While the application of extreme dynamics varies widely in musical meaning between composers, eras, and genres, there are some general characteristics relative to the abilities of orchestral players that can be used to forge a systematic approach; giving today’s composers more confidence in scoring these markings. In my previous tip, “Extreme Dynamics, Part I: Realities…
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Use extreme caution when applying extreme dynamics, and be aware of the physical realities and limitations for your players; not to mention issues of comparative balance. Extreme dynamics have become ever more common in the modern era, and are often used in scores without any systematic application. Composers will drop in a pppp right after…
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EVERYTHING YOU DON’T NEED TO KNOW (BUT MAYBE SHOULD) ABOUT HORN BUMPERS If you were to ask the average seasoned horn player if there’s anything a composer needs to know about bumping, they’ll almost invariably tell you “No. That’s not your concern in any way. Leave that decision to us.” And yet with all respect…
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Recently in the middle of the current ongoing massive run of 165 evaluations for the 2021 Orchestration Challenge, it occurred to me just how much the horn section resembled the four hobbits of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy. This happened in the middle of an evaluation, explaining the traditional roles of each horn player;…
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The clarinet is an excellent resource for supporting and colouring harmonic and melodic texture. (Tip no. 18 from 100 Orchestration Tips, 2nd Edition) The unique resonance of the clarinet’s registers are sometimes misconstrued as too individual to blend harmonically or melodically with other instruments. But a little score-reading will immediately reveal the clarinet as the perfect mixer at a…
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Use extreme caution when scoring octave melodies for clarinets, and be aware that the overtones reinforce each other with great potency. (Tip no. 17 from 100 Orchestration Tips) Octave melodies for wind instruments of the same model are generally problematic. Rimsky-Korsakov gently advises against their use, though he opens the door for doubling by auxiliaries at…
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A year ago I woke up in the heart of the dream factory on a Thursday morning, seven thousand miles from home. It was the day everything started to fall apart… Orchestration Online In Hollywood I was in California to visit family and to help launch my latest book, 100 MORE Orchestration Tips. The official…
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When to add a slur over a glissando mark – and when not to. (Tip no. 91 from 100 MORE Orchestration Tips, to be released in 2020.) One of the most common bugaboos of the developing orchestrator is the unintentional ambiguity of their string glissando scoring. I see this all the time: a composer has scored a…
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(Tip no. 68 from 100 MORE Orchestration Tips) The reasons why xylophone can hold its own in an orchestral tutti and a marimba can’t are literally carved right into the instruments. Similar to some previous tips, here’s some information about mallet percussion that didn’t make it into 100 Orchestration Tips. Sometimes, really understanding an acoustic phenomenon helps a…
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