Piano trio in C minor movement 3.

Attached is the third movement of my piano trio. (yes completed before the second) I'm quite pleased as I wrote it very quickly for my standards. 

It's in minuet and trio form and is very short. 

please leave any thoughts down below. 

This is pretty good!  The only thing that bothers me especially in the beginning is the waltz-like accompaniment you have in the piano.  I don't have as much a problem with it if only the violin is doing it but if it's chordal I tend to avoid those kinds of oom-pah-pah's you have.  There are many alternate options for accompaniment that would be more minuet-like such as a rising contour of quarter notes every three beats maybe voiced in 6ths in the right hand of the piano in the beginning.  I don't know if it's clear what I mean.  Overall I think this is really a great piece and shows lots of improvement from you!  I love the trio section too and the more lyrical melody it offers.  Nice job!

19 minutes ago, PaperComposer said:

This is pretty good!  The only thing that bothers me especially in the beginning is the waltz-like accompaniment you have in the piano.  I don't have as much a problem with it if only the violin is doing it but if it's chordal I tend to avoid those kinds of oom-pah-pah's you have.  There are many alternate options for accompaniment that would be more minuet-like such as a rising contour of quarter notes every three beats maybe voiced in 6ths in the right hand of the piano in the beginning.  I don't know if it's clear what I mean.  Overall I think this is really a great piece and shows lots of improvement from you!  I love the trio section too and the more lyrical melody it offers.  Nice job!

 

Thanks! I'm not going for an "Oom pah pah" sound really, I just couldn't figure out a way to get it 100% the way I wanted theres supposed to be far more emphasis on the bass of the piano and more strength to the violin. without one overpowering the other. I was able to play a section of it with a trio at my conservatoire today and I'm hoping to perform the whole thing once concerts start back up again. 

Again many thanks. 

nice piece. I liked this movement. there is only one small mistake (violin): the m8 cannot be played, because both note are on the same string   

8 minutes ago, ClasiCompose said:

nice piece. I liked this movement. there is only one small mistake (violin): the m8 cannot be played, because both note are on the same string   

 

Thank you.

As far as the oom pah pah, it isn't too out of the question. I've heard quite a few Beethoven scherzo's with that rhythm in the accompaniment. Scherzo and trio is the same form-wise as Minuet and Trio, so I think what you have is a Scherzo and Trio, especially with the tempo being as fast as it is. Examples of Oom pah pah in a scherzo:

Beethoven wrote this as a Minuet, but it resembles his Scherzos so I have it as an example. Second beat of the rhythmic pattern is often embellished, but still a basic Oom Pah Pah rhythm. Even the rondo starts with an Oom Pah Pah feel despite being in 4/4 time.

Off beat, but still feel that Oom Pah Pah in it.

2/4 time feel with a fast Oom Pah Pah to it, a bit like your movement

So, no need to worry about the Oom Pah Pah. I think you just need to change it from quasi Allegro Minuetto to Allegro Scherzando to reflect that it sounds more like a Scherzo than a Minuet and you're good to go with this movement.

@caters I don't really think any of those videos you posted exhibit the kind of oom-pah-pahs that @Bradley Scarff uses in his piece.  Just having the 2nd and 3rd beats filled in with notes doesn't automatically qualify as being waltz-like, but Bradley's piece uses the oom-pah-pahs in a very waltz-like manner.  Surely there should be a difference between a minuet/scherzo and a waltz.  I was just trying to bring his attention to the way he was using his 2nd and 3rd beats - if he had a rising or falling contour for the notes he uses in the piano in the beginning it might sound more minuet-like rather than waltz-like.

7 minutes ago, PaperComposer said:

@caters I don't really think any of those videos you posted exhibit the kind of oom-pah-pahs that @Bradley Scarff uses in his piece.  Just having the 2nd and 3rd beats filled in with notes doesn't automatically qualify as being waltz-like, but Bradley's piece uses the oom-pah-pahs in a very waltz-like manner.  Surely there should be a difference between a minuet/scherzo and a waltz.  I was just trying to bring his attention to the way he was using his 2nd and 3rd beats - if he had a rising or falling contour for the notes he uses in the piano in the beginning it might sound more minuet-like rather than waltz-like.

 

Well, I was just saying that I've heard that rhythm in more than just waltzes, that I've heard it in Scherzos too and that the fast tempo makes the movement more of a Scherzo than a Minuet.

3 minutes ago, caters said:

Well, I was just saying that I've heard that rhythm in more than just waltzes

And I think the videos you posted are a great example of the fact that that rhythm can be used in a scherzo/minuet quite effectively as long as it is traveling either up or down.  (-: