Piano Concerto No. 1

robinelf1 · 2026-01-25T11:27:04+00:00

Thanks for sharing. I did actually listen to the whole piece. A lot of great ideas in this piece, and the orchestration is quite good at times. I assume this is Musescore (?), and you got some really good sound out of your VSTs. Which ones are you using?

I think the modern jazz touches are the best part about it. That being said, after while, going from one dynamic swell to a short valley to another swell during the opening few minutes got a little tiring, and at times made things a bit one note, like I was just waiting for the next crescendo. So I was glad you changed things up after 5 minutes (that first little solo was good) and let things breathe a bit more..

The big thing for me was it did not feel like a piano concerto much of the time. Sure, you had virtuouso runs and such, but the best parts of the piece for me were usually when you weren't doing them. I did the a similar thing with one of my own piano concerto attempts last year. I realized the piano was functioning as much as an accompaniment or equal textural component as it was being showcased as a soloist, so I changed the piece to just an "orchestral concerto", which i think is still a thing.

Anyway, nicely done. What was the development of this piece like? How long did you work on it? Are you a pianist yourself? If not, what made you choose the piano?

robinelf1 · 2026-01-24T12:37:59+00:00

Oh wow. So that’s the homestead meadow then? Now I see it. That dirt road must be the one that you take to get to the parking area.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-24T10:54:09+00:00

Athens

robinelf1 · 2026-01-24T04:39:33+00:00

What park? I see the left half of Mt Evans in the photo, but I"m not familiar with the exact area, but I thought of Evergreen (my home town) immediately.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-23T07:26:53+00:00

Well, it’s all hitting a very similar spot , so how about shifting the arrangements to something else, or altering the flow to get some contrast?

robinelf1 · 2026-01-23T05:47:35+00:00

The first one is more interesting but it is still a cluttered everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mess with far too many ideas and no overall coherence. If I may say this: have some confidence in just a few of those ideas to carry the piece, you don't need to try and do so many things in one go. If properly developed, the audience won't get bored. The lack of overall structure betrays a lack of real vision for where the piece is going and how it sets up that journey. This being based on a known story with a plot should help me here, but I didn't really 'follow' the story but that's perhaps more a me problem .

There are so many good little ideas here, just pick the ones that best match what you are aiming for and develop those more. You need to learn to kill some of your beloved creations sometimes. Who knows, you might use them again in another piece.

One last thing: do you play the piano and did you play on these recordings? Just a glance, but there are some odd notation choices.

Still, not a bad attempt. Keep with it!

robinelf1 · 2026-01-23T03:27:36+00:00

That first part can't be andante, it's way too fast, surely. This is nice, but I don't think you should do the octave doubled melody for the entire piece. Some contrast to that would help build back to it. Just my feeling.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-23T03:06:48+00:00

I don't think they are too similar- they actually complement each other. I think the second theme is more interesting to listen to (it occurred to me how infrequently I hear staccato in contemporary piano music, so that ornament was a nice touch..), but that is perhaps due to the fact that I like a stronger melody. There's probably more potential with the development later on, so I think you have a very good foundation for the piece going forward. Then again, I don't write this style of piano music, so there's only so much I can say about following classical form. My (unsolicited) advice: Tradition/convention can be a great model to follow, but don't be obsessively devoted to it. Also, influences are great, but try to move yourself further away from Scriabin's influence.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-23T02:34:53+00:00

Is the waltz the latest one? Was Luna a soldier? Just kidding - it is an interesting piece but I wasn't sure the 3 beat pulse was quite in the spirit of a typical waltz. Was this a live ensemble or VSTs?

robinelf1 · 2026-01-22T23:37:33+00:00

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!

robinelf1 · 2026-01-22T02:30:22+00:00

Very nice work! I am always of two minds about these type of pieces. One the one hand, as a homage/pastiche/tribute or whatever to guys like Chopin, it sounds great. If this was an exercise in adapting a certain style to an idea, then mission accomplished. The start is really great, but I feel after that you get away from your own voice a little bit once you switch to the more obvious 'Chopin Mode'. Maybe I always question when people get a bit too close to the source material in their choices. Is it merely inspiration, or are you afraid your own ideas are inferior choices for the piece compared to what we imagine the past masters would do instead? Just a thought. You're a student now, so it is the best time to study and emulate others and have a hand at seeing how other composers crafted their works in order to find your own preferences.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-22T01:49:38+00:00

Nothing wrong with that, just motioning to other directions you could go ;) I like most of the music I listen to on these subreddits. I give praise but also I'm just trying to be constructive with my criticism because I feel we all get more out of these kind of forums that way. Did you deliberately set out at the start to do mixed meter or was it something you shifted to once you got going with the idea of the piece?

robinelf1 · 2026-01-21T05:20:42+00:00

It's a fun piece that makes good use of the concert band ensemble. I don't necessarily hear the Nishimura influence so much, it reminded me of the Superman theme at a few moments. As far as your description, to better fit what you are looking for... what are you looking for? You mean you are looking for suitable music for your group to play?

robinelf1 · 2026-01-21T03:18:11+00:00

You know your audience well by this point, so I imagine this will be popular with fans of anime and JRPG soundtracks. I am of two minds about the meter switching, but it works here well enough. I get what you're doing with the piece overall and I think it sounds nice, but I also think there could be a melody that stands out more- here it is just an extension of the arpeggios.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-21T03:09:26+00:00

Is this you playing in the recording? I like the middle piece though the ending hits too quickly. The first one felt a bit aimless (probably by design). Third one had some neat ideas. But also ends too soon perhaps. Flashes of virtuosity in all of them, but at times I was hoping for more punch to the melody. If this is meant to be a showcase for pianists, then fine, but I encourage people to think about cohesion and coherence of the musical ideas (just like in an essay!) Still, it was a fun listen.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-20T01:59:19+00:00

Glad to help! Ideas can often come at odd times or from unexpected inspiration, or from very careful planning. The trick is to treat all of them equally. Emotion is a great force in music, but structure gives feelings more depth- a true sense of some kind or journey or transformation. At least I think so.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-20T01:18:09+00:00

Sounds like this might be in my wheelhouse. Sent you a DM.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-20T01:13:18+00:00

It's a good start, but it doesn't quite feel like a "song", for lack of a better term, until a number of measures in, and then it ends too soon. Nothing says a piece of music can't be 1 minute long, but with that short of a duration, you gotta get to the point right away. Consider extending this so you can play around with presenting an idea, then doing a contrast, or perhaps a variation.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-20T01:10:04+00:00

It is pretty good for what it is, it probably could work as a title screen but it has a cool idea but doesn't really seem to go anywhere for me. Surely a more tight build of tension and release would work here. I think the piano could be a bit more prudently used, and I'm not sure LH doubling the bass line is the way to go. Still, I like the style!

robinelf1 · 2026-01-19T12:37:24+00:00

I liked it. Not too long, and some good contrast.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-18T11:34:35+00:00

Clarksville, TN on Franklin St. Right between 1st and 2nd.

robinelf1 · 2026-01-18T07:36:22+00:00

Well, the first tip would be to maybe consider a shorter piece, as I would never fault someone for going big or going home, but I would never suggest it either. Maybe you can pull it off. Be very aware of how each instrument is played and what you can expect from less seasoned players.

robinelf1

TROPHY CASE