OpusDopus

My non-technical critique: I liked it. I found myself getting lost inside it at least a few times. That said - I found the transitions sometimes a little abrupt (which snapped me out of my reverie, and may have been your intent) and I think you could use a little more fine tuning (no pun intended) on the dynamics.

I enjoyed this very much. It has a nice bounce.

Hi, These are the last pieces I wrote without key changes. They are fairly short so I bundled them together and pretended that this was equivalent. As always, comments are welcome. I am not a keyboard player, so pointers in this direction would be appreciated.

Hi, I have made some changes. The first part has been changed to make it a little more even and consistent. The second part has been transposed to C because there were very many accidentals and I thought it would simplify things. It has also been significantly updated. The third part remains essentially the same. I also updated the copyright from the default. As always, comments are welcome as I am working in a vacuum.

Since my last posting I have been working on changing keys in the piece. My first thought was to incorporate key changes into some existing compositions, but I was unsuccessful. The pieces were written that way and it proved impossible (for me) to introduce this without changing the entire mood and feel. Perhaps at a later date when I have more experience (and confidence). I decided, then, that I had no alternative but to write something new and practice key changes in this. As it happens, at this time I went on vacation to Maui and the in the morning I played at composition with key changes and in the afternoon I played tourist. This didn't start out as a 'Haleakala Suite' - it just ended up that way. So this piece is in three parts. The first part describes waking up to roosters and bird calls; Sitting on the balcony listing to the birds, the wind, the surf; Walking down to the beach and seeing turtles that had hauled themselves out of the water for a snooze. The second part describes the trip up to Haleakala Crater. It starts as a normal drive but goes up up up and the last few kilometers (miles) were (for me) a vertiginous nightmare. I would do it again though. The third part describes the first views of the crater, then the vista opens up. The wind, the light, the shadow; The silence; Walking down the trail; The mist rolling in and changing everything. Finally, a glimpse back as we leave. It's perhaps a bit melodramatic, but I was enjoying myself.

Thank you for your reply ( and the time you took to make it). This is exactly what I am looking for.

Oh....If anyone can tell me how to name this piece I would be grateful. I called it a Quartet, but that doesn't really fit (does it?)

Hi, This piece was originally written for Flute, Violin, Viola, Double Bass. I think it sounds better as a String Quartet. The score needs a little cleaning up. Anyway, thanks for listening. Comments are always welcome.

Thanks for your reply, I appreciate the time you took. There is no question that all aspects of my composition need improvement. Can you be a little more specific? In my mind this is a divisive piece. My attempt is an argument, or at least a spirited discussion. The instruments can't just parrot each other. I tried to keep the two instruments diverging and coming back to together. Perhaps I was too successful in the diverging. Yes. It's an argument. The piece was at an end and the cello had something more to say. After reviewing some of the pieces here I realized I am waaayyy out of my league. But please bear with me. The first order of business is to improve the sound. I was using the default instruments on my software. It was ugly and harsh. I invested in some sound and now it is much, much better. However, the dynamics were are all wrong. Here is a new version with the updated sound, altered dynamics, and an altered beginning.

Hi, This is a duet I wrote for Viola and Cello. Any guidance on notation, rhythm, harmony, etc. is welcome. Thanks in advance....