Alex Weidmann

Turns out the BBCSO issue was down to Spitfire, not MuseScore. It seems they've updated their software recently, and done it in a particularly stupid way, forcing customers to re-download every single instrument pack one by one from scratch!

Far as I know, this Ravel prelude from 1913 has never been orchestrated before (unless any of you know different?) So here is my attempt. I've used fermata of various lengths to create rubato. I wonder if I should use more dynamics? (Though MuseScore tends to exaggerate them.)

I like the orchestration: it's very cinematic, with moments of contrast, tension and release. You don't often see a basset horn these days! I tend to associate those with Mozart, as I think he used them in his requiem.

Thanks Mark! I seem to have caught the orchestration bug recently. Have made another one today, this time of a never previously orchestrated Prelude by Ravel.

This one's so short and beautiful, I couldn't resist orchestrating it tonight! Whilst working on it, I discovered a weird bug in MuseScore, that causes low dynamic quaver triplets to be played as semiquavers, with an extra note added to the front! Seems to affect all instruments. After about an hour of fiddling around, I finally managed to get rid of it by raising the dynamics of that phrase to mezzo forte. They also seem to have broken vst3 support, as my copy of Spitfire BBCSO lite will no longer load. I just get a Spitfire control box with an error message. Wondered if anyone else here is having the same problems?

How about this version? I've basically split the difference between the tempo of my original rendition, and the piano performance mentioned above. Also added lots of tempo variations.

Thanks Peter, will try speeding it up. I couldn't find a metronome mark for this piece: so was trying to use my musical instincts! Think it probably should be a bit slower in the orchestral version, as it seems to work better that way; but I probably went too far. Actually haven't done Ravel before. So far I've orchestrated Debussy and Schumann.

Hi to all. Here's my latest attempt at orchestration practice. This one's from a piano miniature by Ravel. Haven't put all the slurs and fermatas in yet; but it's otherwise more or less complete. (N.B. Later revisions are attached lower down the thread.)

Thanks, I might give that a go! I'm actually doing Ravel's "Menuet sur le nom d'Haydn" next. (In fact it's almost finished.)

Thanks Peter, I'll give that a try. In the meantime, I've made a few tweaks to the piece, and added some extra material. Hopefully this makes the transitions sound a bit smoother.

Hi to all. This piano work was inspired by Nobuo Uematsu's music from Final Fantasy X. I feel like it's not a great piece, probably because it's been revised too many times, and sounds disjointed as a result. But interested to know what you think!

That's actually easy to change. When the first note of the phrase is selected, Control-T brings up the little speaker icon above the staff. Then you click on it, and select "classic phrasing". (Why they've chosen to have portamento phrasing by default is beyond me!)

No I was actually looking at 170-173. It doesn't look diatonic there because of the recurring A natural. Is this E flat Lydian Dominant?

Yes, in the UK we always use concert pitch for the conductor's score. I let MuseScore handle the transposing instrument part scores; but always check them for mistakes.

I notice some interesting enharmonic spelling choices. E.g. Bar 32, you've got a Bb minor triad between the celli and violas, spelled with a C# instead of a Db. Then in some places you have lots of flats, and I think you're changing mode here, rather than moving to a different diatonic key? Wondered if it was difficult to choose which spelling to use? Sometimes when my music gets very chromatic, I find I need different spelling in the transposing instruments, which is an added complication! Seems to apply especially to Bb instruments, like clarinet and trumpet.