orchestration – Page 2 – Jooyoung's Music Blog

Orchestration Basics – Woodwinds (2)

This article was written on January 12, 2023.

Hello? This is Jooyoung Kim, a mixing engineer and music producer.

It’s already been almost a month since I wrote Woodwinds(1)… I’ve been so busy these days that I’ve been spending time just thinking about it, but after seeing a comment from a subscriber saying that he was enjoying it and that he was waiting for it, I cheered up and wrote this article… haha.

So, let’s get started right away!

Flute & Piccolo

The flute we generally think of is the Western Concert Flute, which is an instrument based on the key of C. Additionally, the Piccolo is about half the length of the Flute and sounds exactly one octave higher.

Piccolo is a transposing instrument whose notation and actual sound differ by one octave.

In addition, the Alto Flute is also often used. It is a transposed instrument whose actual sound is a full 4 degrees lower than the notated sound, and is also called a G-key instrument.

Because the sound of the piccolo is high and small, it is often used together with the flute for doubling, and in most cases, it is not used independently. You can think of it as similar to the relationship between Cello and Contrabass.

The flute is in charge of the soprano among woodwind instruments, so it produces the clearest and highest-pitched sound.

Therefore, in general orchestration, the notes above the lines on the staff are mainly used.

Oboe

Oboe is often made of ebony or rosewood and is dark in color.

It has a very strong melodic character, making it difficult to use as an accompaniment instrument, and its tone is unrivaled. Therefore, in orchestration, when an interesting dissonant interval such as an augmented fourth is required, it is almost always used in the Oboe.

As a side note, in the final exam for the orchestration class at the school I attended, points were deducted if the augmented fourth was placed on another instrument instead of on the oboe…^^;;

Also, it is a double reed instrument that uses two reeds, and one of its characteristics is that it is difficult to play.

The English Horn (Cor Anglais) is the most commonly used Oboe instrument. It is an instrument in the key of F, a perfect fifth lower than the Oboe, and similarly, the actual sound sounds a perfect fifth lower than the notated sound.

Since the length is 1.5 times that of Oboe, if you think about the relationship between frequency and wavelength, you can understand why there is a complete 5 degree difference in sound.

There is a curved pipe called Crook, and the name Cor Anglais comes from the meaning that this Crook has an angle (Anglais).

Clarinet

Clarinet is an instrument created by combining the instruments Clarino and Chalumeau. Therefore, it contains the characteristics of both instruments, and the tones are specially distinguished according to these characteristics.

It has a wide range of sounds and a variety of techniques, so it is used a lot in modern music. The color is not too flashy, so it blends in well with the ensemble and has a good effect.

There are instruments in the key of Bb and key of A, and the A-key Clarinet has a heavier and more profound tone than the Bb. The written pitch below is based on Clarinet on Bb.

In Clarinet, the sound ranges are divided into five categories and given names. The characteristics are different accordingly.

1) Chalumeau: This is the lowest register of the Clarinet and has a profound and lyrical tone.

2) Throat tone: It has a thin and narrow tone as if a foreign substance is stuck in the throat, and is a very vulnerable sound range. Therefore, it is also a vocal range favored by modern music composers.

3) Break: This is the semitone section between Throat Tone and Clarino. It is difficult to trill quickly with a conventional Clarinet. So be careful when you need Trill. These days, there are cases where this has been improved.

4) Clarion, Clarino: This is a stable and melodic part. All playing techniques are possible, and even difficult and fast passages are possible.

5) High Range: The range above that is stable up to G, but if it goes up further, it can sound sharp and irritating. In soft sounds, it can sound similar to a flute. It is used a lot in modern music.

In addition, the most commonly used instrument among the Clarinet Family is the Bass Clarinet. The Bass Clarinet sounds one octave lower than the regular Clarinet, and is also a transposition instrument in the key of Bb. Like Flute and Piccolo, it is often used for doubling.

There are two types of transposition notation: the German method, which uses a major 2nd upward, and the French method, which uses a major 9th upward. Most of the time, the French method is used.

Bassoon

Bassoon is an instrument that plays the bass part of a woodwind instrument. Like Cello and Contrabass, Contrabassoon, which doubles in the low notes due to the sound tab, is also often used.

Compared to other instruments responsible for low sounds, the volume is not very loud, and assuming that all the wound tubes are stretched out, it is a very large instrument at 2.95 meters.

Also, like the Oboe, it is a double reed instrument, and is played with a reed attached to the end of a curved tube called a “crock”. Various playing techniques such as Staccato, Double, and Triple Touging are possible, and Tremolo is also effective, but Tremolo above 4 degrees is difficult. Like the Cello, the Tenor staff is also often used.

Because it is not a transposed instrument, the actual sound and notation are the same. It is difficult to produce a very soft sound like PPP, and the midrange works well. High registers don’t sound good, so the effect is somewhat reduced.

It is effective if you add the sound in the low range so that it is heard more clearly than the melody.

Contrabassoon, like Contrabass, focuses more on bass reinforcement. It is one octave lower than the Bassoon and can sound three degrees lower than the Contrabass.

Like the contrabass, it is a transposition instrument whose actual notes are played one octave lower than the notated notes. It has poor agility and quickness, and double and triple tonguing is difficult. Therefore, it is not suitable for strong drinks.

There is also an instrument called Subcontrabassoon, which is one octave lower than Contrabassoon.

Woodwinds Organization

Unlike strings, woodwind instruments each have a unique sound, so when put into an orchestra, the number of instruments is very small compared to strings.

Even in full orchestras, there are usually two or three groups per woodwind instrument, and sometimes four groups. For a chamber size, 1 to 2 units are sufficient.

If it is an orchestra piece that includes woodwind instruments, it is usually a large orchestra, so panning can be done according to the normal orchestra composition. Since most virtual instruments in an orchestra composition are recorded at a fixed location, panning is often pre-configured, so you don’t have to think about panning.

In a woodwind quartet or quintet, it is common for instruments responsible for the low range, such as the Bassoon, Horn, and Oboe, to be placed in the middle.

The remaining instruments are used in various ways, including left and right.

Orchestration Basics – Woodwinds (1)

This article was written on December 18, 2022.

As discussed in string instruments, old classical instruments are based on the roles of the four voices: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass.

The same is true for woodwind instruments, and each instrument can be paired with the roles below.

1) Soprano – Flute
2) Alto – Clarinet
3) Tenor – Oboe
4) Bass – Bassoon

If it is difficult to determine the role of an instrument, it is a good idea to infer it from the length of the instrument. In general, the longer the tube, the lower the pitch, so it is responsible for the lower register, and the shorter the tube, the higher the pitch, so it is responsible for the high register.

As a side note, in woodwind quintets, horns, a brass instrument, are used, and they say they are included because they fill out the sound by gently enveloping the sound of the woodwind instruments.

The saxophone is also classified as a woodwind instrument, but it is often used like brass instruments, such as in big band brass, and is used more in jazz than classical music, so we will not cover it here.

Transposing Instrument

Among wind instruments, there are particularly many transposed instruments. The reason why so many transposed instruments were created was to avoid frequent temporary accidental by using instruments that match the key.

Transposing the score to fit the instrument and changing the transposed score back to its original key are very important when learning orchestral music. However, personally, I think there is no need to do it because all programs these days have a transpose function.

Still, there are some things I feel when I write them down on staff paper.

If you practice arranging in a classical style without many instruments, it might be a good idea to give it a try.

The photo above is pages 1 and 2 of an arrangement I wrote as a midterm assignment during my school orchestration class. Looking at it like this, I don’t want to write it again…

Oh, and when studying old scores, they are all written in transposed instruments, so you need to learn the notation method for transposed instruments to read them easily. When you transpose, the key signature also changes. If you think of the circle of 5th in the name of the transposed instrument, you can easily change the key signature.

First, find the note behind the transposed instrument.
If we take Clarinet in Bb in C Major as an example, it would be Bb, right?

Find how far this note is from C, the very center of the circle of 5th. In the picture above, Bb is 2 spaces to the left of C, right?

Then, just write the opposite key in C of circle of 5th on the score.

So Clarinet in Bb goes from the key of C Major to the key signature of D Major. It’s confusing at first. But if you try a few things, you’ll get used to it.

Reed

Reed originally means ‘reed(plant)’, and since it is made by processing the stem of a reed, this piece of wood is also called a reed. The reed vibrates through interaction with the lips, causing the instrument to produce sound.

This method of playing with the lips is called embouchure.

Flute and recorder groups have no reeds, saxophones and clarinets have single reeds, and oboes and bassoons have double reeds with overlapping top and bottom reeds.

Common Basics of Woodwinds

First, let’s look at the common characteristics of woodwind instruments.

Woodwind instruments were originally made of wood, but due to their vulnerability to temperature and humidity, they are now made using metal and synthetic materials as well.

All woodwind instruments have holes that can be closed or opened to create a column of air of a certain length. Depending on the length of this air column, the resonance frequency changes, creating different sounds.

At first, it was difficult to finger because it had only holes, but as a technician named Theobald Bohm developed a ‘Key’ that fits the hole, fingering became easier and the range of sounds became wider.

Also, woodwind instruments are divided into three parts, Mouth Piece, Body, and Tail, like the head, chest, and abdomen of an insect. Manage and store these parts separately.

Among woodwind instruments, there are commonly used playing techniques called Overblowing and Tonguing. Overblowing is a playing technique in which the wind is blown very strongly to produce a sound one octave higher than the original sound. The clarinet has the unique characteristic of producing a sound that is 12 degrees higher than the original sound.

Tonguing refers to the technique of blocking the wind and playing again using the tongue, such as tu, tuku, tukutu. Tonguing is decided through Slur.

I don’t know if you enjoyed it… 🙂
I will stop here and write explanations for each instrument in the next article.

Orchestration Basics – Strings (4)

Today, continuing from last time, we will look at the remaining playing techniques and arrangements for string instruments.

– Con Sordino (Mute), Pizzicato, Bartok Pizzicato, Harmonics
– Glissando, Sul Ponticello, Sul Tasto, Col Legno (Tratto & Battuto)

This is the state law that was not covered last time.

Con Sordino(Mute)

Sordino means to play with a muted instrument, and Con Sordino means to play with a muted instrument. It is made of various materials such as wood, metal, and rubber, and its function is to reduce the volume and change the tone.

It is sometimes written as Muted, and when it returns to its original state, it is written as Senza Sordino, Without Mute, etc.

When working on a song, in order to achieve a richer sound, additional recordings are made with a muted sound on top of the basic recorded sound. These techniques can also work effectively with virtual instruments. If you feel like the sound is lacking for something, it might be a good idea to give it a try.

Pizzicato, Bartok Pizzicato

Pizzicato refers to a playing method where you pluck the strings with your hands to make a sound, like a guitar. It can be used with both the left and right hands, and a cross is placed on the note only when playing Pizzicato with the left hand.

It is usually written as Pizz.

Bartok Pizzicato is a playing technique that involves plucking the string very hard and hitting the fingerboard to make a sound.

It was invented by a composer named Bartok and given this name, and a symbol that looks like a power button is used as shown in the picture above, or a symbol such as ◎ is used. It is very effective because it can give a percussion-like effect even though it is not a percussion instrument.

Both Bartok Pizzicato and Pizzicato are playing techniques found on most virtual instruments, so if you use them when writing songs, you can create very effective sounds.

Harmonics

Harmonics means overtones. However, the playing technique refers to playing the overtones of the strings.

There are two types of Harmonics: Natural Harmonics and Artificial Harmonics.

Natural Harmonics is a playing technique in which you play by gently placing your fingers on integer multiples, such as 1/2, 1/3, and 1/4 of the open strings, without touching the fingerboard. The notation is done by placing a circle on top of the note, and sometimes drawing a diamond below along with the circle.

Sometimes it just displays a diamond.

Artificial Harmonics is a playing method that produces overtones while holding the fingerboard. Due to the nature of the string, 4th harmonics are used most often, and in notation, the point above the desired frequency is indicated with a diamond on the regular note.

In order from left to right, they are 4th, 5th, and 3rd harmonics.

Glissando

Glissando is a technique of skimming through the middle notes by sliding slowly or quickly between two notes. In some cases, all middle notes are written down. A straight line notation, as shown in the photo above, is also often used. It is also indicated as Sweep or Run.

It is a very effective playing technique for string instruments, and it would be a shame if it did not appear in pop that uses strings. It is also my favorite playing method among string instruments..^^

You can create great effects with virtual instruments as well, so I think it would be a good idea to use them.

Sul Ponticello, Sul Tasto

Sul Ponticello means play on the bridge side, and Sul Tasto means play on the fingerboard side.

Anyone who has played the guitar will understand that, just as playing close to the bridge of a guitar produces a hard and solid sound, playing with Sul Ponticello produces a loud, rough, and metallic sound. Conversely, playing with Sul Tasto produces a soft and delicate sound.

The notation is Sul Ponticello, Sul Tasto, and to return to the legato, it is written as arco.

Col Legno

Col Legno, which is disliked by players, is a playing technique where the bow is turned upside down. It is divided into Tratto and Battuto. Tratto is a playing method where you simply play the string with a bow, and Battuto is a playing method where you hit the string with a bow.

As shown above, the notation is col legno, col legno tratto, col legno battuto, etc. If you want to return to the basic performance, write mode natural or arco.

Conclusion

Musicians who compose popular music should look at the virtual instrument manual to see how the staff is organized. Whether it has a rough chamber feel or a full orchestra feel, and if it is a chamber, whether it is a large or small chamber, you should listen to the demo sample and think carefully about when to use it.

This is how I learned about string instruments. I don’t know if it was helpful…^^

In fact, the requirements are completely basic, the theory of Voicing, its use as a pad, Run and the use of the 6th High String, etc. are very diverse.

However, this is a large amount, so I will deal with it later when I have time.

Have a good day!

Orchestration Basics – Strings (3)

This article was written on August 6, 2022.

Hello? This is engineer and singer-songwriter Jooyoung Kim.

Continuing from the last article, today we will learn about bowing, a string technique.

Bowing can be broadly divided into two playing techniques: whether the bow falls off the string or not.

– On the String: Legato, Staccato, Detache, Marcato (Martele), Portato
– Off the string: Spiccato, Jete (Ricochet), Tremolo

This is the classification done by the teacher who taught me, but as the teacher told me, the classification is not particularly important. Let’s look at them in order.

Legato

Legato is a playing technique in which the notes are played continuously without interruption. Therefore, whether it is Down Bow, where the bow is drawn downward, or Up Bow, where the bow is drawn upward, it is played all at once with one bow.

In sheet music, it is written as Slur as shown in the picture above, and it is the default playing method in most virtual instruments.

Staccato

This is a playing technique where you play briefly, with the string attached to the bow, at about 1/2 the original beat. Usually, in a virtual instrument, if there is only Legato or Sustain and no Sforzando playing technique, a mixture of playing such as Staccato with a strong attack nuance is used.

(I’d like to buy the Vienna Symphonic Library with Sforzando, but it’s too expensive…)

Detaché

Detaché, unlike Legato, is played with each bow. You might think it’s similar to Staccato, but this one is different in that it plays all the notes.

If you start from the tip (upper part) of the bow, it is marked At the Point, and if you start from the Frog (hand side) of the bow, it is marked At the Frog.

Marcato(Martelé)

Marcato is derived from the Italian word Martellato, meaning hammer. It means to play hard and hard like a hammer, and is written in the shape of the letter Λ above the note.

Be careful because it is different from the Accent symbol, and unless it is a cheap virtual instrument, it is a common playing method, so it is good to use it actively.

Portato

Portato is played somewhere between Legato and Detache. It is played with a continuous Down Bow or Up Bow, and is written as Slur Staccato as shown in the photo above.

Since the notation is the same as Spiccato, it must be written separately as Portato or the performer must interpret it independently by looking at the BPM and the length of the note.

Spiccato

Spiccato is mainly used in the middle part of the bow and is a playing technique used in the fast section. It is common to use notations such as Spiccato or Portato, and write Spiccato below.

Like Detaché, because it is played with each bow, the attack is clearly audible, so this friend is also good to use as a layer when you want to express strong legato or sustain in a virtual instrument.

Jete(Jeté, Ricochet)

Jete means ‘to throw away’ and is a technique in which the bow is thrown away and thrown away. Because the notation is Slur Staccato, the notation of the four playing methods, Staccato, Spiccato, Portato, and Jete, is very confusing.

Let’s write well in the sheet..!

Tremolo

Tremolo is written as above, and the beat is determined by the number of sticks drawn on the note. You can think of one as 8 minutes, two as 16 minutes, and three as 32 minutes.

It is also divided into left-hand and right-hand Tremolo. (a) is the right-hand Tremolo, and (b) is the left-hand Tremolo.

Tremolo, which is played with the left hand, is often confused with Trill. Trill is generally played within a major 2nd, while Tremolo, where the note is moved, can be considered to be played over just a 3rd.

Tremolo can be used really effectively as a virtual instrument, so if you actively use it when writing songs, you can create dramatic effects.

Conclusion

There are some playing techniques that can be played on virtual instruments and some that cannot. There are three things to check when writing a song with string virtual instruments:

1) Will you use actual string instruments recorded and mixed?
2) If you can’t, what playing techniques can you choose and express on a virtual instrument?
3) Your song requires playing techniques that virtual instruments cannot use, but is it possible to create them using some unique tips?

As for number 1, if you mix real strings, it doesn’t matter which playing method you use, but for us musicians who are always worried about money, we have to worry between numbers 2 and 3 every time…

Therefore, you should first check the techniques you can use and use them according to the situation. There are other techniques, and we will look at them together in the next article..^^

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