TheBoringPianist attempts to compose music

TheBoringPianist

One of my goals this year as an aspiring pianist-composer is to write more music, and eventually maybe incorporate them occasionally into my recital programs. I'm trying to write 2 preludes a month so I end the year with my own budget set of 24 preludes in "all" major/minor keys.

For January, I wrote C major and G minor preludes, corresponding to #1 and #22 in the eventual set. I'm still pretty dissatisfied with the middle section of the C major one, but after some suggestions from my piano teacher and a composer friend, the G minor one has reached a stage I'm willing to share for feedback!

This one is based off a short 8-bar Interstellar-inspired climax I wrote 10 years ago (for full orchestra + organ lol). I took the descending 3-note motif from that and built it out, borrowing liberally from Rachmaninoff somewhat subconsciously (33/2, 33/7, and 39/2).

Score
Demo recording (quite messy, as I haven't quite gotten it into my hands yet, but better than the MuseScore MIDI playback)

Would love feedback on parts that people like, parts that aren't so great, and how to improve it!

ShiroKuro

TheBoringPianist I don’t have any composition feedback, but I really like it! I thought the piece was very compelling and had a nice build to it. I’ll listen to it again later and share if I have any other (more specific) thoughts.

Also I love that you’re doing this! The “two preludes a month” is a fantastic approach, and aligns with everything I’ve ever read about creative output — which I’m sure you know, but basically the wisdom is that you just have to do it (whatever the creative activity is) regularly and without “waiting for inspiration” etc. And that it is the doing of it that leads to the improvements and actual inspired creations. I don’t know how long you’ve been composing, but this piece certainly shows your talent for it.

BTW how long have you been composing?

twocats

TheBoringPianist I love it! And the title is very fitting. Wow, composing, that is very exciting and I'm looking forward to hearing more!! 🙂

rsl12

TheBoringPianist
Loved it. I'm sure you've put a few hours into this, and it's hard to put yourself in the shoes of someone hearing for the first time, but for me, I enjoyed how every moment was a new surprise, but how each development was perfectly logical. It was like watching a flower bloom, unsure what the colors and shapes would show.

TheBoringPianist

Thanks all!

ShiroKuro BTW how long have you been composing?

I've never formally studied composition with any teacher, but have dabbled on and off for years. Mostly I come up with short fragments every few years and they never end up growing into complete pieces because I don't know how to develop them and have a tendency to stick to clichéd progressions. I actually finished a few simple pieces about 10 years ago (while I was on hiatus from piano) for some mobile games that I was making with some friends, and then took a short online songwriting class 4-ish years ago, but most of what I've written is in an unfinished state.

Peyton

I love it!! Parts? Well the beginning is perfect and then the way you build up from there is awesome. A great recording too.

pseudonym58

I didn't read any of your descriptions or indications of influences, but I thought immediately of a certain Rachmaninoff Etude.
In general I would say you have some very interesting ideas for harmonic shifts. I do detect a lot of phrases and sequences that are uniformly in multiples of two or four. My sense is that if that were not so, it would be even more interesting and slightly less predictable.

Of course you can take whatever I say as merely my opinion. Others might disagree with me and that's perfectly valid.

You play it really well, by the way, And I think it's great that you're writing music!

Animisha

Wow! I am impressed. Full of excitement and tensions - in a good way.
Won't you please change your nickname, it is so not true.

Ornstein

I feel you have a lot of talent! The recording sounds great too. What a brooding and atmospheric piece, it has that transporting quality of making you feel like you're in a painting of a misty dark forest.