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Topic: Instrumentation (Read 2798 times) previous topic - next topic

Instrumentation

Not an NWC inquiry per se, but I'm sure many of you will have useful input and may enjoy considering the question:

When composing (and that in a more modern sense, where you might consider more instruments than the standard classical set), how do you decide what instrument(s) you want playing your piece? Do you pick all the instruments first and then decide what to write? How does writing music differ for different instruments (of course more in a piano/organ distinction and not a tuba/guitar one)?

I wrote a short minor key waltz recently, with accordion in mind. It sounded decent through my softsynth, and actually pretty darn good through my S80. I showed it to my theory and ear training teacher and he commented that it could also work as a string quartet. I tried that briefly and that did indeed work, too. However, I also tried it with organ (too muddy) and piano (too sterile) and it didn't work so well... Are there any "rules" behind this? I'd be happy to hear general accepted "rules" as well as just rules of thumb. Or any other thoughs any of you may have on the subject.

-m

Re: Instrumentation

Reply #1 –
 
Speaking of the historical survey of instrumentation won't serve other than ruining bandwidth and time and that would be much better accomplished by -say- Grant, so I'll directly jump into the modern sense.

There is a single guidance but rule: timbre. Which instrument or instrument combinations will work best for my desired timbre? should be the question. You are completely free to decide, except for an obvious limitation: the tone areas or ranges of the instruments in question.

However, given that we're living in the computer age, that shouldn't stop you! There is at least one very good composer who doesn't care playability and just lets the soundcard + MIDI synth do it: Steve Layton. Check out his Ampcast site and hear what I mean...

You'll need to order your priorities. Which should come first? The sound you are after, or playability.

The best music teacher is music itself. Hear lots of Debussy, Webern, Varése, Scelsi, Murail, Steve Reich and you'll get to the point.

For even more discussion, several constructive advices and lots of mess, you may consider posting your query on rec.music.compose

Hth,
Ertugrul
 

Re: Instrumentation

Reply #2 –
And remember that just because it sounds muddy on a midi "organ" doesn't necessarily mean it will on a particular real organ.

Besides, the world needs more good accordion music more than it needs another piano piece.

Re: Instrumentation

Reply #3 –
And with all the stops on an organ you can do tonnns of different sounds. Just because the one they chose for midi sounds muddy doesn't indicate a whole lot, like John K. said.
Ev
 

Re: Instrumentation

Reply #4 –
I almost always have a pretty good idea of what timbres I want in a particular piece, and therefore what instrument patches fill which "role" in the composition.

That being said, there's been times when I just played around with different timbres, and "stumbled on" something that just "worked." One of the more unusual ones is Northern Lights.

I think that here, as with other aspects of music, it really helps to know the "rules" so that you can choose to write within the context of what works, or step outside of them as needed.

Re: Instrumentation

Reply #5 –
I think the answer has to be to picture in your mind the sound you want to create, then write for the instruments that will produce that sound.

Ergutril wrote "The best music teacher is music itself. Hear lots of Debussy, Webern, Varése, Scelsi, Murail, Steve Reich and you'll get to the point."

To this I must add, listen to Ellington, he was a master of exotic tonal qualities using unusual voicings, such as a trombone high over trumpet and bass clarinet, or clarion register clarinet in unison with soprano vocal.  In his day, people were so interested in his unique sounds they'd do anything to find out how he did it, and he'd purposely write the wrong notes on his charts so people couldn't copy his chords even if they could observe the instrumental combinations.

Listen to some of his recordings (there are many hundreds of his CD's on the market), and if you like what you hear, order an Essentially Ellington transcription of your favourite recording from
http://www.jazzatlincolncenter.org/prod/elli/index.html
for about $10 a score or $50+/- for score and parts.

That way you can learn, by reading the score while you listen to the recording, how the transcriber, David Berger, an outstanding interpreter of Ellington's music and leader of an Ellington repertory band, believes that particular sound was made.

David Palmquist
(Ellington fan - no kidding!! (grin))