DanielCComposer

Yep, I'll go in on this one.

The piano texture from rehearsal mark C is a nice idea, but I think you could make it better by adding pedal markings, let the notes flow into each other, and build that texture, rather than being a bit bare as they are now. You can also take out the 'this is just meant as texture' explanation, with composition, if you've written something convincing, it'll be clear that that's what it is anyway. I did find the left hand staccatos a lot less convincing, however, I think with that washy, distant piano texture, the piece will sound so much better if everything ends up melting into it, rather than it build up a driving rhythm (particularly if it's just a straight metronomic rhythm), because that, for me, makes the ending ineffective, the pieces comes to an abrupt stop, rather than 'fades away' as it could do with the texture you've got. Maybe constantly thin the texture of the guitar, make use of sul pont and sul tasto in the cello so it's not just constantly playing over it. I'm just hearing a greater relationship between the three instruments that could happen and constantly evolve, rather than it be a standard case of 'washy middle section, big build up, end'. The transition into that section at C is decisive and effective, and that's what the piece should really be 'about', rather than that be a distraction before the heavy rhythms are built back up again.

Had this piece recorded, which was originally composed in 2021 as part of my Master's. Give it a listen!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1R_wv9xtzyBvTiVEPTKoagbvHPR6UT9cY/view The score is just above! Regarding the tone, this was kind of by design. For me, the piece is very cold, 'naked' as Thatguy put it, so for me, the tone worked, it was created with the Kemper Profiling Amp, and all gain was rolled off, meaning that the amp had no natural breakup. As this can't be done with a valve/tube amp, I get how it might sound unnatural to some listeners, but considering that I was aiming for the kind of modern, neo-soul style popularised by such guitarists as Ichika Nito, I'm quite happy. Funnily enough, the original premiere of this piece was done with a more traditional setup, so you might have enjoyed that performance. Any guitarist is free to interpret this work as they can, and if a guitarist played this on a Marshall or Vox that nearly broke up on each forte+ dynamic, that might be really, really effective, and that's for them to choose. In my opinion, that's why the electric guitar is such a valuable and under-utilised instrument in contemporary classical, the interpretation of a piece can come down to the very tone of the instrument, rather than just the way tone is achieved through playing. As for the use of the seventh string, this piece was, as mentioned, originally premiered in a concert hall in Cyprus, and it was played by another player who used a 6 string guitar with 22 frets. I, myself, always prefer seven and eight strings, I'm endorsed by Aristides, and that, in the video, is my custom-built guitar, so it felt natural to use it. Certain pieces I've made (which I'll definitely share here once they're recorded/performed) do use the seventh string (particularly orchestral works), but as my research is based around the creation of future contemporary classical repertoire for electric guitarists, I always know that if I write a piece for seven-string guitar, it alienates players who don't own one. I will also say as a little aside, the tapping is essential, if a guitarist played the notes fretted, they'd be playing the piece incorrectly. Idiomatic electric guitar writing music include both hands, and there's a specific chapter in my research that goes into ambidextrous guitar playing, that is, using all eight fingers on the fretboard! Thanks for the great feedback, guys, looking forward to spending more time around here!

Here's a piece that's in my PhD composition portfolio, originally premiered in Cyprus in May 2022!