AOC 009: My Principles of Orchestration

Episode 9 of the Art of Composing Podcast. In this episode, you'll learn some valuable questions to ask yourself before orchestrating anything, and then my technique to efficiently learn the art of orchestration.
What is in this episode:

* Why you shouldn't orchestrate... yet.
* Valuable questions to find out if you are ready for orchestrating your own music.
* My technique for orchestrating your own pieces quickly, efficiently, and without getting overwhelmed.

Listen to the Final Orchestration of Sketchy Business From the Podcast

Download the Score and Sketch Sheet
Here is an example of a descriptive sketch. Notice, just the melody, the chords, and a description of what I want to do.



That is followed with actually sketching ideas. Here is Section 1.



Section 2.



Section 3.



I then turn it into a full score, which you can hear and see below.



Sketchy Business - Score and parts

Sketchy Business - Sketch
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Resources and Links Mentioned in this Episode:

* The Study of Orchestration (Third Edition)
* Sibelius
* Noteperformer

Transcript
Welcome
Hey everyone, we're back with another art of composing podcast. In this episode, we are going to learn about orchestration. What is it, and why you should or shouldn't be doing it. We are also going to go over, my technique for orchestrating small, practice pieces that sharpen your orchestration skills.
Featured Content
Orchestration, the technique of composing for orchestra is something that everyone needs to eventually learn. But when you are just starting off, I liken it to treasure hunting on the beach. You walk around with a metal detector, (aka your ear), looking for a chest of buried gold from 200 years ago. Turns out, all you find are the occasional bottle cap, maybe a quarter, and a lot of wasted time.

So my first question to you is - why are you orchestrating?

Just like many of you, I attempted to orchestrate pieces of music when I was younger. And I still have those files on my computer. Guess what, they're pretty terrible.

I mean, maybe I shouldn't be so hard on myself, I was 15 at the time, and I just wanted to copy what I heard from my favorite composers. There is nothing wrong with that desire. But just realize, your first attempts to orchestrate anything, unless you happen to have a perfect memory, and an absolutely phenomenal ability to transcribe, well they're going to be bad.

I am just going to say it. Beginning composers generally shouldn't orchestrate. At least not in the way they think they should.

Now there are many reasons for this, and we will talk about them in just a little while, but I think the main reason is, because there is just a lot of stuff you need to know, to orchestrate well. Certain things seem easier, especially with music notation software like Sibelius, but in reality,