Here's a running list of the compositions that people have posted in this thread so far:

Ted2 -- "Blackcurrant Blues", "Portrait of Ellen Lauderdale", and "Bravura Study"
>> Recording of "Portrait of Ellen Lauderdale" by Ted2
>> Recording of "Portrait of Ellen Lauderdale" by Will335
>> Recording of "Blackcurrant Blues" by Will335

pianojerome -- "The Shepherd\'s Nigun"
>> Recording by Will335

pianojerome -- "Dance"
>> Recording by Will335

mahlzeit -- "Looking at Each Other"
>> Recording by mahlzeit
>> Recording by pianojerome
>> Recording by Will335

mahlzeit -- "For the Good Times"
>> Recording by Will335

mahlzeit -- "Southbound"
>> Recording by mahlzeit

Daniel M. -- "Impromptu"
>> Recording by Will335

Saul -- "Scherzo in C-Sharp Minor"
>> Recording by Saul
>> Recording by Will335

jwjazz -- "Fugue in F-Sharp Minor"
>> Recording by Will335

Cultor -- "Circus Suite. Lonely Clown Waltz"
>> Recording by Will335

Rach.3freak105 -- "Two Preludes"
>> Recording of "Prelude in B-Flat Minor" by Will335
>> Recording of "Prelude in C Minor" by Will335

Rach.3freak105 -- "A Rainy Day"

Kreisler -- "Prelude in C Minor"
>> Recording by Will335

CalPiano -- "Piano Piece"
>> Recording by Will335


------

INDEX:


General discussion of the original idea
Computer programs/websites for writing and posting sheet music
Ted\'s compositions posted
PianoJerome\'s composition posted
Mahlzeit\'s composition posted, with discussion and recordings
Playing from lead-sheets
Daniel\'s composition posted
Saul\'s composition posted
More discussion of mahlzeit\'s piece
jwjazz\'s composition posted
How to record music
Discussion of Daniel\'s piece
More on recording music
kcoul058 introduces/discusses his own composition
Comments on Saul\'s and Daniel\'s compositions
Creating PDF files
Cultor\'s composition posted, with discussion
Rach.3Freak105\'s compositions posted, with discussion and recordings
Kreisler\'s composition posted, with discussion
CalPiano\'s piece posted
Will335 goes on a recording spree (cultor, jwjazz, mahlzeit, Ted2, pianojerome)
Ted2 responds to Will\'s recording
PianoJerome responds to Will\'s recording
Mahlzeit responds to Will\'s recording
Will continues his recording spree (Ted2, Saul, CalPiano, DanielM.)
Discussion, and Ted\'s response to Will\'s recording
Malhzeit posts, and Will records, "For the Good Times"
Pianojerome posts "Dance"
CalPiano responds to Will\'s recording
Ted2 posts "Bravura Study"
Will posts his recording of pianojerome\'s "Dance"
Mahlzeit posts "Southbound", followed by discussion
Ted2 posts recordings of his other compositions and offers to upload requested scores
Discussion of Cultor\'s "Lonely Clown Waltz"

-------------

ORIGINAL DISCUSSION:


Suppose some of the composers from the Piano World Composers' Lounge (and maybe some composers here, too) were to each post one our own solo piano compositions in one thread, and we pianists were to play and, some of us, record them.

Since it sometimes takes us a while to learn a new piece of music (or maybe a few), we could have an on-going discussion among pianists and composers: how the learning progress is coming along, what people like in the music, what they don't like, different interpretive ideas, etc. Maybe some of us could post recordings at different stages of the learning process, in much the same way that folks in the Adult Beginner's Forum sometimes post weekly recordings for a group project.

Then, whoever could record, would record the "finished product", and the composers would get to hear other people playing their own music. And we the performers, in addition to learning new music written by our Piano World friends, could hear feedback from the composers (something you don't get from playing Beethoven or Bach!). It would be interesting for the composers to hear how others maybe interpret *differently* their own music, (or interpret exactly the same!) but above all, I think it would be fun, both for us and for the composers.

What do you think? Any ideas? Would anyone be willing to learn (and maybe record) one, two, or a few pieces?

Keep in mind, you wouldn't have to post a recording. Speaking as a composer, I would love for others to play my music anyway -- but I would also love to hear recordings from others, too!

I put the idea to the Composer's Lounge, so we'll see if there is interest there, too.

that's a great idea, we really would be able to learn alot of things just from someone else who plays the same piece but interprets it in a different way. Would love to do that...

Happy to play and compose.

that's really a beautifull idea.......I will love to plays forum member's music....And I also love to listen others playing mine =P

Also happy to play and compose!

great idea. the composers wuold love it too!

well could'nt we do this for pieces that are commonly played/or have a few people that are playing them? Not just for pieces that are composed by people on this forum

It's a good idea, but the main idea here is not just to compare different interpretations... you can do that simply by listening to Brendel, Richter, Michelangeli, and Grimaud playing Beethoven. No need for a big project.

Bu that's only a part of it. The ideas of this project are also to:

---- explore new music
---- play music by people we ourselves interact with
---- have our own compositions played by others
---- hear how the composers react to various interpretations
---- bring together the members of 2 different forums here at PW

If we all just play Beethoven, we're not exploring new music; we're not playing music by someone we've "met"; we're not playing (some of us) our own music; we can't hear how Beethoven would react, or what ideas he might have; it would just be a Pianist Corner thing. Many of us who compose what we think is good music wouldn't get to hear others play it.

ok,then we could select pieces that are seldom played but are played by a few of us, and do a comparision how about that?

How is that different than playing Beethoven or Chopin?

Actually, I like your idea -- it was a project that I set up here last summer -- but it's a different project.

Again, the idea here is not simply to compare interpretations. That's only a part of it.

Another problem with picking from the larger repertoire is picking the pieces to play. As I said, we did that last summer -- and it was hard to pick music that everyone would agree on, and I think that is one of the reasons why almost nobody ended up participating, depsite initial enthusiasm. Given the notion that one might play something he has already learned, everybody wanted to tout their own repertoire, rather than learn something new.

Allowing the composers themselves to decide the repertoire gives us our options without any controversy or debate -- it avoids a rut that might overturn the whole thing. It also forces us to learn new music that we haven't heard or played before... and that makes the discussions much more fun!

As somebody who would neither play nor compose, but who would be an eager member of the audience, I think this is a terrific idea, Sam. The online AB recital has been a tremendous success, and I've always hoped y'all would do something similar here in the Pianist Corner. Playing pieces composed by our very own composers in the forum is a really neat wrinkle, too.

can we have our own composition played as well , as in members of the pianist corner and not just the composers lounge?

Yes, please.

While I think this can be a good idea, composers may have reasons for wanting to post or not post their work.

Personally, I do have some pieces available, but I'm getting ready to send them out to publishers, so I don't want to be distributing them freely. Maybe if I hear back from them and get tons of rejections, then I'll post some of them, but I'm hoping to get some of my work published and as such I'm not too keen on making it freely available. I'm not hoping to get rich on these pieces by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be nice to be paid for ones efforts instead of just giving it away (even if it's just a pittance). Other composers may feel differently - to each their own...

On the flip side, I would be very interested in other members' feedback and perhaps even a performance, so I am tempted to post some stuff. I'll keep an eye on this thread as I'm certainly interested in critiquing other members work, and perhaps I'll contribute something of my own.

Kreisler, Kornu, Max, Chopinmad --

Do you already have some music that you might post, or are you thinking of writing something new? I think it might be best to keep this as a summer project, when some people have more time to practice -- but I don't know how long it would take you to compose a new short piece.


8ude --

That's a very reasonable concern. I look forward to reading your responses to the music that is posted.

i have some short pieces which i have. whether im missing something im not sure, but i dont know how to post them. on a computer programme?? or is there something on the forum?

well.....I have little pieces, not finished at all....but If you say that this is a summer project I think I have some time to finish them...I'll also love to listen others music....not a big composer here....I would like to be on the interpretation band ^^

PD: It is "band"? or "faction"? or "side?...sorry =(

By 'summer project' I mean learning the music, too... which means that probably the composers will need to post their music by July 1[/b].

This still gives a couple of weeks to finish composing, and a few months for all of us to learn how to play the music, before the end of the summer.

KoRnU, I'm sure we would all love for you to be on the interpretation band/faction/side.

If you've handwritten them, you can scan them into your computer and post each page at a site called http://www.imageshack.us and then post the links here.

If you wrote them into a computer program such as Finale or Sibelius, you can save them as PDF files... I don't know of a website that will store those, so maybe someone else can chime in with an idea. I get webspace from my university, so you can always e-mail it to me, and I'll be happy to post it for you.

problem: i have no scanner, or a music programme. "Finale, and Sibelius", where can i get hold of them? i have my pieces handwritten at the moment, so ill only need to cpy them into the programme, and i think ill definitely be able to do that by July the first.

I'm writing a new piece - started it last night and should be done today or tomorrow.

And to alleviate 8ude's fears. Lots of pieces get commissioned and performed first, then published later. If you'd like, you can protect yourself my simply emailing copies to a select few rather than post it publicly. And include a copyright notice.

Here is a free program, "Finale Notepad" --

http://www.finalemusic.com/notepad/

I stickied the topic. Check here for updates!

cheers for the programme. it will be so useful for me, i appreciate it! thanks!

Thanks, Kreisler, for stickying the thread.

And thanks to Ted2[/b] who just posted his music over in the Composer's Lounge thread!

Here are his two pieces, "Blackcurrant Blues" and "Portrait of Ellen Lauderdale" --

http://www.box.net/shared/srykkcbv06

And here is my own composition, a theme and variations:

"The Shepherd\'s Nigun"

"Nigun" (pronounced nee-goon) is the Yiddish word for a word-less melody. These are very popular in Jewish culture, and last summer I sat down to write a couple myself.

Eventually, I liked one in particular that I had written and decided to write it for piano. Then I started playing around with variations, and, well, here it is.

The "Shepherd" is a last-minute add-on to the title... I didn't want to simply call it "Variations" or simply "Nigun", and some of the variations remind me a little bit of pastural scenes.

I'm going to make a list of the music at the top of the 1st page, and update it each time someone posts new music.

Keep an eye out for more in the next few weeks!

Do the compositions have to be "classical"? I hope not...

Here's one of my non-classical pieces. It's *very* simple and I only have a leadsheet for it, so you'll have to fill in the chords yourself. It has two parts: "A" in 3/4 time and "B" in 4/4 time.

Looking At Each Other (leadsheet)

You can also hear a recording of this piece at my website (it's not super but it should give you some idea; it doesn't necessarily follow the leadsheet all the time):

http://www.originalsolopiano.com/2007/06/14/8-looking-at-each-other/

I would *love* for someone else to play this piece!

Hey Matthijs,

I just played through your piece -- very nice! At the very end, the 2nd time through, I added an F major chord, just to give it some closure -- or did you want to end on C?

This would be a neat piece for some of us to compare our figurations of the left hand.

Hey Sam,

I'm glad you like my piece.

You are right: I would end on F chord too. I made the leadsheet very quickly and I didn't put a full arrangement in. I'm not even sure I really play the A part in 3/4.

I downloaded yours as well, but haven't played it yet. I'm not a very good pianist, but this looks like something I could handle. Will give it a try soon.

good idea,
I'm starting my first year in composition this upcoming semester so this could be really good resource

thanks a lot

Matthias, have you thought about turning the 3/4 section into a waltz?

Here's what I just played, and I think it sounds great even though really different from your recording!

-- mm. 1-12, waltz-style
-- mm. 13-16, one solid chord per measure
-- mm. 17-24, arpeggios

and then the last time through, at the very end, an F Major arpeggio to the very top C on the keyboard, with D added each time... and then lowest F on the keyboard to finish it off.


And the whole time, I played your melody an octave higher.

What do you think?

That would work. I played it with arpeggios all the way through but some variation is welcome indeed.

I must admit I didn't spend a lot of time rehearsing or arranging before I made my recording. So I'm certainly interested in other types of arrangements, which is one of the reasons I made it a leadsheet instead of a note-by-note transcription.

Do you have a recording perhaps? It would thrill me to no end to hear you play it the way you just described.

I spent a few minutes on your piece tonight but F minor is not a key I'm very comfortable in. It sounds interesting, though! Of course, I hope that the more advanced pianists that hang out here will spend some time with our pieces. Ted2's compositions are *way* out of my league.

Hey Matthijs,

Here is a recording I made tonight. I hope you like it!

Looking at Each Other

I was also a little nervous about Ted2's "Portrait". But I've been playing around with a few lines of his "Blackcurrant Blues", and it's quite good!

Very cool, Sam! I have it on repeat here.

I like the trills, nice touch. It's indeed very different from my recording but it still sounds great (heh heh).

Thanks so much for recording this, it makes my day!

Here's a good topic for general discussion:

When looking at a leadsheet such as mahlzeit's that just has the melody, and no left hand accompaniment, what do you do?

--- Do you sit down and compose by hand a left-hand part?
--- Do you improvise as you go along?
--- Do you sit and think for a few minutes and get some idea of how to do it, and then improvise from there?
--- Do you run away?

I'm not particularly quick or good at doing that, probably because I don't do it often enough. I just improvise through it repeatedly, I think, allowing such new ideas as occur to come out each time until some sort of overall coherence which pleases me is attained. Nothing clever I'm afraid, but I'm not a very clever person at the piano.

Hi.

I'd like to participate with this little "Impromptu" ( I only chose this name, because it says something like piece without a certain form, it might be not worth this great name ).
This piece is very cheap (not only the left hand), but I am usually no composer. It's app. 3 years old and when I started to write it down yesterday, I had to compose some intersections again, because I had never finished them.
You'll hear, that those don't always fit.

Btw. it might be a candidate for today's pop music, although I usually listen to classical music only.

When I composed it, I always wondered if these are really new melodies or if they were a part of subconsciousness and originally from a movie or something. I would be thankful, if you could give me a hint, where they could come from, if you think so.

Maybe I should add details like dynamics and phrasing etc. in a later version.

Impromptu (Sheet music)

Maybe you'll find a better solution for this boring left hand. But it has to fit!

Daniel

This is my Scherzo In C sharp Minor

http://www.acidplanet.com/artist.asp?PID=991016&t=9399

Score:

http://7e9.com/Saul

I really enjoyed this scherzo ^^....and I'm also enjoying all the pieces and interpretations.....^^.....Still working in my piece......


This is great!

Mahlzeit - I played your piece and would suggest turning the 4/4 section (tghe B section) into 3/4. Make the 4 quarter notes a 4:3 phrase. (4 against 3)
Also, you could repeat the B section and then end the second time on the note F with an F chord as others suggested.

The harmony is pretty bland, I would add some chords and change some like this:
|F |Bm7 E7 |Gm7 C7 |F |
|Bb |A7#5b9 |Dm7 G7 |Gm7 C7|
|F |Bm7 E7 |Gm7 C7 |F |
|G7 |G7 |C7 |C7 |

|Am7 |D7 |Gm7 |C7 |
|Am7 |D7 |Gm7 |C7 |

Here's a fugue I wrote:

fugue f sharp minor.pdf - 0.14MB

quarter = 90

Thanks for those suggestions, jwjazz!

I played it originally as 4/4 time all the way through, but I'm not opposed to making it all 3/4.

Yup, the harmony is very basic. I'm no funky jazz cat (yet), so my knowledge of harmony is very basic. But I'll study your chords to see if I can fit them into my understanding. Thanks!

now a fugue?....NICE!!! We have really great composers on this forum! =D


No minuets? I will record a minuet! =P

how do you guys all record your stuff? and also how would you go about putting it on your computer afterwards?? i dont haave any equipment to do so i dont think.
i can only contribute a nocturne, if it deserves that title, as a piece, but at the moment i cant record it.

Hi Chopinmad,

No recordings necessary -- personally, I'd rather hear how others interpret my music without my giving them a guide, but it's also fun to hear the composer play, too.

Some computers come with a built-in microphone. You can search Google to download the free programs "LineIn" and "AudioHijack" to record from the built-in microphone (or a seperate one, if you buy a seperate microphone) and save as an audio file on your computer.


Do you have sheet music for your nocturne? That's most important, I think. :p

Hey Daniel,

I've played through a few pages of your Impromptu, several times, and I like it! The new theme/transition about half-way through the 2nd page sounds to me like trumpet calls and the beating of drums... maybe a royal interruption to the increasingly passionate moods directly before.

A few ideas: at the very bottom line of page 1, have you thought about Ab in the bass instead of A-natural? Also, the 4th line of the 2nd page, where I think that trumpet section begins, maybe start that first measure in the right hand on C instead of B?

Glad you enjoyed the Scherzo, Kornu.

hopinmad - if you click on "forum home" at the top of your screen and then scroll down to the FAQ forum, "how to record on your computer" is the headline thread. Mahlzeit put together a great tutorial that I used to post to the ABF recital. Also, in the ABF forum, in the stickied thread on Important Topics there are links to the How to Record on Your Computer thread and the Recording with a Zoom H4 thread. I plug in my keyboard to my computer (Mahlzeit's thread walks you thru this), but if you're recording an acoustic piano you'll need something that does the function of the Zoom.

Cathy

Is anyone interested in learning a 15 minute Impressionist piano suite I wrote last year? They would have to be very commited as I am finding it a very challenging work while trying to learn it myself, to put it in context I am trying to learn this and some other rep to have a good choice of what to play at a recital in France in August, and the other pieces are:

Bach - Prelude and Fugue in Bb minor Book I
Beethoven - Sonata Appassionata
Chopin - Ballade #4
Ravel - La Tombeau de Couperin
Scriabin - Etude op.42 no.5

and I am finding this work to be more difficult than any of them, with the possible exception of the Toccata in the Ravel suite.

If possible, it would be great to be able to hear a recording of an Impressionist piece by anyone who is interested, to know they are right for the piece. I am sorry I have to sound so... this way... but at all costs I am trying to achieve what could hopefully become a defining premiere of the work to use as a guideline should other people want to learn it afterwards. The reason I am looking for a performer is because I am afraid I am not talented enough myself to do the work justice.

Hopefully I can find the right person thanks to this thread! I suppose I might also try and find a pianist through my music program if by the end of the summer I still feel I can't play it well enough to give it a real premiere. If I end up deciding to play it at the concert in France, I suppose that will mean that although I would no longer need someone on the basis of making a defining premiere, I would still love to find someone who might be able to put different interpretive ideas into it so as to expand the scope from what I had originally envisioned. If this was the case, I would of course instead give the recording from that concert to them, and not the one I have right now. If that is not the case, I could perhaps instead record my best attempt at the piece on my teacher's piano while I am there, to give.

Keep in mind this is a long term sort of request, meaning I would probably make the arrangements in the fall after I can make a better decision at the end of the summer, but it is still worth seeing if this request turns up any interest over the course of the summer. Perhaps this could be a great addition to someones repertoire during the school year for a half recital or full recital?

As for the piece itself, it is a 5 movement homage to Ravel (he liked to write in 5 movements too!), and follows a program taken from a little book called "La Petit Prince". Therefore I have called it "La Suite du Petit Prince"!

There is one special technique employed in the harmonization of some parts of the work that I have not seen anywhere else, which I call "indeterminate tremolo". Basically, one is using in all cases the lower fingers of the LH (4 or 5) to sustain a bass note, and fingers 1, 2, and 3 to make a hazy tremolo effect that only seems to work as intended if not precicely notated. The result is a little like how most people end up playing the opening of the RH of Ondine in Ravel's Gaspard, although of course in his case he did have precise notation!

Saul - nice Scherzo. If you are open to suggestions, one thing that I would change is in measure 10, the last note is an 'E', I would change to G# an octave lower. The reason is that the next measure starts with an 'E' and this creates a succesion of E's that sounds a little clumsy. The same thing happens from meas. 12-13 with the F#, I would change this in the same way to an E one octave below.
I think you could also play that passage in the r.h. only (up to maybe 150) and free up the l.h. for a dramatic G# pedal tone.

Daniel - nice relaxing beginning, especially meas. 9 where you repeat an octave lower. I definately agree with pianojerome about the Ab at the bottom of the first page. Also, I do not understand why you introduce the Bb in the r.h. at the bottom of the 2nd page for so short a time. I think you could work more with it and expand those two measures into a transitional section by repeating the previous measures with the B and then the two with the Bb. Or you could just change the G (below the Bb) to an E. This seems to establish F Major a bit more, which seems needed at a transitional point as this.

Jotur, thanks, ill give it a read now.
Piano Jeromen, I have sheet music for it, but the programme you gave me before i cant download. i have a programme called logic hit kit, i could do it on that. the only problem being i cant write the correct sharps and flats, for example, if im in they key of A major, i cant assign that key previously i have to make every c a c sharp, and say i was in d flat major, i would have to write c sharp as the d flat doesnt come up.
it would make things annoying and a little more trouble to read, but ill give it a go anyway.
itll take a while to copy the music into logic hit kit, expect it byt the end of july maybe?
i would prefer not to record it as i dont want my playing judged on the piece!
c ya.

what programme are you guys using for make a ".pdf"?
Once you have the manuscript, how you convert it in a ".pdf"?
Becasuse giving a manuscript can bring some
problems....
So that is....what software use for make ".pdf" files?

KoRnU: I use "PDF Creator" from:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pdfcreator/

It's a free program that installs as a printer driver and everything you print to it is saved as a PDF file. Very handy!

I will try mahlzeit solution.

It works. Here's my two cents, an old and easy piece I wrote for my little nephew:

Circus suite. Lonely clown waltz .

I want to thank pianojerome for his creative initiative. Today I've learned a lot.

Hey Cultor, I like that Lonely Clown waltz! Thanks for sharing. I just played it a few times, and my parents (who don't usually like the less tonal stuff) both complimented at the same time:

"What piece was that, Sam?"

"Very nice!"

"That's very interesting."

"It does sound like a lonely clown!"

I’m glad to hear that, pianojerome! You know: sometimes easy is difficult. And viceversa.
Thanks to your initiative I’ve had a great ‘intellectual’ day today. This is what I’ve learned in a couple of hours:

1. Download and install Finale Notepad. Learn it and write down my music. Be patient. It’s easy to manage.
2. Download and install Sourceforge pdfCreator. Be patient. The program will install a new optional printer. Accept it. (Thanks mahlzeit!)
3. Go to your Finale file and Print it. Choose pdf Creator printer. A new screen will give you several options. Save your file in the folder you want.
4. Now go to box.net, create a new account and upload your pdf-finale file. You can share it easily.

Amazing.

I have been playing parts of the fugue....I really enjoy it, its a great work jwjazz!

Thanks.
Any comments/suggestions appreciated.

btw: has anybody tried another input method to write in Finale NotePad? I mean: pen mouse or graphic tablet or touch screens or something like that.

OK, I'm breaking down and posting two of my pieces. It's two very short preludes I wrote. I would really like to expand on them because I'm still not happy with them. So any ideas for changes or improvements are welcome.

http://www.box.net/shared/ap9sedsh2i

Heres an interpretation of your Bb m prelude - Changed a couple of very small things. Love the introduction!

http://www.box.net/shared/bkodvz303b

Will335, I really liked your recording. What did you change, I'm curious. I think I heard one note in the very begining, but that was it.

I heard a little change at the very end.

Just played through both your pieces, and I like the C Minor one a lot! Let's see if I can get a recording up later this week -- I've got a few articulation ideas for you.

shortening the gliss to 2 beats and giving a big bass octave Eb acciacatura at the final chord. Heres the C minor one as well-

http://www.box.net/shared/8rmb699djk

I begun to learn WTC about 2 months ago off by heart, only up to F minor book 1, want to try to complete the task by the end of august, any body have any thoughts?

Why is it called "Prelude in B-flat minor" when the piece is in E-flat minor?

The key signature is B-flat minor... but by the 2nd half, it seems to go into E-flat Minor with the added Cb's.

So it's hard to say what key "the piece" is in ... the first half and the second half are in different keys.

Second half? The first half is also clearly in Eb-minor, but all C-flats are misspelled as B-naturals. You shouldn't stare blindly at key signatures and accidentals when you try to determine the key signature. If it sounds Eb-minor, then it is Eb-minor. This piece is so strongly anchored to Eb that there shouldn't be any doubt about it.

There is no doubt the piece is in Eb minor, but I reckon Rachfreak titled the piece prelude in Bb minor just as he started to compose the piece (i.e. before the rest of the piece had been composed). I think this piece should be thought of as "prelude in Bb minor" rather than "'prelude' in Bb minor", so that the huge contradiction can be an attribute of the piece (also to remind Rachfreak to compose or change the title of the piece when he finishes.)

Ouch, that was a big mistake on my part and to be quite honest I don't really know how it happened. When I first started the piece it was in Bb minor but when I started writing it on Finale I changed most of the piece and never went back to change the key, so that was probably it.

Still a good piece though, got any more to show?

Well, I have a ton of unfinished ones that have potential. I'll try to finish some soon, and post them.

I've uploaded my submission - a two-page prelude in c minor.

Download it here:

http://www.pianoped.com/prelude.pdf

Enjoy!

I'd be interested in submitting compositions. First I have to download the Finale Notepad and see how it works. Thanks, Kreisler.

Dear Kreisler:

Interesting descending sensible inflexions. Curious dissonances too in the middle episode.
But let me ask you something: 4/4 or 2/2?

4/4, as marked.

Tempo?

Hey, this is going really well! We've already got 11 compositions to share, and more are still be offered. This is post #81, on page 4!

LovesChopinTooMuch had a great idea to make a little index in her big Chopin thread over in the Adult Beginner's Forum. So here's one for ours -- I'm also going to put it up in the first page, and keep updating it as we go along.

General discussion of the original idea
Computer programs/websites for writing and posting sheet music
Ted\'s compositions posted
PianoJerome\'s composition posted
Mahlzeit\'s composition posted, with discussion and recordings
Playing from lead-sheets
Daniel\'s composition posted
Saul\'s composition posted
More discussion of mahlzeit\'s piece
jwjazz\'s composition posted
How to record music
Discussion of Daniel\'s piece
More on recording music
kcoul058 introduces/discusses his own composition
Comments on Saul\'s and Daniel\'s compositions
Creating PDF files
Cultor\'s composition posted, with discussion
Rach.3Freak105\'s compositions posted, with discussion and recordings
Kreisler\'s composition posted, with discussion

I like giving a great deal of latitude to the performer. "Plaintive" is enough. I've been over the score many times and am satisfied with the editing. If I don't say something, it's the performer's job to fill in the blanks.

This is a great thread! I really like some of the pieces on here. I'm a little late, hope that's okay... here's a quasi-18th century piece that I wrote, if anyone would care to play it: http://www.savefile.com/files/876114
I wrote it for a music theory class assignment, and you can easily tell what the requirements were (the "quasi" was my addition) Hope you guys have as much fun playing it as I had writing it, which was a lot! And any critique is welcome!

I got a bit carried away today and decided to record a few more compositions, hope this thread doesn't lose it's momentum...

Sorry if my electric piano sounds a bit tinny.

Hope you like my interpretation cultor, added a repeat with some jazzy flourishes (just for fun)

Lonely Clown Waltz: http://www.box.net/shared/6v1mjsxi2s

I loved this subject jwjazz, I found myself writing a more bachy fugue with your idea (posted below). Hope you like my interpretation and don't mind the rit at bar 25. Fugue a 5 voci: http://www.box.net/shared/yqrq3nu57h

Hope you like my interpretation Kreisler - I hear echos of Phillip Glass. prelude in c minor: http://www.box.net/shared/21fei9ii6d

So I was playing around with this subject and found that it had a complimentary descending chromatic countersubject. The motif of 2 rising quavers followed by 3 repeated notes (the third being the appogiatura, resolving downwards) became so prominent that it turned into a double fugue. I love fugues!
Double Fugue (on jwjazz fugue theme) for 4 voices: http://www.box.net/shared/t8kvhepsjd

Spectacular my friend. You did a real improvement on my little piece. Great harmonies and variations in that second part without losing the theme. Thanks a lot.

and here's another -

Kind of strayed with this one. Lovely theme though

Looking at Each Other:
http://www.box.net/shared/0atm2e53et

and another...

Blackcurrent Blues (Ted2)
http://www.box.net/shared/3nem24rxfm

another...

The Shepherd's Nigun: S.Zerin

http://www.box.net/shared/njjzanuq6a


Sam, in the 2nd half of the 4th Variation, I put the last 3 notes of each alberti figuration an octave up so I could play it with my right hand instead of jumping around with my left so that it wouldn't lose energy. My favourite is variation 1.

Thanks Will ! I seldom hear anybody other than myself play my pieces and I enjoyed that. I think I might like the different chord you played second time through the A strain better than the original one ! I really enjoy it when people take liberties with my music.

Listening to your playing, I realise that the B strain lends itself quite well to contrast through free variation of tempo. Also, I think perhaps the more conventional arrangement of ABAB might be better than AABB. I don't know why I wrote it that way around.

I did write words to it at one stage but I have lost them and forgotten them.

Thanks again,
Ted.

Wow, it makes me so happy to hear someone else play my music. Thanks, Will!

Even if you play it completely differently than I do myself. :p

I tend to play it a little more dance-like, with a faster tempo and less pedal, and I also play the 2nd variation a bit slower than the others (though you play it a bit faster).

But I like how you give it more of a pastoral feeling, especially in the theme. I'd never thought to play the 2nd variation faster, as you do, but it's nice -- kind of like running along. Like Ted, I don't mind your little changes to the notes in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th variations; gives it a little more uniqueness, which I like.

Thanks again!

Hi Will335,

Thanks a lot for playing my little tune (Looking At Each Other). You make it sound awesome!

I really enjoyed your playing of the other pieces too.

And heres another one -

Portrait of Ellen Lauderdale
http://www.box.net/shared/s87h9aa90t

Well I hope you're sure that it's ok to take liberties with your pieces because I took a few with this one!

The left hand part in this piece is undoubtedly improvisatory in each particular harmony, so I hope you don't mind that my reading was a bit aproximate. Also, all the chromatic flourishes are actually very hard for me so that's all ... a bit aproximate aswell. Some other things might have changed aswell... Good fun to play!

If you ever find the words to Blackcurrent Blues, I want you to post a recording of you playing and singing them!

Still on this recording spree Sam...

Scherzo in C# Minor (Saul)
http://www.box.net/shared/duxggknc8z

This reminds me of the Khachaturian's Toccata which is a piece I completely forgot about. The first 2 rising diminshed arpeggios contain a discrepency in it's pattern which seems a bit illogical so I altered it for the recording - hope you dont mind the accelerando at the end

And those acciaccaturas are really difficult

Now I'm not quite good enough to be commenting on the music, but here are some practical comments about the thoughts I had from reading/playing through some of the pieces and listening to the existing recordings:

Saul: have you thought about respelling your C naturals as B sharps, and the C# diminished sevenths as Fx diminished 7ths? IMO it makes a little more sense that way. I like your piece! I'm tempted to make a recording but unfortunately I'm not home right now. When I get a chance.

jwjazz: I tried playing through your fugue and I got very confused before I got to the middle! Do you think not using key signatures would be a viable alternative? (Obviously I don't read as fast as Will335 - good recordings!)

Thank you for another insightful interpretation, Will!

I like your improvisational changes to the melody, as I did the less obvious ones in the blues. In your hands Ellen has become less blustering and declamatory, less racy of the soil but more intimate and tender; more reminiscent of memories around the drawing room fireside than of an impassioned walk in the wild weather outside. Played your way, it evokes an entirely different set of associations for me. It is not a question of which is better but more a case of my realising that others exist at all, which I had not until now.

It doesn't sound to me as though my little chromatic flourishes presented much of a problem for you !

You have made my day. Until now neither piece had ever seen light of day beyond my piano and neither has been played for twenty years until I found the scores in an old cardboard box.

For the sake of interest, "Ellen" was not a real person but a character (anima ?)I met in one of those visionary dreams back in 1979. The dedicatee on the score was my mother.

And a big thank you to Sam for starting this exercise. Well worth repeating it in the not too distant future, I suggest.

I guess this is where my spree ends -

A Piece in G major etc.
http://www.box.net/shared/ahryrm9i81

I realised after I recorded it that I probably took it a lot faster than you wanted calpiano because I only just noticed the duration note at the bottom of the piece (mine was about 30 seconds quicker) so sorry about that.
The difficult thing in reading this piece was all the crossovers - as soon as I crossed over hands, I completely lost where I was on the score (So I had to learn it a little bit).

Impromptu
http://www.box.net/shared/3qh6vi3fzk

Listening to my own recording afterwards, I realised I took this to quickly aswell - I'm just enjoying myself too much! Hope you don't mind the alterations Dan.

Was a pleasure Ted - Glad you enjoyed it! Post any more as soon as possible if you can!

I was looking back at previous pages in this thread and even though it's an old one, I want to make a few comments on jwjazz's suggestions post -

I disagree with your suggestions for the scherzo - The pattern in the left hand from measure 10 should remain as it is because this keeps the melodic figuration outlined from the start. The succession of notes doesn't sound clumsy to me - they sound apropriate for the rise in tension.
And playing any section in this piece just with the right hand would be incredibly difficult.

Ok my fingers are already beginning to itch - please post more compositions!

Okay then. This is one of my first tunes that didn't suck.

It is called "For The Good Times". I'm posting a lead sheet because that is the most fun.

For The Good Times lead sheet

Enjoy!

Will - thanks for the recording of my fugue. The rit in measure 25 is exactly what I do. I also liked how you handled the last two measures.

And I liked your fugue a lot.

Cheers for the piece Matt - I was probably experimenting with it a little bit too much but I kept your theme. Hope you enjoy it

For The Good Times

http://www.box.net/shared/brq0yifk9z

Nothing wrong with experimentation.

It's really cool to hear someone who is better at the piano than me play my tunes. Thanks!

Anymore anyone?

I am working on a piece that I guess would be considered a Waltz. It's very easy compared to a Chopin Waltz, but I admit, I am pretty proud of it so far. I am doing some notation of it right now... I should be able to post it sometime soon!

You're on a roll, Will!

OK, here's another:

Dance

Don't know if it's my computer but I couldn't open that 1 Sam ?

What happens when you try to open it? It opens fine on 2 of my computers.

Wow, it's amazing to hear someone else play your own composition. Thanks Will, and for taking the effort to learn it too! As for the tempo, I actually intended for it to be faster - I counted in the repeats for the time duration - but I suppose it's difficult to do with all the jumps!

I think my computer was being moody last night - I got it now, thanks (this is a good 1).

Okay, here's another one from the heap on the floor. It's in the same place as the others.

Bravura Study

Vigorous but not too hard. I have uploaded an old recording I made as a rough guide.

I have also noticed that the dates written on these scores are all arsey-boo. I remember making up this piece well before I bought my present piano in 1971. I think I must have just gone through in a massive exercise putting dates in the 1980s on everything; I don't know why.

Here it is Sam - love that piece!

Dance
http://www.box.net/shared/e4vf9u5f7v

I won't be posting for a few days because i'm going to my Mum's house (she doesn't have the internet there) - I'm going to be working on my big WTC project and learning Russian. See you on the weekend!

p.s like the piece Ted, expect a recording soon!

Here is another one. I happened to make the lead sheet today (though the composition is from last month), so I thought why not post it in this thread:

Southbound

You can here a recording here .

mahlzeit: regarding the seventh bar and repetitions, I suggest you to change the C#-D#-C# to Db-Eb-Db.
You're in the Bbm orbit. Don't fly away the planetary system.

Hmm, you're right. Thanks for catching that. I fixed it. (There was another error with wrong chord symbols too.)

I have discovered another dozen or so of these romantic things from years ago. Some are simple but one or two of them are monsters, so I have uploaded old recordings of them first here:

Old romantic pieces

If anyone really wants to try a particular one I shall upload its score in the same place. That way at least people won't feel obliged to wrestle with something they don't like.

Here's an idea: some of you remember the discussion of a small section from Beethoven's Pathetique ( here ). We put up just 16 measures, and then wrote as many descriptions of it as we could, in terms of theory, performance, history, notation, etc. Why not do the same with some of our own compositions that are posted here?

Let's start with Cultor's "Lonely Clown Waltz" -- it's short, only 15 measures:



(Thanks again, Cultor, for allowing us to put your piece in the spotlight)

Here's a recording that Will335 made of this piece:
http://www.box.net/shared/6v1mjsxi2s

So, what do you see/hear?


I'll start: I see an overall arch in terms of dynamics: the first phrase is marked p (mm. 1-5), the second and third phrases are marked mf (mm. 5-9, 9-12), and the last phrase is marked p (mm. 12-15)

(with extra dynamic marks in between)

some time ago i have composed a little piano piece. its very simple and not so hard to play. if you have any ideas to make it sound better (the left hand i pretty boring...) than please feel free to edit my first music sheet.

http://ardiem.sunsonic.de/eden/wp-content/uploads/thinking-of-you.pdf

The thing that immediately catches my eye in Cultor's piece is that the rhythmic motif in each of the measures is identical (except for mm. 5 and 9, which start with a half note rest).

And that there are fairly large jumps.

Privyet!

Hey good idea to discuss our pieces Sam (what did you think of the dance by the way, did i ruin it?) -

Waltz:
I worked out the reccurance of each interval in the melody only:

no int - 5
min 2 - 18 times
maj 2 - 2 times
min 3 - 5 times
maj 3 - 3 times
per 4 - 2 times
aug 4 - none
per 5 - none
min 6 - none
maj 6 - 2 times
min 7 - none
maj 7 - 5 times

Listening to my own recording I noticed I invented my own pause at the end of the 2nd time the phrase repeats, whoops.

I'm currently looking at Ted's Bravura study and I had a glance at ardiem's piece; can anyone tell me what this piece reminds me of (particularly bars 17-19 and 21-23), I've got a feeling it's in a pop song or something...

ps Sam how do you get an image in your post like that - I'd like to put a bar or 2 in my P&Fs thread

hey will!
im sorry but i dont know. my brother taught me some first chords and i just played along when i was sad... well, i just had to write the notes down and *tada* my first piece was finished!

by the way, i LOVE your recording of "Impromptu"! its a very nice piece and you've played it in an AWESOME way! you definetly have to record it again with better quality.

No, you didn't ruin it! Sounds great!

A few ideas: the octave C's, transition to the 2nd part, you played very abruptly and loudly -- which is fine -- I imagine it as more of a transition, perhaps more lightly. Also, the 2nd part sounds very choppy in the left hand -- again, maybe a little lighter touch, and accent (or "unaccent"?) either the first beat or the second, but not both (either one, but consistantly so that it creates a cotnrapuntal bass line). I imagine it being a very light dance, especially in the middle; though maybe heavier in the beginning for contrast.

Great job, though, I love hearing you play it; and I'm glad you liked playing it, too! My biggest fear when posting my music is, "Will they like it?" :p

It reminds me of this pop song from the 90s it's got bells in it, pet shop boys or something? Help me someone...

I had a go at playing your piece, I didn't change anything or ruin it like I have a very bad tendancy to do with people's pieces - playing that 5/8 bit was hard enough!

Thinking of you
http://www.box.net/shared/mz8z7bzont

Note: You can upload images to the forum with the "file uploader", although I never know where to find it. There should be a link to that thing on the forum pages.

yo will!

you interpretation is awesome. its cool to hear someone else playing "my song" haha thank you very much i am enjoying your recording right now!!

i have a question about your "impromptu"-recording:

at bars 7-8 you play a little different like the sheet reads. but im not able to hear it/play it like you. would you please tell me?

thanks!

The score shows a trill on the first chord of bar 8 - it just happens to be my choice at the time of recording it; I put a kind-of mordent before the beat c,d,c with the 2nd c landing on the 1st beat. Glad you enjoyed the interpretation, I enjoyed playing it - pieces like yours greatly improve my reading Thanks!

Ted!

I just can't play your study (!!!) - before, when I was reading it, after a few times I could play it safely at about adagio but now, I've basically learnt the notes and I'm looking at my hands but as soon as I try to record it I completely screw it up (perhaps I should go with the idea of this thread and just post an attempt but I don't want to embarrass myself). By the time I can play your piece, i'll have learnt 48 preludes and fugues!

Don't worry, Will. I was very taken with your different interpretations of Ellen and Blackcurrant. Some pieces do not suit some people.

Hey, Will, thank you for playing my piece!!
I can hardly describe this cool feeling hearing someoneelse playing one's own composition.
"It made my day" - same here, too!

It's no problem with the alterations, it was interesting to listen to them.
The c-d-c trill was exactly how I keep playing it, although (as you already thought) I usually prefer the whole piece more slowly., but I don't care too much about tempos and their maintenance in it myself.
Sam, originally I din't think of anything proud like a "royal interruption" in the middle section, but you're right, it can be played like this and it's a nice Idea. I thought, it's more like someone, who is lost in thought and maybe a little insecure how to go on.
Or another idea: Someone leaves a room of big amusement for a short while and has to think about the happening for this amusement (and what worse things might be connected to it) for himself more seriously (and not distracted or influenced by others) and then comes back to the conclusion, that everything is ok.
--> and party on etc...
Sam and jwjazz,
I had tried the a-, too, but I wanted the a-natural, because it forces the whole passage to go on a little more.
That would greatly fit to the proud version.
I hadn't thought of it. The "advantage" of the B is, that the next Bs would repeat it, which shows the idea of thinking about one special thing (whatever that may be) for a second time already in the next measure. With the A,C-Third there comes the next idea of the person's thinking (or already a first sub-conclusion), which is also repeated with the next A,C-Third.
Thank you, Sam, now you made me think of the particular tones more intense. My next own interpretation must be much better in that way.
Thanks, jwjazz, I'll try it out. I also doubt, if that, what my score shows is a good solution for a connecting passage.

I'm glad, that you liked it, Will and ardiem!

I am planning to record it, too, but I still need some hardware.

Daniel

Hay Dan, glad you enjoyed the interpretation - it's a good piece. In terms of your piece, I have to say I prefer your idea of someone lost in thought for the middle section - you definitely should keep that first B.

I am so surprised that you want to keep that a natural - the main problem is that on a recording, this section would sound like a mistake even if it's not because you don't have a major/minor 3rd clash anywhere else in the piece - it would stick out like a sore thumb!

As for the small section where you add a Bb for such a short time - I think it sounds ok because the following diminished section interrupts it and the music carries on a different route.

Nice piece well done!

The first 3 phrases all descend down to Bb -- the last phrase only rises, three times, up 3 octaves.

The first 2 phrases, which are melodically identical, actually rise first -- up a major 7th, and then to the octave -- before descendinig back down. The 3rd phrase is a sort of middle phrase; we expect that the 4th phrase might repeat the original 1st and 2nd phrase melody. It starts to -- it jumps up that big interval, but instead of falling down as before, it repeats itself up and up again.

I've got a worrying feeling that this thread is going to wither and die. Maybe we've said enough about the Clown waltz?

Got any good ideas that will boost this thread's popularity Sam?

Meanwhile, I've had some fun with Mahlzeits piece - I don't think it counts as an interpretation, more like an improvisation on the theme.

Southbound

Hi Will,

Yes -- your worries are mine. And I've thought, what can I do to bring more interest?

But, it should be so obvious to me -- I don't need to do anything other than what I said I'd do in the beginning: play other members' music, and post recordings. This is what everyone showed so much interest in at the beginning -- and that is what most of us have not yet done!

You're so great to record everything, Will! That's the real spirit of this topic. I'll make some recordings this weekend, and hopefully some others will do so as well.

Let's see what happens then.

I am not very good at learning and playing other people's pieces quickly so I am afraid my contribution will have to remain at providing compositions. Mind you, there are dozens more where those came from. It occurs to me that my romantic ones are probably too flamboyant and difficult for this purpose. I shall ferret out a couple of simple ones in other idioms.

Guys, this is the first time I step into this thread .. it is a great idea!!

I listened to the two compositions by Sam .. one by Kreisler .. another one by Cultor

Cultor made me feel lonely. The piece has an impressionistic feel surrounding it. Mystic is a word that describes it.
And I want to know if the last run has any programmatic story behind it?

Kreisler made me feel introspective, not melancholy, but just introspection. I noticed how he developed a piece from just small recurring ideas or motifs like this constantly repeating ascending intervals he uses. This is a great compositional technique.

I also noticed the shifts in the harmony. But I want to ask if his piece is more melodic or harmonic in concept (if such a question can be asked, or if this question exists )

will, less on the forte here

Sam's compositions made me thinking
and his dance did sound amazingly eastern, but I can still hear that it does not come from an easterner (will's slower interpretation is better than the faster midi interpretation - he brings a more folkish soul to it)

maybe Sam is influenced by Jewish folklore (and being a middle easterner myself, I know and hear some Jewish composers who lived in the beginning of the century - but their music is much more eastern than Sam's) - you can call Sam as the coming fusion between eastern folk and western a la Bartok

Special thanks to will for his great interpretations

Listening to the others soon, I promise

Hello everybody!
I haven't been on here for quite some time and now just came on and noticed this thread.
I really like the idea, and would very much enjoy hearing someone play my waltz-nocturne I posted some time earlier in the composer's forum, however this thread is kind of big and I couldn't figure out what to do.
Anyway if someone would like to record the piece the sheet music can be found here.

Sorry for (perhaps) posting in the wrong place or at the wrong time.

Daniel

Here it is Ted - finally. I can play it from memory now (my version anyway) - I might just use it in my main repertoire now. I just sat down and attempted a recording and it turned out ok so enjoy!

Bravura Study

Hey Dan, I had a go at your nocturne - I'm really sorry, but I only just noticed all the little 8s on the score - somehow, I completely missed them so here's an innacurate interpretation!

nocturne

Hey Will335, and thank you for recording my piece!
It's really fun to hear others interpret these little "balls on lines"!
I like your trills, you make them sound like I imagine they should (I don't get them that even myself).
Sorry about the 8-marks on the score. NoteWorthy Composer didn't seem to have any 8va markings.

It's perfectly fine just to have the 8s - It will be a lesson for me to be more observant!

I thought I had replied earlier, but apparently not.

Will, I liked how you "jazzed up" my piece Southbound! It's a lot of fun to hear other people take what you came up with and then change it around in a way that suits them. If only your recording equipment was better, heh heh, wink wink.

I also liked Daniel's Nocturne piece very much, even if you played it "wrong". If only I was a better pianist, I could play these pieces for myself.

Well done, Will ! As with Ellen Lauderdale, you have shown me that playing things more slowly and phrasing with care can produce an effect as valid ,if not better in some ways, than my habitual hell for leather rush. Thank you for these insights and for the trouble you have taken.

Hows this for a bit of fun -

click here

see if you can tell which 6 composers I quoted

This topic is a fantastic idea - if anyone here is interested in recording any of the works at www.recitalworks.com specifically for this thread, I'd be happy to send you a score.

Some previews below (excerpts)

http://www.recitalworks.com/recordings/overture.mp3

http://www.recitalworks.com/recordings/sonata1_1.mp3

Otherwise, I'm having plenty of fun trawling through what's already here

Philip Johnston
www.recitalworks.com

Canberra, Australia