Cello Extended Fingering Range

Cello Extended Fingering Range

Sul tasto has less limits on cello than it does on viola and violin, and may also be used quite effectively on its two lower strings in combination with tremolo. (Tip no. 90 from 100 Orchestration Tips) About a week ago, I uploaded a video that talked about the reasonable upper limit on sul tasto, pointing…
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Horns – No Key Signatures, Please!

Horns – No Key Signatures, Please!

Despite what several modern orchestration texts may claim, horn and trumpet players prefer not to have key signatures. I picked up the Alfredo Casella orchestration text in an English translation a while back. Some of the presentation of principles is truly original, and I can recommend it as a supplement to a more thorough book…
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Horns – Slurring Up vs. Down

Horns – Slurring Up vs. Down

It is much simpler to slur up on a horn than to slur down. Most non-wind and non-brass players don’t instinctively understand this, and it can lead to scoring that is much more difficult than the composer realizes. For a brass player to slur upwards, pressure must be increased and the embouchure tightened. This is…
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Horns – Lyrical Character

Horns – Lyrical Character

If you want to test the effectiveness of a horn part, simply sing it all the way through. This tip comes from my wife, the professional horn player. Too many composers have the idea that horns simply are the chucks in a “boom-chuck” – which they can do very easily. Or that horns are simply…
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Horns – Rethinking the “Horn Pad”

Horns – Rethinking the “Horn Pad”

The “horn pad,” once thought obsolete and to be avoided, still has possibilities for the imaginative orchestrator. From the Late Classical through to Romantic Periods, composers would often employ what’s come to be known as the “horn pad” – 3-part and 4-part harmony sitting softly in the background, while the strings or strings+winds dominated the…
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Horns – Differences Between Stopping and Mutes

Horns – Differences Between Stopping and Mutes

Orchestrators should learn the difference between stopped notes and muted notes on the horn, and also how to ask for mutes and give time for their installation. One bit of common knowledge in older orchestration manuals like the Piston is that composers don’t seem to differentiate between stopped notes and muted notes in scores, sometimes…
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Horns – Practical Range of Stopped Notes

Horns – Practical Range of Stopped Notes

Be mindful of range when scoring stopped horns – the best notes are inside the treble staff. The higher the pitch above top G, the greater the risk of cracking. The lower the pitch below middle C, the flabbier the tone. It’s interesting that neither Piston nor Adler (or most other texts) address the issue…
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Double Basses – Carrying the Bass Line Alone

Double Basses – Carrying the Bass Line Alone

Double basses can carry the bass part alone, but the tone of their part will be different from cellos alone, or doubling with cellos. One of the great boons of orchestration since Beethoven is the liberation of the double basses from doubling the cellos exclusively. Basses can easily hold down the bottom end while the…
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Harp – BAD SCORING – CAUTION!

Harp – BAD SCORING – CAUTION!

(Tip no. 70 from “100 Orchestration Tips,” Part 4: Harp) (and if you tl:dr this tip, it’s on your own head) (*ahem*) The harp is NOT a piano! Do not assume what works on a piano will work on harp – much of the time, it won’t! This is the biggest error I see in…
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Harp – Range of Hand Positions

Harp – Range of Hand Positions

(Tip no. 67 from “100 Orchestration Tips,” Part 4: Harp) The range of the hands is not unlimited: the right hand cannot reach far below C in the bass staff, nor is it practical for the left hand to play complex lines around the very highest strings (due to visibility issues). This is also something…
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