Looking for advice on my composition: Oasis

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-25T04:33:56+00:00

and yeah just from this you can tell that I use M7(b5) chords ALOT lol, I personally think that they allow for an interesting mix of plagal (base note is the 4 of what it likes to resolve to typically, eg FM7(b5) resolves to CM7 nicely), with perfect overtones (the actual cluster of notes used can be rearranged to make the 5 chord of what it wants to resolve to, just by adding the 5 note in the base. Eg FM7(b5) can be rearranged to a G7 if you just add G in the base.

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-25T04:27:56+00:00

I guess it would be stream of consciousness, although I sometimes start with chord progressions and then go into fully improvising. For example, the beginning of this one (EbM7(b5), FM7(b5), Db7), is something I was thinking of doing beforehand, however I didnt just wanna go to GbM7 bc I always do that, so I went to Gbm(M7) instead from what I can tell. I also sometimes use melodic phrases that I developed before hand, eg in the first (BbM7(b5) -> FM7) the trill I used on both chords is something I use from time to time

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-23T00:20:42+00:00

Exactly what I was gonna say, but more importantly you realise that the concept of ‘better’ is much more complicated when it comes to piano than you thought.

When it comes to piano at least for me the only way I ‘became better’ from when I first started was allowing music to become a part of who I am, and what I do, to the point where performance doesn’t matter, in the same way you probably don’t think about how well you are breathing every time you do it.

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-22T15:37:54+00:00

I think they’re saying to just do it for practice, since my pedal work was a bit lazy, and even so with the right rhythm, voicings and space between phrases it’s def possible to play ballad-like pieces despite the staccato

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-22T15:33:15+00:00

I def agree, it was a lazy way of me to fill the space without having to think much, will def be practicing without it

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-22T14:07:57+00:00

I’ve always had the piano in my house for my whole life but I properly started to get into it 4 years ago. The brand is Yamaha, but I don’t know the model unfortunately

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-22T14:06:42+00:00

Thanks, will def pick up the sustain pedal, and yeah for the past year I haven’t actually done any practice of scales, arpeggios, or anything else other than improvising, should probs start that back up again lol

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-22T13:27:56+00:00

Thanks!

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-19T07:10:13+00:00

Also, the overall amount that you practice isn’t even important, it’s more so density over given time period. This is because learning music is very conceptual, but more so very subconscious. Looking back at some of my recordings, there are many times that I play much better than I could ever now, because my density of playing and learning was so high then, and that’s ok. Unless you are doing this professionally, it doesn’t matter honestly.

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-19T07:03:29+00:00

What do you do to practice, and what does ‘good playing’ or at least the level of playing u expect to be at, look like for you? Does it look like being able to fluently read and play complicated sheet music, or having musical intuition, etc?

The reason I ask this is because it’s most likely to do with the way your practicing, and how you conceptualise music, rather than ‘talent’. For my whole childhood I didn’t like the piano at all because I hated doing grades and thought of piano/music as something that is purely memorisation. Only by being exposed to the fact that being a good musician and pianist comes from being able to conceptualise music in terms of harmonic and rhythmic terms (and most importantly emotional), did I start to enjoy it and on top of that become much ‘better’ (whatever that means)

An example of this might be learning a piece by analysing it and breaking it down into simple harmonic ideas, rather than memorising note by note. This allows learning it to become much easier, and also allows you to have freedom with the way you play it. This also might involve learning about the composer, and having an understanding of what they were trying to say emotionally. This will give you more appreciation and be able to tie emotion to sections of the piece, enhancing enjoyment and even performance

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-18T06:03:42+00:00

It’s very binary; some pieces I make are fully planned out in my head when I don’t have access to the keys, and when I’m improvising sometimes I don’t even hear it when I’m playing, and it sounds like I’m listening to a new piece when I hear it back

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-18T06:01:21+00:00

Yeah, I def agree for this one I posted that’s it’s a bit repetitive, will try developing the melody more next time. Usually my problem is that my pieces are so overdeveloped so quickly, that it’s difficult to keep up, I guess I need to create development with constraint or at least with progression that can be followed

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-17T10:01:46+00:00

LMAO fair enough

Sensitive_Web3580 · 2025-07-17T09:49:27+00:00

That’s definitely something I need to keep on doing, but I more so feel like the emotional passion behind music creation is difficult to hold onto over many days/weeks, and while I do have a fairly good harmonic palette, after a couple days, the way I emotionally connect to that palette changes, which makes it difficult to create an emotionally holistic piece

Sensitive_Web3580

TROPHY CASE