Critique a tune I wrote?

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Thomaston
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Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

I wrote tune a couple of months ago, and I was wondering if you guys and gals could give it a play and let me know what you think. I’m still unsure if it works better as a reel or a hornpipe. Fair warning, it has a high c in it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f90kr85hvalnt ... M.jpg?dl=0

If the Dropbox link doesn’t work, it can also be seen on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/casey.thomasto ... 20&fref=nf

Thanks in advance!
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benhall.1
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by benhall.1 »

Thomaston wrote:I wrote tune a couple of months ago, and I was wondering if you guys and gals could give it a play and let me know what you think. I’m still unsure if it works better as a reel or a hornpipe. Fair warning, it has a high c in it.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/f90kr85hvalnt ... M.jpg?dl=0

If the Dropbox link doesn’t work, it can also be seen on my Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/casey.thomasto ... 20&fref=nf

Thanks in advance!
I've 'played' it in my head. Not bad. To me, at least from playing it that way, it comes across decidedly as a reel. I might try it on an instrument or two later.
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Thomaston
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

Thanks, Ben. I certainly intended it as a reel when I set out to write it, but then once the triplets made their way in I started to wonder if if might not play better as a hornpipe.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

Incidentally, and at the risk of going political, my working title from day 1 was “Roy’s Lament” or “Moore’s Downfall.” i.e. a tune to commemorate Roy Moore’s loss to Doug Jones here in the Alabama Senate race.

This is why it’s in Aminor, a bit of a meta-joke.

[One word slightly altered :) - Mod.]
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Nanohedron »

Thomaston wrote:I’m still unsure if it works better as a reel or a hornpipe.
I only read with difficulty, and I've no instruments on hand at the moment, but I worked out the rhythm of the notes and for some reason the word "strathspey" keeps popping into my head. I'm wondering what our Chiffers of the Caledonian persuasion would have to say about this. It's not common, but I have come across the rare undotted strathspey at least once in my time.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Flexismart »

A little easier to read:

X:1
T:
R: reel
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
K: Ador
(3EFG|:Acef ~g2 fe|~d2 BG AE (3GAB|Acef ~g2 fe|d2 (3BAG BAA2|
Acef ~g2 fe|~d2 BG AEef|~g3a gf (3efg|1f2(3def (3cBA (3GAB:|2f2 (3def ed (3efg|]
|:a4 agab|c'bag (3ege d2|c3d edeg|aged cdeg|
a4 agab|c'bag (3ege d2|c3A BAGE|1DEGc BAA2:|2DEGc BA (3EFG|]
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Nanohedron »

Flexismart wrote:A little easier to read:
No, that's even worse. I'm such a by-ear person that I never developed the ability to "hear" what I'm reading very well at all. I'd be far better off with a recording - a MIDI at the very least - or a whistle to work out the dots and help me along, but without either (yes, it's true. For the time being, Nano hasn't even so much as a whistle. :o ), I'm pretty well sunk. I have a harp coming and that might have served, but the interim is of no use to anyone, is it. Sigh.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by benhall.1 »

Right. I've tried it on both flute and fiddle. I think it's way better without just about all of the triplets. Try this, and apologies for the liberties taken, but they're in the spirit of trying to help. Simplified like this, I think it's a really nice tune. Good stuff! :thumbsup:

X:1
T:Roy's Lament (or Moore's Downfall)
S:Thomaston on C&F - posted 170118 as modified BH 170118
M:4/4
R:reel
K:Ador
EG|: Acef ~g2fe | ~d2 BG AEGB | Acef ~g2fe | d2BG BA~A2 |
Acef ~g2fe | ~d2BG AEef | ~g3a gfeg |1 f2df edcB :|2 f2df edeg |]
|: a4 agab | c'bag (3eged2 | c3d edeg | aged cdeg |
a4 agab | c'bag (3eged2 | c3A BAGE |1 DEGc BAA2 :|2 DEGc BAEG|]
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Peter Duggan »

Flexismart wrote:A little easier to read:
Not to all of us!
Nanohedron wrote:for some reason the word "strathspey" keeps popping into my head. I'm wondering what our Chiffers of the Caledonian persuasion would have to say about this.
Not seeing it here, though perhaps I could if the rhythm was 'strathspeyed' up a bit.

But not sure I'm quite getting reel or hornpipe either, and suspect most of the 'reel' problem lies in the number of consecutive triplets. I'm also stopped in my tracks by the half note at the start of the B section, where I keep hearing it go straight to the following eighth notes and wanting another half note's worth to balance at the end of the section.

(Edit: or do something to break those half notes up a bit rhythmically if you want to keep the rest where it is?)
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benhall.1
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by benhall.1 »

Peter Duggan wrote:Not seeing it here, though perhaps I could if the rhythm was 'strathspeyed' up a bit.
I'm not seeing it at all.
Peter Duggan wrote:But not sure I'm quite getting reel or hornpipe either, and suspect most of the 'reel' problem lies in the number of consecutive triplets.
Try my version as above Peter. It becomes quite a flowing reel.

In line with your later comment, I found myself breaking up the half notes, with some extra rhythmic thingies (differently each time), but personally I'd be happy to keep the notation as it is, and just vary it in playing.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

Nanohedron, if you click the Facebook link, there’s a video up now if you want to hear it.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

benhall.1 wrote:Right. I've tried it on both flute and fiddle. I think it's way better without just about all of the triplets. Try this, and apologies for the liberties taken, but they're in the spirit of trying to help. Simplified like this, I think it's a really nice tune. Good stuff! :thumbsup:

X:1
T:Roy's Lament (or Moore's Downfall)
S:Thomaston on C&F - posted 170118 as modified BH 170118
M:4/4
R:reel
K:Ador
EG|: Acef ~g2fe | ~d2 BG AEGB | Acef ~g2fe | d2BG BA~A2 |
Acef ~g2fe | ~d2BG AEef | ~g3a gfeg |1 f2df edcB :|2 f2df edeg |]
|: a4 agab | c'bag (3eged2 | c3d edeg | aged cdeg |
a4 agab | c'bag (3eged2 | c3A BAGE |1 DEGc BAA2 :|2 DEGc BAEG|]
Cool, I’ll convert this and give it a shot!
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

Flexismart, that does indeed flow better. Thanks for putting the time into that.
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Nanohedron »

Thomaston wrote:Nanohedron, if you click the Facebook link, there’s a video up now if you want to hear it.
No Facebook account, so I'm sunk yet again. I'm turning out to be a real pain in the butt here, aren't I.

Okay, I copied Ben's ABC version and found an ABC-to-MIDI converter. Here are the dots:

Image

Is that about right?
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Re: Critique a tune I wrote?

Post by Thomaston »

Yep, that’s it!
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