Concerto in D Minor for Cello and Strings

[@ethanhcomposer]

Good stuff man! Just some constructive criticism if you don’t mind 😄 I love the waltz-y vibes that you’ve achieved (it’s almost Shostakovich)! I would add contrabass to make a full string orchestra-I think it’d give some power and depth into the texture. You also could consider changing the tutti’s texture especially during the solo cello parts-one of the most important things to keep in mind while composing a concerto for any instrument is the soloist vs the orchestra-you don’t want to overpower the soloist! This is some really nice stuff, and can’t wait to hear more of your music!

[@schlu]

I will keep that in mind. Thank you!

[@michaelhampner7672]

I am so glad that I know your music. Just awesome.

[@JoeJohnson-w9p]

OUTSTANDING! The textures throughout are incredible, you never fail to impress me Schlu!

[@MoranaromOscaracso]

Keep up the amazing work. I feel you will be one of the greats

[@SalvatoreGarauSalis]

Absolutely wonderful. You have such a bright future ahead.

[@CallMeCaleb-w2i]

HOLY SH*T I LOVE THIS

[@Dreaming_Genio]

Beautiful work! 🙏🏼

[@lydiandominant]

Ya got a new subscriber!! The B part made me cry 😢😢😢 This is quality music! Please keep making. ❤❤

[@schlu]

I'll keep writing for the rest of my life.

[@yaojo27]

This seems like it'd be fun to play. Big fan of the pastorale section too. Few things from a cellist's perspective: - You can leave most of the bowings out and have just phrase markings. A few here or there help if you know exactly what kind of sound and how to get it on the cello, but the rest we can intuit. We also usually come up with our own bowings that work but try keep the overall phrasing intact (e.g. how many editions of the Saint Saens, Elgar, and Schumann there are out there) alongside our own interpretation. - The bowing is a bit awkward going into m. 65 since it lands on an Up bow based on the bowing you give. This might be one of the cases I gave above but since you're alive we can just ask. - If you want an open string in any particular spot you can definitely write it in if you want that sound. [H] would certainly be convenient to play an open string and it would probably sound the best since everyone is at full blast. Things in the score I'd have questions about if it were a reading rehearsal: How exactly would you want the piu mosso section in [B] phrased? You've down-up-up at the start of the piece, but the phrasing changes in the render. I'm personally a fan of the connected phrasing MuseScore 4 does. Slurring the last two notes of the measure would probably be the most common instinct of other cellists reading this but I could just be projecting.

[@schlu]

Thanks a lot for the thoughtful comment. I am rather a novice in the cello, so I asked my teacher for help with the fingerings. MuseScore actually turned off the staccato on notes beneath slurs, so I had to use cluttered bow markings instead. Additionally I am not yet fully familiar with what is comfortable to play for strings and what is more tedious. The più mosso shouldn't be over-shot. There should be left room for some rubato during the crescendo. But I still want it to be noticable in the sense as to get you into the mood for [C]. I have revised the sheet music a number of times, so it might differ from the rendered sound or notation in the video. Thank you for your insights - I've always been pedantic about the bowing symmetry across players, so I'll keep it in mind. Might spare me a bit of struggle.

[@thermalbug]

Good god man! I could not tell that the solo cello wasn't real.. or maybe it was? Wow. That is great writing.

[@schlu]

Thank you so much! Sounds convincing, doesn't it?

[@thermalbug]

What sound library does the solo cello come from? I would love to use it.

[@Tomanut]

​@@thermalbugIt's MuseSounds in MuseScore and it's completely free.

[@thermalbug]

I see now it was Musescore sound library. I have not tried it yet...yet.

[@Lil_Burla1249]

hey! this is absolutely AMAZING! it would be cool if you could add the individual scores for each section if possible. thank you!

[@schlu]

I updated the link :)

[@max_mussi]

Oh my god... This is actually astounding, great even. The depth and the richness is on point. The piece seems a bit aimless tho, but that doesn't significantly diminishes the overall quality of the work. I truly believe you are one of the greatest composers I've stumbled upon in this site, to a point that I wholeheartedly believe my life would've been diminished haven't I found your works. Sometimes I wish I did not want to be a composer, I always try to give up, but I can't, I keep picking up composing over and over again, but I only write mediocre pieces. Your music is so lighthearted and beautiful that it makes composing seem easy. I think I will pickup composing again, its been like 3 months since I last opened Musescore. Keep dreaming man.

[@schlu]

You already are a composer. Never tell yourself otherwise. I often share the exact same doubts and went through so many ups and downs the past 2 years. Points at which I saw no Improvement for a month straight, but I just keept myself motivated by simply loving music. My advice for you is the following: - Improvise and exore the keys. Get a feeling for how the notes and harmonies work, and just let loose. - Compose more in your head. Try to not just place notes in MuseScore to hear them. Imagine it in your head - then write it down. - Don't rush yourself. You love doing it and you know that you do - so just do it because it's fun and not because someone wants you to be Beethoven by the end of the year. Do infact keep dreaming, it's a human thing to do, but don't let your dreams distract you.

[@Graythegae]

This is really cool! So one thing you might hear being thrown around by composers and cello teachers is that writing cello concertos is hard because the lower end of the cello range is hard to hear. The upper register (I’m talking like E4 and above) is much more audible. If this is for a friend that specifically requested not much thumb position, cool, but I would highly recommend throwing a lot of this up an octave. If you’re worried about range, just know that the cello can go up to A6 and higher. Also if you’d like to keep the pastorale range, maybe consider thinning out the texture, having some instruments drop out occasionally to help with balance. Overall pretty good string writing!

[@sh3rberttMD]

Love it! I always admired your quartet work but this is definitely something else awesome to add to your list of amazing pieces! :)

[@user-qt2ys3qq5h]

Love love love your work! is there any hope that you will provide individual parts for this cello Concerto? Our cellist loves it and we are hoping for manageable parts for our amateur quartet. thank you so much for the lovely music you have made available. Ganz toll!

[@schlu]

I'll try not to forget it. Maybe I'll have the scores cleaned up and ready to go by friday :)

[@user-qt2ys3qq5h]

@@schlu that would be so amazing! thank you for the quick response. We are a group of amateur string players in Portland Oregon, and we love your pieces: most recently obsessing on Daydream. So hard to find intermediate pieces that are interesting for the cello. Anyway thank you again!

[@schlu]

I updated the link in the description. Any fingerings and bowings are just suggestions (since I'm an amateur myself), so you don't need to take them at face value. Have fun and, if you ever feel like recording the piece and uploading it, I would be absolutely delighted to hear it :)

[@user-qt2ys3qq5h]

Oh my gosh thank you So much! This is so appreciated and our cellist will be thrilled. We get together on Sunday, and will try it out. Just can't thank you enough for the response and taking the time to make this available. Feels like an early Christmas present 😊

[@user-qt2ys3qq5h]

I saw on your comments that you have a Patreon account , but I cannot find on the website. If there is a link, please send. Thank you!

[@nnvlogs5027]

AMAZING! Liked and subbed

[@jakgok182]

honestly speaking this piece is too short to be a concerto. You should name this as concertino or concert waltz for solo cello or something

[@musicgamer8024]

fair, but if he’s aiming for a more baroque style, then a concerto would work

[@SamuelRamirez-pv9jd]

Excellent piece, the textures are super incredible, the second part is incredible, could you share the individual parts of the orchestra or the midi in the description? If you do not mind.

[@schlu]

Sorry for the delay ~ I updated the link with all scores

[@guilhermeportellaabreu8072]

Amazing bro ❤️🤌🏻

[@romulocastilhovioloncello5929]

Ohh my god 😢 beautiful

[@sebastianmartini2222]

Hermoso bro!!

[@romulocastilhovioloncello5929]

I wonder if I could play this concerto? I need the sheet music for the cello part

[@schlu]

Give me 10 minutes

[@schlu]

Ok, done! I added the Solo Part in the description. Thank you so much!

[@schlu]

The sheet music is not final and I will add some fingerings and corrections after I consoled with my Cello Teacher next week. For example in mesure 135 you can switch the bottom E of the octaves for the empty A string - makes that part a lot easier.

[@nicudelpapa4056]

This is beautiful, honestly feel inspired. Loved the harmony around measure 172 and what comes right after, what is it?

[@schlu]

Glad I could inspire someone :) Measure 172-174 could be interpreted in a multitude of ways, but I thought about it as a 4 to minor 4 to dominant, with the cromatic movement in the thirds as the bass. The Dm7 is actually a Bb79, just drop the bass. The dominant (m174) then resolves to the subdominant Bb instead of the tonic F, leading into A7, the dominant to the parallel minor key. Then it's just a II-V-I in the dominant key, Dm - G7 - C7.

[@nicudelpapa4056]

@@schlu Thank you so much, I tried to analyze that section for a bit, but was getting it wrong in some places, you are very helpful

[@schlu]

There are no composer wanna-be-s, only composers ;) One thing that helpes me a lot when composing is that I improvise in my free time. I gained a lot of harmony knowledge through exploring the keys, while analizing what I'm doing. I also looked at the most common chord progressions in jazz and used them as a basis for experimentation.

[@nicudelpapa4056]

@@schlu True to that! Thank you for being so open to my question and kind enough to throw some tips my way, I'll be sure to learn something from there :)

[@PeanutButterPope]

Wow

[@theodorbj]

when is it dropping on spotify?

[@schlu]

Good input. Didn't upload anything on Spotify for quite some time. Might actually overhaul my Account when I have some time to spare.

[@theodorbj]

@@schluNice, you’ve got me very impressed with this. I have composed a bit myself, but this is totally out of my league. 👏👏

[@schlu]

Glad to hear. Learning by doing. I literally have hundreds of unfinished sketches on the PC. Have manly just been composing for the past 3 years. It's the most fulfilling thing I can do :)

[@samuelungar6528]

I really like the composition style, though I feel like the solo could be more virtuostic/expressive. Really fun waltz-y vibes though.

[@schlu]

Thank you. I haven't been playing Cello for very long, so I am not yet perfectly familiar with the advanced technical aspects of strings. I always want to assure playablity and such so I like to test the fingerings myself. But I could step it up a bit - that's true. I might let my teacher show me a few more virtuos techniques. Thanks for the input!

[@lydiandominant]

Ya got a new subscriber!! The B part made me cry 😢😢😢 This is quality music! Please keep making. ❤❤