You know, even if Finale DID output in Mono (which it shouldn't; it definitely doesn't for me), that would sound a lot better than your current recordings, IMO. Sheet music would help a lot in that it would allow me to better see your use of motives and such to organize your music because it's harder to follow in the mp3.

- edited out -

A departure. : (

Dude, there is no need to be so dramatic about this (haha, like I should be talking about drama XD )! You may be busy, but in my experience, it is always nice to return to the community of Ichigos for comfort every once in a while. There's no reason to sever all ties, is there? Just because you don't write stuff down very often doesn't mean you can't help others or keep tabs.

Dude, there is no need to be so dramatic about this (haha, like I should be talking about drama XD )! You may be busy, but in my experience, it is always nice to return to the community of Ichigos for comfort every once in a while. There's no reason to sever all ties, is there? Just because you don't write stuff down very often doesn't mean you can't help others or keep tabs.

xD Actually, I had no intention of being dramatic when I wrote it --- I don't know. It seems as though Ichigo's is starting to lack much purpose for me, but we'll see...

Ichigo's is just lacking activity and members. ;_;

Although I'm rarely on, your comments have always been of great help to me. I appreciate all that you have contributed to this community. Good luck in college!

It may be hard for you to see now, but you most likely will have more free time on your hands in college then you ever had in grade school. Stick around! You don't have to completely estrange yourself from Ichigos. Pop-in once in a while and keep us up to date!

So I went into Music Theory class (note: *not* AP, but it does cover the equivalent at a slower pace) in September for the first time in about 6 years. I looked through the textbook and felt disappointed for making that choice because I looked through the textbook and figured that I already knew the majority of what was in it through experience. I explained this to my professor last month after going through the first two units, and he asked me to submit to him a chorale (attached), for which I have yet to see the grade. I'm considering doing an independent study next semester, but am unsure at the moment.

(Note that I was bored when writing this, hence, the marks at the end.)

Before you read on, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be stuck up and bashing you or anything but after reviewing your chorale, I honestly believe that you should not leave your theory class.

Here's a detailed review of your first half. The second half consisted more or less of the same problems. Note that the following paragraph was written as I went through the piece so the sentences sound like its in point form and thus might sound harsher than I had intended. Sorry!:sweat:

I think a I-64 would work better in your second measure. The last chord in measure 3 is very awkward. Leading note in measure 4 is not going to the tonic. I would resolve the Bb down to the A in measure 5 but because its not at a cadence you might be able to get away with it if you bite down your teeth about it sounding better. Of course, you will have to change the top note to an F or something to avoid dbling the 3rd. Again, measure 6, I would put the base up to a C to shorten the gap and match with the V chord in your second beat. Your leading note in ur cadence in measure 7 is not going up to the tonic which is something all introductory theory classes will beat into your head. I would bring the Bass an octave higher for this cadence since its not the end of your piece. I can't say its wrong cause theoretically, its still fine but musically, I would bring it up and octave.

After reviewing this chorale I think you should stay in your class, unless the class is so basic that it's teaching people how to read notes or something. From reading that music, I think there are still many areas you can improve on in your understanding of classical theory.

Before you read on, I just want to say that I'm not trying to be stuck up and bashing you or anything but after reviewing your chorale, I honestly believe that you should not leave your theory class.

Here's a detailed review of your first half. The second half consisted more or less of the same problems. Note that the following paragraph was written as I went through the piece so the sentences sound like its in point form and thus might sound harsher than I had intended. Sorry!:sweat:

I think a I-64 would work better in your second measure. The last chord in measure 3 is very awkward. Leading note in measure 4 is not going to the tonic. I would resolve the Bb down to the A in measure 5 but because its not at a cadence you might be able to get away with it if you bite down your teeth about it sounding better. Of course, you will have to change the top note to an F or something to avoid dbling the 3rd. Again, measure 6, I would put the base up to a C to shorten the gap and match with the V chord in your second beat. Your leading note in ur cadence in measure 7 is not going up to the tonic which is something all introductory theory classes will beat into your head. I would bring the Bass an octave higher for this cadence since its not the end of your piece. I can't say its wrong cause theoretically, its still fine but musically, I would bring it up and octave.

After reviewing this chorale I think you should stay in your class, unless the class is so basic that it's teaching people how to read notes or something. From reading that music, I think there are still many areas you can improve on in your understanding of classical theory.

Thanks for the suggestions! Most of the class is basically rudiments, hence I'm considering switching.

EDIT: The reason I didn't resolve the leading tone at those points is because:

1) The melody in the soprano line, i.e. meas. 4, is headed on a downward contour and it would seem weird if I suddenly put a note on the soprano line that was higher than the G on the "and" of the 2nd beat. Plus, if I resolve the leading tone on the alto line, the note will be doubled with the soprano.
2) I wanted to be able to resolve it on a complete chord (but maybe I could put a C a fifth above the F on the bass? - meas. 4 - but what would I do in the alto line to avoid doubling the note in unison?).

x_x I should have taken the bass note at meas. 8 up an octave - great: it's all similar motion right at that measure.

The most awkward measure, in my opinion, is 10 (and 12, basically a copy of 10).

I'm going to discuss with my teacher what to do in terms of composition because I've realized I've gone through most of music theory, yet, I've skipped a couple of things.

Thanks again!

So I went into Music Theory class (note: *not* AP, but it does cover the equivalent at a slower pace) in September for the first time in about 6 years. I looked through the textbook and felt disappointed for making that choice because I looked through the textbook and figured that I already knew the majority of what was in it through experience. I explained this to my professor last month after going through the first two units, and he asked me to submit to him a chorale (attached), for which I have yet to see the grade. I'm considering doing an independent study next semester, but am unsure at the moment.

(Note that I was bored when writing this, hence, the marks at the end.)

Don't know if you've got any feedback from your teach since, but here's a few things I've noticed. The voice leading gets kind of messy at parts. I definitely agree with Kaitou that you should fix those leading tone resolutions - the easiest way is just to stay on the C for the alto. Also, your 7th isn't being resolved for the V4/2 chords that you are using. One thing you can do is to make the first chord a I6 chord and then use a V4/3 chord instead - that way you needn't change the chord in ms. 2 and you get a nice voice exchange between the soprano and the bass to boot :). Also, there's a imperfect fifth going to a perfect parallel fifth at bar 6, which while not as bad as perfect parallel fifths, is still not desirable. That bar (and also transition from ms. 3 to ms. 4) contains similar motion, another undesirable factor in voice leading.

For the the second half, I don't really think using those 9th chords are a good way to go, especially since you are leaving out the third and the 9th is an unprepared dissonance. You've got parallel 5ths going from bar 12 to 13, as well as voice overlap for the top two voices.

So yeah, that's what I've noticed anyhow, though I did look at it for a good while :P.

Don't know if you've got any feedback from your teach since, but here's a few things I've noticed. The voice leading gets kind of messy at parts. I definitely agree with Kaitou that you should fix those leading tone resolutions - the easiest way is just to stay on the C for the alto. Also, your 7th isn't being resolved for the V4/2 chords that you are using. One thing you can do is to make the first chord a I6 chord and then use a V4/3 chord instead - that way you needn't change the chord in ms. 2 and you get a nice voice exchange between the soprano and the bass to boot :). Also, there's a imperfect fifth going to a perfect parallel fifth at bar 6, which while not as bad as perfect parallel fifths, is still not desirable. That bar (and also transition from ms. 3 to ms. 4) contains similar motion, another undesirable factor in voice leading.

For the the second half, I don't really think using those 9th chords are a good way to go, especially since you are leaving out the third and the 9th is an unprepared dissonance. You've got parallel 5ths going from bar 12 to 13, as well as voice overlap for the top two voices.

So yeah, that's what I've noticed anyhow, though I did look at it for a good while :P.

Yes, I got feedback from him - thanks for your feedback. For the moment, I'm going to remove the Chorale. :heh:

Darn, I wanted to look at it. lol

*returns*

So, another update: I made a better chorale, at least to my ears (after a simple suggestion). I should hear back from my teacher tomorrow about it, so I'm not going to post it here.

I've finally finished all of my auditions for next year, received the results, and all of my scholarship stuff, so now I can focus on the band piece (which I will post when I get it finished and recorded). There is no such better feeling than getting all of the college paperwork done. xD Expect me to post something within the next two months. xp

Hello, everyone. Attached are two excerpts of the first movement of the band piece that I am (almost finished) composing. The melodies are the same (played by the oboe) but the harmonization of both parts are completely different. Comments appreciated. (Not going to put out a score...)

Note: I will be revising the orchestration on the first one (Chorale.mp3).

Nice diverse harmony man. The "End of I" obviously had really harsh dissonance so I might suggest this. If you're looking at writing such diverse harmony have a think about using dissonance in a consonant way. So the dissonance is there but it's voiced and hidden in a way that doesn't make it sound so clashy.

Nice diverse harmony man. The "End of I" obviously had really harsh dissonance so I might suggest this. If you're looking at writing such diverse harmony have a think about using dissonance in a consonant way. So the dissonance is there but it's voiced and hidden in a way that doesn't make it sound so clashy.

Thanks for the suggestion, but the intention is to make it sound clashy. The reason I want it to sound clashy is to suggest a feeling of being strongly insulted (clarinet polychords with the oboes) while retaining a base of stupidity (through the clumsiness of the pizzicato with the bass clarinet). I even have con forza marked on the clarinet and oboe parts at that part.

It would help if we could see the sheet music, even a rough copy.

The attached is an excerpt from "End of I".
Instrumentation is from up to down:

Oboe 1
" 2
" 3
Cl. in Eb
Cl. in Bb 1
" 2
" 3
" 4
Bass Clarinet in Bb

--------

The double flats (which I need to fix...) in the Clarinet parts don't make it obvious, but most of the chords are polychords of an A diminished triad with a B major triad (concert pitches).

Huh...are you not posting the whole thing because you don't want us to steal it or something? O.o

Huh...are you not posting the whole thing because you don't want us to steal it or something? O.o

That's half of the reason (I've had times in which someone would try to use my music for, e.g. a video game that someone makes, without my permission). :heh:

Wouldn't they just use the mp3 for that, though? lol Weird...and lame. As far as I know, no one has wanted to steal my music.

PS. If you're not going to post the sheet music for the whole thing, I guess I'll just comment on the mp3. I'll post my comments tomorrow...

Here is the first movement of the band piece in its entirety. There is a reason for its brevity and the sudden mood change. Also note that this movement is titled "Prelude," so it's not too long.

So, uh...sorry I totally forgot to follow up. Haha...

Where's the band piece?

So, uh...sorry I totally forgot to follow up. Haha...

Where's the band piece?

It's all right. I'm not posting up the band piece until it gets recorded (late May/early June-ish).

I believe it was BlazingDragon who once commented on my previous reharmonization of To Zanarkand and stated that it lost the feeling of being relaxed. I stared at a picture of Zanarkand in FFX and agreed - here is a new arrangement. The harmonies are still the same, it's just that the dynamics are kept constant. It's not like the extremely passionate version of the first one with emphasis on certain harmonies - consistency is kept as much as possible.

you played this yourself?

you played this yourself?

Nope - it's a Garritan sound that's playing it.

oh... Oh. dang... i listened to it again... and i'm a little dumb-founded... at the fact that i can't make my piece to sound like that. and i thought i knew finale pretty well.

I'm finally going to hear the band piece I composed on Thursday. :) Here's a Garritan sample of the first movement.

That is really nice clarinetist. Will be there a chance to listen to the live performance? ^_^

I hope I can get a recording (since the performance will be outside); otherwise, I'll wait until my honors project in the university.

Very nice I like you style. I just listened to your prelude for the band piece. Do you compose using finale? I really like you dissonant harmonies towards the end.

Very nice I like you style. I just listened to your prelude for the band piece. Do you compose using finale? I really like you dissonant harmonies towards the end.

Yep, I do - thank you. :)

you make some interesting sounds with them instruments.

How'd your premiere go? =]
We'd all love to hear the recording.

How'd your premiere go? =]
We'd all love to hear the recording.

Interesting situation that the concert became - since it was outside and severely raining, the concert was canceled; my band teacher therefore promised me a premiere next year (due to the weather and the unusual instrumentation, explained below). He was concerned with the instrumentation from the start because of the lack of space there was in the bandshell at which we were going to perform.

About the instrumentation: there's a string quartet, believe it or not, that is playing with the band - because there was a lack of room as there would be with *just* the band (and bad weather), he decided to move the premiere to next year, when everything would be inside and there would be sufficient room for the strings to play and more time to actually rehearse the piece (the third movement's brutal - as a hint of what I mean, the tempo is q = 170, with eighth note triplets and sixteenth notes all throughout the woodwinds). Unfortunately, there will be a new ensemble, but I still will know half of the people in it. So I decided to go on with his plan - I will probably end up hearing the premiere during some random break that I'll have (due to that I'm headed to the University next year).

So there's my situation - and it looks like I'll have to wait, but it'll be worth it. :)

gah!!! That sucks man!
I'm sure when ever it comes around, It'll be great!
Where are you going to college?

I'm starting this July (to get AP credits into the community college that accepts everything - no offense intended), and heading to the University in the fall - I'm looking at a Music Performance + Actuarial Science double major when I head to the University. I'm expecting some leniency when I go to hear the premiere because my band director's wife just happens to work at the University I'm going to and is in the Music Department. So we'll see how it goes.

This is a piece I decided to compose for AP Music Theory (kind of like Music Theory I) - it's just something I put together in about 30 minutes, nothing too much. I wrote this for string quartet and was surprised at how people thought it was "unconventional." My Theory professor, after learning about my approach on composing this piece, said that this piece has a "Neo-Renaissance" quality, of which I never heard, but am still trying to find other examples. (Let me know if you've even heard of this. :heh: )

...It does sound rather weird, but fits the title perfectly...!
What was your approach anyways?

...It does sound rather weird, but fits the title perfectly...!
What was your approach anyways?

The approach itself is very unusual - the focus is on the melodic nature of every line, without any regard to the chords that are formed (however, I had to end in a quasi-authentic cadence in order to maintain some sanity in my peers' ears :sweat:). I started doing this approach when I started studying late-Romantic/Impressionist music (specifically Ravel), but then again, it sounds nothing like Ravel. If you would like an explanation on how my approach to this piece is derived from Ravel's music, send me a PM or something - it's way too much to post on here. -_-

The approach itself is very unusual - the focus is on the melodic nature of every line, without any regard to the chords that are formed.

That is very much a Renaissance idea. However, in the Renaissance they were very careful to keep the voices independent, which is how the anti-parallel fifths/octaves thing came about. I'm not sure how that relates to Impressionism, but it seems to work pretty well in your piece.

There were a couple of places where I heard parallel fifths that, to me, detracted from the piece. Also, I wasn't a big fan of the ending chord. Maybe you could add just one note that sounds "out of place" to make it more quirky?

^ I'll consider that if I feel like editing it in the future. :heh:

---------

Some of you may recall that I went through a period of what people have described to me as "depressing" pieces - here's one of them, with the score. Honestly, I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote this piece - I didn't know any Theory at the time, but here's what I do remember:

1) Again, the focus is on individual line, without any regard to the chords (except, maybe in this case, the suspended triad at the fermata and the last chord).
2) I have no idea why, in meas. 11, I dropped the bassi down an octave from where its line is the previous measure; if I recall, I revised that later after composing this (I doubt I still have the file).
3) If I remember correctly, the appearing A naturals throughout the beginning signified an ambiguity of F major or F minor (at least to me it did - but now, I wonder why they're even there).
4) Meas. 8 - 9: I have no idea why I wrote the trumpets in parallel fifths. Remember: I was only relying on my ears to give me each line.
5) I don't know why (second to last measure) there's that E natural to D natural leap - it just seems weird, now that I stare at it.
6) Some of the notation just seems weird. (You can probably guess what I mean.)

I don't plan on revising this piece - it's just one of those things I just don't want to deal with anymore. Enjoy. ^_^

(This was composed in 2008 - quite a while ago...)

As much as I know that no one is really going to care, I am posting an update on what is going on with me. I am going to be attending a university - double major and honors in Mathematics (Actuarial Science) and Music Performance, so I will be busy for a while. When I do have the time (as it has been lately), I'll post something up, namely any compositions (recordings of the band composition, for example, when I get them). I just got my AP scores back - I'm going to have 30 credits upon entering the university (one of which is a 5 in Music Theory) and am ready for what is ahead. I'll post when I can. :)

Congrats. I hope you have fun learning and meeting new people. :D

Okay.

Attached is a 30-measured excerpt on a very elementary (and first try) at composing a concerto in the style of Vivaldi. (It sounds Mozartian to me, but let's see what you think.)

cool. why do you say it's sounds like mozartian? is it the harpsichord?

congrats! (AP theory was the only ap test I got a 5 on =3)

I think it's a little too busy to sound like Mozart. Actually, the first half seems a little too busy in general orchestration-wise. Maybe you could thin it out a bit?

cool. why do you say it's sounds like mozartian? is it the harpsichord?

I think it's something about the melody that suggests Mozart to me. :heh:


congrats! (AP theory was the only ap test I got a 5 on =3)

Thanks!


I think it's a little too busy to sound like Mozart. Actually, the first half seems a little too busy in general orchestration-wise. Maybe you could thin it out a bit?

I can explain the orchestration: I've been listening to this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A94P3T7uLf8) too much, and it's kind of made my idea of "Baroque" music outside of Bach chorales, etc. I'll try thinning it out a bit. If you have any other suggestions, I'd like to hear them. ^_^

Yeah, Baroque music is usually a little bit more busy than Classical music, but you'll notice that in that Handel piece the instruments generally stay out of each others' way. Anyway, I would like to see your own unique twist on Baroque style in some way. Perhaps a more unique instrumentation or incorporation of some harmonies foreign to Baroque music, such as Stravinsky did?

Yeah, some Baroque orchestration makes me panic. Like this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jvJOS-PK6sk).

I think it would help if you cut the reverb WAY down on the mp3. With all that movement, we need to be able to distinctly hear each voice, otherwise it becomes a wad of sound. But other than that, I like it so far.

I'm putting the Double Flute Concerto aside for now. Thanks for the comments. Here's a 20 second excerpt that I wrote before I took Theory this year that I envisioned for String Quartet but I may just write it for String Trio or Solo Piano. (Warning: Neo-Renaissance.)

Double post - more weird compositions. These both are Neo-Renaissance influenced.

EDIT: For something a little more interesting, I've attached the second movement of the band piece that will be premiered this November. Note that this movement is based off of a storyline. <Removed>. (Link will be removed in a few days.)

the link you have in your comment: i like that sound at 55sec mark. it was like watching a scene from a looney toon show. a genie, and a giant, then that cymbals totally changed the image to something like fantasia. don't get me wrong. i'm not trying to inflate your head or anything... it's just the way i feel. good job. too bad i don't know much more than a surface to critique your piece.

What was your technique in "Scenes - Mvt II"? There are parts where the harmony you create seems to me to stagnate a little bit.

the link you have in your comment: i like that sound at 55sec mark. it was like watching a scene from a looney toon show. a genie, and a giant, then that cymbals totally changed the image to something like fantasia. don't get me wrong. i'm not trying to inflate your head or anything... it's just the way i feel. good job. too bad i don't know much more than a surface to critique your piece.

Thank you for your comment - this movement is meant to portray a sort of clumsy, comical, contradictory, and yet passive-aggressive insanity (a lot of words to describe, I know). :heh:


What was your technique in "Scenes - Mvt II"? There are parts where the harmony you create seems to me to stagnate a little bit.

I'll agree that the harmony is lacking at some points of this movement (actually, my band director commented that I wasn't using the french horns enough).

The string quartet part is basically made of tone rows, with tones for coloration in a few spots. The march-like part is thinly orchestrated (there are some parts that aren't playing so well that you will probably hear when I get this recorded that are important to this part of the piece). It's actually polymetrical (3/4 and 6/8 plus 4/4 and 8/8 in the march-like bars).

The harmony itself relies on "Neo-Renaissance" techniques that I've been using for a long time (unfortunately, there's not much that Theory can do to describe the chords that are played). The only way that I can describe it is that a lot of the harmonies I write have stepwise motion and that they rely on "lingering tones" and the continuity of scales. (I'll explain this in a later post.)

I thought it sounded somewhat 12-tone. Good luck!

This was a sketch for the second movement of the Scenes for Band - completely different character, as you may see. (Note: Incomplete.)

Oh, I could not help but imagine two squirrels with nuts in a dark forest. They were moving cautiously hidden. When they had to move from a place far to the other they went running as fast as they could. Then climbing trees very fast and moving from one to other.

Guess what. I made something tonal. Perhaps it's too simple, but let's see what you think. XD

It was missing a B section for the violin. It does not feel full because of that. xD Maybe add that section to the violin then repeat Violin A with or without variations transposed to another key? Just my suggestion. xD

The piece sounds like could be a love theme or a theme for something romantic.

Pedal lifts would be nice because the piano part gets really muddy.

The piece on a whole feels very underdeveloped and a little unfocused, especially melodically.

Thank you both. I wasn't really aiming to do anything with the Tonal Piece, but I appreciate the comments. It was basically one of those times when I was asked to compose "pretty music". xP

You're welcome. Sorry, I just realized that my comments were really negative! lol

I wasn't really aiming to do anything with the Tonal Piece, but I appreciate the comments. It was basically one of those times when I was asked to compose "pretty music". xP

Yeah, it felt kind of abbreviated. But, whatevs. Love the title.

Okay, I'll be honest. Attached is something that I will perform on Monday for my Class Piano course. A few things to take note:

1) I've only played Piano since Sept. 6. It hasn't been that long, so I'm still stumbling with some of the large leaps.
2) The recording attached contains the last few variations of the theme.
3) The laptop mic. is bad. I'm going to get one as soon as I have the money.
4) I didn't really focus on the form of the whole piece itself; it was basically, "follow the professor's guidelines." The recording attached was basically made after practicing about 10 times; I didn't write out the variations until yesterday.

Enjoy (or not). XD

I kind of love this. It'd be nice if you did some really fast Haydn-esque variations. Right now, it just all seems like the same variation. Minus the very end.

I kind of love this. It'd be nice if you did some really fast Haydn-esque variations. Right now, it just all seems like the same variation. Minus the very end.

I agree with you, but I wish that I could have the technique to play such things. x_x

Hurr, you've only been playing for a month? What's the class about, teaching piano or composing?

Anyways, really dark-sounding piece. Maybe more changes of chords during the theme? Like at the beginning, I really expected a change of chord after the first 4 notes...

Maybe to 'cover' your large leap-pauses, make a dramatic slow-down between some of them? That'd be overdoing the slowdown, but...

Is this on a regular piano or electric one? Not that it matters...

The fourth theme was really dissonant, and that chain of... diminished fifths, I think? was... interesting. :V I can't say more than that.

Finally, are ya gonna post Variations I/II/is there a V? :P

Hurr, you've only been playing for a month? What's the class about, teaching piano or composing?

Anyways, really dark-sounding piece. Maybe more changes of chords during the theme? Like at the beginning, I really expected a change of chord after the first 4 notes...

Maybe to 'cover' your large leap-pauses, make a dramatic slow-down between some of them? That'd be overdoing the slowdown, but...

Is this on a regular piano or electric one? Not that it matters...

The fourth theme was really dissonant, and that chain of... diminished fifths, I think? was... interesting. :V I can't say more than that.

Finally, are ya gonna post Variations I/II/is there a V? :P

Yeah, it's a Piano course - not really meant for composing. The piece I wrote there, I already know, will be a lot more varied than the ones that others will write and the professor will be expecting, because the professor only expects us to be doing I - IV - V chords. Not interesting. :\

I'm still trying to practice the second and third variations (F# major and C major polytonality in both of them - definitely not I - IV - V :heh:). The recording contained Var. IV and V, along with a Coda (if my memory serves correctly). The theme itself is in F major - I had to write a "minor" variation of it (which is in the beginning of the recording).

I'm definitely slowing some of those leaps down; I'm not getting them down accurately (but then again, I'm practicing more today... we'll see how this goes).

Yep, those were parallel tritones at the end. If you listen at that part with the bass containing the melody, I placed a Petrushka chord there (with the A# missing because I just can't get six notes down in one roll... yet), which is meant to go back to the polytonality of Var. II and III (which were not in the recording). Then I put the theme in its original key for the coda (F major) along with the same theme in the key a tritone away from it (B major), which is why the tritones are there.

I'll post the whole Theme and Variations when I have time. :heh:

EDIT: About the piano, it's just one that is on the bottom floor of the dorm that I'm using for practice. It's just a regular piano (the pedal's kind of annoying though).

Oh, and I forgot to mention: my professor doesn't want us to change the melody much - more like the harmony.

lovely chords throughout the whole piece. you've practiced this particular one for a month, you say?

lovely chords throughout the whole piece. you've practiced this particular one for a month, you say?

Actually, I've, at the time of this recording, been practicing it for maybe two hours. I've only played piano for a month, though.

oooouh...:o

oooouh...:o

Is something wrong? :sweat:

EDIT: By the way, I just performed the whole Theme and Variations yesterday. I was surprised to find that most of the other students' variations were basically 30 seconds (for the whole thing). When it came for my turn, my fingers wouldn't stop shaking. I wasn't nervous; I just couldn't stop them from shaking when I started playing. xP

Well, hopefully that means you did well :P

Well, hopefully that means you did well :P

Yeah, it was fine. Just a few mistakes here and there because I couldn't stop my nervous fingers. :heh:

I wasn't nervous; I just couldn't stop them from shaking when I started playing. xP

That totally happens to me too (but I started piano when I was 7)!

I just couldn't stop them from shaking when I started playing. xP

that happened to me, too. i was playing in front of my music appreciation class one day and my foot on the pedal wouldn't stop shaking. it was as if my foot had its own beat. that never happened to me when i was young, but then again i only played in front of the 2nd graders.

hope your second performance have less shakes and more breaks!XD

I'm in Theory III, learning a new vocabulary. Attached is a modulation experiment I wrote. Sorry for the messy notation - I only spent about 15 minutes on this.

Clarinetist which one are you of the MSN people on my list?

Clarinetist which one are you of the MSN people on my list?

I don't think I have you on MSN - plus I haven't gone on MSN for a few years now. :heh: If you ever need to contact me, you can just send me a PM - I haven't been on an IM service for years. o_o

A chorale I composed. (Sorry for any voice leading mistakes - I'm better checking for those using paper + pencil, but I composed this all in Finale.)

EDIT: Parallel octaves in the first measure. >_<

These chord progressions were unusual coming from you. :P It was too, too, too short, but enjoyable.

I agree. All your pieces are too short. I want more!

Here is the full set of variations for Mary Had a Little Lamb that I wrote out for Class Piano. (I played it from memory, but I haven't seen the sheet music for about a month now - that polytonal variation that I composed I've completely forgotten. -_-) Note that I've only played piano for... about two months now (which reminds me, I have an arpeggio exam on Wednesday... :bleh: ).

EDIT: Here's something new - an 8-minute improvisation I did using a simple technique. :)

Wow! I'm done with my first semester.

I might as well give you all an update: I've switched my Clarinet Performance major to Theory. There are many reasons for this, most of which I can't mention here because of privacy reasons (not necessarily my own). (I'll be an official Theory major in an hour!)

Also, some of you may know poozer115 - we're attending the same University, and we figured out that we also both live in the same dorm! It's really neat to meet a fellow Ichigoian in person. :)

I've also passed the Piano Proficiency exam here, and will be taking piano lessons for the next six semesters (hopefully along with composition lessons, depending on what happens when I talk with my Theory professor) - and yes, I've only played piano for four months - I'm surprised how much I've been learning here.

So I'm returning home later today. I'm hoping to post up the sheet music for the Variations on Mary Had a Little Lamb sometime. :)

Happy holidays everyone!

Here is a song that I composed for Music Theory III. I was seriously uninspired, so what I did was I took the lyrics from the instructions of the project and translated them to Spanish. Also, I took the letters (from the English instructions) that corresponded to note names and I put them in the melody. (Sorry, my Spanish is a bit rusty!)

Here are the lyrics:

Title: La canción más linda (The Most Beautiful Song)

Escribe una canción en modo mayor
con compás y texto que escoges tú.
Recomiendo que uses un registro del tono
la tres al tono do cinco.

Puedes escribir un texto.
Incluye una traducción.
El texto debe ser apropiado
para esta clase.

Los textos deben tener ocho líneas
con ocho sílabas por línea.
Escríbela en una manera que
no es repetitivo.

La canción debe incluir acordes
del modo menor,
acordes con sexto aumentado
y una cadencia.

Translation:

Write a song in major mode
with meter and text of your choosing.
I recommend that you use a register
from A3 to C5.

You can write a text.
Include a translation.
The text should be appropriate
for this class.

The texts should have eight lines
with eight syllables per line.
Write it in a way that
isn't repetitive.

The song should include chords
of the minor mode,
augmented sixth chords,
and a cadence.

It was a lot of fun performing this. XD The look on the singer's face when she saw the lyrics was priceless.

The slower version is at q = 64, and the regular one is at q = 120. I like both of them personally, but I prefer the q = 64 to the 120.

That is cool. XD

The Spanish Translation is not bad. All words are correctly typed and with its acute accent. I would change a few words there, though. But is nothing big.


I noticed a few wrong divisions in your syllables in the sheet music:

Bar #1: Una: U - na
Bar #3-4: Mayor: Ma - yor
Bar #10-11: Registro: Re - gis - tro
Bar #21: Una: U - na
Bar #22-23: Traducción: Tra - duc - ción
Bar #29-30: Esta: Es - ta
Bar #33-34: Tener: Te - ner
Bar #35 & 39: Línea(s): Lí - neas (In the Standard Spanish this word is considered an Hiatus "Lí - ne - a(s), but its pronunciation is like a diphthong in mostly all Spanish Dialects)
Bar #42: Una: U - na
Bar #52-53 & 56-57: Acordes: A - cor -des
Bar #61: Una: U - na

Glad to hear from you! I guess my biggest word of advice would be the melody could have used a little more work. The piano accompanyment was interesting in some of the choices you made. Not bad! Hope to hear more from you soon!

I agree about the melody; it's cool that you used the letters from the instructions, but I think you could have done a better job with that; it lacked drive and direction.

Thanks, Nyu - I haven't taken Spanish for a while now. XD


Glad to hear from you! I guess my biggest word of advice would be the melody could have used a little more work. The piano accompanyment was interesting in some of the choices you made. Not bad! Hope to hear more from you soon!

Thanks Porsche and deathraider - to be honest, I didn't really care much for the melody; I had more of a "I have to do a project" attitude toward this part. As I mentioned in the post, I took the letters (from the English instructions) that corresponded to note names and I put them in the melody - and I bounded the melody by this method. Also, I was required to denote strong beats and weak beats for this rhythm - and I took each note name and put it on each letter, example - the first line of instructions, if I recall correctly, was:

"Write a song in major mode." (I switched the D to a C# to make things easier.)

Then what I did was I took my rhythmic sketch, which is like it is in the first two measures and just placed those notes on there - so I didn't really put much thought into it.

As for the piano accompaniment, I did most of it as a chorale writing exercise - stepwise motion, some modal mixture (or borrowed chords), secondary dominants, Neapolitan chords, a Fr+6, and a PAC at the end ("y una cadencia" XD).

I'll try to see if I can get something out this month during my month-long break. @_@

Here's an experimental waltz, using modal mixture (or borrowed chords). For some reason, I really like playing around with the devices I learned in Theory III a lot - let's just hope that I can find the time soon to apply it in practice. :heh:

I think it's a specific reason why you like to use some of the stuff you learned in music theory III. You know what... come to think of it... I think it's because you understand it.

As for the waltz.... it reminds me of chopin and his beautiful gesture that he puts in his pieces. You may think this piece is just an experimental... but I think you should really consider it to be one of your featuring pieces.... of course with some revision, that is.

Thanks Ander for the comment!

Here's another piece using Theory III techniques combined with a few of my own. (I really need to get working on form...)

very mesmerizing piece. it sure captured me and held on to me.

That chord in measure 15 was so anachronistic. I really liked the 2 measure preceding it a lot, though!

That chord in measure 15 was so anachronistic. I really liked the 2 measure preceding it a lot, though!

Yeah, that's one of the techniques that I like a lot, but of course, it sounds weird. xD Here was the reason for that chord:

So in Theory III, I was required to play on the piano the descending fifth progression in C major - the whole I - iv - bVII - bIII - bVI - bII - V - I deal. I noticed that this was all descending perfect fifths, except for the diminished fifth from bII to V. So I thought, you know what - why don't I just go a diminished fifth down for the root and resolve all of the other tones as expected?

The chord preceding it is a V7/bIII, and it wants to go to bIII, but I'm like: nope. If I ever get this performed, I want people to think that the cello played a wrong note or something because the the chord after is the normal tendency (bIII). xD What I like even more about that chord is that the E natural is doubled, but the other E natural in the Violin II is interlaced so that no one really notices that E natural.

I like your string quartet. It's well done. I think your solo came too early. I wanted to listen more of the first part before it moved to the solo.

I like your string quartet. It's well done. I think your solo came too early. I wanted to listen more of the first part before it moved to the solo.

I agree - I just analyzed my form, and I feel that there's a spot where I can easily extend that first part. Be back soon. :)

Actually the E natural in Violin II is what was most noticeable to me. Not that it matters...

Here's a piano piece. Thoughts appreciated - it's a sort of reflection on the last week for me.

EDIT: Attached is also an orchestral transcription of a melody (and reharmonization) of a melody that a friend of mine created. (Hers was a loop, so I only went through the melody once.)

Hey, everyone, quick update:

I am now taking Theory IV (Form and Analysis) - quite honestly, I find it quite dry compared to Theory III, but oh well. I'm also taking a course on Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen, which I find interesting - I've now seen all of the opera, and have to write a 10-paged paper about it.

Anyway, I recently composed a piece for Theory IV for two clarinets, and if and when I have the time, I'll post it up.

I'm glad I'm not the only who finds Form and Analysis to be pretty boring...

Two new compositions.

The first one is a Duet for Two Clarinets that I composed for Theory IV. (Note that the score is in concert pitch.)

The second one is a 8-measured sketch that I wrote yesterday. If you have a piano, try playing this sheet on the piano rather than listening to the .mp3.

I (unfortunately) haven't had too much time to compose lately, but here's a very short sketch of an exposition of what might be a piano sonata.

That was brilliant... I guess it could be a sonata... but it sounded like someone was really playing... or was someone really playing... see what I mean!? I think I'm beginning to like more of your stuff... or style... should I say.

I'm writing another suite - attached is the .mp3.

Some commentary that you might find useful that I have on Facebook:


This is nothing like the first Friends Suite I wrote - as it actually has some tonal construction and not (what my teacher called at the time) a "neo-Renaissance" construction of lines - well... at least for the first few measures. If you were to analyze the piece, you would find that only three chords make the foundation of this movement - which would be unusual, were you to look at my past works.

This prelude is meant to set the tone for the first movement. (Before someone starts wondering, the first movement isn't necessarily on an actual person.)

Well, as always - comments are appreciated. Enjoy.

Hey Clarinetist!

Sounds great! It reminds me a lot of something Wagner would have written for some reason. Do you have any special motivation for this piece? Is it supposed to represent friendship (looking at the MP3 title)?

Funny you say that, as I finished a 20-paged essay on Wagner's Ring Cycle (...ugh xP) and the Wagner Seminar course last semester. o_o Yep, I did one thing in there that I usually don't do to make it sound like Wagner.

Basically, the purpose of the suite is to portray people's personalities, and for this second suite, to also display some moments that I've had with these people this past year. The prelude, as stated in my previous post, is meant to set the tone for the first portrayal - as a friend of mine described the music, it sounds "sneaky." That's the sort of tone I'm trying to set for the first movement.

This is amazing! I love your orchestration of the strings from about 0:57 onward. P.S., I hate The Ring. I saw the six hour broadcast of the Met's Die Walküre and wanted to gnaw my legs off. This definitely has an operatic feel to it, though. As a prelude, what it lacks in overall direction and cohesion, it makes up in the individual craftsmanship of each measure. Bravo.

I (unfortunately) haven't had too much time to compose lately, but here's a very short sketch of an exposition of what might be a piano sonata.That's awesome Yeng. If you finish it I'd be happy to play it at a recital.

That's awesome Yeng. If you finish it I'd be happy to play it at a recital.

Hey, Elliott! I'll let you know if I ever do. :) Thanks for your offer! Hope your summer's been going well!

Here's another harmonic experiment. Originally, I wrote "Nocturne" in the title, but I'm just going to treat it as an harmonic experiment.

I really like this. I love what you do with the change in time signature, and I love the overall feel that the harmony creates. Very impressionist. Well done.

Some details are changed in the Prelude - the first movement (after the Prelude) starts off with the oboe solo; haven't finished anything more than that yet.

I was so excited to see what comes after the 2:43 mark... and I can say that I was more than pleased to hear that monstrous harmony. Did that come to you or did you have to search for it?

It's actually a lot more simple than you might think. :)

The part in which the strings have the harmony (2:43 - 3:03) is the chord that the brass end with (which also happens to be the very first °7 that appears in the whole piece, back at 0:26), a c#°7.

Then I placed in two Mm7s, a C#7 and a F#7 (3:03 - 3:07), to keep the movement going - and then an a#° at the fortissimo part (3:07), which is basically the °7 created by using the A# in the F#7 as the root. I then used one of my favorite techniques (if you look at Childsplay, you might figure it out, but I'm not going to say what it is) to approach a b#°7. You could analyze it as a sequence, but how it's approached is the technique. :)

... and I can easily say, studying Wagner in that course I took really got me used to the °7 sound.

I really like it clarinetist! Can't wait to hear more!

You can write like Wagner, but don't take on his personality! :lol:

So, unfortunately long after the composition contest has started, I had an idea that would probably improve the quality of 9-14, now written for marimba. :P Let's see how you guys take this one.

EDIT: I have also written Childsplay for Marimba, 4 hands. Both pieces use the same harmonic technique, a personal secret of mine that I've used in all of my pieces for years. :shifty:

I think marimba would've been great in the competition. I know how you feel though. I'm kinda working on my entry piece myself. Anywho. I thought this piece is more sounding than the piano piece you submitted. DUH!

This is the first portrayal of the second Friends Suite: I. Unknown. I'll be honest and say that I'm not satisfied with this movement, but I decided not to continue this for these reasons:

1) There's a good reason why there's "unknown" and not someone's initials labeled on this movement - it's a person that came back into my life that I really didn't want to deal with (signified by the major 7th, high oboe), a sort of passing thought.
2) I simply didn't want to think of the situation I had with this person anymore.

Unknown—There's a real poignancy to the oboe solo, and the percussion and pizz really do wonders to punctuate it. Man, your orchestration is so damn good. I'm a big fan.

Marimba—Yeah, I think this works much better as a percussion piece.

Childsplay—I like it. Care to share this secret?

First I thought "unknown" was a sad piece, but then it got really scary. I was like... 'Oh, the timpani is pretty cool...' and as soon as I finished that thought... I got scared by the following... I guess you could say.. the orchestral hit. My god... haha. It was like an angry music wolf. I was like... "Nice music. NIiiice music...."

Thanks guys - I wish I had time to do a full analysis of the work, but I don't have time. Here's the short scoop: I have a reliance on stepwise motion, real sequences, and a phenomenon I call "lingering tones:" every single note that I write has to have one single direction and must move somewhere (stepwise, of course), even if the tone has to be displaced an octave or two.

Attached is an Interlude - it's linking the first and second portrayal. I treat it as more of a closing of the first portrayal; however, I find that it's music that should be treated separately from the first portrayal.

I love what you do with the strings at the beginning. Once again, it reminds me of all that is good in Wagner. In fact, I could practically hear Elmer Fudd's part (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQlmXU1zqfc) above it all, "Be very quiet; I'm hunting waaa-bits." But seriously, you're quite good at orchestration.

I like how the percussive feel of the pizz at the beginning sets us up for the actual percussion in the ending.

And the dissonances in the winds that take us from point A to B are really quite fun.

Man, that drum at the end is just brutal.

I can't wait to hear this thing in its entirety.

Here's the first draft of the next portrayal. I gotta work on those transitional phrases... :heh:

EDIT: Okay... so I'm probably going to toss this draft out the window. Enjoy it (or, more than likely, not xD).

EDIT: Okay... so I'm probably going to toss this draft out the window. Enjoy it (or, more than likely, not xD).

Great orchestration! ... but I agree with you. XD

Spent two days orchestrating a piano sketch from last Summer.

Interesting dynamic changes. Especially in the beginning. Kinda has that contemporary feel to it.

I haven't composed in a very long time - and it's Finals week, and I for some reason felt like composing yesterday. Here's the result.

all in since yesterday? seems like you're really honing your skill. it was very romantic, agitating, and many different forms of the two that i have just mentioned. It was wonderful. It didn't even feel like it was 5 min long. i especially like how you just "casually" compose something so great. gj

Another sketch here - made this morning.

sounds more like waking up in a wilderness than a sunrise.

Back for a little while. I haven't really composed anything "for fun" for about a year now, I'd say. Here's a harmonization exercise - basically to start making use of some interesting structures.

http://soundcloud.com/yeng-chang/exercise

And for those who dare, I have made another transcription of Canon in D. You are warned. http://soundcloud.com/yeng-chang/baroque-gone-mad-canon-in-d

I really liked the harmonization. Some interesting stuff you were doing in there, especially at the end. I feel your play with the functions we're really creative (however could you make the recordings more clear or just provide sheet music?)

Since switching to focusing my time more on jazz, I've found that jazz players are really the modern kings of [re]harmonization, so you might want to check out some pianists like Oscar Peterson, Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, and many more to look at... (I can give you more specific recordings if you're interested in what/how they do things).

And good god, the Canon. It was a great aural exercise trying to focus on one of those notes and trying to hear it being harmonized with the other ones. Honestly, a more 'appreciable' version ;)

Your harmonic study was just beautiful. Really well done. Would you mind posting the sheet music?

Your Canon seemed a little…passive aggressive. ;)

Sound settings have been changed - hope this sounds better. :) http://soundcloud.com/yeng-chang/exercise-version-2

EDIT: Sheets are attached.

This reminds me a lot of Beethoven. The idea of the piece is really simple and elegant, and I love what you've done with it. I think the triplets in the right hand (measures 12 & 19) are simply beautiful—very nice touch. The only criticism I have is that maybe with a stronger melody it would be more catchy, but I don't even know if that's what you're really going for. Very well done.

The semiquaver with the triplet is fantastic. I like the accentuated weak beats that helps a bit to avoid the expected. The piece in general got a consistent enjoyable color. And it has that Beethoven's touch with a bit of Rachmaninoff. It would be great to hear this inserted in a piece of bigger magnitude. It sounds like tiny taste.

The Canon did not hold my interest the enough. As soon as I heard its dissonance I started to expect and increment of it. Like a crescendo that each time become more and more dissonant till it become just "noise".

Thanks for the comments!

As I look back at this exercise, I see two main influences: Debussy and Beethoven. I think much of the main idea in this exercise can be derived from this piece:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbjWgfNoO2U

Another piece that came into my head as I looked back was this one:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAMYWIHYKcA

I've also been listening to Rachmaninoff Preludes quite a bit lately (mainly the two most well-known ones: the g minor and c# minor ones).

Haha, the Canon. :lol: Let's just say I'm not going to bother with that piece much longer. :P

I'm just going to leave this here... quite possibly one of Rachmaninoff's best works (in my opinion)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wacHEJYJflM&feature=BFa&list=PL5C12FE7AA362148C

And thank-you for providing a less reverbish recording + score :)

For those of you who are still around, I wrote a sketch. This is meant to be more of an orchestration exercise more than anything... I haven't written for anything other than piano for a while now. https://soundcloud.com/yeng-chang/sketch-for-strings-8-31-2013

What program did you use to create the music?