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Please respond here if you want to see certain things covered in one of the future masterclasses!

If you have ever wondered about this tune I have discovered an easy way of memorising the chords using a symmetrical method. The tune uses three keys a major third apart. B G and Eb major I call the first 5 chords "symmetry x" they are B [D7] G and [Bb7] Eb you then move this all down a major third using two connecting chords. There then follows several 251's which I have called "symmetry y" and two connecting chords take you back to the beginning of this 16 bar tune.

Have you ever wanted to learn Baroque-style counterpoint? I am now offering counterpoint lessons over at NewBaroque for £40 / week. Here's the link: https://www.newbaroque.org/lessons/weekly The format of the lessons is one assignment every week (or every two weeks), which I'll mark and give you feedback on. Requests for specific exercises are welcome too.

Instructor: @Monarcheon Students Allowing: 7 Initial Writing Requirement: 32 - 48 bars, cello + piano Initial Writing Requirement Deadline: March 15th Please do not sign up for the masterclass if you know how to write the basics for cello. Here's masterclass No. 1! Monarcheon is a string player herself and can provide lots of good basic instruction for string writing. This masterclass will focus on bowings, pizzicato and left hand position. Please reply in the comments if you'd like to receive catered feedback on these two things. She'll take up to 7 students for this lesson. Once you reply, begin writing under the proposed guidelines and instrumentation and before the prescribed date. Try to follow or include some or all of the guidelines when composing! Also, try to stay within those guidelines and don't try to overextend the purpose of the lesson. Basic Rules: 0. A position on the cello simply means where the left hand is on the fingerboard at any given time. Higher positions are closer to the bridge (the "bottom") and lower positions are closer to the scroll (the "top"). In general, try to stay in the low to middle range. 1. Long crescendos are typically played up bow, in a slur, since gravity plays the peak of the crescendo much better as a down bow. 2a. In standard 2 or 4 bar phrases or rhythmic systems, the beginning of the measure is down bow, and the return at the half bar is up bow. 2b. Down bow is considered the more powerful of the two bows. You can use this to your advantage and have passages with only down bows to really accent a passage. Keep in mind that a lot of down bows in a row in a fast tempo is hard for the performer. 3a. Cellos have the open strings (from lowest to highest), C G D A. This means they are a fifth apart and double stops can be written in a variety of distances from each other with that in mind. Double stops must keep this in mind, and you cannot skip over a string to play a double stop. 3b. Try not to write fifths though, as they are hard to tune. 3c. Thirds are also not always welcome unless they are in a lower position. 3d. Fourths are fine, but remember they will sound awkward due to traditional voice leading rules. 3e. In the lower positions of the cello (closer to the "top") the maximum interval for a double stop is a minor seventh, nearer the high positions, octaves are more acceptable. 3f. Despite being inversions of each other, avoid seconds if possible. Not only are they are to tune, 4. Slurs are NOT expressive or phrase markings. They are bowings. Dynamic markings are your best bet for marking a phrase. 5a. When writing fast passages, try to avoid using a lot of double stops, except when there are a lot of notes in the same position in a row. 5b. When writing fast passages, keep in mind that the positions the player have to traverse should be relatively close or static as you transition. Basically, avoid too much jumping, unless an open string is involved. 6a. Tone becomes a lot less clear the higher you go up on the cello, especially double stops, but also can be strident if you want to have a dramatic peak. 6b. This is especially true for pizzicatos. 7a. Pizzicatos (marked pizz.) follow the same guidelines as double stops in terms of fingering, but are not bound by the curse of having to cross a string. 7b. Fast pizzicatos could not be considered highly. 8. Do not include too many double stops in a row, unless the passage is extremely virtuosic, but we will not really consider that for this lesson. POST COMPOSITIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW WHEN FINISHED. DO NOT ADD AN AUDIO FILE.

Hi everyone, My name is Jon Schwarz. I work professionally as a trombonist, composer, and sound designer, but lately I've been focusing on creating a new company, called Jukubox, that will help musicians across the country and in other parts of the world by allowing high-quality music lessons to take place online. Starving musicians will be able to make a better living by getting paid for teaching online, while students will have access to advice and insight from some of the world’s greatest music professionals. I'm really excited about how things are going so far; a lot of really talented musicians have expressed their enthusiasm about this project and they are on board to participate in a number of ways. Anyway, if anyone here has any thoughts about this project specifically, or 1-on-1 videoconferencing music lessons in general, please share; I would love to hear your thoughts. If you are looking for more information about Jukubox, check out the fundraiser page at http://www.indiegogo.com/jukubox or you can become a fan at http://www.facebook....jukuboxofficial Thanks for listening Jon

There are a billion amazing composers on this site. I, sadly, am not one of them. So how did you get better at composition? Were you born a prodigy? Do you take lessons? Do you perform a lot/not at all?