May 24, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
Ten Seconds per Texture The ear/brain needs about ten seconds to adjust to and digest a new musical texture so changing orchestration colours roughly in that tempo is something that feels quite natural/interesting and is easy to digest for our brain. However using...
May 17, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
Problematic Woodwind Unisons Intonation on woodwind instruments is sometimes quite trickier and way more problematic than samples might make you believe. There are few configurations where slight intonation differences become very obvious: 1. Avoid exposed unisons on...
May 10, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
Practice Working With Limitations As a learning orchestrator and composer you should practice a lot to work with limitations, especially if you want to eventually work with real musicians. While it is great to know how to write for a huge orchestra with all...
Apr 19, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
Excessive String Divisi Many composers coming from the sample world tend to use massively split up string sections. Things like triads in the violas alone, several different violin movements at the same time etc. are very common. While this might work in the sample...
Apr 12, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
Glockenspiel Orchestral Use The Glockenspiel is a fantastic instrument to highlight soft chords or double a melody. It works especially well to play the highest note of a pointillistic chord or line on the Glockenspiel. However, when doubling very active melodies on...
Apr 5, 2019 | Daily Film Scoring Bits, Orchestration
“Bells Up” on French Horns For French Horns there is quite often seen in score sheets a request to put the “Bells up” which is supposed to give them some extra volume and brassyness. Even some sample patches are available that cover this technique. Among...
