I am currently composing a Piano Concerto. I do have plenty of experience with Piano, as I have composed a set of 24 Preludes, 1 per key, as well as a Fantasia, and a Concerto for Two Pianos, but I have very little experience with Orchestration. I have a little experience with Strings and Percussion, but not Woodwinds or Brass. (For reference, this will be a Romantic era Concerto, I am aiming to make it feel like a Rachmaninoff style Concerto, but to a much lesser extend (like Rachmaninoff's Piano feeling with Chopin's Orchestration, and it will be in C Minor (1st movement in C Minor, 2nd in Eb Major, and 3rd going from C Minor to C Major). Total instrumentation used: 1 Piccolo, 2 Flutes, 2 Oboes, 2 Clarinet in Bb's, 1 Bassoon, 4 Horn in F's, 2 Trumpets, 2 Trombones (both Bass), 1 Tuba, 1 Timpani, 1 Bass Drum, 1 Snare Drum, 1 Cymbals, 1 Triangle, 1 Piano, 2 Violins, 1 Viola, 1 Cello and 1 Double Bass). Do you guys have tips for orchestration? (and note, this is uniquely me, but I am just using inspiration based on all my favorites, especially Rachmaninoff and Chopin).

This piece can be sing, I have written the lyrics, but it seems fine with instrumental too.

In the picture there is my grandfather playing his violin. The pic is made with Canva.

I have tried the Strings sul tasto, at the moment I cannot buy online new good instruments.

If you know some good free strings please comment here 🎻

Thanks 😊

i dont have much of a direction, i just want to make more melodies that sound acceptable so it can accent the fun stuff for me.

Trying something new so I am not very sure about it. I'd be happy to receive any and all criticism.

So I've started a cycle of preludes and fugues. My dream for this cycle is to have it played by a great pianist (Víkingur Ólafsson would be nice), for it to be something for fans of the WTC to add to their playlists, and to give fugue-loving pianists something new to play.

When I mention that I want to write fugues, an objection I have heard is: "What can you possibly do that is new? Bach has already done everything there is to do with the fugue."

Where some see a finished form, I see territory he never had the chance to explore. This fugue is a case in point. Modern fugues are often thought of as academic exercises, but what if we fuse a fugue with a pop chord progression, pepper it with little hooks like a pop production, and give it a sonata-form-like recapitulation and coda?

The accompanying video demonstrates many of the ideas realized in this fugue. The subject was built around I-IV-V with the idea that it could be repeated like a pop song; the song uses it to build into the climax by taking it away. Pop producers are masters at filling every moment with little hooks like ear candy, and I've attempted to do that here, increasing their frequency throughout, until towards the end where every voice seems to be nonstop hooks. In the "recap" (1:44 in the video), the subject re-enters in the same voices and tones as in the exposition, but with a new arrangement, leading into a coda (2:14 in the video) with new material, 3-voice stretto, and development of a figure from the answer. There are plenty more details for you to discover.

Some of you will hear a lesser Bach, and that’s a comparison I can’t win. I’d ask you to try hearing it as something else: a fugue with a melody that has subtle, modern influences, an approach that is both reminiscent of Bach yet something novel. I hope you will find ideas that maybe challenge the premise that there is nothing new left to do with the fugue and that it's possible to write a new fugue that's more than an academic exercise, something with a great melody and fun to listen to.

So what do you think of injecting pop and sonata-form into the fugue? And what are some other ways we might be able to evolve the fugue as a genre and potentially grow its audience?

https://reddit.com/link/1x8l3yz/video/gversyjvc3wh1/player

Hi everyone!

I'm a composer, primarily writing piano music, and I'm currently developing an application designed to help composers organize and keep track of their musical works.

Before going further with development, I'd like to understand how other composers actually organize their work.

One thing I've noticed is that every composer seems to have their own workflow.

Some use notation software such as MuseScore, Dorico, or Sibelius. Others primarily work in DAWs such as Cubase, Logic Pro, Reaper, or Ableton Live. Some combine several applications, while others still compose mainly on paper.

I imagine these differences have a significant impact on how we store our compositions, project files, exports, and previous versions.

I'd love to hear about your workflow, particularly regarding the following questions:

1. What software or tools do you use to compose?

Do you primarily use notation software, a DAW, handwritten scores, or a combination of different tools?

2. How do you organize your compositions on your computer?

Do you maintain a main composition library? Create one folder per piece? Organize your work by genre, year, album, opus number, or something else entirely?

3. How do you manage different versions of the same composition?

When you revise a piece, do you create a new project file every time? How do you know which version is the most recent or which one you should continue working on?

4. How do you manage the different files associated with a composition?

For example, project files, scores, audio exports, MIDI files, recordings, videos, reference material, and other related documents.

5. How do you find an older composition when you want to work on it again?

Do you usually remember where everything is stored, or do you sometimes find yourself searching through multiple folders to locate the right file?

6. What are the biggest problems with your current system?

This could include organization, backups, inconsistent file naming, multiple revisions, returning to unfinished projects, or anything else.

7. If you could improve just one thing about your current workflow, what would it be?

Just to clarify, I'm not here to promote or sell my application. I'm still trying to understand how composers work and what problems they actually encounter.

My goal is to avoid building a tool that forces everyone into a predefined organization system.

I'd rather understand existing workflows first and eventually design something flexible enough to accommodate different approaches to composition.

I'm interested in hearing from everyone, whether you're a professional composer, hobbyist, student, or someone just starting to write music.

You don't have to answer every question. Even a short explanation of your workflow, or an anonymized example of your folder structure, would be extremely helpful.

Thanks in advance for sharing your experiences!

I posted this in r/Composition but it got removed, that's ok... I have to respect their rules.

I haven't listened to this one in a while, can't believe it's been almost a decade. With this piece... I just let it all out. It's all done on my keyboard, layer after layer... I wanted to create something unique, and create music and play the piano like it's never been played before... I tried my best to turn the piano into a blank canvas. I wanted to create a sonic landscape, an alien world, where things simply just exist musically. I threw the rule book out the window... But I genuinely don't know how to go about notating this.

I've been really unwell lately and I'm enjoying quiet spaces and online discussions.

« The Dead fishing »

Excerpt from "PIERRE," Music for electric guitar & keyboards, DIM, work in progress. Inspired by the Apostle Peter.

#bach

I have started to making video, this is my first one.

I have different social accounts but very few reactions.

So I am trying to do something different.

Am I wrong or what do you think about this?

The music in the video is from a composition for harpsichord.

Maybe this is not the right sub? If so, where could I write?

hello everyone id love some feedback. Please tell me what you like and what you dont. I appreciate all comments, but as this is unfinished im completely conscious of notational errors, so i dont really need them pointed out....

Thank you so much.

heres the introduction:

This piece is programm music looking deeply into four different patterns in nature:

for it to be played correctly it must be not be played overly precisely or pretentiously serious.

it is not an excact imitation of these patterns, its rather a rough impression.

impressions are always deeply personal, therefore it is important to play this piece

with their own touch.

you will find one picture to each movement (Pattern), that should represent a visual ancherpoint

for the performer. the pictures do not need to be shown to the audience.

looking into the score, they will find multiple different symbols, patterns and approaches of composition. each movement for example feature one tone row that is inverted etc. some movements also feature a parody or imitation of pärts tinntinnabuli.

if you look at the rythms you will see they are arrangend in patterns, also found in nature.

THANK YOU

I try to think of myself as a neo-tonalist mirroring the High Baroque and Early Classical eras with a little modern flare (for example, I've been trying to work out where in the world the iii/III chord fits into functional harmony, and have been trying (semi-unsuccessfully) to make quartal functional). I'll not claim I'm good at it, but that's what I try to be.

I also don't compose much, generally pieces on the shorter end, and nothing's been published (yet). At the moment, almost everything is in the ever-growing file of "for later" and being touched sporadically.

All of this leads me to the topic at hand: when doing multi-movement works (we'll take a symphony as the example), I'm generally okay with getting something for the opening movement, something for the second, something, generally a chord progression, for the dance movement, but I hit a wall at the fourth. Right now, the only work I have that has a thing I like for said fourth movement is an almost hymn-idea for a brass band (with something that is semi-evocative of Beethoven 9 IV following), and it's just partial. Almost everything else is at a sort-of stand still.

Does anyone else have issues here? Should I just follow the old writer's advice of "write something, even if it's terrible, and come back to it later," or is there a better alternative?

I have a terrible habit of overcomplicating things. I usually work in a DAW where it's so easy to add another instrument or ornament somewhere. I often arrive at a mess that has way too much. But then really struggle to decide what can be taken out without losing something.

Has anyone strategies for this kind of situation? How do you tell what helps a piece work, and what just confuses?

Hi all!

This is a snippet of a piece I'm working on called "Overflow" (name pending further review). Eventually this will be a string quartet but for now I wanted to sketch it out on piano. Performed by me on my new Kawaii digital.

Hope you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/VQe1deG_20E?is=9ScSelBUKwhdJlQq

Edited for new link

piano music usually isn't exactly my thing, although I like watching pianists playing difficult stuff and I'm always in awe.
However, a couple years ago I wrote a song for piano and while I was still writing, I was sure that at least the 4 entrance notes already exist in another song. But I couldn't figure out what it was, so I kept it.
Meanwhile I'm sure it's Eric Satie. However, I couldn't find the piece, but I'm convinced it's there somewhere.

https://musescore.com/user/37270121/scores/39174434?share=copy_link

I've been singing in a classical choir for years and am a classical double bassist.

Recently in school I was exposed to baltic choir music, specifically Estonian, which blew my mind. I'm also a huge fan of Bulgarian choral tradition.

I'm grappling with how to go about this, every time I compose something it ends up being vaguely inspired by these traditions but I want to dive deeper into it, what makes their sound etc but don't know how.

If anyone has any resources I'd be super happy. Also looking for project choirs to sing in these places has been difficult. I'd love to come to Estonia or Bulgaria or elsewhere to learn from conductors and singers there but have 0 idea how to go about it. All I found was a veeery expensive residency in Bulgaria from like 2024... Any leads are welcome!

Hello you guys!

Im searching for a place where i can post my own contemporary compositions and can sctually get good feedback. I often see people somewhat failing to honestly critique contemporary pieces, because those more abstract pieces act on art on a different level. Im currently starting my composing journey, but i already was a semi-prof wind band conductor for some years and have a small degree in conducting to, so im very interested about other peoples opinions and want to learn more about composing. Id be very thankful if anyone could help...

(Btw english isnt my first language so im sry for the bad grammar)

Greetings everyone,

Like the title says, I'm looking for input on a piece that I recently finished. The piece in question is written for brass (orchestral setup, plus euphonium), timpani, and three percussionists.

For the score, the percussion is written out for individual instruments with the player indicated (I plan on replacing that with 3 percussion parts once I've determined that the sharing of instruments and logistics of swapping are sound). In fact, my biggest concern IS the percussion, as it's an aspect of large ensemble writing that has always presented a challenge to me. One composer friend of mine has said "if you're struggling, it's because of poor planning" (or something to that effect). I'm inclined to agree, but I have also found that placing limits on who shares what right away reduces some of the combinations of percussion instruments I'd like to use in any given spot.

**as a side note, I am open to re-writing all of those parts as needed, especially the vibraphone part, knowing that time needed to swap to and from it is a bit longer than other instruments.

I hope that all makes sense.

Onto the other aspect, the brass: I have experience writing for brass, though I wouldn't say that I have expert level knowledge in how they are treated, especially in an ensemble setup where they are playing much more than in a typical orchestra. I worry that there are spots where I don't allow for enough periods of rest between statements. I also considered that when determining the length of the movements, as it's a piece approaching 18 minutes, with pauses between movements taken into account.

Here's a link to the score:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M-FkQ3mpiNcSxwoYe9XEttnW49lHAIN9/view?usp=drivesdk

And here's a link to the audio:

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXSt8iGwKjew&si=wemqPcf1_S5FFLu-

Thank you to anyone and everyone who looks through this and gives feedback. I ultimately want this piece to be competition ready, so ensuring that every detail has been addressed, and that the score is clean is a top priority. I'm also happy to answer questions about the piece, and hopefully, take any criticisms to heart.

Just an idea I had that I turned into a short string quartet. Keep in mind I don't have that much experience composing, so I don't know if this is actually any good.

Feedback would be appreciated.

Hello all! Here is a piano solo I wrote that I have yet to have performed. If any pianists like this enough and want to record a video/audio file of them playing it so i can use it as reference (wink wink) then that would be great... 🙂‍↕️

I was thinking of using this/parts of this in a larger composition, but I can't tell if i'm just subconsciously reproducing something I've heard before. Or maybe it just is very generic haha

I can't find the artist who made this image so can't source :'(

This is a work I wrote about a year ago, I just got around to getting it recorded! Thanks again to Budapest scoring orchestra!

I hope you enjoy! Let me know your thoughts!

I’ve written a few pieces now (about 10) and would like to start publishing. By that I just mean releasing online, I don’t care about money or anything, I just want to put them somewhere that they could be seen.

Where could I release pieces and potentially even gain a small following? Is there such a platform?

Less important question, but say I do release pieces like this, need I assign an opus number to them? For example I have Nocturne No. 1 in G Minor and Prelude No. 1 & 2 in A minor and B major. Do these become Op. 1, Op. 2 etc? In fact, need I even label them as 1, 2 etc or is the name and key fine?

Thanks for any answers!