I really want to write music for a living, so when I saw that this forum had this section, I was so happy! ^-^ Fellow composers! yay! ^-^ Here's one of my songs that I have written down ^-^'' I have a bad habit of not doing this and just playing from memory, like my more recent stuff. Anyways!
I'd love to get some feedback! Sorry about it being in 2 parts, I just learned how to add measures to finale notepad >.< So yes. It's all one song, It just continues through another file...sorry about that!!

-Brittany-

Oh would you look at this I found the very first major song i've ever written and preformed ^-^ Ah the momories, again, 2 parts, and the rests in the first part at the end...well just ignore them and go on the the second part ^-^''

-Brittany-

Could you please change the format to something else.

Could you please change the format to something else.

Yes, please. Can you supply us with MIDI's? :)

I don't know how to >.< if you could tell me how to change finale notepad MUS files into MIDI files or MP3 files I will love you forever! I've been trying for a very long....long time

You can't do that if you're using Finale Notepad, the trial version. For those funcions I'm afraid you'll have to buy the software (or just download it of course)

You can download the really good software? *eyes light up* How?? Oh..it's limewire isn't it? If so, i can't use that...gave our computer a virus.
But I'm saving my money to buy the software! ^-^''

well good luck and do it soon, cant wait to hear what you have.

Yeah, good luck saving the money. I can't even remember the ridiculous cost just to upgrade from 2005 (with a student discount).

Thanks for the support guys ^-^ I want to try to get the cheapest version of finale that I can that allows you to convert your music into MIDI format. That would be the songwriter's version am I right? Does anyone else more experienced in the software field know of anything better?

Wow. Kyoto was really good. I'm amazed that someone could write a piece like that. And not be a professional. You should be a composer

First off, welcome to Ichigo! =P

I listened to Kyoto and you have a great sense of developing a variation of the theme. But sometimes the idea converts into something different - without any direction sounding a little random. And sometimes you slam on the same I chord (A , in this case) at the beginning of the bar, changing chords is a good thing >.>

But other than that, it's a good start. You'll get the hang of it in no time with practise.

Wow guys thanks for the feedback!! ^-^ I really apreciate it!
I agree, parts of Kyoto do get a bit random ^-^'' I guess when I get some sort of melody in my head and then another one right after, I try to make them work together....which doesn't always work in the end, even if they are a bit similar. I'm so glad you guys liked it though!! ^-^ your kind words and advice is what pushes me to continue with my composing!!!

-Brittany-

Overall, they seemed a little less than 'OK' but better than most people want to attempt to put on here. Most people don't care and actually just think they are composers and put down notes and say, HERE I PWN.

But wow, if you have a dream to live to be a composer.. I'll surely meet you there in time. Check out some Music Theory things about composition. (I am learning about transposing instruments, wow it sucks-lemme tell ya.)

Lol yea I'm in AP Music theory in my school, so we do all that stuff, transposing, four part dictation, and a bunch of other things! lol Crazyness! >.< Makes your head spin after awhile doesn't it?! That's great about learning about transposing different instruments! I had to figure all that out before my Music Theory class because I actually was able to write a song for my school band! ^-^ and we're gunna play it for our spring concert! ^-^ WEE! (any band geeks out there??)
I'm glad that you think i'm dedicated! ^-^ it means a lot!!!

Ok ^-^ I have a new one! This is one of my new ones that I have taken the time to write down ^-^ Let me know how you like it ok!! I really love this one!...I'm getting worried about people taking these, not that they would want to or anything, but I am running that risk by putting these up here, so...^-^'' I hope I can trust you guys! I really enjoy talking about and sharing music with you guys!!!

Much better! The beginning had some issues with the melody but as it gradually became faster in rhythm, it actually became good! =O Some neat sections near the end but obviously, it needs some work. But quite an improvement. Keep it up!

PS. I love that song in your MySpace.

Thank you! ^-^ I'm so glad you can see an improvement from my early stuff! ^-^ And you're a three days grace fan?! Oooo even better! ^.~

-Brittany-

Pretty decent pieces, though they kinda all sound alike to me, with the left-hand arpeggios and melody in the right-hand. Try varying your routine some more - or better yet, try writing for some different instruments. For better or for worse, versatility is a must for professional composers, especially if they are planning score for video games/films/tv. You seem to have a pretty solid foundation, so don't hesistate to build on it ;).

Thanks for the advice Shizeet! ^-^ I'll work on that!

Hello ^-^ I've been busy! I have some new stuff so please let me know what you think! The AP one is not completed on the finale and changes made to it are not there either, same with the summer showers..so The ending of them both, are way different! lol.Thanks!

-Brittany-

The left hand arpeggios killed both pieces in my opinion. Those along with the tuplets.

I don't think it killed it. I DO, however, think that the transitions into different sections in the left hand and into tuplet/non-tuplet sections needs to be more structured.

That you so much for your feedback! I changed the ending of the summer showers , so all that is gone. The tuplets and such and arpeg. are not there. lol, it was required for the HW...trust me, i didn't WANT to put them there! lol. And the AP HW one's ending is different as well. IT doesn't have all that either. I don't want you all to get the wrong idea on these pieces!>.<

Sounds good.

I like the triplet quarters with the eighths in the oher hand. One the first piece.

The second got annoying with the triplets, well was a little annoying from the start. Good work though.

This next song is one that may sound really happy go lucky, easy, and well, silly, but it's one that has a lot of meaning behind it. It was written for my band director who lost his 14 month old daughter. She was always smiling throughout all that she went through. So yes this may seem like a stupid, childish, and extremely simple song, but it has a meaning behind it. If you try to picture her little chubby face smiling as you listen, you might have a greater appreciation for it.

You have a great sense of rhythmic melodies. It was very very cute and catchy. I like it very very much. And the story is very touching. Great work!

Neat song! :cry: Made me cry though. :\

Anyway, couldn't help to think of Pachebell's Cannon in that left hand. :P

Thanks guys. Though that song sounds so happy, the whole story behind it just makes it sound so sad...

Here is another song I just finished. It doesn't sound like anything else i've ever done. I'm trying to break my childish habit of arpeg. in the left hand. So, I think i've done that here. Check it out! ^-^

Eh.. OK Prelude.

It's okay. The structure is nice but the overall effect isn't very pleasing. The melody is rather bland and boring. Don't worry though, your previous works are much better =D

Haha, yea I just kinda threw this together for the heck of it ^-^'' My next on will be up to par with the others, promise.

Listened to all your pieces: I like all of them. I noticed an improvement as I listened to more and more of them, later and later. In the beginning, I thought your pieces were okay: your transitions and triplet/16th-note arpeggio usages seemed arbitrary and random, and didn't make much sense to me, and, with every piece (except for "For Caitlin") you use this style. But, as I listened more, you improved this style, which made me happy. I began to like it more and more. Then, with "For Caitlin" you completely deviated from that style, which was a breath of fresh air, and you did it well. I liked it. Reminded me of that 80's song "I Just Can't Get Enough". ^_^

Good pieces. Looking forward to hearing more and hearing more of your improvements. :)

Thank you so much!! ^-^ That was very nice of you!!

I think going into writing a song I try to make it hard...which is obvious for someone who's only been serious about composing for going on 2 years now, but with the Caitlin one, I've realized that the simplest songs can be the most treasured. I inturn will keep this in mind while writing songs to try to find a happy medium between both styles.

It brings a smile to my face to know that there are people who LIKE to listen to my music. ^-^

"16th Note Anger" sounded a bit random in some parts... My favorite of your pieces was "For Caitlin!" Nice song. ^_^

aw thank you! Yea, 16th note anger is random, lol. That tune just POPed into my head and yea...lol. That's it. ^-^ It was just a random fun song to write and play. Nothing more, lol. I agree with you guys, it's SO random and totally not up to par with the others!!

Ok, i'm working on something new! And i'd love to see what you think of it so far. It's no where near done, I just have the first 20 or so bars complete. It's unlike anything i've ever done before, so feedback would be great!

Oh! I Finally saved up enough money for Fianle 2006!! So as soon as it arrives, I can post my stuff as MP3s!! ^-^

You seem to have a great sense of rythym in all of songs! But sometimes they do tend to get a bit random. :/ "fight for it" wasn't bad but it didn't really have anything that stuck with me about it. Just a bit jumbled in my opinion and it ended abruptly. Some rythyms are interesting though. :)

PS. Congrats on getting Finale 2006! I think 2007 is about to come out though so I'm just going to try saving up for that if I can figure out how to make the money. >.<

Thank's so much for the feedback!!! ^-^ It's not done yet, that's just the opener. But yes yes, i'm very random, lol.-_-' my weakness. lol.

Awesome about you saving up! I found that by ordering Finale through a local music store, like in my case Music and Arts, it is MUCH cheaper. On the Finale website they have Finale 2006 listed for about 500.00! But, if I order it through Music and Arts, it's only 350.00! So, when it comes down to buying it, I would call your local music stores and see if they can order it for you, so you can save a couple hundred dollars! lol. ^-^

I don't have finale installed in my computer so I can't hear em ><

Hello!! Ok, 'Fight for it' is officially done!! Yay! So please listen to it and let me know what you think! ^-^ It's unlike anything i've ever done!

The left hand was a bit too random. I mean, yeah, it's just there to back up the right hand, but I don't know... :unsure: I also would've liked the harmonies too have sounded a bit smoother.

Otherwise, it's a pretty good song (despite that it's rather short). Just keep at it! ^_^

I got finale!...finally, and I have to agree with blazing dragon. Love the rhythm, but I think melody could have flowed better. I still liked it though, it was deffinately an energizing piece haha.

Oh! I like it... but I agree that it's a little random and the I really like the ending. But like they said, it could be more smoother. Good luck and keep it up!

Ok! I have another song that's been in the making for a while now and i'm very proud of it. It's called..well I don't quite know what to call it yet ^-^' so for right now it's called Irish. Because I still have notepad, the sound quality is pretty bad in some places. When I play it, the right hand is brought out a lot more ^-^ so please keep this in mind! Please listen and let me know how you like it!!!! ^-^ thanks!

Overall, it sounds nice, however, somethings I would want to point out.

-Mianly, the same octave notes in the left hand got really annoying, they didn't change at all when I think if they went lower for a second they would sound good. Just the SOUND of them got way to repeditive, not striking it.

-During measures 14-16 (left hand) those three chords in the end of the measures are good, but the last one sound a little 'undone' like it doens't collide well with the right hand notes. Some other places it does that too.

But I would concern more about the first comment I made. Keep working on it, it has some goal with it.

thanks for the advice! i'll be sure to look at that and make some changes. ^-^

I like this piece overall, but some things could be better. First off, I think the piece would get a bit repetitive at times. For example, in the theme (the first part), I would've probably changed the left hand after the repeat. Also, some of the time when the left hand would do sixteenth notes, they sounded a bit random. Measures 28-31 could've been better, too. ;)

I'd say the repetitive-ness of this piece was my main concern. Still, the song was enjoyable. :)

Yeah, I did repeat a lot >.<. I'm working on not being so random, lol. But I guess now i'm repeating! Always something eh? I'm working on fixing it and i'll be posting it as an MUS AND MP3!! Because tomorrow my Finale 2006 will be in!!!! yay!!!! ^-^ ok, i'm done now, lol.

Ok, here's something i'm currently working on. It is NOT FINISHED! lol. >.< But I just want some opinions and some advice on this one..because i'm somewhat stuck ^-^''

no comment on the piece yet.
to continue, do a version of the main theme in 16ths instead of triplets

The chord progression gets kinda old after a while, but the idea isn't half-bad, although sometimes the triplets become random, or at least they sound that way. :think: Keep working on it, and remember that most really good songs are extremely simple. ^_^

I felt like the triplets in 3/4 time - pretty much 9/8 didn't really work well for the piece. I couldn't feel the pulse at all, making it quite hard to follow and very random. And like marlon stated, repeating the chords in the exact same fashion is quite a bore. But keep working!

MMk, My finale is finally here! ^-^ So now I can post my music as MP3s! I hope this makes it easier for everyone! ^-^

This song Is my favorite song of mine. It took me so long to get around writing down because I just have it memorized because I play it all the time. So! Enjoy. This is Cherry Blossoms ^_^

Hmmm... I like this song. I can see why it's your favourite. In some parts, the timing seems kinda "off" in a way, and the title, in my opinion, doesn't suit the song. Also, use some sustain pedal in there, I say. It can add a lot to a piece. ;)

This is an overall good piece. I mean, sure, it can be better, but good job! :thumb:

Teehee yea ^-^'' i'm still learning how to use all that fancy stuff like pedals with the finale. I'd like to add some though. And I don't know why...but..I just think of cherry blossoms...but it sounds NOTHING like them, ^-^''
Thanks for the feedback! I'll work on fixing that! ^_^ You guys are all so nice and helpful!

You should use GPO instead of the soundfonts, though. I can explain how to do that if you need. Also, the pedal is an articulation, which you can create by clicking on the toolbar on the box with the accented whole note in it. Then just click on the note you want to start the Pedaling on and add the Ped. mark, and then to lift the pedal add the *.

You are so helpful deathraider! Thank you so much!!! ^-^ I have no idea how to use the GPO...soo....yea ^_^'' I should probally play around with that some too hmm? If you have any pointers with that i'd love to hear them!!!
^-^ Thanks so much for the help!!

what's GPO? Garritan Personal Orchestra?

Indeed it is.

Hello! I'm so sorry for not posting in so long, but i've been at band camp for 3 weeks! >.< ( yes I am a proud band dork! lol ) I have been working on this for the past few days that i've been back, but it's no where near how I want it. Feedback would be wonderful! I'm so sorry it's not that great yet, i'm not back in the swing of things yet, lol. ^-^

Ok! New song finished! Midnight is on hold, but this one's ready to be listened to! ^-^ Enjoy! Oh, the song's not called AK, lol, it's called Sad Goodbye.

The "Midnight" one sounded quite random to me, but I liked "Sad Goodbye," with the exception of the extreeemely long notes on the S.Vlc. (I don't know what it actually is... Violincello? :heh: ). Otherwise, I liked it a lot. Good job! ^_^

Thanks! Yeah...those long notes...grr...The only downside to computers is that they don't know how to express emotion, lol. Thanks soooo much for the feedback!!!

Hello! New song I wrote for the band i'm now in! teehee. so yes, it's ment for a piano, guitar, bass, drum set, voice, ect.....so....let me know what you think!

The bass part (intro) was really.... boring?...

EDIT: Actually, at Measure 5, the right hand notes felt out of place.

If you want, I can teach you how to create a soloistic instrument (but you need Printmusic, at least).

The chords is BORRRINGGGG! Those are the most common chords ever used! *dies* The melody is alright though. Keep trying! =)

Overall, it's good.

I like it because it sounds like it has a little Iron Maiden influence.

It's good, but it sounds extremely cliche. >.< I'm not saying it's bad, I'm just saying I've heard the same stuff a bunch of times before.

Mmm >.< I'm so sorry you guys didn't like it much!!! It is just a basic outline for a song, so our guitarist is now taking it and writing a nice guitar part for it. I will make sure to post the final piece as we fit in all of the parts!!! Again, i'm so sorry >.< I have failed!

Hello there :)
I listened to all of your works here, and I must say you made tremendous progress from the first to last post.
My criticism: A lot of your works sound similar, too many arpeggios, and the bass line is usually weak. Also, it is very repetitive and seems to be largely cut and paste. There is a lot of unnecessary, out of place dissonance in many places in a lot of your works. I would suggest studying chords, chord progression, key signatures, and counterpoint.
I like the pieces "For Caitlin" and "Fight For It". They were the best written, and least random. You have a great sense of rhythm, and in some pieces show outstanding creativity.
Keep it up, nice work :)

- Jen

Thank you so much! Your words of advice will be put forth my next piece! I do agree with you and even after a year of AP music theory at my High School, I seem to be falling into the same traps that you talked about. I am totally aware of them, but can't seem to get out >.< I plan on working on something i've been playing with for awhile now this weekend and have it up sometime in the near future! Thanks again!!!

I really liked your latest piece cause I´ve made one just like it. That chord progression seems to be one that almost every composer has at least one rendesvous (spelling might be wrong) with, as it is a very nice one!
so this song could be seen as a logical step in your composer evolution.

keep at it!

Another tip... (I know you didn't do much of it, but) try avoiding putting the right-handed notes close to the bass line.... ;)

Thanks for the advice guys!! I will keep it in mind.

WOW! How long has it been?! I have still been writing, but I haven't bothered to post anything, i'm sorry!! >.< So, here's one I finally entered to my computer. It takes me a while, since I have to enter it all by hand. So, enjoy!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!
Boy, It feels good to be back!! I've missed you guys!

Do you have a liking to this style of minor key progression? I think I've heard on more than one of ur pieces with similar style. What's this style...evangelion/gundam style? Infact, place around 2:10~2:17's melody was very alike to gundamseed lol. Zest with slight heroicness. Its not a bad thing, good work.

Yes infact, I love minor ^-^ It's my favorite. The song's ment to be uplifting, and if people feel this as they listen then my job has been done ^.~ I have never actually sat down and enjoyed an episode of gundam ( i'm a horrible anime fan, I know ) but I may have to now ^-^ Thanks for the comment!

The minor key is my fav as well. :) (c minor) :P

Anyways I really like this style...even if it is only played on the piano I could imagine how it would sound if it had percussion, strings and other stuff. And...it's true it does has a sence of a gundam-like theme.
Well...I can't say anything bad about it.

well again, it's been too long. I haven't stopped writing but I just haven't botherd to post anything on here. To be honest, I sort of forgot >.< So here's something new.

New song. It's not called night forest though, it's called Endless.

I'm not trying to be annoying here, but I would really love it if I got some feedback on these past two songs. I want to be a composer and critique is very important to grow. I joined this forum because the people here gave great advice, but I'm thinking about moving my works elsewhere. I'm going to be a senior in Highschool next year making it a very important year for me musically. Any type of feedback is helpful to me. If you really don't want to say anything, then fine by me, i'll just go somewhere else it's fine. I just need to know if you guys are going to comment or not so I can know if I need to go somewhere else.Thank you.

Nite Forest- I think the pedal is overly used, a bit. The eighth note(s) repeating got repetitive after a while.

I'll get more in-depth later...

Endless

Nice opening chords. To start off that run in the bass part was really cool, and a perfect introduction in the song.

At 0:19, i think the dynamic level should drop down, and everything played legato, just so it doesn't sound like the opening passage. Use crescendos to create a transition into 0:38 as the dynamics and accents return to their normal level.

I though at 0:50 the right hand part could be taken at a lower dynamic level, so it doesn't sound as twangy, and so the bass can be heard clearer. Then at 1:14 the right hand can be accented again.

Try to use different styles of accents. At 1:27 the repetitive RH part can be changed with dynamics (like at 0:19 to 0:38) and come back up at 1:45. The ending was nice, but nothing memorable...

Overall this was a really nice song, and definitely be sold on a song as is.

I'll comment on Promise later. Sorry it took so long to reply...

Thank you guys so much for the comments!! It's things like this that really help me grow! You have know idea how much it means to me, really.

There's not a whole lot of melody. It sounds more like an accompaniment to me, maybe for a flute or voice. And yes, it could definitely be a lot more exciting if there were widespread use of dynamics througout.

Endless

I liked the opening until the bass run. It seemed too low too fast. Maybe if it was up an octave and the last note doubled down the octave it would sound better.

I'll also agree with Deathraider in saying that it sounded more like an accompaniment instead of a solo piece and that it needs more dynamics. The dynamics would make it more musically sound.

Overall it was an enjoyable piece to listen to. ^_^