Orchestration: A New Approach

Norman Ludwin teaches the next generation of film composers and orchestrators as a faculty member of the UCLA Extension Film Scoring Program, has orchestrated such blockbusters as Jurassic World and Star Trek Into Darkness, and has the inside perspective as a veteran of many concerts and film/TV scoring calls. But more than that: he’s a great explainer, with a very thorough level of understanding in the way the orchestra works. His approach, out of all other orchestration text writers I’ve read, is the closest to my own. And yet his direction is unique, original, engaging, and quite thorough. He has a series of six e-books titled Orchestration: A New Approach that comes with detailed illustrations breaking down the functions of a page of orchestration, backed up by audio samples. Anthologies for score-reading and analysis cover the great orchestrators and composers from the classical era to today. Supplying contemporary scores for study is always rare and precious, and for that monumental effort alone, Ludwin deserves high praise. Highly recommended.