Charlie Gregson

That's cool if you're not a fan of it. I know it's definitely not an "interesting" song, it's more meant to wash over you. Thanks for the comment!

Thank you SO SO SO much for taking the time to write such a detailed reply. It really helps me out and it's exciting to read too. It's kind of funny, because what you were feeling about the pacing was exactly what I wanted listeners to feel, so it's good to know that I mostly succeeded with that. Also, the guitar-like sound was actually an organ sound to which I applied heavy distortion, filter and reverb, so it sort of sounded like a guitar, but with much more sustain movement.

Hey everybody, it's been a long time since I posted. Here's a piece I composed on GarageBand on the computer at my high school. 1. Techniques used --Beat creation, instrumentation 2. How long it took to compose the piece --A good 2 hours 3. Structure of your piece --The first part builds gradually, layering part upon part until it reaches the first climax. Then the instruments drop out into a more freely-flowing middle section, which then leads into the climax/chorus again. 4. Obstacles when composing --As always, finishing it. But it wasn't as hard with this one as with other times. 5. Summary of overall piece --A calming, driving, transcendant fantasy (I hope!! :thumbsup:) Turtle 70 67 - Putfile.com

Haha, true that!

I can't say for sure, but I think that Roland used the same piano sound for the fp-7 and for the Roland keyboard I recently bought, the RD-700SX. It looks like, since they're both newer stage pianos, Roland put the same great piano sounds in each. So I can comment on them as well, and say that they really are stunning. I've played a lot of virtual pianos before that always lack something, or are insufficient in some style, etc. For example, there's the dreaded "Kurzweil sound" that you always hear on History Channel shows and stuff, that really tinny sound that just screams "I'm not using a real piano". But I can say that the piano sounds on my RD-700SX are lacking nothing...they sound great all around. I'm completely satisfied with them because they hold all of the nuances of an acoustic. The RD-700SX has the same piano sounds, but is a different kind of piano than the fp-7, so do some research.

This is true...with that I begin my Fantasia example! When I was young, I watched Fantasia a lot. It was just a great spark for my imagination. My favorite sequence was the setting of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring to the prehistory of the Earth. But after learning that the Rite of Spring is really music for a ballet about a pagan sacrificial ritual, I couldn't believe it...("that piece of music is WHAT??"). What happened was that this amazing piece of music became attached to the dinosaurs from Fantasia and I could no longer enjoy it without thinking of those stupid dinosaurs. This is what happens to me when I hear a huge backstory about a piece, like "such and such composer wrote this while his wife was ill" or "such and such symphony is about the Challenger disaster". I can still hear the music, but I'm not connecting it with my soul anymore; I'm just evaluating how closely it matches its description. I heard Debussy's "The Sea" before I knew it was even called that. I had this image in my mind of a certain beautiful grandeur. But after I learned that it was called "The Sea", all I thought about was "how much does this piece remind me of the sea?". I hope I'm being clear.

That's true. There's so much stuff to consider. For example, I remember as a student I didn't like piano music where my hands jump around a lot (I still don't :whistling:) because I couldn't see the score at the same time. I guess a key element is also to make it fun to play (because it encourages practice and discourages ADD), and if possible, make it be able to be played very quickly, because that makes it more fun.

I listen to music that fits or enhances the mood I'm in. Done deal. I enjoy happy music, but I sure as hell don't want it when I'm mourning my dead cat. When you said stuff in the first post like: I hoped you meant what I think you meant. It's never good to be unaware of suffering, but it is good to see suffering and yet still have hope in spite of it. I think the best kind of music (the happy/sad mixture people have been talking about) reflects this concept. It's true that there are some pieces that are off-the-wall JOYOUS, and they're great...just not all the time. Also, you must realize that you aren't confined to the mood of the music you're listening to. Sometimes I truly enjoy listening to "despair" pieces, pieces with no hope at all. That's not to say I am a despairing person. I consider myself a hopeful person, and yet I can connect with the emotions being conveyed...and that helps me connect with the music. It's important not to block out a whole chunk of music just because "hey, it makes me sad and I don't like it!". Music is powerful when it conveys common human feelings, and whether that feeling is "I'm so giddy I'm going to do a jig around the dinner table!" or "I'm at the bottom of the last untended well on earth", music is equally powerful.

Exactly. That's the idea. I also recieved the bass comment from my school's choral director, so there's a likelyhood that I will address that in the future.

MIDI file GET! Here are the lyrics as well Lovely the sad heart of the weeping willow, holding its boughs higher than i can reach the sky if i could but i can't listen everything is black and white and polka-dotted spilling across the endless sky made out of oriole feathers your picture frame gets lost in the sand but becomes the ocean when all you can hear is heaven. LovelySATB.mid

The text for this choral work is a poem written by my friend Lindsey. I have always wanted to turn her words into music, and I got my chance this year by taking an independent study course in composition. The piece itself is arranged into SATB form, and it switches between homophony and polyphony. It's sort of free-form, as the melody is largely directed by the text. It also deliberately ignores some of the classic rules of 4-part writing in favor of more interesting harmony. See how you like it. LovelySATB.mus

YES, ALWAYS!!! hahaha

Thanks so much for the advice, everyone. I will keep all of it in mind.

Great news! This year in school I have an independent study in composition. I'm all by myself in a lab with Macintosh computers, each with a full version of Finale. :thumbsup: I've already studied four-part writing in depth, and now comes the part where I'm going to write a piece for SATB. I'd like to know: are there any specific techniques, besides four part writing techniques and counterpoint, which will help me create a more musically effective vocal piece? Is there anything that I should avoid? Thanks for any and all help.

The melody did a good job of being...well, melodic. And very rhythmic at the same time, which is cool. The first part builds up nicely and is very cool. I don't like the middle or last parts. The middle part was sparse had lots of interest because of that, but it went on for too long. Then I was praying for it to go back into the first part again (to go back home, essentially). And then it went into a new part, and I felt let down. This isn't necessarily bad, as long as you develop the first part or bring it back (otherwise, why was it included?). The second part wasn't bad musically, but it sort of split the whole piece in half.