S. Larson

Mmmkk.. thx.

Haha - well I wrote that at a slower tempo so it would be a bit longer (yeah, I'm a loser), but I originally conceived at a faster tempo, which would make the soli a little more exciting.

Will do - thanks. Was that a good or bad funky taste in your mouth?

Agreed - the sustained stuff d/n work well. But as ^ pointed out, you can maintain some of the thick harmony by just throwing it into moving lines played by distinct colors/instrument sections. A trumpet instructor I once had told about one really easy way to write a jazz song. Step 1: Write one melody, give it to one section. Step 2: Write a counter melody, augment it up a tritone, and give it to another instrument section. Step 3: Give the 'Bops' and 'Buh duh dah dahts' to the final section. When you've got more stuff going on, keep the parts in unison. Notes rubbing up against each other b/w sections works really well when played by two different color tones... Otherwise, check out some recent jazz recordings/charts, as they should give you a good idea of what I'm talking about.

There - sorry.

Hey - Can anyone give me some thoughts on my first work for concert band? I know, the second movement is kinda short, and the percussion ensemble part is kind of long and trite, and I don't really develop the second theme, but other than that. Or if you want to comment on that, that's cool too. Click Here to listen to "The Arrival" The Arrival print.pdf

I attend a small private school and have received close to no compositional training, so any help you dispense is really appreciated! Sorry for that original comment - I had a lot of Calc homework and it was getting late, so I was probably very crabby. That's no excuse, but w/e. I'll definitely do that horn section - that will work very nicely. I'll post a new version of the file as soon as I get there. thanks!

Will Kirk, Thank you for sharing this amazing work with us. Here are the two reasons why it's amazing. You make sure that we understand what chord you're in by outlining it a number of times. I just love it when poeple do that. Your music is quite safe. I like it when I can't tell the difference between music written now and music written a few hundred years ago. It helps me remember my younger years. This is simply fantastic. Hey man, you give me crap, I give you the same stuff.

Gee, I'm sorry for disturbing your virgin ears with a few major 7ths, 9ths, and 11ths. Maybe next time I'll stick with the circle of fourths. Would that make you feel better? Could someone please give me some constructive criticsm. If all you can do is hear chord progressions like I V I V7 I, then don't comment. Apparently that's all Will Kirk listens to.

So I have this nice little contemporary SATB no accomp thing going on. Without thinking/planning, I just wrote, and unfortunately (and I guess fortunately at the same time), I have a climax done, but I don't have any drama to make it worthwhile. Can anyone give me some guidance as to how I can turn this small poem that I'm using into a sizeable work? Thanks. A mother's arms I wish I was a child again, Nestled in my mother's arms. I long to hear "It'll be all right," As she gently strokes my hair. 'Cause grownup problems can seem too tough. Hard to face them on my own. I wish I was a child again, Nestled in my mother's arms. --Jo A. Witt Copyright 2001 Don't worry, I do have permission to use the poem. Mother's Arms.3 - no intro 092106 copy.mus

Have you thought about putting some euphoniums under the celestia instead of using the counterpoint. I'm not a big fan of the counterpoint (although I really do like it when you stop movement on the notes that you land on!). I think I would prefer some blocked chords or something like that under the celestia melody.

Nigel, that was pretty good. Remember, don't use repeats unless you really hear it that way. If you are going to repeat a section, write it all out again on your comp and see if you change anything. My guess is you will. Also, check out this place for the summer.

I actually liked the beginning. Before you go into the piano triplet figure at :58 give us something like it immediately before in the trumpet or whatever the midi is trying to do. Since the comping is so hardcore with the triplets, you have to gradually take us in. It's cool, but you just can't throw it in there. When you throw in the flat 3s for enclosures, give us more of them so that way you can develop the idea. Don't just do it once. good.

Hi- I was able to use a keyboard to input chords and such into Finale, and I loved the experience. Now, as I'll be off to college in a year, I definitely want access to a keyboard in my room (I think I'd die if I didn't have one). I want to be able to use the keyboard for two things and potentially a third thing: I want to be able to mess around on it (so normal piano function), I want to be able to use it to input chords into Finale, and I may want to be able to use it for things like Cakewalk (although I really know nothing about that). Can someone please clarify whether I can get away with a nice Casio/Yamaha keyboard with midi or usb hookup, or do I need a midi sequencer? thanks.

You could pull off the old (but always reliable) trick of making your resolution the beginning of the next theme. That may help...