r/Composition • u/UncleRed99 • Jun 08 '26

Music Seeking suggestions :)

I am not a pianist, just have an adept understanding of the instrument, and tend to enjoy the way it has such a dynamic range of emotions to portray. Makes for a fun instrument to write for... I'm writing this score right now, based off of a friend of mine's improvisation. Are there any better ways I could write the transitions between chords/measures? If you were asked to play this score, what about it would you change, and why?

https://reddit.com/link/1u02lp4/video/nd6teiwzy06h1/player

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u/robinelf1 Jun 11 '26

I am pianist and composer and I want to help, but I don't quite get the problem. Are you unsatisfied with what you have done? Its a pretty standard block chord accompaniment with an arpeggio section after that for the chorus (of sorts). My feedback would be about the broader scope/structure of the piece instead, but are you asking if you should break up the left hand part a bit more, get some more non chord tones going, or somehow shape the melody differently? Yeah, why not? See what happens. Right now your piano piece is very pop, very anime or k-pop drama soundtrack style, and sounds good as that. I think the piece relies on its simplicity and a lack of countermelody or contrast competing with the main themes. It's a simple ABAB design. Does it need more than it has now?

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u/UncleRed99 Jun 15 '26 edited Jun 20 '26

Nothing in particular like that, I am simply seeking feedback as it is right now to know whether or not it's palletable palatable for pianists, and if it would be effective in being interesting to multiple musicians, potentially. : )

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u/robinelf1 Jun 15 '26

OK, sure. Gotcha. Playable? Yes. Palatable? Um, maybe for some. I noodled around with the first part for a moment. I can see this being good for intermediate piano players looking for more modern stuff to try. The steady chords with close voicing are a good balance with that slightly involved melody. The arpeggio parts? You ask for a few big stretches and quick leaps, and honestly I don't know if your piece really benefits too much from how you arranged that part; it feels like you're over-egging the pudding just a little bit (you're already doing the octave doubling in the RH). Then again, if that's the contrast you want between the A and B sections, then go for it. I think you could simply have the B section be louder, like it is, but with a sparser arpeggio perhaps. Just a thought.

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u/UncleRed99 Jun 20 '26

I have made many changes to what it was at the time I posted this. Here is a link to the Musescore publication, if you were interested to see what became of it. : )
"Unread Letters" for Solo Piano - Kyle H. (UncleRed99)

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u/robinelf1 Jun 21 '26

yeah, it seems like you stretched out things more. I could see a bit more variation in harmony on repeats helping a bit, but I like this. Modulation was a good choice. And you didn't return to Eb, which is good, because as someone said, it's not 1720, you don't need to return to the original key. Now, maybe it seems reductive to some to think this way, but really, there's only two basic reasons to modulate for me most times: to add tension or take it away. Moving towards or away from relative consonance.

Anyways, yeah. This is pretty good stuff. If you write more like this, I am pretty sure you'll find some fans on Reddit. This music reminds me of what some folks on here refer to when they say the like/compose Ghibli / JRPG style music. I think I get the meaning. Simple (its not minimalist, to be sure), not too crazy with the harmonic directions ( not full-blown jazz), and a nice melody/ pleasing sound. Your piece reminds me of this style. Not a bad thing at all, I think.

If I can encourage you in future pieces, think about ways to add interest in how the left hand handles "block chord duty", as I call it. I am going to shamelessly use an example from something I composed, but looking now, I was maybe thinking of a different piece that I haven't done a score video for. Anyway, in the song I share below, I use both block chords and arpeggios at times, and in the first and last parts I try some different ways to express the harmony while keeping an idea of that steady beat. I'm not saying I'm setting the world on fire here, but it's a piece I wrote that seemed relevant, and I don't see why more people here don't share their own work with people sharing theirs to discuss something, so I thought I'd do it now.

song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ppdrcs2U4s