Nota Bene

I liked this a lot. There are really nice singing melodies in it and some lovely harmonies. On the negative side, perhaps at times it sounds a bit confused - the writing for both instruments could be clearer, (but perhaps this is the sound of the recording?). Also, at times the direction of the music seemed a bit confused to me. You also appear to have written it in several sections - but perhaps there are too many of these? I thought the ending was a bit abrupt - you built it up excellently and then ended very suddenly. However, although I can't comment very well without seeing the score, I loved (what I think was) the second section and the fourth section - they were very effective with a lot of direction and power and they sounded great. Congratulations on your first post - it was well done.

I thought this was quite impressive and the Adagio was a nice contrast to the busy outer sections. I've only played the violin myself to quite a basic level, (so apologies if you play it well), but to me I do wonder whether there are too many double stops? I think it may sound a bit too thick if it was played on a real instrument? Also, perhaps you have over-done the use of the main motif of 6 stacatto quavers followed by semi-quavers in fives in the last section? I would prefer a bit more variation in the final section - I think this would give the piece more of a lift at the end. These are only my personal thoughts. Good luck in the competition.

I liked it as well and would love to play it too. It had some nice harmonies and went well on the guitar. Look forward to the score.

Thanks so much to both of you for commenting on my piece. :) Thanks especially to jrcramer for his very helpful advice. I do agree that I am not adventurous enough with my harmonies and should develop them more. No, I'm afraid this was an error - but I understand exactly what you mean - I have put the bar lines in the wrong place! :O

Sorry if this seems a stupid question - but could you tell me what an octotonic scale is? (I have looked in my music dictionary but this term is not in there.)

I thought this was good. You developed the main motif of a descending second really well and because of this I didn't lose interest in that motif. I also thought the other motif of two dotted crotchets followed by two crotchets was well done too. As a result of the time signature it played out like syncopation and was very effective. :) I particularly enjoyed measures 24 to 35 as the accompaniment gave it a real momentum over striking melody lines in the other parts. :thumbsup:

As you said it is quite strange and a bit incoherent. I know it was supposed to be but perhaps it is a little too much. ;) However, I thought the harmonies were more effective and the way the parts interacted. :) I do think the piece has promise. Maybe you could use some of it as an introduction to a more structured piece? I think one of the problems is that it doesn't develop properly into a main section. My composition teacher once told me that I wrote something that didn't really get going and I know what he meant. Maybe you could write a further section with a strong melody and more structure to help balance the dreaminess of other bit? Maybe you could begin and end with the dream?

I liked this a lot. It started with a good "introduction" and you then developed the main ideas well. There was also a good interplay between the parts. I thought the ostinato rhythm you've written at times for the bass instruments was particularly effective - it reminded me of the ostinato in Mars from Holst's The Planets suite. Holst used percussion and I think your piece would also sound even better if you added some percussion. My only other comment is (and please note I've never played a brass instrument) it does look very complex writing for brass players? Maybe I'm talking rubbish but some parts look very difficult to play compared to those in professional scores I've seen. I know you said you play the trumpet so if I'm talking nonsense please ignore me! ;) Congratulations on your second place. (Perhaps, my paragaph above was definitely rubbish!) I don't know what the CMC is but well done.

This is a charming piece. It had a nice melody and chord progressions. However, I do feel it drags a bit for the first page as there is not enough rhythmic variety - you've used mainly crotchets (quarter notes) and quavers (eighth notes). It picks up nicely in the second page though. Maybe you could also experiment with using some dotted rhythms too - these often give a piece a lift.

I liked this piece - it had feeling and atmosphere. Some other people have commented on it's lack of structure. I'm not sure whether this kind of piece is meant to have "structure". Forgive me if this was not the intention - but I heard it as a kind of impressionistic piece - and thought it was quite effective.

This is a piece with a rather dark atmosphere. I'd like to know what people think of it. Any comments - positive or negative are welcome as I'd like to learn to compose better. Thanks a lot MP3: http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7832049 String Quartet in Bm - Agitato.pdf

Hello I thought I'd share this piano piece. It is a light piece based around the traditional Spanish tune malaguena. Any feedback welcome. MP3: Link to SoundClick Fantasy on Malaguena.pdf

They all seem good to me- they hold together well and have interesting harmonies and varied rhythms. I have a couple of general points: I wonder why you have written so many in minor and flat keys? I feel some more in major and sharp keys would help balance the set. As you said you have chosen keys that are unusual for the guitar. Maybe I'm not up-to-date, but someone once told me that the reason so many guitar pieces are written in the more "basic" keys is to keep more of the open strings sounding. I believe this is also a problem with the flat keys. I think all your MP3s are played by Finale and maybe this is not very representative of the true sound of a guitar. You seem to be an able guitarist - maybe you could play them yourself?

Sorry for not replying sooner - I was away for a few days. I've now read the discussions and have a few more comments.