I Need A "full-Time Tutoring"

I try to learn composing by myself. I have no opportunity to study music with a tutor or to have a MIDI keyboard, so I learn from books (I have read the Michael Miller trilogy) and write music with Cakewalk Pro Audio 9.

Therefore, I need someone to give me feedback on my self-study. I hope that here I will get all the help I need.

Enclosed is one of my attempts - a short 16 bar piece. What can I do to improve it, and what pieces of composing theory are helpful here? How would you improve it (If you can, then attach your improved versions)?

Thanks in advance.

ha.mid

If you wish to pursue this style, I'd recommend you to listen and study Bartók's compositions. Starting by the short easy ones, like Mikrokosmos, Children's Book, First Term at the Piano etc.

There's not much we can say about this, as it's a simple short melody without accompaniment. Depending on you aims and ambitions, you could try to harmonize this melody, and also maybe put a counterpoint-like second melody in bass or in the alto line. Well, there are many things you can do^^

Try to study some counterpoint so that you can add a second voice to this melody^^

But there's nothing wrong with the melody, as I understood you?

Actually it's 8 bar verse and 8 bar chorus, it is devised to be put in Band-in-a-Box.

But there's nothing wrong with the melody, as I understood you?

Actually, there's no such thing as "wrong" in music. Everything can be possible and right. That depends on your aims, your style, your way of working with it. If you want to compose like Mozart, Beethoven or Bach, I'd advise you to keep an eye on the key of this melody, as it sounds like G major in the beginning, but ends in A minor =/ The lack of harmony kind of makes it more difficult to interprete. However, if you want to compose like Bartók, Ravel, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, you should be more daring in your melody, maybe with more intricate rhythms, non-diatonic notes, a more complex harmony...

Many people try to compose like other composers did in the past. That's a good way to start (as you get good references), but not a good goal, because you'll never be yourself as a composer, but a mere copy of an already done style. Keep that in mind ;)

I harmonized the melody.

ha-rmonized.mid

Another melody of mine, this time made from I-V-IV-I progression.

re.mid

Please give me feedback on this melodies.

I hear some oddities in voice-leading in the first harmonized melody. Some chords have many awkward paralelisms. That would be "solved" by making a different accompaniment (not only a close-chord-after-chord). Also, some chords sounded a bit weird for me...

AS for the second, it's much more clear and balanced, except for the end which was melodically unexpected for me =/

That's only my opinion, not the musical truth, I must say

Thank you for your feedback. It is what's needed - ene xplanation of what went wrong. Allthough I, as a newbie, would like that you elaborate on this.

After skimming through Caplin's book, I wrote a period (sorry, sentence). I know that this accompaniment is not perfect (or even so-so), but a corrected MIDI file would be appreciated. Especially I would like to know the principles applicable.

test1.mid

A small ternary form based on Caplin's analysis of Nachtmusic 2nd mvt.

tern.mid

Sounds like you're off to a good start!  I'm in the same boat.  Trying to put it together on the fly, with no teacher.  (:  We'll all muddle through together!  

I'd say, my teacherly advice (I have taught, just not music):  keep going with the exercises, but also try writing something longer.  A whole piece.  Say, about three minutes of music.  It will not be perfect, but it will get you motivated in the way that short exercises just won't.  And it will give people here more to give feedback on, and you more of a chance to figure out what you still need to know.  It's hard to give much feed back on something as bare bones as what you've posted.  There just isn't much there to comment on.  I want to see what you do with the theme for the next page of music...  Then we'll all know that you need to vary your rhythms more, or your chord progressions are all the same, and all don't quite work because every time you...  

And the sooner you write something substantial the better.  Otherwise you'll be scared of it, and you'll just keep putting it off.  

It's not going to be good.  Let's get that out of the way right now.  It's not going to be good.  There.  Now, knowing that, what is there to worry about?  Get out there and get writing!  You are going to have to write a whole lot of awful stuff before you start writing things you like.  So the sooner you get the writing of the awful stuff out of the way, the better.  

In the game "go," they say, "lose your first 100 games quickly."  No sense trying to over-think every move.  You don't know enough yet to be thinking about the right things.  You ARE going to lose the first 100 games.  It's just a question of whether it takes you 2 years to play them, or 2 months.  Don't let it all be so precious to you that you are afraid to make a move.  Just get writing, knowing that the sooner you throw out the first 100 pieces, the sooner you will write the next 100, and the next 100.  (:  

And keep studying.  Me too!  

Here's one of mine so we can share the agony of our current awfulness:  http://youtu.be/Cn4YwJ8Fmws

That's maybe the third thing I've written, but I'm pretty proud of it.  The notation is terrible, I'm sure, and I have no idea what the chords are.  But I'm still proud of myself.  

Here's one that's maybe the fourth thing I've written.  http://youtu.be/PCLxpE_rkI0

Also bad, but it's my baby, I did it all by myself, and I even wrote the text.  So I'm proud of me, and pumped to keep going.  You too.  Keep going.  And ask questions when you have them.  (I won't know the answers either, so I'll eavesdrop on other people's advice.)  (:

Oh, and I just discovered that Berkelee College of Music in Boston has online courses in music theory now.  (:  

Oh, and I just discovered that Berkelee College of Music in Boston has online courses in music theory now.  (:  

Berkelee is a good school.

Thank you, pateceramics. Let's share our knowledge between ourselves.

My new ternary, slightly longer. Now it lasts for a minute.

sent.mid

Why don't you post that at Incomplete Works; Writer's Block and Suggestions ?

I think it's meant for that stuff.