swankswede13

Arranging genuine piano pieces for orchestra can be dangerous because of the challenge with assigning melodies to instruments in a way that is idiomatic (what the instrument would want to play). For example, some excellent piano melodies are not going to work very well for a horn player.

oh, yes. "Do not..." I was critiquing the "New Harmonization."

Sorry it's been a while. Here's what I got out of what you've taught me. Let me know if I've missed anything: 1. no parallel 5ths 2. perfect 4th is a dissonance between bass and any upper voice 3. no muddled harmonic progression 4. a 6/4 chord should only be used when it is the result of some logical progression in the bass 5. avoid doubling the 3rd of a chord 6. don't introduce the dissonance of a 7th without preparation 7. the final cadence MUST have a 3rd of V, in the V-I 8. do introduce dissonants without preparing them (preparation, suspension, resolution) Here's my critique of my own work: - doubled 3rd of I in m. 1 - lots of parallel motion in m. 3 - doubled 3rd of IV in m. 2 - doubled 3rd of I in m. 3 - un-introduced dissonance in m. 4 (I could have done I-IV in m. 3 to introduce the F) - lots of 6/4 chords (is this a problem in this case?)

Would you like us to show exercise 3 in concert pitch?

All great points and tips, guys! Expect to see a revised piece by the end of next week- I'm going to a composers institute next week where we will be studying jazz and movie scoring techniques as well as brushing up on traditional music. I will definitely add more instruments to this (bass, solo instruments, drums?) Robin: I noticed the C# problem too, but I'm not what note to go to :P I'm also kinda puzzled on how I would use both hands. Just add some extra chord tones into the bass riff where it holds? MusicMan: I actually love the horn! I'm a horn player too, so I've written a couple of pieces with the horn featured. I do realize that I wrote the swing out in a strange way, but I really wanted to hear what it would sound like in performance. I once wrote out a swing piece with straight eighth notes, and I forgot why I wanted it to be swung by listening to it so many times... so, I will change it to straight eighth notes if it is to be performed. Thanks again!

Here's the new harmonization and the switch assignment. Sorry it took a while to get back to ya. New Harmonization.MUS switch assignment.MUS

Hello! This is a relatively new piece that I've started, based on the Count Basie 12 bar blues pattern. I'm not really sure where to go after what I have. a) back to intro? b) back to the head? c) add new material? d) repeat the last 8 measures? Let me know what you think in that area and also what you think about the piece as it is right now. :toothygrin: Thank you! Blues.nwc Blues.mid Blues.pdf

Thanks! :P The open interval feel is my favorite too. I'm not sure what you mean about the cadence. I think the place you mentioned has a good sense of movement- the bass line is real solid, the soprano melody is natural-feeling, and the inner voices seem to complement the outer voices. There are some progressions that I think could use some work, but I don't think the transition from m. 2 to m. 3 is one of them. Let me know what you mean please :)

Really cool use of suspensions in your chords! That's where I am harmonically too- exploring different ways to embellish chords. One thing I think you could work on is making the words and rhythm line up so they match what would sound natural to speak. Say that words with the natural accents that come in each measure, and if it doesn't sound normal (compared with how your mouth would like to say it), then you should rework it. For example, it wouldn't sound normal to say fall-ING, with the accent on the "ing." Whenever we say that word in a conversation, it comes out as FALL-ing. So the difference is there and could make it awkward to sing. Hope that helped!

Hello! It's been a while, but I've been working steady. I finished another song for my musical, The Deliverance of Brunswick. This song will take place after a battle scene in which many of the men from Brunswick are lost. So, I was going for a minor, almost Gregorian chant mood. I'm not really sure about some of the words- please let me know if you have any ideas regarding other options for the libretto. I would also like to expand this piece quite a bit (maybe 3 minutes?) Thanks for taking the time to listen! :o The Elegy of Our Men.nwc The Elegy of Our Men.mid The Elegy of Our Men.pdf

WOW! That would be like perfect pitch combined with the ability to hear multiple voices at once. Craziness! I would like to have that gift :)

Hey! Yup, you got the basic idea of it. It is set in the middle east. The first part is just setting the scene- the glorious land of the ancient Israelites. However I realized upon listening to it again that I used very little harmonic/melodic/rhythmic material that seemed very arabic... I should search the forums for tips on achieving that sound. Anyways, you caught right on to the idea in the second part. The percussion at 15 along with the pulsing low strings was basically a scene change to a battle of some sort. I will have to experiment with sounds that will achieve that- listen to some ancient times movie battle music :cool: HAHA, I just realized that I haven't completely graphed what the shape of the piece will look like. I know I'm going for the story of Gideon, but I have no idea how it will all flow yet. I best get working on that ;) Thanks for listening!

Thank you again for your tips! I will definitely spend time revising the harmonies you pointed out. At my level of experience, it's hard for me to completely understand what sounds good traditionally, so any insight into that is greatly appreciated :) I finally finished the 4th movement... I think. I will probably revise it like the others, but this is most of the new material that will exist. Let me know what your thoughts are. Thank you! Cello Quartet Movement 4.nwc Cello Quartet Movement 4.mid Cello Quartet Mvt 4.pdf

oh, ok, that makes a lot more sense. :D I've just remembered an incident like that in my own high school band- the composer wrote very low parts for the 3rd horns (me and another person), and we had insane amounts of trouble because we were used to playing in our higher registers.

that really makes a lot of sense :P