celloman99

Hey there, thanks for sharing your music! I would recommend that you do some analysis of other works for keyboard and orchestra from the style you are replicating here. I think your instincts melodically are good, but I think that you would benefit from shaping them around more standard harmonic progressions. For instance, if your main theme clearly moves from the tonic to the subdominant, to the dominant, it will sound more compelling than simply staying on tonic the whole time. If the terms tonic, subdominant, etc. are new to you, then just look at some piano concertos by Mozart or Beethoven and notice what chords they use and how they relate to the starting harmony of the piece. You will find that there is a pattern that is used over and over again, and it would be a good starting off point for you.

Hi all, This is something I've been working on for my composition lessons. The goal is for it to be a piece that could be played fairly easily by people who don't really know how to play the instruments involved (although I hope it would be fun for professional kalimba and ukulele players as well). If you're interested in playing it, just let me know. I'd love to get some feedback on how well the score communicates.

I enjoyed hearing this piece! Have you considered adding any pedal part to it?

Cool piece! The thing that stuck out the most to me was the amount of time that all parts were in rhythmic unison. It creates a very specific sound, and if that's what you're going for, then great! But it can also be nice to have rhythmic independence between the parts, whether that be in a polyphonic way or even a more varied form of homophony, with accompaniment that sustains and swirls beneath the main melody line.

The most positive thing about this is that the themes come across as being very bold. I don't get the sense that you are overly concerned with writing in a particular style or to please anyone's ears but your own. This is great, and I think it's something to lean into. The pizzicato octaves in the violin part towards the end are not typical for the instrument and probably more difficult to pull off than what would be "worth it" for the resulting sound. I would recommend that you continue listening to as much music, new and old, as you can, and infuse whatever stylistic elements you like into your own music. Overall, I think this is a great start, and I enjoyed listening to it.

Hey all, This is a piece I wrote in the Spring of '21 for my composition lessons. Programmatically, the is based on the following quote: "All truth passes through three stages: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer This was my first time writing for an orchestra this large and also my first time combining orchestration with a more modern compositional style.

This is my first venture into composing video game music. I did this for the "7 Days of Video Game Music" composing challenge. (This is a youtube playlist with seven tracks, one for each day of the challenge.) All of the tracks were made in GarageBand, using mainly loops with some of my own elements added throughout.

Thanks for the feedback! I also like Gathering Leaves the most out of the four movements, and I certainly understand how the virtual playback isn't as pleasing to listen to. Best wishes

Thank you! I know what you mean about the virtual piano, and I hope I can get a nice recording of the work soon. The muddiness of places like bars 15 and 16 has to do with the poem talking about the 'spring pools' being sucked up by the trees. I do agree that it isn't the most pleasant sound, though. I really appreciate the feedback! Best wishes

Program Note: Each movement of this piece is inspired by and musically depicts the plot of a poem with the same name by Robert Frost. These poems tend to reflect on the sentiment of individuals as they observe and react to events taking place in nature. Spring Pools These pools that, though in forests, still reflect The total sky almost without defect, And like the flowers beside them, chill and shiver, Will like the flowers beside them soon be gone, And yet not out by any brook or river, But up by the roots to bring dark foliage on. The trees that have it in their pent-up buds To darken nature and be summer woods - Let them think twice before they use their powers To blot out and drink up and sweep away These flowery waters and these watery flowers From snow that melted only yesterday. Fireflies in the Garden Here come real stars to fill up the upper skies, And here on earth come emulating flies That, though they never equal stars in size (And they were never really stars at heart), Achieve at times a very starlike start. Only, of course, they can't sustain the part. Gathering Leaves Spades take up leaves No better than spoons, And bags full of leaves Are light as balloons. I make a great noise Of rustling all day Like rabbit and deer Running away. But the mountains I raise Elude my embrace, Flowing over my arms And into my face. I may load and unload Again and again Till I fill the whole shed, And what have I then? Next to nothing for weight; And since they grew duller From the contact with earth, Next to nothing for color. Next to nothing for use. But a crop is a crop, And who's to say where The harvest shall stop? Dust of Snow The way a crow Shook down on me The dust of snow From a hemlock tree Has given my heart A change of mood And saved some part Of a day I had rued.

Hey there, thank you for sharing your piece! I thought it was very nice and fun to listen to.

This was amazing! I love the concept of combining the art with the music to tell the story. It all worked together wonderfully and evoked some very stirring emotions. Great work!

Hi there, thank you for sharing your composition! Here are some general comments: Movement 1 - I think the main thing I enjoyed about this was how bold it is compositionally. I really enjoyed reading your story of getting into composing through doing theory exercises. I'm confident studying theory will continue to enhance your compositional skills going forward. There were a lot of very nice moments throughout this movement. To my ear, the opening melody (in measure 2), when it drops down to the low F, it just feels a little odd and unconvincing. Of course, as everyone will tell you, write what you want to write and what sounds good to you. But also, listen carefully to your music and try to distance yourself from the fact that you composed it. Ask yourself, "Does this really sound like I want it to, or could I make a small adjustment to rhythm, melodic contour, or harmony that would bring it even closer to what I want?" It's a real struggle to have this mindset (speaking from experience), but it's worth it when your piece begins improving right before your eyes! Movement 2 - I really like the connectivity of this movement. The times when the piano begins a melodic line as the cello ends one are truly lovely. The dramatic pause in measure 40 (+ the measures leading up to it) is very effective, as well. The delayed piano chords in measures 50-52 are great! I would also delay the big Bb Major chord in measure 53, as having it on the down beat is almost anticlimactic after the excitement of the previous measures. Movement 3 - This is a very exciting sounding movement, and it definitely contrasts the first two. My favorite moment is at measure 105 with that staccato piano line under the legato cello melody; it's a very cool effect. Overall, great job. For being your first composition, I think it is incredible that you composed a whole, three movement sonata. I have no criticism for it. I would suggest that you listen to a lot of music from different styles and composers. I think this piece may have some moments where it isn't very clear where the points of arrival are, or what the "direction" of the music is. There is certainly nothing wrong with writing music that is more ambiguous to listen to, but I just wanted to say it did strike me as being a little bit on the "wandering" side (as opposed to the other extreme, which would be "Point A very clearly goes to Point B"). Again, great job, and best wishes!

I am just composing this for fun (not for my composition lessons). It is supposed to be depicting some sort of nature-themed idea (hence, Nature Documentary); however, that is just a working title for now. The piece is pretty much through-composed, other than a hint at an A B A' type of overall form. If you have any comments or ideas, please let me know! Thanks