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My plan for the senior summit project is to compose a series of duets for violin and piano using Noteflight, a music notation software. I want to incorporate a variety of genres that I enjoy to play and listen to, this includes jazz, blues, classical and baroque styles to compliment the violin.

I was first introduced to Noteflight when I heard one of my brother’s compositions. It sparked my interest to compose and led to the creation of this project.

I’ve never composed before, so I view this project as beneficial to my growth as a musician. It’s possible someone could benefit by listening, or by playing my duets. After all, it happened to me.

Since there’s a steep learning curve involved, I see this project as academically worthy. It requires more understanding of song structure and music theory to be successful.

With the little knowledge I have, I see this project as a stretch of my current skills. Composing music interests me, it has been a dream of mine to share with the world, so I’ll have the drive to do my best. Therefore, I’ll learn, and retain more information, making this project more beneficial to my progress as a musician.

If I have composed two solid duets, and documented my entire project by April, I will consider it a success. Despite what happens, this project will be a great learning experience.

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So far, I haven’t accomplished much, but I’m right on track. I’ve created a noteflight account (the music notation software I’m using), and have got used to all of its features. My next step is going to be composing a song I’ve had an idea for some time now. I plan on composing the piano part first then I’ll write out the solo violin part. When that’s done, I’ll let my mentor and Orchestra teacher Mrs. Johnson sight-read my composition. She’ll provide helpful feedback, telling me what works and what doesn’t. That’s pretty much it for now. I haven’t encountered any major problems or roadblocks, so that’s good, but if there’s anything I have learned during this project it’s this: I need total independence when it comes to composing my songs, so that it’s my creative process not the product of someone else.

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Artifact #1 - Progress Made On My First Duet

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Artifact #1 - Progress Made On My First Duet

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After spending 2 hours composing my first duet, I made good progress towards finishing it. It's left me inspired and hopeful for the outcome of my other duets.

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It's been awhile since I started, but here's my first duet titled "Unity"

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Artifact #3 - The Chord Progression Used In "Unity"

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Artifact #3 - The Chord Progression Used In "Unity"

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I wanted to keep it simple, so I used one of the most common chord progression in my first duet.

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The recording is exported from Noteflight, so the quality isn't perfect.

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Today, I've started composing my second duet which is going to incorporate more jazz elements. Hopefully this will make the duet stand out among the others.
So far, I've been completing a couple of hours of research/reading, composing. and practicing each week. This includes learning about song structure to playing the piano for inspiration.
I've really enjoyed every step of my project. It's fun to learn and put into practice what's meaningful to you. That sort of thing is reserved for college or a career, so having that freedom to choose your project on anything that excites you, really pushed me to do my best.

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Artifact #5 - Progress Made On My Second Duet

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Artifact #5 - Progress Made On My Second Duet

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I'll be composing the finishing touches tomorrow!

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This duet was inspired by The Ink Spots, and is titled "Peace"

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Artifact #7 - The Chord Progression Used In "Peace"

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Artifact #7 - The Chord Progression Used In "Peace"

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Interesting fact, this chord progression was very common during the swing era of jazz. You’ll often hear it being used in gypsy jazz and even in traditional gospel music too.

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One of my favorites to compose, "Peace" incorporates what you love about jazz with a hint of swing. (All of the recordings are directly from Noteflight)

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This weekend, I began composing my third and final duet for my project. My chord progression will utilize 7th's, so  it will have a jazz feel to it, but it will remain ambiguous, and up to the listener.
After finishing my second duet, I started slowly composing this duet, so far I've completed the chord progression and now I'm working to implement the piano harmony.
Finally, I plan on sharing my thoughts and opinions about my entire project in my upcoming blog post.

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Artifact #9 - Progress Made On My Third Duet

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Artifact #9 - Progress Made On My Third Duet

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Almost done! Just waiting a few days before I compose the finishing touches.

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My final duet is self-titled "Love." I'll make the chord progression and recording available soon.

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Artifact #11 - The Chord Progression Used In "Love"

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Artifact #11 - The Chord Progression Used In "Love"

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For continuity, I wanted to keep the progression simple, so that It'll give me the most freedom.

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"Love" incorporates the best qualities of the violin and piano to create this lovely duet. (All of the recordings are directly from Noteflight)

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BLOG POST #4 - Completed Composition and Reflection

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BLOG POST #4 - Completed Composition and Reflection

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↑ Here you can view my entire collection of duets.

This year has taken a 180 degree turn, but luckily my project doesn't revolve around what's being impacted right now,. Over these past couple of weeks, with all this time to reflect, I'm really happy about what I composed. I took what I played on the piano for fun, and turned it into a song I can play forever. It's also been a motivation to keep practicing and writing! I know this is only the start, so I can't wait to see, and hear what's to come of this.

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Music From the Heart A Collection of Duets by Kevin Struna