Should I Make It a Symphony?

Here's my best performed piece. I've been thinking of making a piece for a full symphonic orchestra for a while, since this is something that I want to be able to do as a composer. Since no idea came up in the last few months, I'm thinking of taking my best performed piece and orchestrating it. The problem is that it's already written for five (six?) stringed voices, therefore I might end up just adding a few wind instruments and percussion here and there.

Please, if you have any tips regarding to orchestrating a string orchestra piece, or regarding writing for a symphony in general- let me know. Do you think I should take this existing piece? If so, should I try to develop it even further? Should I create it from blank? Add new ideas? Change the way it's written but keep following the same musical idea?

Here are the notes and my demo orchestrated F part.

Please let me know what you think. 

Any comment is welcome.

*note that the performance isn't exactly the same as the notes (there was no contrabass player, the conductor didn't like these few notes at the end, etc.)

I think it could become a symphony, but it would take a lot of work.

You have many different ideas which you could expand into movements.

Some of my tips are:

• Make sure the string parts are still interesting - When some people go from string orchestra to full orchestra, everything goes to the wind and the strings become a "continuo" section
• Make sure that you don't overuse one instrument - You have all these colours available, so why don't you use them?
• Remember that en masse,  instruments sound very different - There are less instruments in a string orchestra, so when you orchestrate it, it could sound very different
• Don't use too many instruments - When orchestrating from strings, there is a tendency to think "Yay, I have all of these instruments!" and completely overdo on amounts used.

Remember, you could even condense it to piano first then orchestrate it.

Hope this helps

aMusicComposer

I agree with the condensing idea - that usually helps me make better orchestration decisions in the long run and see where I can add/remove/alter portions of the work to improve it.

There's definitely room for a symphonic setting, but it will take work to decide where and how to split the sections, where and how to expand each idea and section, etc. Definitely don't feel pressured to fit in the mold of a long symphony. Think over it, sketch out some options for ways each idea could work in longer and shorter forms, then let that guide your decision. You want (1) each movement to be strong on its own, and (2) the movements to contribute towards the larger whole of the symphony.

Good writing! Would love to hear you continue with this one.

Gustav Johnson