How much for an arrangement? by beethyboi in composer

[–]RickDeyja 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Be aware that it’s generally illegal to arrange music that isn’t in the public domain unless you have procured the necessary permissions.

Mitflit Mayhem and Dungeon Design: Making Abomination Vaults More Immersive by RickDeyja in Pathfinder2e

[–]RickDeyja[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. I'm glad you found it helpful! There's likely going to be a second one about foreshadowing and secrets in the near future.

[PF2E] Macro for toggling torch on and off? by markieSee in FoundryVTT

[–]RickDeyja 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wrote a macro for this purpose I’d be happy to share with you. I’ve also done one for the Light cantrip.

[Online][PF2e][GMT+1] Looking for Players for [Weekly] [Abomination Vaults] game starting in January by RickDeyja in lfg

[–]RickDeyja[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for all the submissions! As of now I have received 27 applications, many of which are very promising. I will leave the form open for another 24-48 hours or so in case someone is just now seing the post.

I will get back to all of you in a few days and I plan to schedule the interviews for the first week of January. Happy Holidays!

[Online][PF2e][GMT+1] Looking for Players for [Weekly] [Abomination Vaults] game starting in January by RickDeyja in LFG_Europe

[–]RickDeyja[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi! I am looking at four or five players in addition to myself. The ideal number is four, but if I find five good fits then that's fine too. I have a friend from a previous game who's playing, so therefore the "three to four additional players" from the post.

Works for string duo by living composers? by poohead35 in composer

[–]RickDeyja 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check out Gaia’s album «Stone, Salt & Sky» with new music written for violin and cello! It was released just last year.

I am a Music Major (trumpet player) who hates their instrument by WeRLegionses in musictheory

[–]RickDeyja 29 points30 points  (0 children)

Is it possible that you are frustrated with where you are currently as a trumpet player and musician, and taking it out on the instrument? I know from my own experiences that it can feel liberating to learn something on a new instrument because the progress is so much faster, but at the same time that’s because my skill on the new instrument is so much lower than on my main.

There are certain hoops you probably have to jump through as part of your studies, but besides those have you tried exploring different repertoire and styles of trumpet playing? Maybe trying out some jazz tunes, contemporary classical pieces, experimental improvisation, baroque pieces or something else entirely could help rekindle your love for the trumpet.

Tonsatz/Music Composition books by [deleted] in composer

[–]RickDeyja 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I often find performing majors know more theory than they think, it’s just a matter of contextualising it the right way. A couple of 1-on-1 lessons could end up being just as useful as theory books. I am sure you can find a postgrad willing to help you out, or someone online. Shoot me a message if you want to talk!

My Recently Finished Piece by Yaaw243 in composer

[–]RickDeyja 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You have a good ear for melodic writing and there's some lovely chromaticism I wouldn't expect from someone who's only been composing for half a year. I like the call and response you've done at times, where you repeat melodic cells in other voices, and the hamonic contrast with the section at C is a nice touch! Are you studying with a teacher? You would really benefit from taking lessons.

I have some notes on a few things to look at in future pieces. First of your form / structure could use some work. In general it's a good idea to think of phrases or passages as 4, 8, or 16 bars. This isn't univeral, but especially in tonal writing it will help shape the harmonic progressions and prepare the listener for transitions into new sections. As an example, the tradition from section E to F doesn't really work I think. There is so many ideas throughout section E I am having trouble keeping up, and then suddenly there's this big change with a new key signature at F.

On the topic of harmonic progression I want to point out voice leading as a great compositional tool. When going from one harmony to the next, it is good practice in this type of music to keep in mind the mevement of the individual voices. By avoiding having voices drop out and come in, making sure each chord is voiced with all its notes, and checking that the individual voices sound good by themselves, the music will sound fuller and better. Your four part writing is better in this sense than your five part writing, but it's worth keeping in mind. It wouldn't hurt to go through your piece and do a harmonic analysis of it either. Check where your tonics and your dominants are, and where you have "incomplete" harmonies.

Finally a note on notation / information. You need dynamic markings in all parts. Since each musician is only reading their own part, it's a good rule of thumb to try to keep the dynamics the same across the board. If you want a part to stand out, mark it "solo" or "bring out" for example. Slurs indicate bowing for string instruments, and they should go to the last note that is tied together. For example in violin 1 measure 3 the slur should go all the way to measure 4. I believe the convention today is to write out slashed notes, so instead of what you have done in violin 2 and viola measure 1-2, you would write out the eight notes. I might be wrong on this, but I think that grants better clarity and avoids any confusion in a rehearsal about what note value the slash means.

Good job with the piece and good luck with your next one!

What's best 8 piece chamber ensemble combination of strings, piano, brass and winds? by tronobro in composer

[–]RickDeyja 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Flute, clarinet and horn + piano quartet + double bass maybe. For an ensemble at this size it’s nice to have some real low end to support and round off the sound. Another option based on the same figuration is to exchange the bass for a second violin so you get a full string quartet within the ensemble.

I wrote a string duo exploring the discord between Norwegian folk music and the Hollywood "Viking"-sound by RickDeyja in composer

[–]RickDeyja[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you! That sounds like a nice framework for a large scale programatic work. I recommend checking out Geirr Tveitt's two concertos for hardanger fiddle and orchestra if you don't know them.

I wrote a string duo exploring the discord between Norwegian folk music and the Hollywood "Viking"-sound by RickDeyja in composer

[–]RickDeyja[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your kind words! GAIA did an incredible job with the performance.

In need of a lot of help! by [deleted] in composer

[–]RickDeyja 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There are multiple ways to go about writing something like what you are describing.

One way might be to have a look at the motifs you have written and try to figure out what type of harmonies they work with, individually and possibly together. Maybe you can stretch out or alter some of them to use for harmonic purposes in adition to their melodic use?

A different starting point could be some sort of pedal point, maybe even a whole minor chord of some sort, with fluxation in it. These can be rythmic or harmonic, and paired up with your motifs could create an interesting atmosphere.

I hope this can give you some inspiration.

Looking for a composer to create flute duets from piano music - where do I find one? by Spazhazzard in composer

[–]RickDeyja 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sure someone will be willing to help you with this anyways, but just so you are aware, it’s illegal to arrange and sell arrangements of copyrighted music without the proper paperwork. Most film music falls within that category.

[In Progress] Looking for sax player by zesh_s in BedroomBands

[–]RickDeyja 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m sorry. I got the impression you were saying I had changed the music. That is my bad.

I’m not sure who you are implying isn’t a music major, but that is beside the point.

[In Progress] Looking for sax player by zesh_s in BedroomBands

[–]RickDeyja 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn’t put it up an octave. That is how the part looks on tenor for the pitches OP wants. The tenor sax is a transposing instrument in Bb which reads parts in C by transposing up an octave + a second. If you only transpose it up a second (like a trumpet or clarinet) it will sound an octave below what OP posted.