7/17/2019 A Brief Guide to Orchestration - Music and Sound - Articles - Articles - GameDev.net http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/a-brief-guide-to-orchestration-music-and-sound-articles-articles-gamedevnet 1/12 Sign In Create Account me » Articles » Creative » Music and Sound » Article: A Brief Guide to Orchestration Watched Content New Content 0 A Brief Guide to Orchestration A Brief Guide to Orchestration By Steve Kaetzel | Published Dec 07 2009 11:09 AM in Music and Sound instruments different orchestra playing orchestral orchestration sound music parts If you find this article contains errors or problems rendering it unreadable (missing images or files, mangled code, improper text formatting, etc) please contact the editor so corrections can be made. Thank you for helping us improve this resource The symphony orchestra is one of the most versatile mediums of music performance, which is capable of producing an almost infinite number of different shades of expression. However, in order to successfully utilize its power, one must first have a solid understanding of the general principles of orchestration. This article is meant to serve as a crash course in the basics of classical orchestration for beginner and intermediate game composers to enhance their use of orchestral sample libraries and in turn, increase their profitability as composers. For the sake of brevity, this article assumes that the reader has a general understanding of music theory and is familiar with and has access to an orchestral sample library such as VSL, EastWest, or Garritan. In addition, we will focus only on the traditional instruments of the classical orchestra, excluding later additions such as the saxophone and drumset. As you begin your journey into the art of orchestration, it is prudent to understand these three axioms set out by master orchestrator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in his definitive guide to orchestration, Principles of Orchestration : I. In the orchestra there is no such thing as ugly quality of tone . II. Orchestral writing should be easy to play ; a composer's work stands the best chance when the parts are well written. III. A work should be written for the size of the orchestra that is to perform it , not for some imaginary body as many composers persist in doing. He continues to talk about the different stages that the beginning orchestrator will pass through in his/her journey towards becoming a master orchestrator: The student will probably pass through the following phases: 1. The phase during which he puts his entire faith in percussion instruments, believing that beauty of sound emanates entirely from this branch of the orchestra—this is the earliest stage. 2. The period when he acquires a passion for the harp, using it in every possible chord. 3. The stage during which he adores the woodwind and horns, using stopped notes in conjunction with strings, muted or pizzicato. 4. The more advanced period, when he has come to recognize that the string group is the richest and 4
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7/17/2019 A Brief Guide to Orchestration - Music and Sound - Articles - Articles - GameDev.net
me » Articles » Creative » Music and Sound » Article: A Brief Guide to Orchestration
Watched Content New Content
0A Brief Guide to OrchestrationA Brief Guide to OrchestrationBy Steve Kaetzel | Published Dec 07 2009 11:09 AM in Music and Sound
instruments different orchestra playing orchestral orchestration sound music parts
If you find this article contains errors or problems rendering it unreadable (missing images or files, mangled code,
improper text formatting, etc) please contact the editor so corrections can be made. Thank you for helping us improve
this resource
The symphony orchestra is one of the most versatile mediums of music performance, which is capable of producing
an almost infinite number of different shades of expression. However, in order to successfully utilize its power, one
must first have a solid understanding of the general principles of orchestration. This article is meant to serve as a
crash course in the basics of classical orchestration for beginner and intermediate game composers to enhance their
use of orchestral sample libraries and in turn, increase their profitability as composers.
For the sake of brevity, this article assumes that the reader has a general understanding of music theory and is
familiar with and has access to an orchestral sample library such as VSL, EastWest, or Garritan. In addition, we willfocus only on the traditional instruments of the classical orchestra, excluding later additions such as the saxophone
and drumset.
As you begin your journey into the art of orchestration, it is prudent to understand these three axioms set out by
master orchestrator Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov in his definitive guide to orchestration, Principles of Orchestration :
I. In the orchestra there is no such thing as ugly quality of tone .
II. Orchestral writing should be easy to play ; a composer's work stands the best chance when the parts are
well written.
III. A work should be written for the size of the orchestra that is to perform it , not for some imaginary body as
many composers persist in doing.
He continues to talk about the different stages that the beginning orchestrator will pass through in his/her journey
towards becoming a master orchestrator:
The student will probably pass through the following phases:
1. The phase during which he puts his entire faith in percussion instruments, believing that beauty of
sound emanates entirely from this branch of the orchestra—this is the earliest stage.
2. The period when he acquires a passion for the harp, using it in every possible chord.
3. The stage during which he adores the woodwind and horns, using stopped notes in conjunction with
strings, muted or pizzicato.
4. The more advanced period, when he has come to recognize that the string group is the richest and
The most common tones are produced by initiating the vibration of the strings through either bowing or plucking. This
can be done through an almost infinite variety of different articulations, more so than any other orchestral group.
Based on the completeness of your orchestral library, many of these articulations may be available for you to use.
Common string articulations
Détaché - Each note is played with a change in bow direction from down to up with the bow remaining in
constant contact with the string. This articulation can be played at practically any speed up to about sixteenth
notes at 160 bpm.
Staccato - Each note is played with a fast attack and a fairly abrupt release. Players shouldn't be expected to
play staccato any faster than sixteenth notes at 110 bpm.
Spiccato - Similar to staccato in that there is a fast attack and an abrupt release, yet the sound is produced by
bouncing the bow off the string. Maximum speed is around sixteenth notes at 132 bpm.
Jeté/Ricochet - The bow is thrown against the string and allowed to repeatedly bounce off of it, which allows
the player to play at very fast speeds. This articulation is most commonly started with a down bow giving an
accent to the first beat.
Tremolo - A rapid succession of unmeasured down and up strokes. It can have a mysterious tone at low
dynamic levels as well as produce the strings' loudest sound possible.
Portamento - Played with the bow in constant contact with the string emphasizing exaggerated slides in pitchbetween successive notes; can produce an eerie, haunting effect when used appropriately.
Con sordino - A mute is applied to the bridge of the instrument producing a muffled, less brilliant tone.
Pizzicato - The strings are plucked, most commonly with the first and second fingers. This gives a relatively fast
attack and a medium release to the tone that is fairly moderate in loudness.
The Woodwinds
The basic members of the woodwind family are the flute, oboe, clarinet, and bassoon. All other woodwinds, excluding
the saxophone family, can be considered variations of these four instruments. In general, woodwind instruments are
less flexible than the strings, being less capable of producing as many different shades of expression. Nonetheless,they are well suited to producing rich, colorful tones that vary greatly depending on the register.
Below is a table of the primary woodwind instruments with tone descriptions for each of their registers:
mallets; produces a high pitched, penetrating tone that is easily audible in most orchestral textures
Celesta - very similar to a piano except that the strings are replaced with small steel plates; produces an
astonishing, brilliant tone similar to that of the glockenspiel.
Xylophone - wooden bars arranged like piano keys on top of a freestanding fixture; played with mallets;
produces a crisp, dry and penetrating tone
Percussion instruments with no discernable pitch
Snare drum - cylindrical shell made of metal or wood with drumheads stretched over both sides; curled metal
wires (snares) are strung across the bottom drumhead giving the snare it's distinctive sound; most commonly
played with drumsticks
Cymbals - two large, metal plates with concave centers held with straps; normally ranging from 17 to 22 inches
in diameter; most commonly crashed together although many different articulations are possibleTriangle - metal rod bent into a triangular shape with one open corner; typically struck with a brass rod
Instrumentation
Choosing How Many of Each Instrument To Use
Although there are many different combinations of instruments that you can use to make up a full orchestra, there are
some general guidelines that most orchestrators adhere to in order to achieve the balance of sound necessary for all
instrument parts to be heard.
The first question you must ask yourself is, "How big of an orchestra do I want to use?" The bigger the sound you
want, the bigger orchestra you should use. If your piece is ever performed by a live orchestra, you may find that the
conductor requests the piece to be arranged for a smaller or larger orchestra than you originally intended, but for our
purpose of composing for an orchestral sample library, we have total control over how many instruments we invite to
The different factors that affect balance are as follows:
1. Number of instruments playing the line . The more players that are playing a given line, the louder and more
powerful the line becomes. That being said, equal numbers of instruments of equal weight in tone will produce
an even balance. For example, two flutes playing a melody line in unison will balance evenly with two bassoons
playing a bass line in unison.
2. Instrument's family . As a general statement, brass and percussion instruments are the strongest members of
the orchestra, then the strings, and then the woodwinds. Careful consideration must be taken when balancingparts among the different families. It is often best to balance each family within itself to achieve an even
balance in the whole orchestra.
3. Instrument's register . The quality of tone and degree of weight varies greatly depending on the instrument's
register. It is very important to understand these differences to properly balance textures. Refer to the range
charts given in the "Overview of Orchestral Groups"
4. Vertical relationship to the other parts . The top line of a texture is the easiest to hear, the bottom line is the next
easiest, and the middle voices are the most difficult.
5. Space between parts . The farther apart voices are from each other, the easier it is to discern them from one
another.
6. Degree of movement . The more a part moves, the more it sticks out within a texture. The less a part moves,the more it fades into the background.
7. Dynamics . Although, balance through instrumentation is commonly the best approach, certain instances call for
instruments to play at different dynamic levels. Suppose you want to have your first violinist stand up and take
a solo. You would likely want to have the orchestra playing two dynamic shades lower than the first violinist so
as not to drown him/her out.
Blending
One of the most interesting aspects of orchestration is the blending of timbres. Just as an artist mixes paints to
produce different shades of color, an orchestrator blends timbres to produce different shades of sound. With the sheer
number of instrument and articulation combinations, the possibilities for different timbres are virtually infinite. As an
orchestrator, it is your job to experiment with all these different combinations and discover the ones that best suit the
music you are orchestrating.
It is important to understand that the more instruments you have playing a given line, the less colorful the line
becomes, but with loss of color comes gain in power. As you begin blending timbres, there are a few different factors
that tend to produce better results:
1. When the instruments are in the same family and even more so in the same subgroup (e.g. single-reeds).2. When the instruments are evenly balanced with each other (e.g. 1 trumpet playing f = 2 french horns playing f ).
3. When the instruments play adjacent voices.
4. When the instruments play parts that are similar to each other, especially in articulation.
5. When none of the timbres attract more attention than the others.
6. When the intervals between the instruments remain relatively consistent.
Function
A major part of making decisions when it comes to balance and blending is function. It is important to understand how
a given line functions in relation to all the other parts. For this purpose, we can break it down into three different
functions from greatest to least importance: melody, bass, and accompaniment. The following methods can be used to
help maintain a clear function throughout your arrangement:
Melody
7/17/2019 A Brief Guide to Orchestration - Music and Sound - Articles - Articles - GameDev.net
Use instruments with powerful low registersUse louder dynamic markings
Accompaniment
Keep lines in the middle of the texture
Use less doubling
Use instruments with lesser strength
Use the weaker registers
Use instruments of similar timbres
Use softer dynamic markings
Closing Thoughts
Although there are many different techniques to achieve favorable results when it comes to orchestration, there are no
rules set in stone. Sometimes the best moments are those when the rules are broken. For example, the opening of
Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring" is a bassoon solo played at the very top of the bassoon's range that has a plaintive,
almost piercing quality to it. Most orchestrators would never dare give that part to a bassoon, especially not at the very
beginning of the ballet. But that is what makes the music so great and innovative is that he took chances and broke
the rules, and it paid off. At the premiere, the music had such a profound effect on the audience that a riot broke out in
the concert hall!
Some other things you can do to become a better orchestrator are:
Learn as much as possible about each instrument . The more you know about each of the different instruments,
the more comfortable you will feel giving parts to them. Get to know some orchestral musicians. They know
more about their instruments than anyone else and can provide you with a wealth of invaluable knowledge.
Read books on orchestration . The purpose of this article is to be a crash course in orchestration and was by no
means meant to cover all the topics associated with orchestration. Go to your local library and check out some
books on orchestration.
Practice and experiment . There is no substitute for experience, so don't be afraid to try new things. Even if theresults are not as favorable as you had hoped, you're learning. Over time you'll develop an arsenal of
techniques that you can use to achieve any hue of expression you desire.
Stravinsky has been quoted for coining the phrase, "Good composers borrow, great composers steal." Even if you try
your hardest to sound exactly like someone else, you'll only end up sounding like yourself trying to sound like that
person. No matter what you do, you'll always sound like yourself, so why worry about it? Steal away! They've already
done a lot of the hard work for you, so take advantage.
Furthermore, if you're going to steal, steal from the best. Why would you ever want to steal from an average
composer? It's only going to make your music sound average. Steal from the best, and your music will reflect that.
Orchestration may seem intimidating at first, but the more you do it, the better you will get at it. The orchestra can be
the most versatile medium you will ever use, so spend time to get comfortable with it. Leonard Bernstein said it best in
his 1958 broadcast of his Young People's Concerts series, "The right music played by the right instruments at the right
time in the right combination: that's good orchestration."
7/17/2019 A Brief Guide to Orchestration - Music and Sound - Articles - Articles - GameDev.net