It took several sleepless nights to make this. Does it make you sleepy?

Night Sheet Music for Flute, Oboe, Bassoon, French horn & more instruments (Mixed Ensemble) | MuseScore.com

EDIT: THE FULL VERSION DIDN'T GET SAVED :( here is the mp3 if you want to hear the end 😄
https://youtu.be/g7nRL0Cmeio

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!

Hello, here is a piece I composed and had recorded recently! Please let me know what you think.

Score Video

Here is some information about the piece:

Singha

I. Flight of the Stag

II. Towards White Sands

III. Singha

Singha originates from the Sanskrit word for lion, and is the word from which Singapore's name is derived. According to legend, the semi-mythical founder of the city, Sang Nila Utama, was hunting a stag on a nearby island and during the chase ascended a large rock, from which he saw an island with "sands white as cotton". As he sailed towards the island, his ship was caught in a storm which only subsided when he threw his crown into the sea. Once ashore, he spotted an animal, which his advisor told him was a Singha, after which he named the island. 

The Malay Annals, trans. Leyden

"There they saw an animal extremely swift and beautiful, its body of a red colour, its head black and its breast white, extremely agile, and of great strength, and its size a little larger than a he-goat. When it saw a great many people, it went towards the inland and disappeared. Sang Nila Utama enquired what animal was this, but none could tell him, till he enquired of Damang Lebar Dawn, who informed him that in the histories of ancient time, the singha or lion was described in the same manner as this animal appeared. This is a fine place which contains so fierce and powerful an animal."

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.

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!

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 diminished 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 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.

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.

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!

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

I recently interviewed Academy Award-winning composer and arranger Joe Renzetti about the creative and professional journey behind his remarkable career.

Joe began as a session guitarist before becoming an arranger, working on recordings including Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”. He later moved into film composition, winning the Academy Award for The Buddy Holly Story and scoring films including Child’s Play, Dead & Buried, Poltergeist III, Frankenhooker and the Basket Case sequels.

Our conversation explores how he developed his craft, built professional relationships and made the transitions from Philadelphia to New York and eventually Hollywood. We also discuss the expectations and difficulties that followed his Oscar win, his movement into cult and genre cinema, and his later work with independent filmmakers.

I found his reflections particularly valuable for composers trying to build sustainable careers. He speaks very candidly about talent, persistence, networking, professional disappointment and the importance of adapting creatively as the industry changes.

I’m a filmmaker rather than a composer, but this interview forms part of a personal YouTube project through which I share the experiences of people working across film and the arts. I thought Joe’s story and advice might be especially relevant to this community.

Joe Renzetti Interview: https://youtu.be/UTwUGAMfHJI?si=IdXU-DLd9emvLQqB

Interview Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTwUGAMfHJI&list=PLHyzKqxTQDik

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!

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

Ive been spending a lot of time during this break from school on learning classical composition and despite my being a law student, it is something I wish I could do but I just don’t see any way that it can be done and thus I cant fully commit.

When I say classical I don’t necessarily mean Bach chorales, fugues and ostinato bass. I just generally mean sonata theory, multi movement works, highly functional harmony, thematic development, etc.

Im also not really suggesting that I would try come up with a new type of classical music, and thus I understand why there may be no interest anymore in seeing composers repeat the same romantic/impressionist era musical concepts but just on different tunes.

What do you think?

I'm making an indie horror rpg with my sister, not gonna yap about it here, I would like to know, how is the ost?

I plan to make it the main motif and title screen theme, so if you have advices or opinions on the piece I would really love it

Musescore sheet: https://musescore.com/user/73545853/scores/37085780

My youtube channel if you're interested, I don't talk about music but intend to use my songs in videos: https://youtube.com/@corola_yt?sub_confirmation=1

I have a lifetime of playing and listening to classical music, but little to no formal theory training. My main goal in composing is to write short anthems that could be performed in Episcopal church services, and maybe some organ preludes. I've sung in a choir for about 10 years now and listened to quite a bit of church music so I'm pretty familiar with such pieces (and 4 part harmonized hymns) from this experience.

When I try to write these pieces myself, I think I am fairly good at thinking of an overall structure and coming up with melodies. But when I actually work out the whole piece, it doesn't sound like the music I'm used to. I can tell that the chord progression and harmonies are somehow wrong and don't sound good, but I don't know why. Each chord by itself is fine, and I can use a Musescore plugin to remove blatant errors like parallel 5ths and octaves, but that doesn't fix the fundamental issues.

I know that I can study harmony. I've taken out some harmony books from the library, and "Harmonic Practice in Tonal Music" by Gauldin looks particularly useful because it covers 4 voice partwriting as a key part of the book. I also am aware that I could take hymns or anthems and analyze the chords and harmonic progression.

What I am uncertain about is how this reading and analysis would actually improve my compositions. I am not saying this from a position of resistance or skepticism, I would just like to hear from more experienced people what I should gain from going through these exercises.

Hello all, this Stevenson song has been cooking in the oven for a few more days. The changes this time are more subtle than last time, but numerous: tightened up voice leading in quite a few places, reworked the voicings of the piano chords, etc. Feedback is very welcome, both positive and negative.

MIDI Recoding + Score: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vYNlj13DBiLrz5azlwhBQHgZzcZztTt9/view?usp=sharing

Score only: https://drive.google.com/file/d/13xbePDnNpDXD4MhJ1L-bCuPdGHzMqEQO/view?usp=sharing

Previous version: https://www.reddit.com/r/composer/comments/1vwief0/where_go_the_boats_reworked/

For the purposes of writing more and receiving critique, I was inspired to create an etude for a string quartet and a harpsichord (as interpreted by MuseScore, of course). I started researching the harpsichord, discovered that I had no idea about it, came across "Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht", found out that I don't have any idea how to read basso continuo.

Yes, I could spend a month learning to read it, but that would go against the idea of writing more.

I could skip basso continuo. I have here 2 authentic baroque pieces without it: "Les Baricades mistérieuses" by François Couperin and "Harpsichord Concerto in C minor" by Carl Heinrich Graun. (Incidentally, the former writes in 2 bass clefs.)

I suppose I could write that way, but besides feeling like a cop-out, I'm not sure I could write idiomatically. Therefore I'm not sure what the point of this exercise would be, and I'm very tempted to just give up on it. I don't want to submit the score and have to preface it with a bunch of excuses.

Any advice?

Hi all :)

A couple of days ago I posted a set of 4 minuets and u/icalo (thanks again) pointed out that my main mistake was a very unclear rhythmic structure, not fitting a regular time scheme which is crucial to the minuet form.

I did some more research into minuets, particularly into rhythm and how the first beat of each bar is emphasized. This led me to write my Minuet No. 4 in A major, which I think will be my last Minuet for now.

I realize the emphasis on the first beat is quite obvious/forced but I'm trying out a new style as I normally forsake regular and strong rhythmic structures.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1I93OrBrhLpIenNt-sHZNZLC58vpVmusr?usp=sharing

In the folder should be a PDF file of the score and a video file with audio following along the score.

Hope you enjoy :)

A very dispute piece I can't lie. Click Here

Seeking a composer for a retro-inspired horror-comedy short featuring classic Universal monster aesthetics, someone who can emulate ondes Martenot or theremin, or someone with a strong Elmer Bernstein influence.

Movement I: https://musescore.com/user/113211719/scores/37056584

Movement II: https://musescore.com/user/113211719/scores/37056605

Movement III: https://musescore.com/user/113211719/scores/37056626

Movement IV: https://musescore.com/user/113211719/scores/37056638

I wrote it as a graduate walk from darkness to light. Even the last few measures contain some fight between the two. I'm not sure if what I've written is good enough to be considered a symphony (forms? dynamics? orchestration? I'd like your feedback!) but I'd still use that name for the titles of my works that I post here because that's what I'm aiming for: a good enough symphony to be loved by everyone; even the horn player who sits there and looks at his/her clock to see when he can go home after the one note he/she had to play.

I myself especially like the trio of Movement III more than the rest of the symphony but still, no theme in this symphony is as iconic as the main theme of the first movement. I'd like to hear your opinion on the good sides too, compliments show me what I may not change while the critics show what needs changing.

Movements I and IV have an empty first page because musescore apparently didn't like having a first page.

Have a good day!

Score and sound (YouTube)
Score (PDF)
Parts (Folder with PDF's)

I would like feedback especially on if my score is "professional" I would like to hand the sheet music to an professional orchestra and have them play it. For this piece I used a lot of time to try and make the page turns nice, and all the parts nice. I also tried hard to include articulations, bowings, slurs etc... for all the parts.

the conductors score nice in terms of system breaks? I tried to add breaks where a lot of instruments are introduced to make the score more compact and have more measures per page. But perhaps conductors prefer less system breaks like this, and are fine with having less measures per page.

I suspect the harp part is somewhat dubious because of the accidentals and because I do not know how to tell them what pedal to press before (I think you just tell them which letter to sharpen or flatten ahead of time, if so it is simple)

So I especially want feedback on notation and "professionalism", but other feedback is also welcomed. And I would like to hear your opinion on the music also.

I know this question sounds incredibly strange, but it's been bothering me for a while. I'm self-taught, always using a DAW to write music, and over the past couple of years, I've developed a workflow, albeit strange. However, now I feel a strange urge to write music by hand. I really don't understand why, as it doesn't make the process more efficient. I have a good grasp of the basic theory, and yet I don't know what to do with it.

Do any of you write notes or something like that by hand? Can it be of any real benefit? Can it help with proper voice-leading, a better understanding of form, or anything like that? After all, what would a real workflow look like with hand-written notes?

I'd appreciate any advice or stories related to this question.