Ok so I thought I'd post my newest composition which is a minuet in E major. I've never written classical music before but this turned out surprisingly well. I think I got the form right, it has a nice waltz feel with a good repeating theme with an ABA sections. What do you think? But if you noticed in Bar 14 I through in a Dmaj9 chord for interest. This is what I think a classical song would be like it it was composed in 5/4 time. Tell my what you think. :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsjFjjT5u8E&list=UUvq5bg-LvOS6adpB5efPTyQ&index=1&feature=plcp

Also I colored that Blinx pic and it's 10 better I think:

14891

Better quality pic: http://akamaru-tv.deviantart.com/art/Blinx-Have-you-got-the-time-Colored-version-315337830

It isn't idiomatic in the classical style, so you wouldn't really call it a piece in the classical medium, would you?

The same goes for even calling it a "minuet." Generally (and especially if you're going to write this in the the classical style) they are written in 3/4, 3/8 or 6/8... 5/4 in itself is something extremely uncommon in the classical period (I don't even think it was ever used by Mozart, even) let alone to be used for the entire piece.

And with those things considered, that's what I think of it. If you're going to sell a piece of music as being something, well then it better be like that something.

Also, pic unrelated? :\

That's a bit opinionated I think. The time signature hardly has anything to do with STYLE. classical is a style of music when it all boils down to it like everything else. A classical composer friend of mine thought it was well written and interesting. I mean come on, you didn't even give me credit for trying. And no I think I could call this classical and I wOULD call it and sell it as Classical because it sounds classical and has a similar structure.

The definition of a minuet is a slow-paced steady composition dance. May'be a college music major won't recognize it but I like it and (not trying to be arrogant) but could care less if it doesn't strictly follow classical form. It's just everything couple + a Duple, it still feels like a waltz in a longer sense. Perhaps this could have been called a "waltz in E" instead. :/ Do you even like the piece?

The Picture is that blinx pic I posted a little while ago I just thought I'd throw in the colored version :)

I think the 5/4 was managed fine, but it does not sounds so relaxed. Something feels tense about it. The fragments B and C from the first melody does not sounds interesting to me like fragment A. The B sounds too opaque and lost because of the left hand, I believe. And C does not have that "force" or "sweetness" to lead you to the first cadence. I believe, again, it is because of the left hand. The trio part sounds a lot less like a duplication of the old style. And its final notes would benefit of a longer pause in the audio, to help to avoid the abrupt return to theme A.


The time signature hardly has anything to do with STYLE.

The time signature is part of it. A minuet is a dance, and it follows a rhythm. Putting it in an 5/4 changes the feeling of that rhythm and will distortion the original dancing aspect. I am not saying do not do it. Everything goes in evolution. But if you would want to base this in the old style, the 5/4 would be out of question.

I feel nostalgic when i listen to it because it reminds me of pokemon themes. Okay maybe its just me..had a bit too much pokemon lately. Anyway 5/4 is fine, what I like is that you dare to try and experiment with stuff. Is good to hear something different, so keep writing :>

I post this publicly so that others may hear what is so dearly needed to be understood:

Something that a college music major would know about is what he is paying thousands upon thousands of dollars to study and learn (and has been sacrificing to do for years already in a serious fashion).

I do not feel remorse if you happen to feel disrespected. You are subject to criticism when you openly display your compositions, and you should take said criticism/s respectfully, especially when it is coming from someone who is learned in music.

However, I'm not saying to bow down to me or anyone else, but you should put something into perspective: I am actively studying music as a career, to the point of risking my financial future (which is something that affects if I can even eat or sleep in a bed). Hell, throw me a bone here, at least.

So when you saying that my comment was, "a bit opinionated" you are damn right. However, that "opinion" isn't without some knowledge, background and years of serious thought and discussion. Learn to respect those with more experience and those whose [chosen] path in life is to devote themselves to music. Realize that I'm dedicating myself for it's permanent mark in history and for it to continue and try to progress what is possibly the greatest artistic expression/statement of humankind's culture.

But if you don't want to hear anything I say, and just strive for others to only give you feel-good comments, then I suggest you to not continue pursuing music in any sort of serious fashion what-so-ever.

Sincerely,

Milchh

I DON't KNOW HOW TO DELETE A REPLY POST. SORRY

Ok, well you could have said some positive things about it. I'm sorry, I meant that this is more like a "Classical Fusion Minuet" then the 5/4 makes more since.
BUT it still has some of the spirit of classical music I think. What I mean is yes, I'm not good at taking criticism I just don't feel the same way about the 5/4 being that bad. I love it and think it still has a waltz feel but a bit more modern I guess. So yeah, it's not exactly classical BUT it still sounds enough like it for me to happy with it. Let's face it, I have no idea how to write actual classical forms with still having freedom to make it sound a little bit different than the other stuff. Yeah, but you do agree that it 'sounds' kinda classical right? Besides I was experimenting with a minuet feel with an odd time signature and hey it turned out pretty good to me. Also, yes I think you probably know what you're talking about but you didn't really criticize anything to help me in the future like saying something about that pause near the end or something.

Yes I think the pause should have been longer and the B section wasn't as good as the original but I didn't know what to do with the B section really.


I think the 5/4 was managed fine, but it does not sounds so relaxed. Something feels tense about it.

Do you mean my composition or just the Time signature itself? It might just take getting used to as well.

I really don't know much more to say than what I already did.

My comment had said that your piece wasn't classical. Not in form, not in idiom, in almost nothing, to be honest with you. Have you listened to the music and composers of the Classical Period? Go and listen to some Mozart, [early] Beethoven and Haydn for starters. Their harmonic function (progressions), patterns, melodic structure and overall form is what makes their music "Classical."

Now, is it a Waltz or a Minuet? It can't just be both. You do know that a waltz is strictly a piece that is in 3/4, 3/8 or some sort of other 3/x time, correct? A waltz is a dance. There is no 5/4 waltz dance, unless you call it such and label it as one. Furthermore, you dance to a waltz, and same with a minuet (at least in traditional terms you would dance to a minuet... but with the development of the minuet-trio form in symphonic works that all got messed around with, and yadda-yadda this isn't the place to talk about that).

The biggest flaw in me giving you "positive" critisism, is because there are many major flaws to your piece of music, especially because you're describing it as a Classical Minuet (or waltz, now?). I do not hear or feel the spirit of classical music in it (i.e. go and listen to those composers I mentioned... very closely and listen to more than at least 5 different pieces by them). But as you said in your latest post, you "guessed" you weren't really going for the classical feel? I'm confused.

And Nyu's comment about the 5/4 feeling tense is correct. The way your harmonic functions line up in the meter are distasteful and don't have continue a flow with the piece. This is a big problem if it is a dance, because how is one to follow the music and dance to it, if it is clearly 'non-danceable?'

Once again I'm going to say why you even put your work up for comments if all you're going to do is heckle people to try and agree with you. We all have our outlooks and opinions and we've been giving them to you -- but what you're asking us is to take them back and to see it your way. Music doesn't really work that way. You can't just tell the listener what you were trying to do and then force it on them. If someone doesn't like it, and if it sounds tense and unpleasant, then that's the way is sounds to them. You cannot compose music solely for yourself, nor should you compose it solely for others: music is a sacred and legendary spirit and art-form that must be served to its highest integrity. Be honest with yourself if the music that your writing sounds "good" [in layman's terms, of course].

ok ok, got you. It's my fault, I thought you were cutting down my piece. Yeah, milchh, do you know where I can study classical music online? The 5/4 time signature is tricky to feel in composition meaning that it will take sometime for me to get used to writing in it to get a smooth flow right? As with any new time signature you have to get used to the feel very well to the point of where it becomes almost instinctive THEN you might be able to make something that works. What about a sonata or fugue in 5/4, would that be possible? So yes, I acknowledge fault, I want to get better and I'm serious about it so I'll post my music on here from now on to get criticism so I can improve. I need to study composition alot. But yeah, thanks for the help sorry if I didn't accept it at first. Just wondering, do you like it though just as a listen without the name or labeling it as classical?

Milchh, have you tried to write in 5/4 before? I bet you could probably do it way better than me because you studied music in college and have more experience. I want to master Odd time signatures to the point that I can write in them without any difficulty or effort like with 4/4. I thought 3/4 was an odd time signature but I think it's a simple triple. Am I correct in saying an odd time sig is a time signature that contains both duples and triples?