Alex Weidmann

Thanks Henry! MuseScore makes contra sound extra realistic with that blowing sound.

That's probably 'cos I'm a little odd! 🤪 Glad you liked it though. Will try con sord, though I already have flautando at the end; but I guess I could use both together?

Many thanks for the kind words. The dynamics were designed mainly for the MIDI rendition from MuseScore. Would have to adjust them for a real orchestra. Anything below ppp is a bit silly and meaningless for real musicians! Also think I should've used n instead of ppppp and pppppp: so will go back and change that. Probably should've pushed up the master fader too, as my mp3's are both very quiet. I was aware of Colin Matthews' version; but have avoided listening to it, as I wanted to come up with my own ideas.

Thanks Vince! I did think about adding a piano; but that seems like cheating! I made the wider orchestration first, and then my composition tutor suggested I use a smaller chamber orchestra instrumentation instead. That's partly because contrabassoon is apparently not a standard part of the line-up, even in a larger orchestra.

Thanks Mark. I could perhaps use more contrabassoon for bass resonance. Not sure double-bass would work. Its timbre is a bit too harsh, and doesn't really suit the material IMHO. I did have thoughts about adding some percussion. Perhaps a mark tree, sleigh bells or triangle to sprinkle some Christmassy magic? Maybe that would sound too cheesy though?

Hi to everyone. This week I've been working on an exercise to orchestrate Debussy's Prelude No.6 from Book 1. I came up with two versions, one with a very restricted instrumentation, and the other with a larger ensemble. Interested to know which you think works best? The final bass dyad was very problematic, due to its extreme low pitch. It sounded too intrusive and twangy in the harp, and seemed off-pitch in the double-bass, with a horrible grating timbre. Eventually I decided to remove the lowest note altogether in the version with restricted instrumentation, and have the upper note pizz. instead of arco.

Hi Peter, Thanks for listening! For the bells, I was using a preset called Old Memories on GarageBand's Sun Glitters Pad. There's definitely some detuning at work; but I didn't have control over it as such. The work uses three different presets on this pad; but I don't think I used any automation between presets as the music evolved. Instead I just put them on different tracks. If I was remaking it now, I think I would use some automation to make it even more weird!

Interesting mixture of styles you have here Henry. On paper it shouldn't work; but I think you've pulled it off! Especially like the bluesy section. The lefthand figure from Chopin's Revolutionary Study made me laugh, because I once used that ostinato years ago for one of my own works.

Hi Luis, I've become very interested in music from Antiquity, like the Seikilos Epitaph, and Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal. I like the effort you've gone to here with retuning your scale. Octave species used in ancient music seems to be a very rich subject I've yet to fully understand! I sometimes wish film composers would employ the techniques you've used here, so they can create a more authentic musical language to reflect the ancient world. Seikilos epitaph Seikilos stele with poetry and musical notation Type Stele Material Marble Writing Koine Greek Created c. 1st or 2nd century AD, Tralles, Asia Minor Discovered 1883 Discovered by W. M. Ramsay Present location National Museum of Denmark

On this point, Bing AI said the following: ### **Considerations for Virtual Orchestration** - **Traditional vs. Modern Balance** – If aiming for a **historical or cinematic** sound, splitting violins left/right can add **depth**. If replicating a **modern concert hall**, keeping both violin sections left is more authentic. - **Stereo Width & Reverb** – Hard panning can feel unnatural; using **subtle stereo positioning** with **reverb** helps maintain realism. - **Genre & Style** – Classical recordings often favor **natural seating**, while film scores may exaggerate stereo separation for dramatic effect.

Thanks, that's a good tip! I asked another professional composer about this, and he suggested placing the 2nd violins on the right. So I proposed this arrangement to Bing AI, and it responded: - **Modern Standard (1st & 2nd Violins Together on the Left)** – Most contemporary orchestras place **both violin sections on the left**, with **violas center-right** and **cellos further right**. - **Historical Setup (1st Violins Left, 2nd Violins Right)** – This **antiphonal arrangement** was common in **early 20th-century orchestras**, particularly with conductors like **Mahler and Stokowski**, as it enhances **stereo separation** and **call-and-response effects** between violin sections. - **Film & Studio Mixing** – Many **virtual orchestras** use the **split violin approach** to create a **wider stereo image**, especially in cinematic scoring.

Sorry to hear that. Not sure why it's turned out so bad? Perhaps I've just been lucky, but my pieces seem to come through cantamus ok (e.g. the one below). Not getting any of that strange warbling effect you have. Wonder if notational changes might help? It is quite fussy about notation sometimes. (N.B. In my piece, I had to run it through cantamus twice, as it's half in English, and half in Latin.)

Sorry, I meant to write Audacity; not Audials! (That's a completely different piece of software!)

I think this is a rather good orchestration; though it's very uncommon to see French horns written in the bass clef. Usually you would just write in treble clef, with a whole bunch of ledger lines. If you wanted a better vocal rendition, I'd recommend cantamus.app (which has a free trial period). That will reproduce the actual spoken lyrics quite well. You can mix the cantamus audio file with the orchestral MuseScore output using Audials.

Thanks for the excellent tip about Symphony Series. I'm downloading it right now! I wonder, have you tried experimenting with different mic positions yet? Your piece sounds very cinematic to me: so I think you've hit the nail on the head! You're very good at crafting an atmosphere with your music, and sculpting a mental image. It felt like a very tense scene from a sci-fi action flick.