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I got a project in school to compose 24 Preludes for solo piano and im supposed to be done by march.
Havent had any teacher or so, maybe i could get some opinion? Just for fun then. If someone would like to follow the project then I have got a Youtube channel where i will upload the pieces. I have only got some midi files up right now, but i will start uploading myself playing soon.
I always write down the piecers after that i have composed them, so that i can play them before i write them down. I have composed 13 of them, but I have only uploaded 2 this far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkHdGXG13K8&feature=relmfu

What class is this project for? I find it very interesting that you have a serious project like this but then said "I havent had any teacher".

Kudos to you for taking on this mountain of a project. I think the problem I would have is making sure that each piece was seperate in its own right and not too related to any of the others.

As for giving an opinion, I would hesitate in giving direct specifics because then the pieces are no longer yours but the persons' who are giving the suggestions.

Something I have started doing is listen to a piece and trying to get an idea of the chord progression/structure. Then I go back and listen to how the composer embelished the chord structure to give it an identity, how they developed the melody. This has helped me to better identify the composer I am listening to because they like to use the same "embelishments" often and it helps add more tricks and tools to my own bag of skills as a composer (as new as I am to this stuff).

Hope this helps.

BTW, I like what I am hearing from you so far.

Are you going to do a prelude in each key? (that seems to be the tradition with such projects amongst composers)

They sound good. I think you should have a go at actually playing some of them and recording them - it makes the music far more interesting than the midi output.

Well to be honest, I dont know wich key is which, havent had any music theory or such.. so i dont think i will be able to do one in each key.
Thanks! I should have all of them recorded within 3month.
I am not in any music class or so, Its just that in my school you have to plan a project wich can involve many things. Im studying media and communication and have choosen to compose these 24 preludes and then record them, trying to think new and find my own style. Thanks for the nice words, the next ones I upload will be real performances.

I think you really should try and get Music theory lessons, or at least get a book on the basics, or look here on the internet. Knowing the basics of how to put together chords and progressions and such will help you immeasurably when composing.

I think it's rather difficult (or even impossible), to come up with your 'own style' if you actually do not know what's out there in the first place!

The works are not that imaginative, to be honest (sorry to be harsh). The fact that most composers go for 24 (or 12) preludes has its roots in the fact that we have 12 tones and with the major/minor distinction you end up with 24! If you do not follow that with your key signatures, there's no other reason to go for 24, apart from tradition.

Will the teacher check the recording, or a score? Because in both cases you could use some further polishing up, though it might be difficult to do so at this stage (already having 13 done).

Well I am going to get some music theory lessons, but right now there is so much with the school and such.
I will need to finish school first before i can put more time on theory and stuff like that.
Have only written down 6 of the preludes, so i can still improve in writing them down.
I can not read sheet music, so it doesent help me very much to do so anyway, but im supposed to have all of them written down by april.

They wont judge on how bad or good the music is, just judge how i have planned and such, they are not music teachers so.
Doesent matter really what anyone thinks about it, it is just fun to hear what other people says. I compose it the way i want it to sound and feel like

If not music theory, what is the class?

I am studying Media and communication as i said

Yes, but, but....

But? :S Its a project that can involve almost anything, it is obligatory to plan a project in my school. It is not for a particular class or anything

Why would you want to pick a project that you have zero experience on?

As an outsider I would see something like that and think that "A" you either REALLY love music so much that you are doing this or that "B" you REALLY don't understand music and think that composing is a mere practice of spewing ink on paper or that "C" you saw this as an easy way to do a difficult project.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE don't be C

Well I really do love music and its something that I would like to keep doing, both writing and playing. Many people in my school use the obligatory project to try something new, as a way of developing in something they like or are interested in. There is people writing books, some who design things and people who analyze poems etc. I wanted to compose music, and compose it the way I feel like. Maybe some people thinks that the pieces I am working on is spewed ink on paper, but atleast they mean something to me. I compose all of my music directly at the keyboard from the top of my head, and I have it finished before I even begin to write it down, so it is not like I write down random patterns or such.. I put a lot of time into it, and I am supposed to have put atleast 80hours in less than a year on the project, but I am very likely to exceed that. I hope I answeared your question

You did, its answer A then. I wish you well and hope this isn't the last thing you write.

Thanks, I will keep writing music as long i feel happy doing so

So what kind of style are you going for?

Classical I think

Hey, I written down all of the 24 now. I will have them all recorded in a couple of weeks, hopefully. If someone wants to see some sheets or midi file i can send it. Send a message if you are intrested.

I have uploaded a real performance of me playing prelude no 19.

http://youtu.be/W_R5xftPk58

Number 19 has some interesting spots. Better yet, while it's grand in nature you didn't make it too long. I appreciated your restraint. When it was over my first thought was that in composing a piece there often comes a time when the easy ideas run out and you have to be more creative. To me one of the biggest lessons as a composer is to get past the easy ideas quickly and only use the most essential, then make the rest of the piece an exercise in creativity. That increases the density of creativity in the music and to me that's a good thing.