the video posted, I would've chalked it up to random elevator music. If what you say is true about how the media industry works, it's a shame that the craft of a music making to tell the story pioneered by legends such as Korngold, Newman, Williams, etc. is dead.

Hey Vince, It’s a long time since I review anything so here’s the first one! (I’m still going on with the hiatus though since I’m revising my Clarinet Quintet, listening orchestral music and will write the Orchestral Variations on Peter’s theme tho.) I like how you combine the dreamy dissonance with counterpoint technique here. I love b.3 of the subjects as it’s already containing two voices in a line and it kinds of reminds me the sighing motive of the Kyrie subject of Bach’s Mass in B minor. Motivically you make use of all the motives from the subject for coherence and economy in episodes which of course come from Bach! My favourite spot of the piece comes in the D flat major passage, it definitely is your voice there, I love your harmony! Also, only by analysing in order to play your fugue did I notice a sneaky quasi subject augmentation in b.28 so I bring it out myself. I also love the ending myself, as it’s in F sharp minor which sadness kinds of reminds me my own F sharp minor fugue in the Sextet =.= I don’t follow all the pedals and dynamic instruction you tediously write, sorry for that 🤪, for example I add pedals in b.33 to make it more dreamy, b. 29 I probably played forte instead of mp since I thought I fell the passion there, etc. Only one thing I would suggest on the scoring is that, I would use the same beam direction for a voice especially for subject entry. For example I would use an upward beam for the first F# in b.5 to indicate the subject, and turns the A and G# into a downward beam. In b.14 I would turn the D downward and C# upward, since it is the C# that’s in the subject, not D. But these are just nitpickies. It’s fun to play this, and thx for sharing this! Henry

Since today is this year's Mother's Day, I finally decided to finish revamping a composition I had already published for the very same occasion 3 years ago. Compared to the original, the whole piece has been transposed from E to B minor in order to better accommodate for newly included passages. However, still not dissimilar from the first drafts, passages with constant false relations are abundantly featured in this piece, to the point that the harmonic resolutions expected of more conservative counterpoint are frequently sacrificed for the sake of chromatic saturation. Scrolling video link (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYUZX-iQSF4 Passacaille en Valse in B minor.mp3 Passacaille en Valse in B minor.pdf

waltz 2.mp3waltz 2.pdfwaltz 1.mp3waltz 1.pdf would enjoy feedback

From a mixing standpoint, I am confused for the balance in both ears. If it was used in production, then the sound engineer would just balance or displace to the left or right channels when needed. Thus, I think it better to leave the audio equal in both channels. Music: It gives the sense of taiko drums or African drum circles and this is what I wish to speak on. From what I know, it doesn't make sense to repeat the same pattern for too long or have a secondary drum just forcing it's way into the mix by playing off beats. It can work, however, if you ever participate in one, you'll know that one person keeps the beat steady while others play off, conversate, and compliment each other. Whether or not this was your intention, be clear in what you think the music may be paired to. Besides being a generic drum track, think about how others may use it: 1. Jungle fly-over for Documentary 2. Aztec documentary 3. Chase scene 4. Showcase for new product. 5. etc. You can take inspiration from certain cultures or musical examples and create drum tracks for more implied purposes. Lastly, if you want this to be used in a percussion loop within a DAW, make it better for those who want to use it and allow the ending and beginning to overlap or restart on eachother.

Hi there @interlect. Thanks for us the score for this for this submission. Here's my review: When you have string parts, make sure you label them with correct names: violin 1, 2, viola, cello, etc. I am sure the samples you are using in the DAW have those names, too. When the DAW produces a score, the notation can be wonky. However, that does not mean you can clean it up. You are the composer! It is you job to make sure the score is readable, too. Remember: if music can be always performed live, if there is opportunity to. Thus, why not make sure you are ready? Fun fact: Film music has reached the concert setting now. Kvothe.

HI there @interlect, The production of the track is swell; and it can I hear the influence of Bob Marley. But, I would like to see parts and score to give more in depth review. That would be great. Thanks. Kvothe.

You are one step closer, my friend @Bjarke Now let us talk about articulation markings. I notice in the left hand you have every note mark with a staccato mark. This is not necessary. There are several options. Option 1: mark one group with staccato then use the expression sim. Option 2: Sempre Staccato Option 3: use the word staccato in the left hand. I think in your case, where you have certain articulation pattern, the first choice would be best the choice for you. I feel b. 95-97 is too repetitive . Do we need to hear the repeat the chord in the RH? (it is too static...) I feel that if you allow that chord to breathe and move it will create more momentum. On the same not. b93 is a repeat of b.92... :)

Welcome! Don't worry! You will do fine.

Well... Musescore Studio has never really been all that great at translating MIDI to .mscz... in this case, I see no difference in that fact... lol Here is the .mscz file that resulted from opening the MIDI with Musescore. If you let me know what it is that you're trying to accomplish, or, if willing, you'd be able to send me a copy of the score that you're attempting to format, I might could give you a hand with that, directly rather than indirectly. Just let me know!

Hi! Actually I just completed my piano toccata piece inspired from living near the motor city (Detroit, MI) in my childhood... I decided to make this toccata piece since I thought the mechanistic characteristics of the genre match well with general images of the motor city... In this piece I tried to express free style of lots of jazz and popular music heard when I was growing up near Detroit, while keeping this piece modern classical music... Hope you enjoy this piece, and please feel free to leave any comments and suggestions :) Motorcity Toccata.mp3 Motorcity Toccata.pdf

Greetings! This is a very simple madrigal, as when i was making this i was very bored, so the writing isn't my best. But i kinda like it. Enjoy! LOB 72 There was once a bird.mp3

Hello @Thatguy v2.0 What a lovely prelude you have here. :) I am will now provide review: 1) At bar 5 and following you marked what pedal markings should be. But you do not need to mark them every time. Just show us once and then use sim. expression. That way, you show the performer what the pedal markings. 2) the counterpoint is spot on. I see no issue there.

Melodies Themes Motives Harmony Chords Textures Form Development Structure Time Originality Creativity Score Presentation Instrumentation Orchestration Playability Execution of Given Challenge Taste 9.5 9 9.5 8.5 10 9.5 8 8 Average Score: 9

Several months ago, I posted a piece which was at the time an exercise in sonata allegro form, which I decided to make the third movement of a sonata in d minor. I've had this theme in my head for a while, so I decided it would be the perfect time to use it. I went down a big rabbit hole of nonfunctional modal harmony, which was quite fun but really challenging to work out (though I wrote the secondary theme in five minutes during a chemistry lecture). sonata in d minor movement 1 audio.mp3 sonata in d minor movement 1 score.pdf

This piece of music did it’s a really good job, capturing the quietness and beauty of the given landscape. It’s not really my cup of tea, but it’s relaxing and it gives the atmospheric feeling that you’re actually there. Melodic material. 7.5 Chords and texture 6.7 Structure 7.4 Originality 8.2 Engraving 9.7 Orchestration and playability 7 Execution 9.86 taste 5.2 Total 7.69

Very Good Well Done You've Set a Standard that's Hard to compete with.... By using only 3 Instruments, you've been able to create an inspiring, "MOOD".

Sometimes I just sit down at the keyboard and just let my fingers go wherever they want to. Most of the time I fail to capture any of that and immediately forget what I did. Today however, I just happened to be recording and captured what I played. I thought this wasn’t that bad and decided to share it. Hope you enjoy my playing around on the keys. Stream of consciousness.mp3

A beautiful and thoughtful prelude of which the counterpoint and harmonies linger in your ear long after you listen to it!

The submissions are final at the time that they are submitted to the competition. (I will add this to the competition announcement - thanks for bringing this up)

I do wonder though as I am both participating and looking to review, it wouldn't be in my best interest to review and give feedback if they may change their work and possibly improve their result before the deadline lol. It's not a big issue, however, a little internal dilemma.

Something better. Trio. I am.

Yes - thank you for pointing that out!

Unfortunately, I will be busy this time of year. I am hoping that everything becomes less busy for me during the summer. Good luck to everyone.

Try to cut the delay on the F# and put the F in a lower octave. But most important: adjust the length of the delay on the F# if it can be isolated. If not maybe you don't need it for that bar or beat. Not sure what software you are using or how much control you have of the effects. You could also double the F in a lower octave and leave the one you have in the lead voice. Might help...

Hello @barko -- thank you for listening and for the encouraging words! At 1:24 I know I definitely intended a G7 chord, but the F sharp from the previous chord is still present and clashing with the F because I'm using such long delays. I will experiment with voicing the chord change differently and avoiding that half-step rub. Thank you for pointing it out. 🙂 ~ Gwen

Very nice melody & chords. I agree with Peter, the title is perfect. There's a bit of an awkward moment @ 1:24 where the note doesn't blend with the chord. Maybe try another voicing? Anyway you certainly have talent. Good melodies are not easy to come by. Keep up the good work!

Hello! Thank you for the kind words, and sorry for the delay -- I just finished the Spring semester of school today. I just posted an alternate version of this piece on my SoundCloud with a synth pad I thought was interesting. It's a bit "thicker". I would love to hear any thoughts if you feel moved to listen. https://soundcloud.com/gwendolyn_przyjazna/the-solitude-of-summer-alternate-version

New version with synth ("Wave Turn Around" from HALion Sonic): https://soundcloud.com/gwendolyn_przyjazna/the-solitude-of-summer-alternate-version

Sounds good! Very relaxing and it does remind me of summer. Maybe a pad synth sound in the background?