Here is a link to a piece I created, a project I thought up about 4 months ago.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9RkLp5PzeM
Comments encouraged. Is it total crap? A work of genius?

Somewhere in between, I would say
What do you think of it yourself ? Does it in any way invoke some exotic bird's flight ?

First, what does "Полет Филин" mean?

IMO, this piece is by no means "total crap", but it is quite "genius" either. I think that it could first stand a bit more subtlety in its performance. The very straight forward performance is somewhat at odds with the serenity of the video. It could come off better on an acoustic piano with a bit more pedal and/or reverb. There is a bit of a sense of unfulfilled impressionism.

The other thing to me is that your development is cut short. It begins to sound as if it is leading towards a climax and then nothing. It stops, returns to a quote from the beginning and ends with an arpeggio.

In short, I think that you have some good ideas but that you need to explore their possibilities some more.

Scott

@ all thanks for the feedback. It is hard to come by pianists who offer feedback, and certainly the feedback I get on YouTube is half the time derogatory and unhelpful, and half the time it seems like the only people who post comments to my videos are under the age of 15—Copy “unhelpful.”

@ Chris I thought you would be less kind! What do I think of it myself? I prefer not to say. It is similar to when someone asks if I am a pleasure to be with, I could say “yes, I am the most enjoyable person to be around, hang out with,” though others tell me differently, sometimes the exact opposite, that I am annoying and boring to be around. As to whether the piece invoke the flight of a Eurasian Eagle-Owl, I do not know, I have never seen one fly, or if I have I did not know it was a Eurasian eagle-owl at the time. It is simply a title that I hope catches the attention of people. Possibly the glissando in the piece brought a birds flight to mind?

@ Scott it means ‘Flight of the Eurasian Eagle-Owl.’ Or it is supposed to mean that if the translation site is correct. I see. Yes, I realize that the dreamy type of harmony that might be expected from a flight of a bird fell short of delivery, thanks for the feedback. “
Maybe the piece could be longer? When I compose (or what I like to call compose) I like to create short pieces. Long pieces are nice, but shorter pieces seem to hold attention longer. If I create a longer piece I feel I will bore the audience and the harmony will be slackened. Great Composers have shown that pieces can be long and still have fire after so many minutes, such as Tchaikovsky and Holst to name a couple. Thanks again for the feedback.

Lengthening the piece from 1:40 to say 2:00 or 2:30 even would hardly constitute "Long". And yet, there are incoherent pieces of music that barely last a minute that seem interminable (e.g. Webern -- o.k. I am not fond of his pointless pointalistic abberations ). The main thing to consider is what the material requires to tell its story. In this case, it is a bit as if you left out some important point to the story. Your eagle started to soar but never quite makes it. Was it shot down by a hunter or did it run into a skyscraper that is just out of view. (Sorry for the bizarre metaphores).

Scott

@ Scott

Thanks for the feedback



I have yet to listen to Webern, but thanks for the reference. I like that you say I should tell a story, and I don't find your metaphors entirely bizzare, but the two scenarios would make for a groody piece I bet. Here is my stab at storytelling through this piece:

Keys: C above middle C – F above middle C – F# above middle C - D# above middle C
It is nighttime. The young Eurasian Eagle Owl awakes in the comfortable nest her mom and dad made for her. She notices her mother and father are gone. A small sign of terror overcomes the bird, she knows that she depends on them.

Keys all on C above middle C: D# - F – D# - C# - D# - A#
Deciding to take an evening flight, she furls her wings and takes off from the branch on the tall tree the nest is set on. The beauty of the stars above, and the green forest below are tranquil and please the bird, and for the time being, she enjoys the night and the rush of wind on her feathers—I love this!

Chords: middle C diminished, Eb Minor, D Augmented
The bird feels a wave of loneliness. She remembers the good times she had with her father bringing home food and her mother teaching her how to fly… this nostalgia is recalled in the G # arpeggio.

Chords D# to C# dance
Two birds descend into her place in the sky as she starts to lose hope. It is her parents. The three fly in a majestic group back to the nest

Quote from the beginning
The bird wakes up in the morning, happy it was all a dream.

Kind of short, but can't a person make a story out of anything? I guess some stories are told better than others.