Orchstration mini-challenge

here is a simple melody.

the idea is to orchestrate it as successfully as possible.

TWO SIMPLE RULES:

1. you may NOT add notes that are not present, this is not a harmonization challenge.

2. no transposition (other than octave) is permitted

In this particular case the challenge is to orchestrate this as a woodwind section unison.

This means woodwinds by twos: 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, and 2 bassoons.

No auxilliary instruments allowed this time.

You MAY omit any instruments you choose... however you lose out on the learning experience.

An added difficulty: this passage is marked piano. So consider carefully. It is to be played softly by the entire woodwind section.

HINT: not all the instruments have to play all the notes

um hello chief you want just the melody?

as in, absolutely NO harmonisation?

surely the only possible solutions are to split the melody up and have alternating instrumentations or to play it as a canon.

no counterpoint.

only unison or octave.

the solution can have no more, nor fewer, measures than those posted.

however, the solution WILL have a minimum of 4 staves ;)

this is quite real.

and no, the only solution is not just to split the melody ;)

the point of this is "orchestration". So learning to use a woodwind section.

it's actually a lot simpler than it sounds. there's no great mystery. consider your woodwind section as "an instrument". use the various timbres in registers that are felicitous. notice that the melody is partly done in melodic contour and in a sort of d

Here's my first attempt at this. I think I'll do another one with a completely different approach, after hearing what you said about the seperate sections.

EDIT: Did I do this correctly, or do you want all woodwinds tutti?

OrchChallenge.pdf

Here's my first attempt at this. I think I'll do another one with a completely different approach, after hearing what you said about the seperate sections.

EDIT: Did I do this correctly, or do you want all woodwinds tutti?

brilliant ;)

try another one with more instruments playing at once.

widen the range. remember... piano.

another hint: you can transpose PART of the melody up or down an octave for some instruments when it falls outside their range.... as long as the over-all contour of the melody remains unchanged.

wow, I'm disappointed not more people are trying this.

I got a little busy.

I'm trying to think of how I can do this the most effective way. It's a little difficult since I don't have a formal education in orchestration at the moment.

I got a little busy.

I'm trying to think of how I can do this the most effective way. It's a little difficult since I don't have a formal education in orchestration at the moment.

you can approach this simply as an excercise in "what's the range of that instrument".

think of each pair of instruments and their range: flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons..

remember to use two of each.

then start by writing out the whole melody in ONE single instrument exactly as it appears in the exercise.

from there you can start considering adding the other instruments in their comfortable ranges.

things to consider:

1. are you going to place them in octaves?

2. in unison?

3. are you going to have to transpose any part of the melody up or down an octave to make it fit in the proper range of any instrument?

4. which instruments have "special" ranges (in other words, parts of their range with a special tonal quality)?

Hey!

I decided to take a shot at this too, I hope this isn't breaking any rules... :P

Orchestration_Mini_Challenge.MUS

Hey!

I decided to take a shot at this too, I hope this isn't breaking any rules... :P

lol, no, no rules broken... a bit of stretching.... but no breaking LOL

it was quite ingenious. You actually made a pure unison and gave the impression that it was harmonized.

bravo.

This one isn't as effective IMO.

OrchChallenge2.pdf

OK I'm going to try this (I know very little about Orchestration, I have written a few accompanyments though) Don't expect anything grand out of it when I finish it.

I may have it by today or tomorrow, it's pretty short.

Forget it

I wrote a piece of crap. I just need to learn more about this before I do anything like this.

Ughh it hurts my ears

Forget it

I wrote a piece of crap. I just need to learn more about this before I do anything like this.

Ughh it hurts my ears

the point isn't to do something totally "off the wall" and inventive. the point is to do something that will sound good in its simplicity.

select a starting instrument, write out the melody.

then start adding doublings in good ranges of other instruments in the group..

for example, you could start with flutes in octaves, then add your clarinets in octaves one octave below.

then the oboe would probably have to have transpositions here and there for the notes to fit in the right range.

then the bassoons below the clarinets, again in octaves.

it doesn't HAVE to be complex. it's just a really good exercise for layering the woodwinds and understanding how and where you can double or triple instruments on lines.

The actual point of this exercise is to push people to stop writing single lines for woodwinds all the time, especially in forte passages, as well as to encourage people to explore the soft possibilities of multiple woodwinds in unison or octaves.

I made as simple a rendering as possible to show you.

I'm not sure what you exactly wanted us to do in this challenge, Mr. Cowboy...

And anyway, your rendering is kind of... Well, I'll ask you a couple of questions. A. Do you play the clarinet? and B. Do you know what a clarinet is?

Your clarinet I line is not impossible to play, although incredibly high, but it is certainly impossible to play piano. If you did have a real performance of this excerpt, the clarinet would stick out like CRAZY. Flute II would not be heard, nor would the 2nd Clarinet, nor would the 1st bassoon(or at least not enough to distinguish it as a bassoon). The oboe II would most likely have lots of trouble with such a low register, especially at piano. Oboes tend to konk out, usually slipping up an octave, in a disgusting fart noise, below middle E.

Even if most of what I said isn't 100% accurate, you must agree with me that that Clainet I line will stick out like mad, and will greatly anger your clarinetist.

Now, to solve your mini-challenge, the quietist, most easily-blended sound a woodwind unison can produce is where the instruments are either playing in all the same octave, or close to it. Flutes can produce a piano just about anywhere in their range, so middle of the staff for them, oboes as well, although they will provide a nice ping, a contrast to the aforementioned 'flutyness', the clarinets in the same octave, II down below the staff, to add warmth, and the bassoons in their mid-high range, perhaps II down below. This will create a nice 'unison' sound. Although, how you have done it, is not a woodwind unison, as bassoons are coming in and out as they choose. Was this the task? I'm not entirely sure what you have asked of us, but I did my best to formulate a decent answer to your query.

I admit that the first clarinet part IS high, however, having written a piece for clarinet in that register, performed for a doctoral recital, and specifically requested for that register ppp by the commissioning clarinetist, I can assure you that it's not impossible. However, you're right, it's probably not a good idea to get into the habit of doing so.

I'm curious why you think the 1st bassoon would not be heard? that is a quite felicitous range for the bassoon, particularly for blending with other woodwinds (I am a bassoonist).

admitedly, the 2nd oboe part would have been better served by a cor anglais part.

the goal was to set the melody without adding any harmony notes to it, for as full a woodwind section as possible.

the idea is that rarely will a melody be entirely within the ideal range of any large group of instruments for a prolonged period of time.

so if I understand your solution, you would place flutes and oboes in unison (a due), more or less within the staff?

It has been my experience that the bassoon loses most of its defining qualities when brought up above the staff, like the ping and 'duck'-like sound it's known for. Although I did say it would be heard, it would certainly blend into the other instrument's sounds, which I guess is the point. Oh well.

Yeah, flutes and oboes in unison.

you're right about the clarinet... it's playable, and playable softly as well (from my experience) but far from ideal.

I think I was more preoccupied with showing alternate dispositions (I did that rather example fast) of enbricked and doubled woodwinds (which is why the clarinet part is so high).

the principles are considerably easier to demonstrate in the classroom where we can add lines, and alter them as we go, but where we can also clearly explain which prinicples are being demonstrated without having to have anything firmly set.

so I apologize for not being clearer, and for having an example that was far from ideal. it happens, especially when one rushes to get a sample out.

the point isn't to do something totally "off the wall" and inventive. the point is to do something that will sound good in its simplicity.

select a starting instrument, write out the melody.

then start adding doublings in good ranges of other instruments in the group..

for example, you could start with flutes in octaves, then add your clarinets in octaves one octave below.

then the oboe would probably have to have transpositions here and there for the notes to fit in the right range.

then the bassoons below the clarinets, again in octaves.

it doesn't HAVE to be complex. it's just a really good exercise for layering the woodwinds and understanding how and where you can double or triple instruments on lines.

The actual point of this exercise is to push people to stop writing single lines for woodwinds all the time, especially in forte passages, as well as to encourage people to explore the soft possibilities of multiple woodwinds in unison or octaves.

I made as simple a rendering as possible to show you.

Thanks for doing that, it's helped me understand it much better, I now understand how you can make the instruments work as one, it's the same, except higher or lower for certain parts, and for larger more complex pieces it switchs up the notes a little. I think I may try again with this in mind, and I won't give up (it may sound like crap when I post it, but at least I tried)

thanks

PL

Here, I made a little attempt at this. I didn't listen to any others' attempts before writing it... something I always try to avoid. I've used the pairs in unisons, I never split them into two parts. It was an interesting thing to tackle.

Sorry, the MIDI's volume is a bit strong. I swear, I have a piano marking across the board in the Finale file.

Orchestration_mini_challenge.MUS

Orchestration_mini_challenge.MID

Hey guys,

Well here is my take on this lil' challenge. It was very fun. Hey cowboy, If not its not too much trouble, you think you can post more challenges like this, whether its orchestration, harmonization, arranging, Etc. I really enjoy things like this.

Well here it is. any criticism whether is be good or bad is welcome.

QCcowboy's mini challenge.MUS

great idea QC, I'm gonna have a pop at this, lovely melody btw :P

Yay, here's my na

I've tried, and failed miserably, I possibly come back to this when i know what I'm doing :w00t:

Hey you guys,

You guys think that you guys can give me some constructive criticism on my post from above. Please. I want to know if I at least did something right or wrong. oh yeah and another orchestration challenge from QC wouldnt hurt either. Thanks.