Hello Sherry,

The timpani and bass you've added indeed fill out the lower range of notes that this piece seems to want.

The timpani works well for me, as it is used sparingly, and adds extra sparkle in the low register as opposed to a steady beat keeper.

The bass doesn't work for me. I tried changing the instrument from bass section to tuba solo, and that seem more in character with balance of brass and strings.

Some of notes in the bass worked for me when they grounded the harmony at some crucial moments. At other times, the notes in the bass got in the way of the piece, I felt, for various reasons:
* The rhythm was too regular, like the bass was trying to tell the rest of the players where the barlines and half beats were so that they would all get their rhythms right.
* Shifts in the octaves played by the bass happened to much on barlines. Interest can be added by doing things off the beat.
* Too many of the notes were the roots of chords. The bass should be given the opportunity to play the 3rd, 5th, and 7th of chords.
* Passing notes between members of chords can work great in the bass. An attempt or two at this, however, was not convincing because the passing notes were not passing between convincing harmony notes.

Here's a post of your latest version of Stars, with comments that I've added to the bass track.

<center><table border=1><tr><td>Stars_20_GPO_timpani_and_bass-With-Comments-by-Mark.not
Stars_20_GPO_timpani_and_bass-With-Comments-by-Mark.not (108.5 k)</td></tr></table></center>

These are all just my opinions. I wouldn't normally offer this much critique, but I feel more entitled to do this, since we're collaborating on a piece that I originally drafted.

Cheers
-- Mark