# Nine new preludes for piano



## StevenOBrien

Hey guys,
I'm currently writing a complete set of 24 preludes (one in every key), and I figured I'd post what I've completed so far. I'll update this post when I complete the rest.


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https://soundcloud.com/stevenobrien%2Fsets

Sheet music (slightly messy, and unfinished, sorry) can be found here: http://www.steven-obrien.net/Portfo...nly nine so far) Preludes for Piano Op. 2.pdf

Enjoy!
-Steve


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## AmericanGesamtkunstwerk

likin these a lot man.


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## An Die Freude

Very nice. What I want to know is, why is the D flat prelude notatated in A flat?


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## chee_zee

This is good stuff jabroni, keep it up man nice to see you writing some more. Quite ambitious, take your time and maybe step away from the project for about a week every couple months or so (or even just work 3 weeks out of a month). I find I do better work like that then just doing a long project all the way through. This isn't a luxury one normally gets, think of film or game composers normally having to do a project all the way through without taking a break.

My question is a series of preludes to what? Do you plan to write canons, fugues, sonatas etc for these or are they just standalone preludes? On the very first one you have a MM = 30 bpm. That's some series in your head subdividing the performer must do to play that accurately since it's so sparse at that point (half notes with a few 8ths). the 8ths themselves would be exactly one entire second apart, and sixteenths a half second.

the gordon system of rhythmic dictation is the best imo, even better than indian music's system. you would need to do at most thirty second notes if not less, which would still be a quarter of a second apart.

du ta ta ta de ta ta ta du ta ta ta de ta ta ta. this shouldn't be a problem for most, especially since this is just solo piano after all, but keep in mind in western music 50 bpm is generally as slow as most _orchestras_ are willing to go. it takes too much of the perfomer's concentration in orchestral settings to follow the conductor, subdivide 32nds accurately, and hope everyone else is subdividing accurately, as well as beautifully execute and phrase their parts. Again, not as big a problem in solo works, but at least the actual music itself doesn't take too much to execute at that point in the piece (mm 20-21).

in japanese gagaku, the fastest tunes are at no more than 54 bpm. Hindustani indian music can go as low as 10 I believe, which I also think may be the slowest, though I'm sure slower gagaku tunes give it a run for it's monay. I think carnatic goes as low as 40.

on prelude 2, the bass clef. Instead of a sixteenth followed by triple dotted halves, why not do an appogiature/grace note followed by a whole note, it will sound the same but look better/cleaner notation wise. this may conflict with the running sixteenth notes motif in the right hand though since a grace notes implies before the beat, but I believe an acciatura should work.

I'm not a performer, just composer, so I might not be up to speed on this so ignore it if I'm wrong. in prelude 3, you have fermatas in the right hand, last half note of each bar. however, in the left hand, there is a a quarter note triplet figure that starts on the same beat.....do you want them to hold the first note of the triplet before going on, or the last note? do you just want them to rubato these three notes and then go back to normal speed in the next bar? if you desire a pause between the last note of the bar and the first note of the next bar you should fermata the last note of that triplet. if you just want them to slow down for those three notes, just put 'rubato' on the beginning of the triplet, and 'a tempo' on the first note of the next bar. did you check the playback of whatever notation software you used? did it play it back in the manner you yourself play/conceived the piece? I believe sibelius will hold the first note of the triplet and then move on as normal. bar 89 looks like what I'm assuming you meant for the others to be as well.

prelude 5, bar 128, left hand cresc. figure gets my rocks off. just saying. franz liszt much XD? or shawn lane even heh heh. also, I'm assuming the flatted sixth (Bb rather than natural) is modal mixture? very sex. getting into some impressionistic stuff, which I think you'd be quite suited to. prelude 6 in Bmoll with the B/C and C/D clusters hint at something french as well, cool stuff. Also, I'm kinda tired so don't feel like thinking about it too much, what's the chord on the 3rd beat of measure 304, some kind of augmented sixth?

in no 17, the pedal markings are unnecessary after about 4 bars or so, simply put 'in the same manner throughout' or 'sempre' or 'simile' and delete them after that point. this is done in passages raided with triplets or legato slurs of nearly identical phrases in proper notation, it'd make yours look cleaner.


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## StevenOBrien

An Die Freude said:


> Very nice. What I want to know is, why is the D flat prelude notatated in A flat?


Whoops >_<



chee_zee said:


> This is good stuff jabroni


What did you call me?! 



chee_zee said:


> My question is a series of preludes to what? Do you plan to write canons, fugues, sonatas etc for these or are they just standalone preludes?


They're just standalones. I've been exclusively writing music of a highly dramatic nature (sonatas, etc.), and I wanted to try and write some music that was more representative of a still image rather than an event, just to change things up a little.



chee_zee said:


> On the very first one you have a MM = 30 bpm. That's some series in your head subdividing the performer must do to play that accurately since it's so sparse at that point (half notes with a few 8ths). the 8ths themselves would be exactly one entire second apart, and sixteenths a half second.
> 
> the gordon system of rhythmic dictation is the best imo, even better than indian music's system. you would need to do at most thirty second notes if not less, which would still be a quarter of a second apart.
> 
> du ta ta ta de ta ta ta du ta ta ta de ta ta ta. this shouldn't be a problem for most, especially since this is just solo piano after all, but keep in mind in western music 50 bpm is generally as slow as most _orchestras_ are willing to go. it takes too much of the perfomer's concentration in orchestral settings to follow the conductor, subdivide 32nds accurately, and hope everyone else is subdividing accurately, as well as beautifully execute and phrase their parts. Again, not as big a problem in solo works, but at least the actual music itself doesn't take too much to execute at that point in the piece (mm 20-21).
> 
> in japanese gagaku, the fastest tunes are at no more than 54 bpm. Hindustani indian music can go as low as 10 I believe, which I also think may be the slowest, though I'm sure slower gagaku tunes give it a run for it's monay. I think carnatic goes as low as 40.


Yeah, I'm really bad at good notation practices and need to work on that. Sorry.



chee_zee said:


> on prelude 2, the bass clef. Instead of a sixteenth followed by triple dotted halves, why not do an appogiature/grace note followed by a whole note, it will sound the same but look better/cleaner notation wise. this may conflict with the running sixteenth notes motif in the right hand though since a grace notes implies before the beat, but I believe an acciatura should work.


Because I can't figure out how to do block chords with appoggiaturas in Sibelius.



chee_zee said:


> I'm not a performer, just composer, so I might not be up to speed on this so ignore it if I'm wrong. in prelude 3, you have fermatas in the right hand, last half note of each bar. however, in the left hand, there is a a quarter note triplet figure that starts on the same beat.....do you want them to hold the first note of the triplet before going on, or the last note? do you just want them to rubato these three notes and then go back to normal speed in the next bar? if you desire a pause between the last note of the bar and the first note of the next bar you should fermata the last note of that triplet. if you just want them to slow down for those three notes, just put 'rubato' on the beginning of the triplet, and 'a tempo' on the first note of the next bar. did you check the playback of whatever notation software you used? did it play it back in the manner you yourself play/conceived the piece? I believe sibelius will hold the first note of the triplet and then move on as normal. bar 89 looks like what I'm assuming you meant for the others to be as well.


You're right. I think I left the fermata on the bass staff out because it wouldn't exactly line up with the one on the treble staff, but I'll add it in.



chee_zee said:


> prelude 5, bar 128, left hand cresc. figure gets my rocks off. just saying. franz liszt much XD? or shawn lane even heh heh.


Come on, it's not THAT difficult .



chee_zee said:


> also, I'm assuming the flatted sixth (Bb rather than natural) is modal mixture? very sex. getting into some impressionistic stuff, which I think you'd be quite suited to. prelude 6 in Bmoll with the B/C and C/D clusters hint at something french as well, cool stuff. Also, I'm kinda tired so don't feel like thinking about it too much, what's the chord on the 3rd beat of measure 304, some kind of augmented sixth?


I don't know man, I just write down the stuff that comes into my head and if it sounds right I keep it. 304 is probably a mistake.



chee_zee said:


> in no 17, the pedal markings are unnecessary after about 4 bars or so, simply put 'in the same manner throughout' or 'sempre' or 'simile' and delete them after that point. this is done in passages raided with triplets or legato slurs of nearly identical phrases in proper notation, it'd make yours look cleaner.


Noted. Thanks for your feedback, I really appreciate it!


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