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It's me. I don't know much about music theory, and while I'd like to learn, as someone who chose not to go to a music university and hasn't received formal musical training, it feels difficult. I think there are some people who started learning by themselves. I'm aware that there are very useful tools available for learning it, but it takes time, and I haven't gotten around to it. The problem with not learning about music theory in YCF is that my reviews are not going to be good. I often feel that my feedback might not be all that constructive, but I imagine people are happy to receive impressions from others, so I write reviews as a way of giving back. I have much respect for those who provide detailed feedback grounded in music theory, such as @PeterthePapercomPoser, @Luis Hernández, @Henry Ng Tsz Kiu, @MK_Piano, @Markus Boyd, @TristanTheTristan, @Wieland Handke, @Kvothe, @Omicronrg9 and others. I usually use a synthesizer, so I don't directly need to use music theory for composing, but I think learning music theory brings more diverse ideas and makes compositions better. So, I believe learning music theory is great. In this post, @Kvothe kindly responded to my question about how I can learn notation. It's about notation, not theory, but please check it out for your reference. How Can I Learn Music Notation https://www.youngcomposers.com/t49854/how-can-i-learn-music-notation/ Best, Lithl.

Thanks for the tag @Lithl It’s difficult to recommend how one should learn ‘music theory’ on here without understanding what type of music they wish to compose. This forum is so diverse and it is thus inappropriate for me, for example, to apply the 18th century paradigm (that i’ve trained myself in) in a generalized way, as if all other paradigms are dependent on its method. So before I even attempt to answer that question, understanding one’s intentions is often my starting point. That said, I do believe in learning the fundamentals of tonal music before branching out into one’s preferred domain. Start by understanding what makes you passionate in music. Which composer’s music resonates with you most? Does their music influence your own aspirations? Next, listen widely. I listen extensively to music largely in my preferred idiom (18th century and early 19th century) and many of the patterns and narrative techniques associated with that school have become more or less embedded into my consciousness. This doesn’t help with theory per se, but it is invaluable for generating my own melodic ideas. Crucially, it will be your own passion that will lead you down which rabbit hole. I have books i can recommend to aid your journey, but i’d rather understand your intentions first. There is an analogy that likens the knowledge of music theory to that of an iceberg: the deeper one goes, the more specialized that knowledge becomes. But it is worth recognizing that different styles of music will have their own ‘iceberg’. We do not master them all, but tend to focus on that relating to our own preferred domain (eg. Jazz, common practice, romanticism, serialism, modal, cinematic, etc…). Feel free to message me directly with any questions you may have.

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

There are all kinds of opinions on this. I think learning music theory is very helpful if you want to be a composer. Of course, you can compose without knowing anything—by ear or intuition—but the possibilities that open up when you have more knowledge will definitely make your compositions better. I don’t think you need to know a lot—or even a little—about music theory, or anything else for that matter, to comment on compositions in this forum. There’s an intuitive, emotional aspect—and so on—that we all have, and that’s perfectly fine to discuss. Simply saying “I liked it,” “it reminds me of this,” or asking a question about the piece is a positive way to comment. Nor do I think that knowing theory—or anything else for that matter—requires formal training at an accredited institution. I do think, however, that if you want to make serious, steady progress as a self-taught musician, there will be times—and in certain disciplines—when you’ll need guidance from someone: a teacher, a workshop, etc. That’s been my experience. I’ve always been self-taught in music (in fact, my profession is something entirely different). But I took a formal course in tonal and modal harmony, as well as some courses in harmonization and arranging. Later, taking a course in counterpoint was essential, as was a seminar on fugues. Another essential course was the one I took on Contemporary Composition Techniques. And finally, the one I’m taking now on orchestration. With that foundation, I can tackle anything that comes my way, understand it, and put it to use. I also believe that the foundation of it all is tonal harmony and the common classical period, from the Baroque to the Romantic era—even if you’re later interested in another style.

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

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

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

Hello, composers of the forum! I’m curious if anyone’s acquainted with the work of Swedish composer Franz Berwald (1796-1868). His music wasn’t received well in his own lifetime, and he had to take other jobs to support himself. Liszt praised his work, telling him “You truly possess originality, but you will not enjoy success during your lifetime. Nevertheless you must persevere.” This Symphony in C major, never performed until sixty years after his death, is full of harmonic color, and formal innovation, not least in its merging of the Scherzo and slow movement into a single movement. I definitely hear it as an early precursor to Sibelius, and it has some lovely and quite striking moments. What do you think of it?

That was lovely! It was somehow both serious and playful, which is, I suppose, what good parenting can sometimes look like. Well done, and great performance too!

Hey @Markus Boyd ! I thought I would just add my 2¢ with regards to the question of how to end your piece. There are lots of options! I don't recommend a fadeout since it would be the cheapest and easiest. I personally also don't hear your current ending as a mistake. The only thing that's a bit out of character for the rest of the piece is the picardy third itself. It you simply changed that E natural to an Eb at the end, it would go a long way towards remedying the problem. I have taken the liberty of making my own version of your ending based on @Luis Hernández 's suggestion of using a kind of Phrygian cadence: AncientRuinMB.mp3

@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.

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.

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

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!

Hello, everyone, I hope you’re all doing well. After quite a long time, I’d like to introduce one of my new compositions to you. It’s called “Duo for violin and cello.” It’s not exactly easy to listen to, but I believe some of you might enjoy it. Unfortunately, I’m a poor student, so I can’t afford to pay live performers, that’s why the recording was once again made using VSTs, but it’s better than nothing :) I’d appreciate any comments. Thank you very much.

When posting in this community it’s preferred to include the Score for its constructive feedback oriented. When listening to this, what I feel lacking is anything memorable. One idea seems to move onto the next with seemingly little connection to the previous. Perhaps you can help me: how did you conceive the structure, ideas and development of each movement?

@Lithl Thank you so much for your feedback. To be compared to Bill Evans is an extraordinary honor. I'm so happy that it evoked some emotions/mental images for you :). It is certainly a very nostalgic piece for me as well. Family is going well, kids are healthy. Hope the same for you, my friend. @Seni-G I never thought about it that way before. I composed music before I had kids and I always saw my good compositions as "creations" with perhaps a life of their own. I am so thrilled that you could listen to something I have written and felt something that I did not personally feel or consider. To me, it is ultimate goal of music to be able to achieve this sense that the music is alive and has it's own meaning to different people. I thank you for listening :)

It definitely holds you interest with your very creative orchestration. The woodwinds flow beautifully together and the introduction of the strings and subsequent merging are quite light and lovely. Mark

I started composing 1 year ago and i have learned a tiny bit of music theory since then but I still don't really know that much. Anyone else here who doesn't know a lot?

Thanks for sharing this. I’ll have a proper dive soon. I read he composed this in the mid 1840s. Initially the form seems unusual and some ideas are wanting more imagination and drama. But I need to listen to the whole thing to make a proper assessment. I feel that i’d have rather not known he was not successful commercially for i wouldn’t necessarily be looking for reasons to validate that 😅☹️

oh i didnt know it had to be in 3/4. also i was also thinking about getting rid of the suspended chords. the reharsal markings are just for how it is split up, i'm not gonna include them in the final product. tysm for the feedback :D

I actually thought that was the kind of thing you wanted to express in this final section. And yes, I think that’s a good idea. Since pieces in this genre tend to be fluid—often lacking a definitive, settled ending—pulling that off would result in a unique and compelling work. That said, as it stands now, it does feel a bit abrupt. So, perhaps it would be best to use that final part as a hub to introduce a melody and bring the piece to a tonal conclusion? I’m not well-versed in music theory myself, so Luis's perspective is definitely the one to go by. I did try to quickly experiment with some ideas earlier—just for five minutes, as I’m quite busy—but it didn't work out. It seems like achieving a tonal ending is going to be difficult. Honestly, I do not know, sorry. As you know, various techniques can be employed—such as layering, fading out, or concluding in a way that leaves a lingering resonance that is incredibly fluid yet somehow unsettled. Or you can develop that fluidity to a bigger volume and suddenly turn it off. Since this type of music is fluid, the easiest way I can come up with is considering which instrument to use. If you use a triangle or something like that, you probably won't be able to give a rational tonal finale, but you would be able to maintain the atmosphere with a tonal end. Have you kindly already shared it? If there are any other examples, I would love for you to share them as well :) Best, Lithl.

@Grant Weep, this is so lovely. The reverb of the piano sound is beautiful, as are the beautiful chords. Sometimes it sounds jazzy, reminiscent of Bill Evans, and I felt a sparkling quality in the sound. I suppose these pieces for your kids are going to be very personal and deep-seated, meaningful works for you. To me, it felt like a calm lake, bringing a sense of nostalgia with many different aspects. Finally, looking at your profile and seeing that you joined the Young Composers Forum when you were still young, and now you have a family, really warmed my heart. I sincerely hope that you and your entire family have a wonderful family life. Best, Lithl.

I do appreciate you saying that we should not compare tonal and modal music; for each are trying to very different things. I’m genuinely interested, though, in ways to combine the two…

Modal musical ends with the cadential harmony, in this case bII - I = Db - C min. Mixing modal and tonal is possible, of course. But if you stay modal along the piece and at the very end you use a perfect authentic cadence it sounds as a mistake. If you want to make a mixture you have to do it not only in the end. This is the way our ears will take it as “normal”.

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

Hello, As you mentioned, the E major one sounds very chopin-ey, can hear direct quotes from the waterfall etude...but it's in E major! The C# Etude sounds absolutely wicked, in a good way. Of course it's very impressionistic. However! I accidentally opened two of your youtube links, so I had two versions of you playing, slightly out of sync and it sounded really cool. Obviously, you posted this with the general idea around classical music. But I wonder if some music producer could remix your works somehow, add a bit of delay or something. Maybe what you weren't thinking about...try it and let me know what you think? Both etudes in very different styles...Bravo!

Hello. A super interesting topic that could go a long way.... First of all, let me say that your short piece sounds very beautiful and I love it. I would only change one thing, which I will comment on later. I’m definitely going to say it here: I consider myself quite deeply involved in these matters of modality; in fact, my own curiosity led me to write a mini-manual where I explain how to develop musical systems from a scale-mode (any of the hundreds out there). The first thing to point out is that I think it’s a mistake to compare modal systems with tonal ones (and these with atonal ones). We need to forget about voice leading, 'forbidden' parallels, etc.... Modal music predates tonal music by more than a thousand years, and it didn't need any comparison. It must be understood as a horizontal, melodic system where there are no notes to avoid, and where certain colors (characteristic notes of the mode) are highlighted. The fact that we use chords in modal harmony today is a much later 'construct' in which the concept of the triad-chord is applied to the vertical coincidence of melodic lines in modal music. That is how harmony was born... From our perspective, since we are already familiar with functional-tonal harmony (which has thoroughly saturated our brains), we can approach a composition from an extremely wide spectrum. You can be purely modal, purely tonal, or a varying mix of both. Anything goes. In your composition, and based on your comments, one can sense a hesitation that comes and goes, which is more conceptual than musical, since the piece is completely valid and effective. But let me comment: the beginning establishes a C-G drone... typical modal style. It doesn't matter that you haven't introduced the third. The very moment the first Db note sounds on the violin, you are defining some mode of C Phrygian. In fact, it is a note that is heard at many points. If you were strictly following C Phrygian, the notes would be C, Db, Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb.... However, in measure 4, we see an E natural in the bass, then an F#... These can be interpreted as approaches to the following notes they resolve to... A typical tonal concept. In tonal music, notes resolve; in modal music, they don't—they are there to provide color. You want to use notes outside a scale-mode? There is no problem at all. It's just like using chromatic notes in a tonal composition. The problem is that if you want to maintain the color, the specific flavor of a mode, you have to be careful not to use tonal-functional resources that easily destroy that 'modal framework'. And that is what happens at the end of the composition, where there is a ii - V - I pattern ending in C major, which, for me, cancels out everything that came before. I insist that one can do whatever they want when composing. But our ears are so contaminated by tonal music that this progression ending in a perfect cadence G - C.... takes you right back to any period of the common practice. Especially the B-C..... That sounds like leading tone-tonic anywhere. But like I said: very beautiful music.

Hello @Markus Boyd. I hope everything around you is going well. As for this feedback, I want to say I'm sorry that I can't provide you with constructive feedback based on music theory. But I will try my best to help just a little bit for your improvement. Impression and Feedback First of all, the very first Violin 1 note immediately drew me into your work. I personally feel this is very noteworthy because it is very difficult to immerse people in a piece of music. Perhaps that is because that violin sound was probably a contrast to the abruptness of Violin 1 against the fluid opening by the quiet Violin 2 and Viola. My suggestion is: how about making the initial performance of Violin 2 and Viola a little longer, and delaying the introduction of Violin 1 a bit? I don't think that even if Violin 2 and Viola are played just a little longer, it will cause people to get bored, and depending on the timing, it may even draw them in more. I also liked the development of the harmony from 0:40. One thing I liked was the final ending from 1:23. Personally, I thought it could have been extended a little more with some kind of development. The progression was a little too cheerful, and I felt it was slightly out of sync with the somewhat melancholic atmosphere of the piece. This is just my personal opinion, so please don't take it too seriously. Overall, I think it's a good piece. Suggested works In the middle section of this piece, I personally felt a similar vibe to Ligeti's Atmosphères. At the same time, I also felt the vibes of Pärt's Tabula Rasa: I. Silentium. I think Markus is familiar with both, so I'll share another piece with you. You may already know this, but I felt a connection between your work and this one. Please take it into consideration :) I hope this feedback helps you a bit. Best, Lithl.

Oh, what an amazing piece. I completely agree that @PeterthePapercomPoser gave you an award. First, I want to say you are a skilled piano player and I admire you for it. The notes are really clear, and the sounds are beautiful. I'm going to share my feedback on both of your pieces. Etude in E major This piece has a very classical sound to me, with a light, waltz-like atmosphere. The harmonies are very gentle and pleasant to listen to, and somehow it gave me a cinematic feel. The section at 1:02 is also wonderful, and the overall smoothness of the piece is fantastic. Etude in C# minor Personally, I preferred this one. Both are wonderful pieces, but somehow the arpeggios, harmonies, and development of this piece hit home for me. For me, this piece evoked an image of a man in a raincoat (dark navy blue) wandering the streets in the rain, holding an umbrella, and coming up with various ideas. The development at 1:43 and 0:55 seems to be the inspiration; the arpeggios that continue throughout the piece probably evoked a feeling of rain. In any case, there are wonderful motifs that evoke such scenes, and I think it's well-composed and well-performed. Overall, it's absolutely fantastic. Outstanding. Please continue posting. I really appreciate your pieces a lot. Amazing pieces! Best, Lithl.

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

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.

I recently showed a draft of a piece I was working on to one of my friends. With the piece being in 13/8, which has multiple ways of grouping, I decided to write the time signature out as (3+2+3+3+2)/8 instead of simply putting 13/8. My intention here was to make it easier to interpret and learn, but I was told my choice made it more confusing. Would it be better to notate it as an alternating pattern of 8/8 (or 4/4) and 5/8? Or simply 13/8? Or is there some other solution that I haven't considered?

Thanks everybody for the reviews and comments! Yes, I played it by myself. It was the same day I finished composing it, so I didn’t have much time to practice! Thanks! While composing I didn’t actually think of the chord structures I was using, or any styles and influences. I basically just wrote what sounded right to me, polishing for coherence. I agree—I just felt I had to start with something small that I knew would be achievable. Also, I don’t think the piece has much potential for expansion unless it’s really restructured. Thanks for the compliment! It means a lot to me, because I always feel my technique is lacking. I think what I’m learning is that ideas seldom come perfectly polished—it’s the diligent work afterwards that matters. If you analyze what you’re doing too early, it blocks the creative flow.

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. ;)

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.

As a pianist, those chords also impossible to play. Not even Rachmoninov would have wrote chords in that fashion! I think you need to carefully look at scores that use the harp, @Musicman_3254. Adler provided some scores to look at (and I included others) CPE Harp Sonata Caplet's Deux Divertissements Debussy's Sonata for harp, flute, and viola Belioz's "Rob Roy" The planets by Gustav Holst Pines of Rome by Ottorino Respighi