Original Composition: The Storm - Étude in B Major

[kakeithewolf]

If there is any place this should be posted, this forum is it. The hardest of my works, by quite a bit.

The piece is an Étude for duet (some parts are not possible by one person due to the note spacing) set at a tempo of 265 BPM. This is the first of the technical difficulties of this. The second is that the song has many notes below the range of a normal piano, making this only playable on certain pianos with a larger range (or on quite a few organs). The final difficulty is that, despite the high tempo, most of the song is in sixteenth notes, and many of them in a very short period of time.

The piece is mercifully short, finishing cleanly in one minute and ten seconds, and that could really not be soon enough (As the only parts meant to be played duet are the parts with wide note gaps; The vast majority is meant to be solo).

I got the inspiration for this from hearing Alkan's Comme Le Vent, which made me end up thinking up the tune to The Storm by the end of the piece. And one can draw more than a few similarities between the two...

Feel free to comment and critique. If you, for who knows what reason, actually want the sheet music for this, PM me.

[ajspiano]

It would be a lot easier to take an interest in with the sheet music posted. I take it you can't play it but a decent performance would make it more accessible to the listener.. This just sounded like midi software is blasting through it like a machine gun..   with a score we could perhaps have a better understanding of what you really want it to sound like.

[kakeithewolf]

I'll attach a PDF to the post.

I haven't added dynamics yet. I have to edit this a little further before I get it just right. But regardless, it should suffice more suitably for the formation of a concept in the mind.

As well, a note can be made that, unlike Klein Lied in E Major that I put up prior, this is directly using the MIDI software. Prelude and Lied in G-Flat Minor, posted yet earlier, was more or less optimal, being played by me using actual piano and not using a computer (This came at the sacrifice of not having a MIDI to regenerate my score with when I did not possess it).

[mikeowski]

If you want to compose better music I suggest you first read up on harmony, counterpoint, voice leading etc., because, put bluntly, this sounds like an incoherent mess.

[kakeithewolf]

If you want to compose better music I suggest you first read up on harmony, counterpoint, voice leading etc., because, put bluntly, this sounds like an incoherent mess.

To be perfectly honest myself, this is far from what I consider my best. I consider Prelude and Lied in G-Flat Minor the proper candidate for that (That is, unless you count non-piano works, at which point one of my concertinos or passacaglias would probably be more suitable).

This piece was purely experimental, an etude designed purely to test speed and dexterity, naught more or less can be attributed to it. As such, it was not all that wonderful a piece. The other two compositions I have posted (Klein Lied in E Major and Prelude and Lied in G-Flat Minor) were actually among my best.

It may be of note that, of anything I've put, I'm most surprised this got a second glance.

[j_menz]

The piece is an Étude for duet

Then why is it not scored as such?

the song has many notes below the range of a normal piano

Why? For whom is it written? The Bosendorfer society?

The piece is mercifully short

Neither mecifully, nor short enough.

the only parts meant to be played duet are the parts with wide note gaps; The vast majority is meant to be solo.

Again, who is supposed to be doing what is usually marked on the score? And who would learn a secondo just to hit a few notes the primo pianist couldn't reach?

I got the inspiration for this from hearing Alkan's Comme Le Vent, which made me end up thinking up the tune to The Storm by the end of the piece. And one can draw more than a few similarities between the two...

Rubbish. They have nothing in common.

[kakeithewolf]

For the above reply, it seems a bit impractical to quote chain it, so I will just address it part by part.

I was asked for score, so I had to provide a rough score (I have a terrible habit of forgetting to finish scores). As for the range, it may be that I am mistaken, and that I miscounted the keys. As for the length, my wondrously high self esteem agrees with you.

[j_menz]

I was asked for score, so I had to provide a rough score (I have a terrible habit of forgetting to finish scores).

Not a habit that is likely to endear you to potential players of your music.

As for the range, it may be that I am mistaken, and that I miscounted the keys.

No, it is definitely outside the range of a standard piano. That rather limits your potential interest group, and appears to be without reason, merely without an understanding of the instrument for which it claims to be an etude.

[littlepinkpills]

You said yourself this was nothing more than an exercise in speed. But the whole point of the etude as a composition is to give someone a piece that is both musically pleasing and technically didactic, so that they will be compelled to practice it by reason of it being a joy to hear, as opposed to grudgingly going through scales or other such mindless exercises. All composition should begin with a single, self-governing and completed melody, and that melody should then be followed into phrases and ornaments and whatever else it might lead you. If you don't already have a basic melody in your head, I wouldn't bother trying to write or play anything.

No offense of course. Just giving my opinions. What you posted is just what you said it was, an exercise in speed.


And if you want to avoid sounding scalar with arpeggios, you might want to try writing a chord progression and disassembling it into the arpeggio.

[kakeithewolf]

You said yourself this was nothing more than an exercise in speed. But the whole point of the etude as a composition is to give someone a piece that is both musically pleasing and technically didactic, so that they will be compelled to practice it by reason of it being a joy to hear, as opposed to grudgingly going through scales or other such mindless exercises. All composition should begin with a single, self-governing and completed melody, and that melody should then be followed into phrases and ornaments and whatever else it might lead you. If you don't already have a basic melody in your head, I wouldn't bother trying to write or play anything.

No offense of course. Just giving my opinions. What you posted is just what you said it was, an exercise in speed.


And if you want to avoid sounding scalar with arpeggios, you might want to try writing a chord progression and disassembling it into the arpeggio.

I've seen quite a few etudes that aren't quite so please *coughJohnCagecough*

[littlepinkpills]

But I don't like John Cage.

Whatever floats your scrote though, friend. I personally compose music that people like listening to, but do whatever you want and perhaps you will prove me wrong and one day people will study your stuff as genius.

[kakeithewolf]

But I don't like John Cage.

Whatever floats your scrote though, friend. I personally compose music that people like listening to, but do whatever you want and perhaps you will prove me wrong and one day people will study your stuff as genius.

I was just making a joke about the John Cage thing. I mean, I abhor his work.

To be honest, this isn't all too great even as an etude. Were it not for the speed, it wouldn't be too hard, honestly. I'm quite surprised that this, the worst of the four things I've put up, somehow got (by far) the most attention.

I mean, I also like making enjoyable to listen to music. I feel the lied and prelude+lied from a few days ago were in that category (That, however, is my opinion. Others may loathe them). I made a crucial mistake in this piece: I let technique be of higher priority than passion. And honestly, it's quite preferable to hear a simple piece with emotion than a grandiose piece of crap.

[pianoplunker]

If there is any place this should be posted, this forum is it. The hardest of my works, by quite a bit.

The piece is an Étude for duet (some parts are not possible by one person due to the note spacing) set at a tempo of 265 BPM. This is the first of the technical difficulties of this. The second is that the song has many notes below the range of a normal piano, making this only playable on certain pianos with a larger range (or on quite a few organs). The final difficulty is that, despite the high tempo, most of the song is in sixteenth notes, and many of them in a very short period of time.

The piece is mercifully short, finishing cleanly in one minute and ten seconds, and that could really not be soon enough (As the only parts meant to be played duet are the parts with wide note gaps; The vast majority is meant to be solo).

I got the inspiration for this from hearing Alkan's Comme Le Vent, which made me end up thinking up the tune to The Storm by the end of the piece. And one can draw more than a few similarities between the two...

Feel free to comment and critique. If you, for who knows what reason, actually want the sheet music for this, PM me.

I think the color of a storm is well captured in most parts. I didnt like the droning being so midified. It was interesting though

[kakeithewolf]

I really wish I had something without MIDI. I could use a soundfont, but none have sounded just right so far.

[pianoplunker]

I really wish I had something without MIDI. I could use a soundfont, but none have sounded just right so far.

Nothing wrong with midi. Very portable and you can change parameters such as humanizing the drone parts. Just depends on which software you use to record. Nonetheless I liked the Storm

[kakeithewolf]

Nothing wrong with midi. Very portable and you can change parameters such as humanizing the drone parts. Just depends on which software you use to record. Nonetheless I liked the Storm

Interesting, as I personally did not like how it turned out.

[brendan765]

This sounds like a composition by a humanoid Liszt-Hanon that was addicted to stimulant drugs like cocaine.

[kakeithewolf]

This sounds like a composition by a humanoid Liszt-Hanon that was addicted to stimulant drugs like cocaine.

That is an... interesting way to put it.