 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: Alex K.
Date: 2015-01-04 05:04
Hey guys, I want you to listen to a tune I wrote at Noteflight. I actually want to go into composing, at 14, so it would immensely help me if you gave me your opinions on it. It's a small piece with an oboe, flute, violin, and double bass.
http://www.noteflight.com/scores/view/e354a114016415c01f0a18a86d5917cbf538d3a2
Post Edited (2015-01-04 05:31)
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-01-04 08:08
A good effort with a noteworthy form. Much like clarinet playing though, you need to have guidance how to achieve sounds that you trying to create or imitate. I would seek out someone who does LOTS of composing to be a mentor. Even lots of detailed study of books that have standard harmony, and orchestration can only take you so far. A good teacher is the most valuable aid of all.
...........Paul Aviles
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Author: blazian
Date: 2015-01-04 09:40
I like it. You've got a good start on creative composition. I second the above post. In addition, some of the best composers wrote the most difficult music technically because they didn't know how to play the instrument they were writing for. It would help you to know your way around each instrument. For example, string basses are agile enough to do what's written, but the double stops and trills will be interesting for a less-advanced player (mm. 7-11). The oboe player might have difficulty playing a low D at piano (mm. 27, if the oboe is at the same dynamic as everyone else). Intervals of fourths and fifths are more friendly on violin than thirds (mm. 17). Those are just small things to consider. A proper teacher will be able to set you straight on many more points.
Where you have two or three notes each for the flute and the oboe, do you intend for more than one player?
- Martin
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Author: nellsonic
Date: 2015-01-04 11:31
Thank you for sharing your creative efforts. I'm not able to listen myself right now, but in addition to the good points above, remember that composition is an art like any other. Write as much as you can, daily if possible; play and study the works of others as much as you can; listen as widely as your interests take you - and then perhaps a little beyond. Learning an art is an organic process requiring consistent practice and growth over a long period of time to achieve notable results.
Balancing that is the very good advice that the author Kurt Vonnegut gave about creative pursuits:
"Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”
There's more to this passage by Vonnegut, but it's easily found if you are moved to.
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Author: Paul Aviles
Date: 2015-01-04 16:10
Thank you for the Vonnegut quote...........very apropos! I never heard that one before (that I recall), but I am a BIG Vonnegut fan.
...............Paul Aviles
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Author: Alex K.
Date: 2015-01-04 20:27
Blazian said:
>Where you have two or three notes each for the flute and the oboe, do you >intend for more than one player?
I intended for the piece to have the following:
2 flutes
2 oboes
2 violins
double bass
Standard Drum Kit
Post Edited (2015-01-04 20:28)
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Author: Liquorice
Date: 2015-01-05 01:43
Very cool. I like the way you are able to develop more than one idea at a time. Keep at it!
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Author: blazian
Date: 2015-01-06 05:52
Clarinets tend to spoil a lot of things. If you could write in squeaks, it would work nicely.
- Martin
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Author: clarinetist04
Date: 2015-01-06 08:18
It's a start.
You've got to write, write, write to develop your passion, as already mentioned. It can't be reinforced enough. Getting a teach also WILL help.
A couple other thoughts:
1) Think about how the instruments sound together. When you write a piece of music, think about the sound you are trying to get and how the instrumentation you put together will sound - does what you're writing sound like what you want it to?
2) Sometimes with modern technology it's easy to put some notes into a computer and see how it sounds and play around from there. While this is an acceptable method (I recall seeing that this is how David Gillingham composes, obviously much more refined than how I described it, but I mean exclusively at the computer), in my experience I find it very useful to hand write my music. It allows me to refine the relationship between what I hear in my head and what I write on the paper. Sometimes I'm surprised at what happens when I play it on the piano....
3) Try working at a piano.
4) Sometimes mixed articulations can be masked. When one instrument has legato and another staccato, it doesn't often sound how it's intended. Remember that what you write is one thing, but what the audience hears is another.
5) You've begun a theme in the exposition. Develop it! Use it in the body of the work. I found that each section didn't really have a transition or go together. It's just like writing a story, but in musical notes and in the musical language. If this is your story and how you want to tell it, great! But if the story can be embellished, maybe that's another thing to try. When you write a book, one could say "John walked into the house." Or you could say "John sauntered into the beach house." Or "John lazily sauntered into the cozy, seafoam green beach house." You see what I'm saying? They're developments of the initial thought that can be used to develop on a central theme. The same can be done with music.
Anyway, there's some of my thoughts. Hope it helps.
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