Ian Williams

Perhaps there is a solo-instrument spin on "Tone Poem"; I rather like the sound of that. Perhaps I'll change my programme and style them as preludes! Thank you for the advice, Euler.

I know there is very little to work with, but what I'm trying to ask is: does what I have here seem like more of an introduzione than a theme? Many many expositions are quite long, it seems, and this only stretches down 3/4 the page. Now, perhaps rather importantly, I drift toward minimalism, even though it is not a conscious decision. My greatest concern is personifying my strong visions of a scene or emotion with a good melodic line. It's all progressions, of course, but I want it to mean something! EDIT: Now that I've gotten 20 measures in, I've decided to move up from a C minor arpeggio and re-state the theme of the introduction higher in the register with both hands working together. It is sort of symbolic, if you will, of the nation picking itself up. What I want to do after that is somehow bridge over to B-flat minor for the second theme.

Hello there everyone! I have begun the process of attempting to create my first sonata. Now, this is a very naieve venture, as I've only been studying piano since January/February. This has been on my own time, so far, and recently the ABA form popped up. I felt that this was very suitable to my tastes, and started thinking of programmatic things I might make music based on. As per my own so-far-developed musical taste and style, I will tell you what this planned sonata MEANS to me! To get an idea, I must tell you at first that the key G minor is associated with me to the colour green. It is a dark green, and it sounds like a deep forest, with the undergrowth of hundreds of years covering its floor. Barely any sun gets through this dense, vaguely European mess of trees. In this quiet wood, a massive battle is centered between two nations in crisis and at war. It is the last desperate push of one to conquer the other, and one to stay alive. The entire sonata is based off of this theme. The plan was that each theme in the exposition should represent one of the nations in crisis. There will be no modulation from G minor to D major, though, as both nations are to be represented as stretched thin and at the breaking point. My idea is to move from G minor to B-flat minor (which I associate with jet black and darkness) through a bridge passage, after firmly establishing the tonic theme. Thereafter I would like to fall into the development, which I want to become a whirlwind of action and movement, con brio. The recapitulation will be left triumphant yet with something.. lingering. Movement II should become adagio, representing a long, cold winter. III will be the end.. and I'm not sure how, but I must do this! I am not asking for you to write my sonata, of course. This being my very first work, I want to make it simple yet methodical. Perhaps it is not enough that there are 20 bar lines actually worked up to, but that is all the challenge. I had an idea in my head a few hours ago for what to do after this, but it crumbled after the idea of themes of war crept in and made its mark. All I ask for is that someone look the intro over (yes, it is short, but writer's block comes at mysterious times!), listen to the .MUS if they can, and tell me where it might go, from a technical view. As an aside, I've never had piano or music lessons, and since January all I have learned has been from studying (METHODICALLY) through books and the internet. I have not taken composition yet, either, as I am fresh out of High School. Thank you for stomaching my large post, if you have. :) 20 Bars in and Gaining Ground.MUS [20 Bars in and Gaining Ground.MUS].pdf

"solo" piece, Mr. Howitzer? This is for one piano already, yes?

The essential reasoning behind the fantasies is to give a feeling and atmosphere, not a direct cohesive idea. It's like a schizophrenic statement compared to an ordered speech.

Hello there fellow musicians and composers! (Due to renaming of other pieces, it is now labelled as Fantasy No. 5) I have made a choice today.... my love of piano is stronger than ever, so I have decided to categorize what I hope to do in life. Music is the most beautiful thing in existence for me, so this idea feels right and good. The point, essentially, is to create two categories for music which I create: 1. The Fantasies 2. The Works www.myspace.com/pianofantasy Is the website! The Fantasies are an ongoing, lifelong improvisational idea. They are distinguishable because they are built upon a single small theme which is to be varied upon. The variation changes depending on the mood of the player, and they can be played at any tempo. Capturing emotion and mood as physical and tangible things in music is the goal of The Fantasies. To act as an indicator of mood, which then may suggest (in the mind) a feeling, is the point of these. The Works, on the other hand, will be physically notated music on staff/manuscript paper. Instead of being inspired by or graphed from my mood at the time of playing, they are physically written down, like any sonata by Mozart or Beethoven. Fantasies are for mood, and Works are for the expression of an actual musical composition. I love music.... Fantasy No. 5 (Cm) is one of my first improvisational piece... please tell me what you think of my improvising so far!

Perhaps it is too amateur, or the use of a digital piano is not considered authentic. Interesting.

Hello there everyone at the young composer forum! Through the past seven months, I have been using an old, borrowed 61-key kawai keyboard. As much as it sounds more like a harp than a piano, and as bad as my microphone is, I decided to record my playing. At first, the music was quite bad and lacked any semblance of tempo and form. I think that, as I have progressed, I now keep much better time and almost never hit wrong notes. My lack of piano lessons, band lessons, or general music instruction has not hindered my spirit. This dream of mine to make music to soothe, excite, and stimulate won't be stopped by lack of lessons. Until I can get these, my reliance on books and the internet has proved to be at least somewhat helpful. I would describe this music as inspired by the Romantic movement, but also steeped in minimalism. This latter quality might just be a result of me not being able to play semi-fast until recently. My heroes, musically, are Rachmaninov, Liszt, and Chopin. The four pieces on the following site are my tribute to them and all other musicians, I think. There is one nocturne which, admittedly, does not remind me of the night. In contrast, two mood pieces I made up called "diurnes" (evocative of the day time, usually an urban sprawl) are relatively more happy. There is also an adagio in typical sad fashion, though the quality has suffered from my low quality microphone. www.myspace.com/pianofantasy Please feel free to try the music if you wish. Any suggestions, comments, or advice are always welcome! Thank you.