Score: 9

"Why so poorly rated?"

submission: {BT} Composition 8

date: October 23, 2009

This is pretty good! There are a few sections where it doesn't feel focused and it kind of rambles on in these sections a bit, but overall it's pretty good and quite well written. Good motivic development, especially.

Score: 10

"Successful troll is successful"

submission: The Greatest Hero

date: September 10, 2009

is troll successful.

Score: 7

"Interesting"

submission: Improvisation Nr 2

date: July 27, 2009

Was this whole thing improv, or did you plan any of it beforehand? Quite good for improv, either way. I do a lot of improv, but I'm primarily a modal composer, so I'm not so great with improvising tonally, or with conventional melodies. Anyway, it's good for improv, though the chords are kind of stock (some circle of 5ths progressions, if I'm not mistaken).

Score: 10

"Lulz."

submission: Killing Scott K.

date: June 26, 2009

Lol, that's my name.

Score: 9

"Quite good"

submission: "Deep in Aquamarine"

date: January 6, 2009

I don't know why the idiots on NG vote 0s on anything that's original. This piece is a lot better than most of the populist crap on the front page. I really like how you blend the chords into each other and lead into the next chords. Your progression isn't conventional, which is nice. I see you use the mixolydian mode again toward the end, and it sounds nice. I like the clarinet part, it fits nicely into the background. The only thing I would suggest would be more dynamic contrast, namely that your pieces in general needs more "highs." I enjoy the hushed quality of your music, but it would be nice to see what else you can do. Good music!

Score: 9

"Cool"

submission: "Running into Hope"

date: January 6, 2009

I really like your use modes in this piece. The tone of the piece is very nice. It's subdued, yet still sticks to major modalities (mixolydian is useful for that, isn't it?). Some of the mild dissonance in the beginning is really interesting. Also, really good use of percussion, a lot of people go overboard with percussion (i.e. anything on the front page or anything with "epic" in the title). The orchestration sounds professional, too. I enjoyed how different instruments just faded in, like the piano. Just curious, what is the orchestration?

Anyway, good job, I don't know why all of the original sounding stuff ends up with low scores.

Score: 10

"Lulz"

submission: %HEIL% MIXED UP

date: January 6, 2009

Obvious troll is obvious.

Score: 8

"Interesting"

submission: Dromanisqatsi III

date: January 6, 2009

I started a piece that sounds sorta like this one, but it sucked and I never finished it. I like your use of minimalism.

Score: 7

"In progress"

submission: work in progress 5

date: December 29, 2008

Ooh, college entrance portfolio. I'm a freshman comp major, and I can tell you that if you keep writing at the pace you're going, you're going to have much better pieces in your portfolio by the time interviews come up. Anyway, I'll try to be specific.

More dynamics in general. I think a good example of where you could use more dynamics is at 0:42. I think it make sense to have a subito p to soften the dissonance, since it doesn't really fit otherwise. In the section starting around :40, it would be good to incorporate a LOT more counterpoint. It kind of plods without focus, and building up counterpoint is a good way of increasing intensity without directly affecting the melody. You've got a whole orchestra to work with, apparently. Also, it's a good idea to build up your ensemble sizes before you attempt a large orchestra piece. In college, most comp majors write for smaller ensembles because it's much more accessible. New orchestra pieces never get performed unless you're already a well known composer, so I'd recommend working more on smaller chamber pieces. The melodies are a little too static throughout. They stay in the same place and don't really say anything new with the separate statements. They are also too monophonic, in that they lack counterpoint and are mostly solos and solis. Comp professors will usually be impressed if you come in with a good understanding of counterpoint. The polyrhythms in the beginning are cool, but they don't come back much, which is a little disappointing. I'd recommend varying your ostinatos a bit. I can't give you much advice in that field, since I don't use those that often.

I realize that the work is still in progress and if you're happy with it, don't change it based on what other people say. Good luck on your college search, and what you write freshman year will be miles better than anything you wrote during high school!

I have a new piece, and I'd appreciate a review, if you wouldn't mind.

Score: 7

"Pretty good"

submission: SeamlessR - Classical Change

date: July 18, 2008

It feels too repetitive sometimes, like there wasn't a good enough reason to repeat a melodic segment one more time. This makes the piece feel longer than it is. More dynamic contrast and varying of voices when repeating sections will help prevent this.