Brass writing without overpowering the rest

Hi I'm new to composing orchestral music. I don't have any good samples and would like to practice the writing aspect first. I'm also quite eccentric and love Kingdom Hearts. I generally write in Musescore. That being said, I have a question about brass.

How does one write brass without it overpowering the rest of the piece. I'm trying to one day write a symphony and like putting melodies on oboe (I like the sound of it playing melodies, okay) and Violin. I don't want them drowned out but want them to be incorporated organically. Got any pointers?

All the good composers of the past and present know how to write brass and make it work ... 
 

Brass is one the more potent sections.

To achieve that (some ideas):

-Keep brass for big moments.

-Double melody unison/octaves in winds / strings

-Use horns, which are softer, for thinner moments

-Don't use all the brass instruments as background

Reducing the volume in general for brass is tricky and false. Instead of that we should try to "orchestrate" that (or other) way.

Thanks Luis. Now I'm wondering how to write horn parts that don't overpower the violin or oboe. I guess I could write countermelodies on them ...

4 hours ago, RonaldPoe said:

Thanks Luis. Now I'm wondering how to write horn parts that don't overpower the violin or oboe. I guess I could write countermelodies on them ...

 

Listen to and see examples. See how Brahms (when the violin enters in 2:50) lets the orchestra to a minimum and writes soft and spicy countermelodies:

Thanks again. I've got an idea of what they're doing. The brass part is really subtle but works.

Got any more good examples of subtle brass background work that I can study? I've realized the best way to become a good composer is to learn from the Greats. From textbook examples like Beethoven, Mozart, Brahms, and Bach to Russian greats like Tchaikovsky and Shostakovitch to modern examples like Yoko Shimomura (Composer for Kingdom Hearts and the Mario RPG's among many other games) and John Williams, we're in a good time to learn.

Brass will overpower everything else in the orchestra in a full tutti - everyone playing - at anything above mf.

Make sure all important parts of the harmony are in the brass.

Other instruments double the brass at the unison, octave, 2 or 3 octaves (for the piccolo). Like, I mean, don't write a melody line for violins hoping it will be heard against full brass (as a guide, anyway. There are times when you might depending what's going on in your score).

Regard 2 horns as equalling one trumpet / trombone in volume at anything above f. Not very precise but a good start.

At f and ff, space the chord notes wide in the lower register. Put each instrument in its brightest register.

At p and pp, space the chord notes more closely. At low volume balance is less of a problem.

Don't keep players on the high notes longer than necessary. It's tiring.

As with much else in orchestration it's about balance. 

Elgar's Symphony 2 and Walton's Symphony 1 are full of excellent brass scoring.