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After playing the piano for 3 years, I started composing my very first piano piece:
Saturday Night Waltz - G. W. Rothuizen

Credits to my friend Emily for co-creating our first piece on some nice Saturday nights just before curfew.

Please, enjoy and all tips are welcome!

Really great job! Watch that you maintain the waltz rhythm even if a gentle 1-2-3 with a slight accent (almost a sway) in the first beat. Watch a couple of waltz videos and you will get the idea

I’m impressed 🎹

Thank you @dogperson! I am still a beginner and still learning... So thanks for the honest feedback.
There are waltzes for the body and waltzes for the soul ~ Frederic Chopin

Waltzes for the soul still need to sway like waltzes for the body ~ Frederic Chopin

Nice piece, but I wouldn't call it a waltz. Has more of an Album Leaf feel to it. like the major piece is next.

-chris

CP:

Since you cross-posted in two forums, I posted this in response to your post in the ABF:

I think that there are some themes or motifs that could be made into interesting compositions. I do think that the various parts of your "Saturday Night Waltz" are
1) not all in a waltz (3/4) tempo; there are some definite 4/4 sections, and there are points in the 3/4 sections where the tempo is not maintained. I wonder if
2) the sections are too disparate, too different in mood and texture to be part of the same composition; perhaps because they are not all in waltz time. Contrast is good, of course, but somehow certain sections don't seem to relate to others.

All that said, this is just one listener's opinion, and there are germs of some good thematic material here.

Thanks for sharing.

Regards,

Thanks for your honest opinion. I can relate to what you are saying. Nevertheless, I am very satisfied with the work, I did as a first composition. Therefore, all tips are welcome and I will definitely take them with me next time.

Yes, it is quite good as a first composition, but we had hoped you would want to spiff it up. You will find that even great composers continued to refine their compositions—

That is a great point actually. I am already diving into it! Thanks again for the feedback!

Good for you! I’m excited to hear the updated version

If that is really your first effort it is very good and suggests you might do well to spend more time in the creative directions of composition and improvisation .

I like your touch when playing the piano. It works very naturally. Watch the rhythm, it's a little too free sometimes for my taste. I won't comment the composition, I'm no expert. I'll just say that I've heard things from experienced composers that I like less. Keep it going!

It's very good for a first piece. My first efforts, granted that they happened at age 12-13, but still - were noticeably worse. Some thoughts I had from both a compositional and pianistic standpoint:

1) Play around with harmonies a bit more. The little progressions you had going on sounded interesting, and felt like they want to continue and evolve, but you don't let them.
2) A waltz should maintain the 3/4 feel the whole time. The middle section would automatically make more sense then.
3) The ritenutos in the middle section felt unnecessary; they stopped the music from flowing.
4) The beginning felt slightly awkward rhythmically - i'm not sure if this is due to bad choices in writing, or problems with playing.
5) It ended abruptly, as if it was missing a few measures. If you're done writing something, or are in the process of writing, play it through in your head, and try to imagine if it should continue a little bit more or not. The form has to make sense.
6) You're over-pedalling, be careful with that
7) Keep writing and listening to a lot of music!