Op. 10 in B major | my best long piece

this piece took very long to write. Never performed it and I didn't even bother playing it for a recording cause I just didn't feel like it

Op10_in_B_major_20231208_190629.mid

Hello Ben and welcome to the forum!

This is quite a fanfare-like introduction for the piano!  But I think repeating notes at this tempo is quite difficult for the wrist and people might want to play it slower to make it more possible to perform!  Your harmonic language is quite adept however.  There is quite a bit of musicality with contrasting sections in different keys and at different dynamic levels and tempos!  What program did you make this in?  If you used a notation program it would be preferable to export a pdf score instead of a midi so that us listeners can follow along.  But if you used a DAW then it's understandable why you only provided a midi.  Is the pause at 4:59 deliberate?  I'm not sure when listening whether that was a deliberate musical choice on your part or just a lack of a transition.  There is another pause like this at 6:07.  The slower section that follows is really nice and it would be amazing to hear a ritardando into it or some kind of transition.  I like how you bring back the introductory fanfare at around 7:30.  I like the very conclusive sounding finale!  Do I detect a bit of Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude snuck in there at the end?  Well done and thanks for sharing!

Peter

Hello @Ben Callender,

Welcome to our forum! I finally have time for this one!

This piece has wonderful fire and energy. It can be devilishly hard to play but the rhythm and motion is great. The harmonic colour is varied with change of characters for different passages. The opening fanfare is quite spirited, and the modulation to Bb major in 0:50 is great. 1:23 has good contrast of dynamics, and I really love the minor section in b.126 which kinds of remind me of Chopin's first Scherzo. B.155 has good contrast with imitation texture and dynamics.

For me the contrast of b.263 a bit abrupt and I think you slightly overdo the contrast with different tempo, texture, character and key (Me and @PeterthePapercomPoser are known to have different taste LoL). Maybe you can retain something more recognizable from the first section to make the sections more related! The transition back however is great, and the ending as Peter is energetic.

For such a young composer like you this piece is perfect. i hope I can compose like you when I was 15 haha! Maybe what's next will be to give structure a try!

Thx for sharing and joining us! You can also visit our other talented composers' pieces and possibly review them!

Henry

Wow. You've really made something incredible here. As Henry mentioned, this piece is bursting with color. I don't know how you managed to coax such beautiful colors from these sounds samples -- you deserve better software, because currently, it's a bit like looking at a sepia-filter photograph of a rainbow. The colors can be made out, but they are "duller" than they should be. I'm looking forward to this piece getting a sound sample facelift when you have an opportunity.

When it comes to virtuosic writing, a good rule of thumb is, "is it necessary? Does it serve the music?" For example, you mentioned Liszt's Mephisto Waltz. On occasion, Liszt got carried away with his writing 😂 but his Mephisto Waltz No. 1 is an excellent example of mature virtuosic writing. The slow section in the middle with the repeated R.H. notes and octave achieves a "warble" that adds a certain eeriness and mystery to the piece that couldn't be achieved otherwise -- the virtuosic passage serves the music. Those infamous R.H. octave leaps just before the explosive finale -- not only are they visually impressive to the audience, but they provide a thin texture that's immediately contrasted by the deeper, thicker chords that he wrote between those leap sections. In other words, all of the virtuosic writing served the music.

So, my advice is, as long as you make sure that your virtuosic writing serves the music, and isn't made the point of the piece in and of itself, your music will come across as mature are well-founded. This piece you've written, for example, for the most part, comes across as written for the sake of making music -- as it should be. It's exciting, passionate, colorful, unique ... and the virtuosic writing adds that element of "daring" that couldn't be achieved another way. However, I'm willing to bet there are certain passages that could use some refinement.

Try turning it into a game -- a game of, "how do I write this passage in a way that most works in harmony with the natural mechanism and movement of the hands and fingers?" That's something that's really helped me with my writing.

I hope my ramblings made some sense. Thanks for sharing, I really enjoyed this!