Hey! Just thought I'd welcome myself to these forums. I just thought I'd do a search on Composition Forums to find a place to post my things, since I'm always looking to learn more about composing and the way I do it, and I found here. And, from having browsed, it seems awesome. So, I decided to join.

And, I did. ^_^

I'm looking forward toward listening to everyone's things (and having everyone listen to mine) and learning more. =D

Most of the stuff I've composed so far has been for piano, but I'm currently working on some orchestrated pieces. One of them's almost done. So, I'll put that up, soon. But, for now, I'll put up my stuff bit by bit.

This one, here, is one of the first completed pieces I composed. It's a short, airy, relaxing piece, about three minutes long. I need to make some corrections, though, with how the pedal abruptly cuts off a little at the end and with some parallel octaves, but, overall, I think it's great.

Enjoy. ^_^

Edit

Constructive criticism is highly encouraged. I've only been composing for a little over a year (technically not even, since I had to first get a program that would be able to keep up with my wild imagination, and I wasn't able to do that until awhile ago) and I have very little knowledge of music theory. So, I really wanna know what everyone thinks, in as much detail as they can provide. Pros, cons, likes dislikes, everything. Hit me. :angry:

This is a really nice piano song. Its very relaxing and calming. :)
Cant wait to hear your new one.

Great solo piano song! ^_^
Keep up the good job!
Good relaxing piece :D I enjoy it much !

Thanks, you two. I appreciate the comments and encouragement.

Here's another one I made about two weeks ago. I made it while I was depressed/angry. Its length is 3:47. It begins soft and ends soft from its climax, so, in addition to the piece as a whole, I'd like to know what everyone thinks of the ending, since, from everything I've heard, it's taboo to conclude music calmly from a climax. Personally, while I can understand that it might not work in some cases, I don't consider it as one of the Ten Commandments of music or whatever. = \ I find it fitting for the message I wanted to leave the listener with at the end (one of acceptance and defeat). But, enough rambling. Just click on the thing and listen to it, already. =P

nice pieces. i like the second one better than the first one. i can really feel your anger at the ending part of your piece. your title says 241st... does that mean that's your 241st song you composed? if it is then.... wow. i barely have 60 songs lol

your title says 241st... does that mean that's your 241st song you composed?

Are you kidding me? :o

Heck no! =_=

It just means it's the 241st piece I've thought of. Currently, it's almost at 300. Yet, despite this huge number, I've only completed about....

...Six pieces... :heh:

So, yeah. I wish I could sit me and my lil' ADD self down long enough to actually finish somewhere near 241 pieces but, bah. :(

In due time, though.

Here's another one. It's a bit of a lullaby, about 4 minutes long, and I'm currently writing lyrics for it. Try not to fall asleep. = \

And thanks for the comment. Glad you liked it. ^_^ I personally like the second one better, too. I've been repeating it over and over to myself lately and every time I listen to it, I go "Wow..." So, yeah. When I amaze myself, I guess I've accomplished my purpose. = \

oh in that case... i have alot too. but not as many as yours. about your last piece. i like it but the left hand part is kinda boring. i think. well... it could be just me.... i guess its no biggie. :heh:

@ last song - It's a good song but I agree with yellowmonkey about the left hand. This could so easily have been made impressively good. I was waiting for the bit for the dramatic emotion to pour in for the grandness but it never came unfortunately. It would sound nice with a string backing or a woodwind accompaniment or both! Try that with your chord progression and it should make the piece sound better. keep up the good work though!

I like the relaxing quality of your songs. Its great to hear such sensitive work. your teardrops song is really good. I love the accelerando. I forgot about using that effectively. I look forward to your next piece...

by the way, did you record that with a real piano or does your program have a pedal function?

"Meet Me"
Nice use of pedaling, but at times, it seems to clutter the accompaniment just a tad. This piece invokes childhood memories when I listen to it. I very much like the melody, and it has a sense of care-freeness. The semi-minor passage (transition/bridge) about 2/3 of the way through is a pleasant surprise, and I'm glad you didn't kill the swaying melody with block chords. :) If you wish to elaborate upon this piece, I'd suggest a flute or cello solo at some part while the piano just backs it up. But the piece wasn't boring at all for me. ^_^

"Teardrops"
Nice name. The rolling melody provides me with a deep visual of tears falling down an RPG character's face in a time of either tragedy or confusion. I commend you on your nice work in making a creative LH part in this song. I love the large leaps in the melody of the RH! :) Very well done! A nice blend of new age and neo-classical styles, I say. Not too long, but not too short, either.

"A Kiss Goodnight"
Once again, you make a wonderful sound with your distinguishable use of broken chords. The name is very fitting, and the sound is very dreamy. This song would benefit greatly from a harp part added in or some other instrument such as an ocarina, in my opinion, but it is still wonderful, nevertheless. The chord progression is very flowing, and a few of the chords caught me by surprise and turned this song away from predictability. That's a good thing. :) I also like the ending in this song. Very nice lullaby sound. However, I wish you had hit that final note in the LH one last time (the base of the chord) after the measure is finished. It's still good, though, anyway. ^.^


Keep it up! Your compositions are wonderful. Try to finish more. :/



*EXTERNAL NOTE*
For some reason, my soundcard wasn't able to handle these files very swiftly at all. :mellow:

Weee! Thanks to you three for all the awesome comments! I greatly appreciate them. :D

About the criticism of the LH in "A Kiss Goodnight", though: while I was aware of the fact that I could've escalated the LH into some grand, dramatic height, I didn't want to. It wasn't my intention. I wanted to keep it simple. I started creating it with the intention of creating a soft, dreamy lullaby, which would've been ruined by a dramatic outpour. But, nonetheless, I thank you for your criticisms. Maybe in some kind of remix of it, I'll apply these ideas. ^_^


did you record that with a real piano or does your program have a pedal function?

Oh, I wish I could record it with a real piano. :/ But, my piano skill is usually quite inferior to my composition skill, so, nope. My program (Sibelius) has a pedal function. I love it. ^_^


my soundcard wasn't able to handle these files very swiftly at all.

...Your sound card must not love me... :cry:

Well, I honestly can't imagine what could be the problem. At least it plays at all, though. ^_^

Once again, though, thanks to everyone! You've inspired me to make orchestrated versions of every one of these pieces (except maybe Teardrops, since I don't wanna risk butchering it in an orchestration, but I'll see).

Speaking of orchestrations, just yesterday I completed my first orchestrated piece. They're kind of something I unconsciously strayed away from, since these things require more effort and since I don't wanna risk creating a train wreck, so I'm kind of nervous about this one. o_o;; I'm kind of worried whether or not I made everything too melodramatic in the second half. But, enough talk. You listen. =P

Meet Me:
The pedaling's a bit messy/messed up for me. It's either my computer or your program. If it's your Sibelius, do you think you could insert more release points? Anyways, this is a nice, soothing piece, I like it. There are some parts where the right and left hands 'double' up on the notes as it ascends in transitional melody . . that's harmonically weak. I like the mini-climax you had 2/3 of the way in. Yay, a good ending! You certainly have musical instinct.

Teardrops:
Interesting how the different accompaniment can make each section unique and fresh. I would have liked the right hand melody to be stronger and varied though, instead of those downward motives all the time. I mean, they're nice and all, and they tie the whole piece together, but maybe it's a bit too much at times. I liked how you faked us out a few times near the end by hinting at a major key.

A Kiss Goodnight:
Seems like you prefer to write music for just the piano? I can relate, haha. You don't necessarily have to use supporting instruments, but one challenge is to make good use of what the piano can fully offer. Anyways, I really like this piece the best. But perhaps more variation? And I agree with Gnomish, a final note would have been nice!

Looking in the Sky:
Ah, this one is quite something ^^ no worries, all the effort pays off, haha. I wasn't too fond sometimes of your melody though, because it kept on 'running' around without real phrases. No, the second half wasn't too melodramatic. This was exactly what I was looking for, because I thought that the first half after a while was becoming repetitive (the accompaniment was a bit droning for me). So I was glad to see the expansion and the full use of orchestra! (okay, maybe that high stretching note was a bit over the top =P) Your transition to the major key to end off the piece was a bit too abrupt though. I know you're good at ending off your pieces, you can do better than this! ^^

All in all, you are a very good composer, nice to see this sort of talent around here =)

Thanks for the comments, Al. I appreciate them. ^_^

Yeah. I have to admit that I sometimes get lazy with pedal management in my pieces. And, yeah, I made a mention to those parallel octaves you were talking about. I'll fix them when I get to them.

I included the final note of the chord in "A Kiss Goodnight", though. It's a bit delayed, but it's there. Unless you mean another note that I'm not speaking of. :/

And, you just gave me an idea for an improved ending to "Looking in the Sky". I'll get to it in a bit.

And I'll definitely true to do more orchestra pieces. I've got to expand my compositional skills.

Thanks, again. ^_^

Okay! I'm finally updating this thing. Weee! :lol:

All right. This is the weirdest piece I've composed so far. First, because of it's unusual time signature, the unusual signature changes, and just...the piece in general. :mellow: It's weird, but I thought I'd expand my horizons, and I really got into making it, so, here it is. ^_^ I think it'd be perfect for a dungeon.

These are some pretty nice pieces, though perhaps a bit overly formulatic. I quite like the tempo variation through to give them a more human feel, though you probably could've spread out your dynamics a bit more. Your latest piece is probably my favorite, which has a nice bit of variety with the shifting dissonance and meters. However, some of the dissonance felt kind "off"; sometimes it's off by an accidental, other times it doesn't modulate as the precedening cadence would've implied. Also, you might want to spread out your pedaling some more so as to omit these dissonant chords, which sound very muddied when pedaled (especially for the more chromatic/parallel progressions). I did like the development though, especially in that 5/4-2/4-5/4-3/4-5/4-4/4-5/4 meter-shifting build up, which was very effective. Also, the switch to 6/8 and then 12/8 added some variety in there, though I was expecting a whole new section rather than an abrupt end. But all in all, it's pretty good with a few rough edges. Keep up the good work.

I liked the dissonance . . didn't seem off to me. I think your intention was to force it out so that we'd pay attention to it more? Anyways, I love the shifting, I could never do that . . somehow you get the changing time signatures to work, I mean, it actually still flows and everything, and doesn't make me go "huh?" as I try to figure out what's going on . . and yeah, the abrupt ending? o.0 Maybe your file got corrupted or something.

These are some pretty nice pieces, though perhaps a bit overly formulatic.

Formulaic how? :huh:


Also, you might want to spread out your pedaling some more so as to omit these dissonant chords, which sound very muddied when pedaled

Yeah. I think I oughta do that. I just get lazy with micromanaging pedal releases, so, I try to keep them just to one per measure. But, I'll try that.


though I was expecting a whole new section rather than an abrupt end

and yeah, the abrupt ending? o.0 Maybe your file got corrupted or something.

Nope. No corruption. I wanted to keep it short and sweet...well, it didn't sound sweet, of course, but, still. :sweatdrop: Then again, this sort of inspires me to make a prolonged, grand, sonata-like version or something. After all, if I took it to so many places in just a minute, imagine all the places I could take it in a whole bunch of minutes. @_@

Hmmm.

Thanks for the comments. ^_^

Yay, another Sibelius user (I am one too, except I am using G7), anyways, I liked your pieces, especially the 'Looking In the Sky' one, because it is quite dramatic and has a grand and cute contrast between to full orchestra and the piccolo or flute beginning. 'Anxiety' is very interesting too, because the tempo, and 'messy-ness' made it sound very um... mysterious. 'A Kiss Goodnight' is a pretty decent and lullaby-ish piece, and so is 'Meet Me'. The only piece that I am not quite fond of is the 'Teardrops' because the left hand is kind of dull and I think that made the theme pretty repetitive too, perhaps? Overall, you have some pretty decent creations, and I look forward to listen to more of your songs. :)

Thanks for the comment, Sukarufu. I appreciate it. ^_^

Glad you liked "Looking in the Sky", too. Makes me a little more confident in my orchestration skills. ;)

Okay. I promise the next piece I'll put up will be another orchestration piece, since I vowed to force myself into making more orchestral pieces (or at least solos/duets/etc. with instruments I've never done before). But, for now, I leave all of you with an old piano piece that I finished months ago. Enjoy. :D

Wow, incredibly sad . . as much as I love the left hand bass, it could be spiced up a bit. For instance, in between right-hand phrases, the left hand could have a tiny melody of its own before reverting back to its standard accompaniment? Just a thought, because it also helps to push the piece forward and prevent it from sounding the same throughout.

A change of accompaniment would also help differentiate between sections. Like how the middle section had those rolls, and then afterwards the accompaniment was arpeggiated? But in the latter case (arpeggio), you did that because you repeated one of the themes. I'm talking about sections and not a repeat of a section . . blah, I don't make sense tonight, sorry . .

Oh, I liked the later part when you used more energy and drive, it's very dramatic and passionate . . followed up with original tempo gives a nice climax . . perhaps you could 'roll up' those last few chords in the right hand?

Really really nice song, you have a sense for composing.

Sorry I took so long to reply. I've been very busy these past two weeks and, then, to top it all off, for some weird reason, it seems as if all of my subscriptions and my automatic log-ins have faded away. Maybe I deleted my cookies and don't remember. :unsure:

Oh, well.

Thanks for your review. ^_^ I might apply your suggestion on spicing up the left hand to a revision.

Random thought (but maybe not, since is somewhat relates to Wilted Rose): I'm not very confident about composing with block chords. Not that I don't like them, because I'm working on a few pieces which use them, but, for some weird reason, I'm not too confident about doing them. I'm not sure whether I use them too simplistically or too normally or whatever, and I'm afraid of "spicing it up" and, instead, just butchering it. I guess I'll include a demo of one of the things I'm working on to see what you guys think.

She Thought She Was an Angel

Peaceful introduction, and that feeling is carried throughout the piece. I like the pedaling a lot in this song. It adds a false sense of reverb without muddling too many notes together. I like how free the RH is near the middle of the piece. The LH part is simple yet not overbearing, even though it is block chords. Nice way to cut off the piece without leaving the listener hanging too much. :) By the way, the title along is enchanting, as is the composition itself!

@ She Thought She Was An Angel~
Nice piano piece, I really enjoyed it ^^ I really liked the major resolution in the middle of the piece, and then it switching to minor again, it makes the mood really sad. T_T The end seemed a little unresolved but on the whole I think it was a great piece. =D Good work.

She Thought She Was An Angel:
Actually, I don't like the pedaling as much =P made it too messy for my taste. Because the chords are constantly changing, so should the pedal. But anyways, the block chords themselves are fine for this piece, because I can't imagine it any other way, for the mood setting and all that.

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. :( I could've sworn I did, but I guess I didn't.

Anyway, thanks for all the comments on "She Thought She Was an Angel". I'm a little more confident now. ^_^ I think I'll complete it soon, to take a break from the complex task of orchestration. X_X

So, yeah. I've finally finished another orchestrated piece. Yay for me. :D

I first thought of it months ago. However, after periodically hopping from project to project, never settling on one, I decided to hit myself in the back of the head and finish this one, since I love it so much. So, I did. Hopefully, you'll love it, too. ;)

Oooh, beautiful, you're orchestral piece. Nice piano tune and then, swaying, weaving...

I also love the cacophony towards the end. The only thing that could work better is the drums near the end. I like the general idea, but the implementation could be better. Sometimes they work (especially their introduction is nice), but sometimes they seem like random banging. (Especially, when they hit the same note-length a number of times.)

This is a great piece! I love it! :) ^_^

Thanks for loving it so much. ^_^

Yeah. I thought I could've used the drums in a better way, but I just didn't know how. Plus, I guess I just got lazy. = \ Bah.

I'll improve it later. Thanks, again. :)

The monster orchestra is excellent one that I definately wanted saved on my computer :D . The whole piece is great The drums are kind of.. toward the end i dont know, but what do I know im no where near your level of composing. Once again Its excellent. Are you majoring in music or something?

The Monster Orchestra:

Nice and sweet melody. Every seems fine except for two things, the drums and the title. As people said, the drums doesn't fit well in your ending. Also, this piece, to me, is more of a moderate and not so aggressive piece, and at first the title gave me an impression of one of those strong and powerful battle themes, but it turned out to be another thing, but overall, very good. ^_^

Ah, wonderful piece. I especially love the middle section. As for the drums, they worked fine when you used it to spice up certain parts/chords, but not as a keeper of the beat. So don't get rid of all the drums, in my opinion.

I just went back to listen to your other compositions. I liked them, especially the "Wilted Rose".

You're strength is definitely in the dramatics (changes in volume, velocity...). Some interesting harmonic excursions, too.

On a side note: I think what's giving some of the soundcards problems (thankfully, not mine...) is that you play too many notes too loudly sometimes. If you don't go to the max it's easier on the soundcards, and the speakers can always be turned up. (I usually don't go over velocity 100, except for single voice tracks with quieter instruments - such as ocarina...)

When can we expect your next piece? ^_^

Thanks for all the comments, guys. I appreciate them. ^_^

Sorry I haven't been responding, though. Currently, in into my fourth week of a five-week college enrollment program that's mandatory for my full scholarship, so...yeah. -_- It's really intense. I've barely had any time to spend any leisurely time on the computer (technically, I don't even have the time to be typing this reply right now -_-) and, being that I'm not at home, I can't compose anything. So, don't expect anything from me before July 29th (when I'll come back). = \

But, thanks, again. Don't forget about me. ;_;

And, to answer that one question: I'm not exactly gonna major in music, but I'll definitely take music classes in college. So, yeah.

Okay! I'm back from my five-week program. x_x Time to get back to music, now.

Here's another orchestral piece. I'm really proud of it. I think it came out well. ^_^

Dwelling in the Dark - I'm not sure that I love this piece, but it isn't bad. It just isn't my type of song. All in all I would say this is a pretty solid piece, I just don't like it. I guess I'm pretty picky in my style of music. Good Job.

This is your *369th* piece?!

I like the playful style you used and great job on the orchestration. The title fits very well.
Keep it up ^_^

"This is your *369th* piece?!"

Well, yeah. However, keep in mind that, among these 369th pieces, only about...10 are completed. ^_^;; So, despite this having been my 369th conceived piece, this is only about the 10th one complete. I only wish I could get 369 complete. -_-

But, thanks for the comments, guys. ^_^

I know EXACTLY how you feel! I have TONS of songs that I started, but I just lost the inspiration for. It kind of sucks.

Yeah. With me, I start working on one piece, and, in the middle of working on that piece, I end up getting an idea for another piece that makes me go "O_O!" and it drags me away, and the cycle continues. = \ I think I have musical ADD. :heh:

This makes me feel like completing another one, now. :shifty:

Hmmm. I think I'll have another one done by tonight. ^_^

Exactly.x_x

Dwelling in the Dark is a pretty neat piece, though more dark in a cuddly way than a scary way (if that makes any sense :P). The waltz form works curiously well to add to the humorous/satirical feel of the piece, as does the harpsichord. The only problems I had with it were some harmonic inconsistencies, mainly that you have c natural playing next to c# while in the key of A major. Choose one or the other (C# gives it more of an antiquated feel, which is what I think you are going for), and replace it with A, E, G, Bb instead (in order of increasing dissonance, to the point of my good taste at least ;)). But overall, this is a pretty nice piece - good job, and keep up the good work.

Hmmm. Well, after listening to it after your comments, I definitely can feel the humor/satire/cuddliness of it. ^_^ I never thought of it in that way, before.

Can you tell me exactly where the dissonances are, though, so that I can fix it?

Thanks. ^_^

i liked it! i agree on the harmonic inconsistencies thing, and it sounds like the intro to a much more epic piece, but other than those, good job!

At the beggining, I started getting a bit bored of the pizzicato strings, but then the other intsruments kicked in, and it was really, really good from that point on. :)

Sorry for the sudden inactivity. I've been busy with college orientation. :heh:

But, thanks for all the comments, everyone. ^_^

Here's a demo of something I'm working on, now. Note: The third, high-pitched voice in the second-cycle is a thing I'm kind of iffy about, and all the multiple voices at all, so let me know what you all think of that.

Also note: The last four measures are incomplete. They're supposed to lead into another key change, which I'm pretty sure I'll take back to the main melody.

Okay. You go listen. :P

This is a great song. I like the tempo changes and the way you build up the ...intensity :heh:
I think it is. Im sure it would sound alot better if you had it played live or with a different software. :)

Waltzing Under the Full Moon
Hmmm...I got kinda bored...Oh well. Some of the very Dolce parts I liked alot, but when it slowed down it got boring, and I felt it went on past it's due. Also at the beginning some of the clashes seemed out of place.

Overall, I absolutely loved this song. :P

I have to agree with deathraider about that it got boring and stuff when it slowed down, like I wanted something more, but it was a good piece. :)

Thanks for all the comments. I appreciate them. ^_^

Okay. Here's another piece I just finished.

Enjoy. ^_^

In my opinion the song fit the title very well it is a very peaceful enjoyable song.
Nothing really I found that I didnt like.
Nice job :)

Wow! Nice piano solo. Very relaxing and peaceful. ^_^

Hope to hear more of your songs. They're wonderful!

I was waiting for some kind of singer to come in! This song would make a wonderful accompaniment for a vocal solo!

You need some variation x_x Anyways, the melody needs to be played louder. A few ornaments wouldn't hurt either.