Orchestration: PART 1 (woodwinds) discussion

well, for example, if you have 4 instruments playing - let's say 2 flutes an oboe and a clarinet - you could add the second oboe then a beat later the second clarinet and a bassoon, then the second bassoon right on the climax. (I'm doing this off the cuff.. i don't have the score in front of me right now)

but the idea is that if you have a crescendo, you should "orchestrate it"... by adding instruments and "octaves" you create a new density.

Okay, I get it. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Qccowboy

well, technically, you needed to sign up at this thread:

SIGN UP HERE!!!

if you read back a bit from that post, I specify that I will only work with Finale files since I do not use Sibelius, and the work will require the ability to put in dynamics and phrase markings which are not really do-able in a MIDI file.

OOPS! I only ever came across these threads in the masterclass forum nevermind then. I'm gonna keep following this thread because it's awesome, but I wouldnt want to burden you with Sibelius files you can't open and so forth

you know you can still ask questions, however, if you have them

I plan on doing this latest exercise ASAP, have I missed any other extentions to this lesson in the last two weeks?

my recommendation is to go back and re-read the lessons.
I will be shortly removing the exercises from this thread and placing them in a separate thread under the lesson itself. that way, anyone else who wants to won't have to wade through all of our discussions to get to the exercises.

An excellent idea

I shall print off the feed of the lesson thread and read it all before I go to sleep tonight, and I shall start on the exercise first thing tomorrow.

Thanks Michel

After many hours of toil and wasted paper, I have something to post

Mark, I'd like you to go over your exercise again, with something new in mind now...

when you add or remove an instrument, consider that it thickens or lightens the texture/sound. (not to be confused with simple "loudness")

So when you remove an instrument as the phrase gains in amplitude, WHY do you do it?

I notice that you have the 2nd clarinet hand off to the 1st clarinet... but why not have BOTH clarinets continue playing from that point on? the phrase is aiming towards a crescendo, so you can afford to KEEP some of the sound mass.

And remember, the oboes are pungent, if you are looking for any sort of smoothness in sound over a phrase, the entrance of oboes will MARK an entrance almost like an accent. if two oboes come in at the same time it's even more noticable.

I think that it's important to consider the over-all timbre of a phrase when orchestrating. It the oboes are absent from the beginning, then they should only come in where their entrance will not sound like a pack of rabid kazoos attacking a beehive (no, really I LOVE oboe! ).

In that sense, since you haven't used the oboe tone in the beginning of your phrase, you should probably keep it for the forte climax as a "strengthening" of the overall woodwind tone.

Wow, this is a masterclass in the full sense of the word! I wish I had the time to participate, Qccowboy, but I am keeping an eye on this and related, upcoming threads.

Sincere thanks from the bottom of my heart.