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Yes. The Critique by Maestro feature (Compose → Critique by Maestro) gives you a structured, 32-point evaluation of any composition. Upload a MusicXML file exported from MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, or Dorico — or request a critique directly from the Master Sketchbook.
Before Maestro writes a word, a deterministic analyzer scores your composition across 32 dimensions in eight families: Intent & Style, Melody, Rhythm, Harmony & Tonality, Voice Leading & Texture, Contrapuntal Craft, Unity & Variety, and Expression & Performance. Each dimension is scored 1–5 from the note data itself. Maestro then writes a narrative critique identifying your three strongest areas, three areas to develop, and one concrete next step for your next practice session.
Critique is always on-request — never automatic. Fill in the submission form (style period, focus areas, and a brief description of your intent), then submit.
Nadia Boulanger’s harmony method, codified by Philip Lasser, lives in two places:
Boulanger’s Harmonic Standards (in the Library) is the read-only reference:
Boulanger’s Exercises (in the Practice dropdown) is where you actually do the work:
Reading the reference is analysis. Voicing chords at a keyboard and singing one line against three is the practice Nadia actually required.
Keyboard Harmony follows Nadia Boulanger’s method of building harmonic fluency at the keyboard. Five progressive levels take you from basic chord voicing through figured bass realization, transposition, melody harmonization, and the ultimate Boulanger challenge: singing one voice while playing the other three.
These exercises require a physical keyboard (MIDI or acoustic).
The Improvisation page restores the classical tradition of real-time composition that Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven all practiced. Five structured levels progress from melody over a given bass through figured bass improvisation, melody continuation, theme and variations, and fugal improvisation.
Start with Level 1 — even five minutes of daily improvisation builds fluency that written exercises alone cannot develop.
Partimento is the 18th-century Italian art of composing from a bass line. Unlike figured bass realization (which fills in predetermined chords), partimento is composition — you create melody, counterpoint, and texture above a bass that merely implies the harmonic structure.
Four levels progress from fully figured realization to unfigured composition to imitative counterpoint over a bass. Use the existing Thoroughbass Collections as source material.
Critique by Maestro is a 32-point composition evaluation tool. It accepts any composition — uploaded as a MusicXML file, or written directly in the Master Sketchbook — and returns a structured scorecard with specific strengths, growth areas, and a concrete next step.
The critique runs in two phases: first, a deterministic analyzer scores your composition across 32 dimensions from the raw note data. Then Maestro writes a narrative interpreting those scores. The scorecard shows all 32 dimensions grouped into eight families, with 1–5 bar scores and prose commentary on the three strongest and three weakest dimensions.
From notation software (MuseScore, Sibelius, Finale, Dorico):
From the Master Sketchbook: Click the ✦ Critique button in the toolbar, fill in the form, and submit.
The Melody Writing page teaches the seven principles of the beautiful line: contour, stepwise motion with strategic leaps, rhythmic variety, phrase rhythm, implied harmony, memorability, and character. Each principle is grounded in aesthetic foundations — proportion, radiance, contrast, and balance — with notation examples, audio demonstrations, and composition exercises.
The Musical Texture reference covers the four fundamental textures — monophony, homophony, polyphony, and heterophony — and teaches texture change as one of the most powerful compositional events. Includes examples from Beethoven, Barber, and Bach, plus a composition exercise that transforms the same melody through all four textures.
This reference covers dynamics, articulation, and tempo as compositional parameters — not just performance instructions, but fundamental decisions that shape the character, structure, and emotional impact of music. Includes sections on dynamics as structure, articulation as character, tempo as emotional landscape, and a complete table of standard composer markings.
The Palestrina Practice thread compares Fux’s pedagogical counterpoint rules (from 1725) with Palestrina’s actual Renaissance practice. Based on Jeppesen’s scholarly analysis, it shows a rule-by-rule comparison table revealing where the species method diverges from real Renaissance polyphony — and why both the pedagogical and historical approaches matter for learning counterpoint.
The Orchestration Assignments page contains 10 progressive orchestration exercises, from “Your First Orchestration” (a Bach chorale arrangement) through full orchestration projects (Mussorgsky Pictures, Debussy and Brahms transcriptions). Each assignment includes a piano sketch, master orchestration example, detailed orchestration notes, recommended instruments, and teaching hints.
The Notation Quiz tests your knowledge of musical notation terms with four quiz modes: selection, flashcard, multiple-choice, and matching. Filter by grade level (I–V) and category (tempo, dynamics, articulation, expression, ornaments, and more). It pairs with the full Notation Reference of 150+ terms.
New to Gradus?
Read the guided tutorial for a step-by-step walkthrough of every feature.
Maestro is your personal composition tutor — available inside every lesson. The interactive guide below shows you what he can do and how to get the most out of him.
Maestro, your personal composition tutor, can answer detailed questions about music theory, explain concepts from any lesson, and help you work through specific exercises.
Ask Maestro →