aneapolitanwouldwork

Any language can sound dark. I think it is the way the language is used that adds to the darkness, as well as who sings it. Check out various requiems for some dark and brooding. However, those are in Latin. But you would get an idea. Try working on a particular minor key too. I feel that different minor keys give off different auras of evilness.

I enjoyed this, and it shows that you put a lot of work into it. The little melody that repeated itself several times and was even transposed, I really liked that. I also liked the end. It does change the mood a little...one would expect the movement to die out rather than end on a (surprise) un-dissonant chord. But I liked the way you did it. Honestly, the only thing I can say is that if you are planning on turning this in to some competition or to be performed, there are several bars in the score that are missing rests. m 99 and 103 in V1 and the last measure. Sorry, but once when I had my pieces read over, the group had to stop because I left out a rest in the V1 part as well...I don't want that happening to anyone =p Excellent. Cheers, Brian

Hello there, Seconding the already mentioned, scores are extremely useful. As the pianist, I would have expected you to write a better part for yourself than just chords and filler complementing the clarinet =] But it is a very flowing and elegant melody. Your clarinetist should be able to pull and push that enough to make it sound very beautiful. Why do you end it in the minor key? That kind of makes me sad. Is it the musical representation of the emmigration? It should be happy, looking back with nostalgia on all the times in the past. And the last chord at the end. Since it is a nostalgic piece, it should trail out on the second to last tonic chord. No need to cadence with a Shosti-like bang. Good piece! Your friend will be thrilled. Cheers, Brian

Hello. Welcome to YC. And don't worry, plenty of us have had no formal training in composition (myself included, although that will change in 6 days). First thing anyone will ask you after you post something like this is for a score. So I will be the first. Whenever you post, pleaseeeeee pdf score! Now, piece. I like it, and you should see what you can do about getting it performed. Without a score, I can say little, but... I like your first theme and the subsequent answering in what I have to guess is a viola. I find some of the sudden triplets a bit out of place...I suppose I mean not in the color of the piece. This would serve well as a movement of a piece, it remains very engrained in your style you set up. Not too much dynamic or stylistic variation. But the whole thing sounds very nice. As I said, I like it. Good job, stay around and keep gracing us with these pieces. Cheers, Brian

blm's question was the same one I had. This seems more of a single musical idea, not a piece. Expand, develop, sure - voila, piece. I did not really 'get' the piece. Just the musical going-ons... For some reason, when I think of owl, I don't see trombone and vibraphone. I did, however, see some good little bits. Expand upon those little bits...and you will have yourself an excellent duet for the oddest pair ever. =] Brian

Thank you!

Haha. Well, I suppose I can only relate to actual instrumental teachers, because as I've noted I have yet to actually have a composition lesson with a teacher. I am looking fowards to it, and I will be able to see if a teacher for composition specifically is a good thing. In all other areas, teachers have done good things for me, so I suppose I jumped to conclusions in applying it to composition.

I have always considered teachers crucial. That being said, I have no composition teachers in my area, so I am getting away this summer to study composition with som actual professors, and I am looking fowards to it very much. I think it will help my pieces so much. Teachers point you in the right direction, and keep you from making wrong turns. They also usually have the wisdom of experience on their side, which self taught people cannot get from wikipedia. I cannot get an interpretation of Bach's cello suites from the internet, and recordings do not explain to me why the performers hold out that particular note. My teacher will explain to me the history of the performance of his cello suites, why she believes in this particular interpretation, and many other valuable things that make me grateful to have an instructor. Music is a learning process. Having a teacher is not unashamedly mediocre, going without a teacher is unashamedly pretentious. Sometimes it does work, but you can never ever go wrong with someone who knows what they are doing.

Score please? I could certianly hear the Brazillian influence. I like this piece. Very different than anything else here in chamber music. Cool sound. My only quibble is that the piece does not really go up and down. Musically. You need that climax. An especially frenetic part of the ballet, yes! I enjoyed this though, a wonderful different style! Cheers, Brian

Starting is always the hardest. I probably start 10 pieces for every one I will actually add to. I've found sheets of my little one or two line ideas that never actually hatched. You hear stuff in your head, that is the way I go. If you hear a melody, find a piano and match pitches, and write it on paper. Then, add to it. Vary it, make it your own. Study composers to find the style you like. Then you can figure out why you like it. Chords, progressions, key changes, tempo, orchestration. Then try to write out your own ideas in that style. For my first real piece that I had performed and everything, it honestly came to me pretty much finished. I just had a melody in my head, I put it down, and I played with it. But you hear it, so you are well set up.

Scores? Hah. Rondo - is everything a rondo should be. I enjoyed it. Duetto - I like it again. No complaints. I think two violins sound fine. You write well for duets. They are quite nice, both pieces =] You should have gotten that rondo recorded and then posted a non-midi file as a treat. I love it. Cheers, Brian

I caught a soaring melody in there at about 1:30 that I liked. The frantic stuff before that is a bit muddy, there is an obvious upper and lower part but they don't have much to do with each other. They join at the melody, and I really like that thirty-second bit there =] I agree, with a little ironing out, a fabulous piece you have there. Good luck on it, I enjoyed it. Cheers, Brian =

I'm going to have to agree with Ron here. There is no way a wind player can play what you are asking, especially the clarinets. I do know about stagger breathing, but you have 3 pages of clarinet divisi a 3, it is going to sound slightly odd. I can understand the staggered breathing on the bass clarinet et al. I like it; fun piece. Repetitive sure, but not only do I like it I think it adds to the whole jig feel. I hope you get this thing performed. Cheers, Brian

I don't generally dabble in bitonality but I like this. Can you interweave the piano and the violin anymore? They trade off the melody, certainly, but they dont seem to communicate with each other much. I suppose its hard to put into words...it sounds more like two people reading prepared statements after each other rather then a conversation or, I suppose, in this case, an arguement. That being said, I like the piano chords, and I like a couple ideas the violin has. The violin does seem to shift around a lot, whilst the piano seems to keep to one main motif. I would love to see this piece finished. Cheers, Brian.

No, I happen to like the left hand. I was merely saying that if you did not like the overall atmosphere your piece created, when you revamp it, the left hand is probably one of the most contributing factors to the 'carnival ride' feel.