# Another attempt...but my mind wonders



## rbarata

...and I end up doing something I don't really don't know.
If any of you can analyse it and give me some feedback, I'd appreciate.

Thank you









Audio file


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## david johnson

Looks like a minor. I do not understand what you are asking, sorry.


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## rbarata

david johnson said:


> Looks like a minor. I do not understand what you are asking, sorry.


Thanks for the reply, David. I'm not sure what I've done because the key signature doesn't match any. There's no C#, for ex, otherwise it could be A maj or F# minor.
Also there is a consecutive F# and F nat. at meas. 11. How would I call this?
More...there are F# and F nat. coexisting along the piece.

So, I would like to be elucidated about these items, for a start (I'm sure there are more).


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## EdwardBast

rbarata said:


> Thanks for the reply, David. I'm not sure what I've done because the key signature doesn't match any. There's no C#, for ex, otherwise it could be A maj or F# minor.
> Also there is a consecutive F# and F nat. at meas. 11. How would I call this?
> More...there are F# and F nat. coexisting along the piece.
> 
> So, I would like to be elucidated about these items, for a start (I'm sure there are more).


It's clearly in A minor. There is no way on earth it could be in either A major or F# minor. In order to know what to call the F# to F motion in measure 11, one must know what style of music you are aiming for and what you are trying to accomplish with this writing exercise. Are you trying to learn counterpoint of a particular era? Is this an exercise in note-against-note counterpoint (first species)?


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## rbarata

> It's clearly in A minor.


So that I know that I'm thinking correctly, it's in A minor because:

- It starts and ends in A.
- Although not always, there is a "tendency" to use A melodic minor in ascending motions (by raising b6 and b7) and flattening the 6 in descending motion (by means of the movement F# => F, A harmonic minor).

The interesting thing is that it happens only on the bass while in the soprano there is only one G#.

Am I thinking right?



> In order to know what to call the F# to F motion in measure 11, one must know what style of music you are aiming for and what you are trying to accomplish with this writing exercise. Are you trying to learn counterpoint of a particular era? Is this an exercise in note-against-note counterpoint (first species)?


I wanted to write a piece in two voices (first species) in Palestrina style but, as I was writing it, I've found some sonorities that catch my attention. Unfortunately, it deviates from Palestrina style but it was a concious and deliberate decision.


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## EdwardBast

rbarata said:


> So that I know that I'm thinking correctly, it's in A minor because:
> 
> - It starts and ends in A.
> - Although not always, there is a "tendency" to use A melodic minor in ascending motions (by raising b6 and b7) and flattening the 6 in descending motion (by means of the movement F# => F, A harmonic minor).
> 
> The interesting thing is that it happens only on the bass while in the soprano there is only one G#.
> 
> Am I thinking right?
> 
> I wanted to write a piece in two voices (first species) in Palestrina style but, as I was writing it, I've found some sonorities that catch my attention. Unfortunately, it deviates from Palestrina style but it was a concious and deliberate decision.


Yes, about the flat and sharp 6th and 7th degrees, except that having them both in succession, as you do twice, is atypical.

Saying it deviates from the Palestrina style is an understatement.  It deviates in measure 2 and after that there are only a couple of measures that could exist in a work of Palestrina.


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## Phil loves classical

rbarata said:


> So that I know that I'm thinking correctly, it's in A minor because:
> 
> - It starts and ends in A.
> - Although not always, there is a "tendency" to use A melodic minor in ascending motions (by raising b6 and b7) and flattening the 6 in descending motion (by means of the movement F# => F, A harmonic minor).
> 
> The interesting thing is that it happens only on the bass while in the soprano there is only one G#.
> 
> Am I thinking right?
> 
> I wanted to write a piece in two voices (first species) in Palestrina style but, as I was writing it, I've found some sonorities that catch my attention. Unfortunately, it deviates from Palestrina style but it was a concious and deliberate decision.


I wouldn't say it is A minor because it starts and ends in A, although in this case and others they do end on the tonic. I'd say it is more because you established the A, C and E. Also with the raised 7th degree. You could start and end with a different note than A.


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