# A Piece for Piano and Two Violins



## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

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https://soundcloud.com/mediumaevum-artist%2Fpiece-for-piano-and-two-violins

Would like to know what you think of this piece. I played most of it myself.


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## Alexanbar (May 11, 2016)

It seemed to me that a piano part looks monotonous.


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## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

Alexanbar said:


> It seemed to me that a piano part looks monotonous.


Thanks for the critique.

How can I develop a more interesting piano arpeggio pattern? I'm still a newbie playing a piano.


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## neofite (Feb 19, 2017)

mediumaevum said:


> __
> https://soundcloud.com/mediumaevum-artist%2Fpiece-for-piano-and-two-violins
> 
> Would like to know what you think of this piece. I played all of it myself.


Generally very pleasant.


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

mediumaevum said:


> Thanks for the critique.
> 
> How can I develop a more interesting piano arpeggio pattern? I'm still a newbie playing a piano.


Now and then let the fifth note of the piano be a longer value. Now and then let the range of an arpeggiated chord extend itself higher. Consider where the notes of the arpeggio are a third apart that you fill in that gap with a passing (non-chord) tone. "Now & then" means not locking into a rigid pattern.


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## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

Vasks said:


> Now and then let the fifth note of the piano be a longer value. Now and then let the range of an arpeggiated chord extend itself higher. Consider where the notes of the arpeggio are a third apart that you fill in that gap with a passing (non-chord) tone. "Now & then" means not locking into a rigid pattern.


Thank you for the ideas. I will make use of those next time I make a piano piece.

As for the violin parts, do you think the violins sound convincing enough (like real violins)?

I've spent some time on the midi dynamics, to make them sound less-midi and more real, but I'm not a violin player myself. I just played the piano and the violin (midi keyboard).


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## Vasks (Dec 9, 2013)

No. But then it's very hard to learn how to make a realistic mockup with sophisticated software that can come close to sounding real. So unless one is willing to invest time and money, no amount of normal tweaking will fool the ear. Although without any tweaking, well, it will be poorer than what you did.


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## nikola (Sep 7, 2012)

Yes, it's very pleasant. It's not monotonous. If the piece were 5 minutes long or longer, maybe I would find it monotonous, but some people like monotonous music and find it nice, hypnotic and meditative. 
Many early Beethoven's sonatas are boring and lame to me even though there are many things happening with left hands. It all sounds just like exercise and gymnastics and I couldn't care less for such stuff. 
Most people who are trying to compose classical music are not obsessed with emotional substance, but more with technical stuff in music, so they will never be happy with 'simple left hand pattern' no matter how much musical substance is meaningful. Most of the music today has pretty much steady rhythm that follows chords and melody. For a 2 minute piece that is also a slow one, this is quite satisfying. Even if you make more complex lef hand playing it won't change anything on substantial level... the difference will only be heard by those who care only for such technical stuff and not for your composition as a whole.


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## mediumaevum (Mar 24, 2011)

Vasks said:


> No. But then it's very hard to learn how to make a realistic mockup with sophisticated software that can come close to sounding real. So unless one is willing to invest time and money, no amount of normal tweaking will fool the ear. Although without any tweaking, well, it will be poorer than what you did.


I'm curious and I want to learn how to make the VST sound convincing enough:

What does it take for the violin in this example, to have a more convincing sound? What's missing, and what is making it sound fake?


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## Alexanbar (May 11, 2016)

mediumaevum said:


> Thanks for the critique.
> 
> How can I develop a more interesting piano arpeggio pattern? I'm still a newbie playing a piano.


It will be more interested if roles of instruments changes during the piece. I.e. if sometimes piano plays a main melody and violins follow by it


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## gprengel (Dec 21, 2015)

Alexanbar said:


> It will be more interested if roles of instruments changes during the piece. I.e. if sometimes piano plays a main melody and violins follow by it


I do agree to this suggestion, but I can say that I love your piece, especially as the second violin enters in - indeed very beautiful!

Gerd


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