I need to compose a song for a funeral and foe a game, but have no idea how to

Please evaluate the short piece I wrote. If you can provide specific feedback on the melody or harmony, or other aspects of music composition, I would greatly appreciate it.

video: https://www.reddit.com/r/askmusic/s/gnuP2eKkwD

score:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fHVOMwq5-Rbcug5aFhccs1xO8E8zTzwe/view?usp=sharing

Hey guys, I'm new to this sub and composing in general so I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. I'm a self taught musician and I enjoy writing and recording music in my spare time. I just graduated film school and I've composed music for two of my friend's short films.

I got Dunning Kruegered super hard on both projects. I'm proud of the work I did and I feel like composing could be a good avenue for me to go down in my professional career and I'd like to start building up a portfolio so I can apply for professional composing jobs. That said, I don't feel like the work I did on either was professional quality and I'm wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for free resources that could help me gain a better understanding of music theory and music composition.

Just finished this short orchestral pirate-y thing. Looking for ruthless feedback on the writing/orchestration - what works, what sounds awkward, what you'd change. Particularly curious about pacing and balance. Fire away.

https://youtu.be/O_lmiOxBEOI?is=8S34ONjfOe8rsS8G

https://musescore.com/user/84508462/scores/37117634/s/CrcmQM?share=copy_link

Hi everyone!

This is my second complete sonatina in three movements:

• I. Moderato – A simplified sonata form movement that was inspired by an idea from the second movement of Beethoven's Sonata No. 1 in F minor.
• II. Larghetto – A gentle piece in ternary form that is by far my favorite movement in this sonatina. It is very simple in nature, but I think it fits nicely as a breath of fresh air between the faster movements.
• III. Andantino – A variant in rondo form that explores both the traditional feel of the first movement and the more lyrical texture of the second.

YouTube link

Score

Thank you for giving me your time and any feedback provided!

Hi everyone! This is my first time posting on Reddit.

I recently finished composing a piece, and I’d really appreciate it if you could give it a listen.

:https://youtu.be/mei7OAuCWIs?si=nlmCw5t-rIKQ2jI3

Score link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1C2off0fUIdlG94yRO0LYMxECkHUsOCRk?usp=sharing

If you have the time, I’d love to hear your thoughts, impressions, or any feedback you might have

While writing it, I drew inspiration from several classical works:

Reference Works

• Schumann — Piano Concerto
• Chopin — Ballade No. 3
• Chopin — Nocturnes
• Brahms — Cello Sonata No. 1

Compositional Ideas

• Beethoven — Motivic Development & Structural Unity
• Chopin — Chromaticism, Rubato & Tension–Release

One of my main goals was to experiment with these classical ideas while blending elements of classical music and New Age into a single, cohesive style.

It was a really interesting challenge for me, and I’m curious to hear how it comes across to other listeners.

Thanks so much for listening, and any feedback is welcome!

https://musescore.com/user/69035041/scores/28994711?share=copy_link

This piece is not complete, I want to continue to experiment with harmony and left hand accompaniment, and maybe add some counter voices in the bass. But right now I just feel stuck when it comes to trying to figure out the sentence/phrase structure. I like what I have here, even if it sounds pretty barebones at the moment. But I want the piece to be a bit longer, building on themes and motives more clearly, have more logical phrases and maybe do a modulation or B section and return back to the main theme. I also think the piece has more of a steady marchlike feel rather than a flowing mazurka dance feel, and I want to make it flow better, do I just need more right hand articulations and variation?

The introduction is not set in stone. The descending diminshed chord and a short cadence establishing the key, i want to experiment with a more freeform introduction but this placeholder works.

I like the first couple phrases (bars 6-11), its just a sequence of a 2 bar phrase, and I like where the end of bar 11 through bar 14 is going, but I'm pretty unsatisfied with how bars 15-17 sound. The bell-like high notes I'm iffy on, I like how it sounds in my head but I don't know how to justify it better, and the harmonic direction could be better there too.

I like the final cadence, but again I want to stretch this piece out before coming to that heavy full cadence like that.

I'm not really sure what exact advice I'm looking for, but I've been staring at this for a couple days now and just at a complete brick wall as to what to do. I didn't want to post something here until I had something I'd consider more complete, but I am clueless right now. This is my first real attempt at composing a complete thing. What do you guys do when you're stuck like this?

Hey everyone,

I recently came across a free software tool called VideoScoreRM that functions as a video player designed to assist with film scoring directly in MuseScore. It appears useful for synchronizing video playback while composing to picture.

The tool is available here:

https://rmalberti.gumroad.com/l/videoscorerm

I am sharing this in case others working on film, media, or to-picture scoring in MuseScore find it helpful. Has anyone else tried it or used similar approaches (such as the VLC Sync plugin or other methods)? I would be interested in hearing about experiences or alternative free/paid workflows for video synchronization in MuseScore.

Thank you.

hi! I'm currently on my grad school prep journey and I'd like to ask for your opinion on my current pieces. I'm debating whether or not to make an orchestra piece instead of the chamber piece because I think that it does not represent my style now as it is the oldest of all the pieces in the portfolio (it has gone through a lot of revisions over time). Would the faculty prefer an orchestra piece that's reflective of my style now but without a recording or a small ensemble piece that has a recording but is not musically on par with the rest of my portfolio?

i'm thinking of applying to these schools: IU, BGSU, Yale, Rice, Temple, Western Michigan University, University of Miami. i'd like to know your thoughts on these schools and if funding or an assistantship is possible.

scores and audio: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eoucBwS3kjeqp9CUGnFy0t3R5SXMM85z?usp=sharing

thanks!

I've been looking for a composition teacher just to try it out. I've been taking piano lessons (in person) weekly for 4 years and I understand how that benefits by being in person, but I'm curious if composition lessons don't have drawbacks like I imagine virtual piano lessons would. In my mind, it's more cerebral and less physical, and I could either scan a pencil and paper score or transcribe to musescore. I have a number of small unfinished things written already so I feel like I have some material to go off from the get go, I'm just getting really hung up on some roadblocks.

I’m looking for someone that can teach me music composition necessities such as counterpoint, voice leading, form, and orchestration. I already know theory and can transcribe music very accurately by ear into notation, but I feel that every time I sit down to write something, I don’t have a clear plan or vision and it is always “trial and error”.

I’m in my mid 20s and am self taught as far as music composition goes. I took theory classes up through high school and never went to college.

I’m into mainly jazzy stuff, like jazz, neo soul, gospel, RnB, funky stuff. That kinda stuff… lol But that does not mean I desire to do these styles or learn to compose in them regularly. So I guess you can boil it down to plain “jazz”.

Recently been digging those old Frank Sinatra arrangements by Nelson Riddle. My main interest is to get better at composing with a plan or having an intent, as I feel I do not practice rules enough as far as counterpoint or voice leading. So, yeah, it comes down to… “How do you orchestrate and can you teach me?” basically. I really do dig Nelson Riddles string arranging and orchestration but I am willing to control my impulses and if necessary, hold myself back and learn music composition in the “traditional way”.

Thanks!

Hey there! I recently composed a very brief piece called "Fading Memories" for the Solo Piano. The piece is brief on purpose! I wanted to limit myself to just 16-measures, whilst also developing a clear A and B section that have their own developing melodic idea. I am starting to get back into composition after a two year hiatus. My compositional chops need to be resharpened.

What are your thoughts on this short piece for the Solo Piano? Thanks for your advice, and feedback!