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[Pete Dunk]

Why is this theme in Recordings and Videos rather than Tunes? I have written a tune that I am quite pleased with but I may never get around to recording it in any format because I have 'performance issues' for want of a better description. I wanted to share the tune and ask advice from the hive mind, alas that would be 'off topic' as I have neither a recording or a video. *wanders off*

[playandteach]

What format do you have? Put up some sheet music and ask away.

[RF Music]

Hi all,

I'm really getting into composing and have got a fair few tunes which I'd be happy to share. I'm still a bit of a novice at Melnet, and don't want to tread on anyone's toes. Is there an audience for new tunes? They're all pdfs from musescore. I don't really use ABC.

Ta muchly,

Andy

[Steve_freereeder]

Hi all,

I'm really getting into composing and have got a fair few tunes which I'd be happy to share. I'm still a bit of a novice at Melnet, and don't want to tread on anyone's toes. Is there an audience for new tunes? They're all pdfs from musescore. I don't really use ABC.

Ta muchly,

Andy

Welcome back Andy! 
There are quite a few people on here who don't use ABC; it's not obligatory. Musescore is a great piece of software and very handy for composers as you can instantly hear and see the effects of editing notes, chords and rhythms in real time. Please do share your compositions! PDFs or Musescore files are most welcome. Musescore files (mscx format) are permitted as attachments and have the advantage of having very small file sizes. Anyone can download and use Musescore for free.

[RF Music]

Thanks Steve!

I'll start with one of my favourites... I got a Scandi tune book from a good friend in Denmark as a Christmas present. There was a description of a type of tune called a Finnskog Pols which is written in 8/8 but with 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2 beat emphasis (I believe this is known as 147?). It's a great time signature which gives the tune an unusual emphasis and a sense of urgency.


I was going to call the tune Gargoyle Boy, but the pedant in me realised the difference between a gargoyle and a grotesque, a gargoyle being the architectural feature which diverts water from the roof of a building away from the walls. A Grotesque is the carved (usually mythical) figure with no architectural use other than ornament (hey, that's appropriate!).


I recorded a version of it and posted it to my YouTube channel (my first actual video!) which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZY4SXSHdrQc

Let me know what you think and maybe give it a go - would love to see what other players think of it!

Thanks,

Andy



*quick note* I tried to upload the musescore file but it's not in the right format. I'll see if I can rectify that and post it.

[RF Music]

*Update*

I found the right type of musescore file to upload.

Cheers,

Andy

[Pete Dunk]

I've written a new tune today that I'm quite pleased with (or rather I have finally finished a tune I started months ago!). In order to submit a recording so that my post isn't off topic in this subforum I've created an mp3 file from a midi output of the tune, it's a bit wooden but it will give you some idea what it sounds like. All thoughts and suggestions are welcome. There's a bit in the B I'm not entirely happy with but I couldn't resolve the issue and I'm probably just being picky, which is very easy to do with your own compositions!

The St.Mary in the Marsh Reel

PDF is attached

ABC:

X:1
T:St.Mary in the Marsh Reel, The
C:Pete Dunk. October 2019
M:C|
L:1/8
%%titlefont Helvetica, 22
%%subtitlefont Helvetica,16
%%composerfont Helvetica
%%partsfont Arial, 20
%%partsbox
%%gchordfont Arial, 16
%%barnumbers 1
%%MIDI program 73 % flute
%%MIDI chordprog 1 % piano
V:1 gchord=down
V:2
P:(AB)4
Q:1/2=72
K:Gmaj
V:1
P:A
|:"G"D2 DG .B2B2|"C".c2c2 "D"A4|D3 F .A2A2|AGAB "G"G4|
"G"D3 G .B2B2|"C".c2 cc "D"A4|D2 DF A2"C"c2|"G"BAGF "G/D"G4:|
P:B
|:"G"B2G2 BddB|"C"A2A2 "Em"AGED|"C"EAA2 AGAB|cB"D"AG ED"G"GA|
"G"B2G2 BddB|"C"A2A2 E2AG|EGAB "Am7"cBGE|"D"AGFA "G"G4:|

[playandteach]

Good honest tune Pete. The only thing that I can see is chord choice. Melody works fine, but I'm sure that anything you are hearing as wonky would be settled with different chords. Which particular bar don't you like?

[Pete Dunk]

I've rewritten bar 15 many times today, well before I added any chords which are always a moveable feast and I'm not particularly good at chosing. It was the melody that was giving me grief, something not sitting quite right.

[playandteach]

Firstly, please accept this as a genuine attempt to help - the tune is great, and I'm not criticising it. As often is the case the solution may be elsewhere. Bar 14 is hampered by the clash of the A in the melody against the C chord, which then resolves by leap (not always the most organic resolution).
This is made weaker by the fact that it resolves to a bare octave (the E melody against the E bass). So bar 15 is compromised a little before it had a chance.

Bar 15, itself has the reverse issue that it leaps to the dissonance - this is emphasised by the fact that we already heard the same dissonance in the bar before. There are several solutions - maybe that actually don't improve the tune at all - you have a great tune.  One is - leave bar 14 alone.

Bar 15, instead -  use a full bar of quavers. This has some benefits - we end up with the greatest activity at the final cadence point which is often good. If you filled in the first 4 quavers of the bar to E,G,A,B (then carried on with your existing last 4 quavers, C,B,G,E) then your pattern would be the retrograde of bar 12 (from the 5th quaver in the bar back through to the last quaver of bar 11) - which helps with coherence.
You can happily leave those C,B,G,E quavers  but replace the chord for the second half of the bar to Am7 which does a couple of things - it increases the harmonic pace approaching the cadence point, and it creates a ii, V, I cadence which is very clear and strong. The right hand notes work nicely then.

OR you could also change that G,E, to A,G (keeping the Am7 chord) which also works to extend the retrograde reference to bars 11 and 12, and avoids too many leaps - either work fine - no preference.
I know many will immediately think I'm just being up myself. Hey ho. Hope you don't, because I enjoy working out why things work or how they might work better.

[Pete Dunk]

Bar 15, instead -  use a full bar of quavers. This has some benefits - we end up with the greatest activity at the final cadence point which is often good. If you filled in the first 4 quavers of the bar to E,G,A,B (then carried on with your existing last 4 quavers, C,B,G,E) then your pattern would be the retrograde of bar 12 (from the 5th quaver in the bar back through to the last quaver of bar 11) - which helps with coherence.
You can happily leave those C,B,G,E quavers  but replace the chord for the second half of the bar to Am7 which does a couple of things - it increases the harmonic pace approaching the cadence point, and it creates a ii, V, I cadence which is very clear and strong. The right hand notes work nicely then.

Believe it or not, one of the previous versions of bar 15 was |EGAB cBGE|, I decided that was too busy at the time but I'll take another look. Chords are always an issue, I only added them to fill the tune out a bit, perhaps that was a mistake!

[Gena Crisman]

I know many will immediately think I'm just being up myself. Hey ho. Hope you don't, because I enjoy working out why things work or how they might work better.

Yeah, listening to it, I agree with playandteach, although it could just be because of the midi. If I was playing it I'd probably think about slotting that Am7 in the middle of bar 15.

Nice tune, Pete, I like it.

[Pete Dunk]

Yeah, listening to it, I agree with playandteach, although it could just be because of the midi. If I was playing it I'd probably think about slotting that Am7 in the middle of bar 15.

I too agreed with playandteach after reviewing the tune again, I have changed bar 15 and included the Am7 chord. I have also removed the Em chord from bar 14 because I didn't feel it added anything.

Nice tune, Pete, I like it.

Ta!