String Quartet (first original composition)
This is my first original composition ever. Thoughts welcome. Do keep in mind that when writing this i had (and still have) very, VERY limited knowledge of music theory and chords and such. In spite of that, i think there are some really cool parts. I split it into two sections, sort of like movements, but i've realized since that they're really standalone pieces, but enjoy them however you will.
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| String Quartet No. 1.mscz | 20.17 KB |
Comments
I thought it was interesting, there were some cool segments. The 16th note section at the beginning needs to be rethought, it was too long didn't really go anywhere.
It's not bad for a first try, though it could use some improvement. I agree that the beginning section just sort of wanders aimlessly. In addition, there are too many places where you only have one or two instruments playing. Having four strings almost seems like overkill in this piece; at the very least the cello could be pulling chords, which creates that very pleasing base effect. Also, as a violinist, I can say that there is no way a violinist can hold notes for three, four-plus bars like you have there. Those might want to be reworked, especially with the cello in mind; consider those notes for the base, which, when contrasted with the treble melody, would make a very pleasing effect. These are just a few things that I know are rather picky; I am not an experienced composer, so I am just giving my opinion.
In real classical large pieces, movements and sections will often be standalone pieces that will be entirely unrelated, and are often played as standalones. When you see pieces such as "So-and-So Symphony No. 1, Mvt. 3, Allegro," I'm pretty sure that's just a section of the symphony labeled with the new time signature allegro. So that's fine. Very often pieces will have a fast section, followed by a slow, different section, and then a variation of the fast first section (basically ABA form). You might consider that for a future piece. I would suggest adding a double bar line and a breath mark or something (perhaps a slower time signature) to separate the sections. At least the double bar line is a must.
Just so you know, the file is corrupted; it said a certain bar had 5 something, when it wanted 4. It still opened fine when I hit ignore, though.
In return for this review favor, would you check out my first official composition? (https://musescore.com/user/37067197/scores/6545965/) It's for a string trio, so it's not far off from yours. I wrote the main theme melody long ago, and eventually turned it into a trio, using our piano to figure out the accompanying instrument parts. There's not a lot of chords, but when I got MuseScore and was able to hear it for the first time, it sounds pretty decent, I thought. My mom helped my clean up a few discordant parts to make it sound good.
Thanks in advance if you do, and I hope my feedback here helps!