dreams87

Someone out there help me... please!!! Trying to compose for a competition and worried in case my ranges are all wrong! :unsure:

I use a website to ensure the ranges of the instruments are correct: http://www.dolmetsch.com/musictheory29.htm Is this site incorrect? If so, what are the double bass and cello ranges? And why can no cello player in the world play the fast part? It really isn't all that fast at all and I can just about the same part on violin. Or is this range problems again?

Confusing as in sounds "wrong" or just in comparison to the rest?

Thanks :( Probably won't be performed, at least in the near future as university doesn't seem to like key signatures or anything tonal!

Here's something I've been working on for a few days... still not entirely happy with it. Someone please tell me what's wrong that I'm missing!!!! It contains flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, piano, violin I, violin II, cello, double bass. Rhapsody in Eb.MUS littlepiece.mid littlepiece.sib

Definitely conservatoire... if you didn't do conducting you may not have come across him I guess. Strange though. I might ask him tomorrow, see if he was there then. I might be wrong with the years.

Um.. he came here 4 years ago I think so... he left about 2002. Dunno how long he was there.

Madness, how so? I noticed on your website you went to Birmingham Conservatoire. Did you have a lecturer called Lee Tsang? He used to work there and now he's a conducting lecturer here...

University of Hull, England

Yeah, though this was for first year... just a one off composition task. We had to chose between composition on Sibelius or mixing on Cubase. "Proper" composition doesn't start until next year and we weren't told how to do it other than to use whole tones and write about 20bars. In second and third year it gets more serious. And sorry, I can't do this as an mp3 :o

We were told to write a piece in whole tones by our lecturer. Hating the idea of being controlled in composing (silly me, I know :thumbsup: ), I went home furious, sat at my computer in anger and tried to write something that sounded as angry as I felt. Then my friend came over and we defaced it with triangles, timps, seashore noises and a theremin, all of which I removed before handing in as at the end of the day, I didn't want screw up my degree. Anyway, I saved it with a couple of sounds that were fun, hehe. So, this is "Taking the Whole Tone Piss", renamed "Playful Tones" to retain my place at university. playfultones.mid

I use Sibelius 3 for scoring and I'm sure there's a handwritten option on there...

I see composition as a way of expressing something, such as ideas or emotions. As far as that is concerned, a computer playing does nothing for me. No matter how amazing a piece of music, I have not yet been moved by the accurate, yet expressionless performance of a computer. I don't understand the point of composing something that will be forever lost behind the wall of meaningless the computer seems to inflict. Also, music actually composed at a computer screen in my experience loses sight of the musicians abilities, and tends to be difficult, if not impossible for a human to play. It's a big no no in my book. Music is for performers to perform. The only time I use the computer in composition is to either record it, or to make a score - yes, as professional as possible! It needs to be professional and detailed enough to be handed to a performer, understood easily and consequently performed with appropriate meaning and expression. There - that's me done.

I like the way you used the chords at the beginning with semiquavers/grace notes. My favourite part is c.bar 11 with the semiquaver run, it contrasts effectively with, as well as leading neatly into the next section. When I listen to this composition; I can imagine it being quite a dramatic and effective orchestral piece. The syncopation gives a sense of excitement - it's clever, but I'm not sure it communicates sadness. To me this piece expresses more anger, particularly because of the repeated notes in the bass. I

Midi version... sounds terrible though and the tempos are all wrong. Drifting_Clouds.mid