dimsumdaddy

having a good knowledge of the different instruments' strongest ranges is key to assigning voice types to instruments. the instruments' ranges definitely play a part in this, but remember that ranges between instruments will often overlap with one another. I'll use your instruments as examples: the flute excels in ranges that extend above the treble clef staff, and will have no problem piercing through the rest of your instruments at its highest registers. for this reason, it'd be good to assign it a higher voice the clarinet has a beautiful, soaring quality in its higher registers (not too high!), and a deep, rich, tone in its lowest registers. it sounds a little bland in the middle of the staff (sorry) so it'd be nice to put it in its stronger registers for best effect. the trumpet has a great lyrical quality in the mid-high portions of the treble staff, and it is quite taxing to play above the staff for extended periods of time. at the same time, it struggles with lower notes especially in softer dynamic levels. finally, the alto sax is quite homogeneous in sound throughout its register, and a good player can do well in all its registers. basically, do some research on what range works best for your instruments, and what tone quality can be achieved in these registers, and use that knowledge to pick a voice for your instruments.

hey everyone! this is a piece I wrote as the final of my Fall 2019 composition class. it's an homage to the great video game composer Nobuo Uematsu, famous for scoring the Final Fantasy series. here, I tried my best to adapt the "video game" feel to a more classical setting through piano, violin, viola, and cello. it's got three movements (or "soundtracks", as I like to put them), each modeled after a specific type of piece you'd hear in a typical FF game: I. "Quest Start!" describes our heroes at the start of the journey - determined, bright, optimistic. I was particularly inspired by things like the World Map theme, airship theme, etc. II. "A Tender Soul" is written like a theme for a motherly, warm character, perhaps with a sad backstory - bittersweet and lyrical. I was inspired by themes like Zanarkand and Tifa's theme for this one. III. "Into Battle!" is modeled after FF's famous battle themes, quoting its iconic bassline from the older games in the series - fierce, primal, wild. let me know what you think about the separate movements, along with the piece as a whole! I'd also love some feedback on things like string writing, bowing, articulation, etc. as I am a keyboard player and am rather inexperienced with working with other instruments. thanks!