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Hearing a computer suck all of the soul out of a composition I have poured myself into is always a cringe-inducing experience for me, but with this nocturne the "Human Playback" version was just so unbearable that I decided to record it myself. The recording quality isn't great (the triplet part is especially weak) but I was eager to post this because I think it's pretty. I unearthed a rough draft of the first section of it when I was cleaning my room and actually liked it, which is unusual when I discover sketches I wrote and forgot. It is not mind-blowingly original, but I still find it charming. However if you don't, PLEASE tell me. I promise criticism won't offend me even though I like it. Nocturne

Aww shucks, no one's ever favorited one of my works before... I'm glad you liked it, MusicFiend. :happy: jawoodruff, you are certainly right that my material was probably a bit repetitive and harmony-oriented. I mean, that was sort of what I was trying to accomplish, but maybe I went a bit too far in focusing on harmony and using themes and motifs economically. I guess I still haven't quite found that perfect balance yet. Thanks for commenting!

In this piece I tried to expand my musical vocabulary. In addition to less obvious harmonies, I also used some 5/4 and 5/8 time in somewhat large sections of the work, and I had never really used complex key signatures before. I also tried to use themes and motifs more economically. What do you think? Symphonic Rhapsody

I wish I had read your comment before I wrote the third movement (which is now posted), because I am afraid I used a lot of arpeggiation again. Dang. And yeah, I suppose I don't know much about "tonal regions and the like." I'll need to do some researching before I post another piece here... Anyway, the third movement is up. And thanks for your comments, which have given me a lot to think about.

Hmm, I'm not really sure what you mean by "the tonal regions within G minor" or "remote regions." Thanks a bunch for your advice about the ending, as ending a piece satisfactorily is for me the greatest challenge. And I will try to make my harmonic language more complex. I had thought that I used quite a variety but what you said made me look closer and I discovered that I am really dependent on I, V, and IV chords, and everything else is more the exception than the rule. I tend to write melodies and then add harmony that seems to fit the most naturally, and maybe in the future I will try to do the opposite. Anyway, thanks so much for your advice, which gave me tons to think about. Movement 3 (the last movement) is coming soon!

Well hecklaphone I'm glad you like it (and I'm especially glad it works now) but I think I'll have to agree with part of jr's statement, in that I didn't intend for it to be in the baroque style. However, I don't think its really classical or early romantic either. Its not really supposed to fit in any historical period of music, really, and has influences from a bunch of different ones. And this would be short for a whole sonata, but it is just the first movement after all. But the third one is almost finished and the second is about a third done! I'm glad you liked the piano part, because I wanted to try to avoid the cliched "oom-chucks" that are so easy to write, but so boring to play. Thanks for commenting! I just uploaded the second movement. Hopefully it works! I am hoping to record this somehow because I find the midi rendition of it a bit unsatisfying. I haven't decided whether I like that movement. Sometimes I think its great and sometimes I think its terrible. I particularly react inconsistently to the ending, which I think could be neat if played well but also probably difficult to pull off convincingly. Another thing is playing the cello part by itself without the piano is...weird. Maybe it's because the cello part is rather non-linear, and the harmonies are tricky to deduce without the piano part. What do you think?

This is the first movement of a cello sonata I am in the process of writing. I would usually wait until I finished the other movements to post but I am thinking about playing this movement for a recital in June or July so I would like comments before then so I can give this piece to my pianist to learn. I would love comments, but especially those concerning the piano part as I want to be sure it is acceptable. Comments about the music as a whole would also be wonderful because I don't want to bore or bewilder my listeners! Thanks in advance!As a note, I have already decided that if I perform the piece I will omit the repeat because I don't want it to last a ridiculously long time. Cello Sonata

String Quartet in A major. String Quartet

Wow that was really fast, you guys, thanks! Shpena, it took me about a month to write from start to finish, but that was during summer break when I have a lot more time at my disposal! And I am glad you like the part after 291, because I am rather fond of it myself. :) Also if there is any way I could hear the GPO version, I would really love to! Pieter, sorry about the score. I find dealing with collisions and things on the score very irritating and tedious, but I promise you I am working to clean it up now. Also, you are right that the piano writing is not particularly virtuosic. I didn't intend to create a virtuosic piece, but I also didn't want to create a piano part that is static throughout the piece. So I will work to make the part more interesting. And the ending--I agree, it is rather weak. I will see if I can find it in me too write a bang from the orchestra and piano--(sigh). Anyway, thank both of you for your startlingly prompt responses to this little piece!

Tell me what you think! Thanks concertpiece.mus concertpiece.pdf concertpiece.mid

When do you plan on these performances taking place? And should pieces be just for cello or for cello and piano?

Yes the cello stuff is possible, but it would not be much fun. And it would likely sound horrifically out of tune. If you have a very good cellist, though, this shouldn't be too much of a problem.

Allrighty then I can't figure out what else to do with this so I'll just stick it here. Poof. A viola concerto. For viola (duh) and string orchestra. 1.moderato.mus 2.allegro.mus 3.andante.mus 1.moderato.mid 2.allegro.mid 3.andante.mid 1.moderato.pdf 2.allegro.pdf 3.andante.pdf

So what do i do with the finished thing?

Tsk. Impatient, impatient. Overall I liked it. It was pretty, and evocative of the kind of setting you were trying to portray. One thing is, are you sure your cellist can get those crazy-fast harmonics at 29? If they can, they have mad skills. Another thing I didn't like so much were the titles, particularly "Flight, on the back of a Majestic Bird". Call me old-fashioned, but I still like those good old titles like "Sonata". I would like it better even if you just took out the comma and called it "Flight on the back of a Majestic Bird". That still makes sense. And I really liked the ending, I thought it was a fascinating and unorthodox, but satisfying ending. But it also might be rather difficult to pull off convincingly, without leaving one player continuing after the other had stopped and looking like a fool.