A little etude I composed

[sevencircles]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UC0AiX9Gs8&feature=youtube_gdata

I composed a pretty advanced little etude where I used the same 2 themes in almost every bar. I tried to make a modern but strictly tonal counterpoint piece where I surprise the listener.

I am not the pianist performing it in this clip.

[JCarey]

Did you intend to exactly duplicate the piano motif from Dream Theater's song "Wait For Sleep"?

[poetofthefall21]

I like how this sounds, good job!:)

[sevencircles]

Did you intend to exactly duplicate the piano motif from Dream Theater's song "Wait For Sleep"?

Yes , it starts with the main theme so it´s easy to hear.

I am 100% autodidact by the way both as a composer and musician.

Another and much better videorecording of this piece will hopefully be recorded soon. Both the performance and in particular the quality of the recording will be a lot better.

[JCarey]

Yes , it starts with the main theme so it´s easy to hear.

I am 100% autodidact by the way both as a composer and musician.

Another and much better videorecording of this piece will hopefully be recorded soon. Both the performance and in particular the quality of the recording will be a lot better.

Just to clarify, I didn't intend my comment as a criticism; I just wanted to see whether or not you consciously quoted Dream Theater or not. Many times, in my own compositions, I will write something (be it a theme, harmonic progression, orchestration, etc.) only to suddenly realize later that I had unintentionally lifted it from another piece of music! In the case of your piece, however, the way you handle the motif you've taken from the Dream Theater song is so different from the source material that I see nothing wrong with using it in your piece. I think your treatment of the motive is very interesting and creative... and I also happen to be a huge fan of Dream Theater, so I definitely found your piece enjoyable on several levels.

Thanks for sharing your music with us. For being completely self-taught, what you've done here is quite impressive -- it's clear you have a natural talent for composition, and I would highly recommend studying the craft in some sort of formal setting (even if it is for a relatively short period of time) if you intend to further develop as a composer. I compose professionally now, and while I did accomplish quite a lot on my own (if you're at all interested, this is the last piece I composed without having ever taken a composition lesson -- Rhapsody for Orchestra), after I began formal studies, my abilities as a composer improved at a rate I never could have imagined was possible. I'm not saying you have to pursue composition as a career or anything; I'm simply saying that, should you decide to ever study composition formally, you definitely will not be disappointed with all the new possibilities that will become available to you.

Anyway, thanks for sharing your music. I'd love to hear what you think of my music as well, if you happen to have some free time; just visit either of the links in my signature (though I recommend the YouTube channel in particular, because the scores are included with the recordings).

[sevencircles]

JCarey: Thank you so much, I thought about posting this link on the Dream Theater forum but it´s a good idea to way until a more professional videorecording is online I guess. 

You often check out new composers on the net I guess? I have heard some really great new pieces on youtube etc. but it´s a bit sad that so few people listen to recordings by pianists and composers they never heard of.

A great way to get some attention is to compose fugues or counterpointpieces based on famous themes. I thought about using themes like the James Bond theme, Baby Elephant Walk or Axel F from Beverly Hills Cop. Maybe having the themes both in major and minor and inverted.

[JCarey]

You often check out new composers on the net I guess? I have heard some really great new pieces on youtube etc. but it´s a bit sad that so few people listen to recordings by pianists and composers they never heard of.

Sadly this is all too true. Strangely enough, when I used to share my music on forums about 6+ years ago, I could always guarantee that I'd receive a large number of posts/comments... of course, as luck would have it, now that I've matured exponentially as a composer and am writing works of professional quality that I really want people to hear, it seems that I get practically no comments. Take my composition thread on this forum, for example... when I first started it years ago, I received quite a bit of feedback. Four pages worth, to be exact. Well, a few days ago I resurrected it and added links to my new works and YouTube channel, and I have yet to receive a single reply. Strangely, this is also the case even in forums specifically designed for composers! Take the Young Composers forum, for example: when I first joined, I received many pages of comments with each new composition. I didn't post anything for a couple years, and then released some new pieces (which were, in my opinion, much better than anything I had written prior)... the only comments I received, for the most part, were merely informing me that most people wouldn't listen to the pieces without a score (which had NEVER been the case in the past). So, several years later I post a slew of new works that were light years beyond anything I had written before. I included the scores this time, expecting to receive quite a bit of feedback. What did I get? Virtually nothing.

Sorry for the rant, this is just very frustrating for me because I can't wrap my head around why things would change so drastically over the course of a few years. In any case, the best advice I can give is -- don't give up! You're better off promoting your works as much as possible, because every feedback you receive, no matter how little it may be, is incredibly helpful for your development as a composer. This is especially true if you don't study composition formally.

A great way to get some attention is to compose fugues or counterpointpieces based on famous themes. I thought about using themes like the James Bond theme, Baby Elephant Walk or Axel F from Beverly Hills Cop. Maybe having the themes both in major and minor and inverted.

This is very true. Perhaps you've heard of Kyle Landry before? If not, he's a rather well-known pianist on YouTube, and also one of my best friends. He makes a living off of his YouTube channel, posting videos of himself playing mostly popular music and themes from video games, movies, etc. He improvises and sometimes composes his own virtuosic arrangements of these pieces, embellishing them greatly. Anyway, he studied Classical composition and piano at The Hartt School (where we met), and one could say that his YouTube videos are not at all representative of his actual abilities as a composer and pianist. Nevertheless, he tends to focus most of his energy on his YouTube channel... on the few occasions that he posted his legitimate works (which are quite good, in my opinion), they were received rather cooly by his fans. It's unfortunate, but it is what it is.

[sevencircles]

This is very true. Perhaps you've heard of Kyle Landry before? If not, he's a rather well-known pianist on YouTube, and also one of my best friends.

I haven´t heard of him actually, I have heard a lot by Richard Grayson recently. An outstanding improviser (if he is improvising in his youtubeclips)

Please send  links to recordings of your best works, would love to check them out. 

[JCarey]

Please send  links to recordings of your best works, would love to check them out. 

I'd be happy to! I'll send them in a PM, since this is your thread after all. 

[thesixthsensemusic]

Loved it! Reminds me a bit of the harmonies that the Groupe des Six (composers like Poulenc and Honegger) use a lot.

Also, I notice you get beyond the usual tonal spectrum and don't mind using dissonance, but not go all bonkers and atonal. You should try and have it published.

[sevencircles]

Loved it! Reminds me a bit of the harmonies that the Groupe des Six (composers like Poulenc and Honegger) use a lot.

Also, I notice you get beyond the usual tonal spectrum and don't mind using dissonance, but not go all bonkers and atonal. You should try and have it published.

Thank you, I thought about publishing it but I think I wait until I have a better videorecording that I can use to promote it.

Many published pieces by completely unknown composers tend to pass by completely unnoticed these days.

[sevencircles]

New videorecording uploaded. A better recording for sure. Check it out.
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJhDXQ8ue4U&feature=youtube_gdata