# My 27th Composition



## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Piano Sonata no. 1 in D minor. First movement composed in February 2009. Part of my "pre-avant-garde" collection of works.

This was written after a year and two months of composing without any sort of formal training from anyone else, so I was completely self-taught and it definitely shows in the piece. The second half of the development section drags on for a bit and the second half of the recapitulation is a bit more like a coda than anything else. This is probably actually the best piano sonata I have written if you include the second movement, which is not included here. (It was composed as an assignment on rondo form for school last year. I bent the rules a bit there and wrote a five minute movement in sonata-rondo form for the assignment.)

_P.S. any member here that is also part of the Young Composers Forum, please make sure whatshisface knows that you have witnessed a recording of one of the member "froglegs's" compositions._:tiphat:


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

As I am also self-taught, your piece makes me feel that I must be doomed to analysis, rather than composition. Despite the mistakes you mentioned, I would still listen to this regularly, alongside Beethoven's early piano sonatas, if I had a better recording.

Also, maybe if I were taking an actual class in composition, it would motivate me to practice more.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

People who are doomed to analysis never write any interesting compositions. :lol: They wouldn't break any rules.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> People who are doomed to analysis never write any interesting compositions. :lol: They wouldn't break any rules.


That's exactly what I'm worried about. 

I'll get over it with practice.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

Kopachris said:


> That's exactly what I'm worried about.
> 
> I'll get over it with practice.


How long have you been composing for then?


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## aleazk (Sep 30, 2011)

Kopachris said:


> That's exactly what I'm worried about.
> 
> I'll get over it with practice.


that's something that i wanted to ask you, you play some instrument?, at least some keyboard?. your approach to composition seems too theoretical for me. It's ok to apply such things, but you must balance them with some knowledge of the keyboard's "tricks", if you are writing a piece for piano, for example. In that way, the piece will sound much more "natural".
Also you can discover things when you are playing or improvising, things that in other ways will be hard to actually discover them.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> How long have you been composing for then?


 Well, umm.... I guess you could say I started about five years ago. That's when I took an interest in it, anyway. As I said, I just haven't had the motivation to practice enough, so I have very little to show for these five years.


aleazk said:


> that's something that i wanted to ask you, you play some instrument?, at least some keyboard?. your approach to composition seems too theoretical for me. It's ok to apply such things, but you must balance them with some knowledge of the keyboard's "tricks", if you are writing a piece for piano, for example. In that way, the piece will sound much more "natural".
> Also you can discover things when you are playing or improvising, things that in other ways will be hard to actually discover them.


That's exactly what I mean by "needing more practice." The only "instrument" I play is the voice (maybe I should concentrate on vocal writing for a while?). I can do a little on the keyboard to work out melodies and harmonies. Mostly, I try to work out how a segment will sound in my head or have someone else (or the computer) play it for me. I pretty much need more practice everywhere (thinking, hearing, playing, etc.).

But I'm taking all the attention away from CoAG.


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## ComposerOfAvantGarde (Dec 2, 2011)

^Consider getting piano or composition lessons.


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## Kopachris (May 31, 2010)

ComposerOfAvantGarde said:


> ^Consider getting piano or composition lessons.


Have been. (Considering, that is.)


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## Philip (Mar 22, 2011)

Kopachris said:


> As I am also self-taught, your piece makes me feel that I must be doomed to analysis, rather than composition. Despite the mistakes you mentioned, I would still listen to this regularly, alongside Beethoven's early piano sonatas, if I had a better recording.
> 
> Also, maybe if I were taking an actual class in composition, it would motivate me to practice more.


analysis follows the trends of composition, ie. the "rules" of composition are derived from the compositions themselves, not the other way around. although as a beginner, it's probably best to follow the rules and restrain yourself in form as much as possible.


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