# Another piece, started in our first lockdown and finally put an ending on it



## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Hi everyone

I wrote another piece, it's again in 3/4 but not really a waltz. It has a few more sections and themes than what I have been writing before. Trying to mix it up a bit.

Hope you enjoy, and any and all criticism / feedback would be gratefully received. Keep well.


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## mikeh375 (Sep 7, 2017)

hi Adrien,

I hope all's well....

I do find the scoring overly thick. Case in point at B148, a first inversion dominant seventh on G. Such a beautiful transparent sound can be achieved by restricting any doubling of the B natural to the lower regions and certainly not in every octave. Block chords for each section in tuttis is not necessarily a good way to achieve sonority. Transparency and clarity are also desired traits, especially in louder moments.

Have you worked your way through some harmony books? I ask because doing so will inculcate a good sense of doubling and voice leading that becomes crucial in orchestration. Rifle through a few scores too to see how easy brilliance can be achieved by not packing chords to the rafters in a wall of sound.

I do like the Brahmsian string figurations at around b74 cf and your melodic gift is in evidence again. I've heard a few of your pieces now and still urge you to venture further out of your comfort zone. The programatic piece I heard that was not a waltz a while back was terrific musically speaking, although that too has similar issues in the scoring.


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## adrien (Sep 12, 2016)

Hi Mike

thanks so much. I'm very grateful, and I know your advice is spot on. The challenge for me is figuring out what to remove and where. Or probably more correctly what to avoid in the first place.

I know what you mean about the 7ths up all the octaves, and I'm reminded I was going to de-muddify (because even to my ears the section 4:00 - 4:30 is a bit muddy) a bit, and in my excitement to push it out the door (having been so relieved to find a form for the piece) omitted to do this. I think I need to work on my patience and probably live with a piece longer before showing the world.

And probably experiment more. I guess this is my lack of experience showing.

But there are sections I am not sure if you're referring to or not in terms of viscosity of scoring. are there any bits that you don't think are laid on too thick?

It would be great if the solo instruments in NotePerformer for strings were more usable. For winds they are pretty good and brass and perc, but trying to put a solo string line in anywhere is always disappointing to my ears and so it leads me to avoid it, which is a poor compromise for all the wrong reasons. So I tend to use string sections, and then also harmonise any idea that is layered over any other idea, which I can see reduces translucency.

I've looked at scores before only to do arrangements, do you have any you'd suggest I look at?

I wonder if I need to use these pieces as a study only to establish melody, counter-melody and chord structures and shape and re-do the orchestration from scratch - almost like an arrangement of the piece.

Thanks again, hope all is well on your end too.

Adrien


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