Questions tagged [orchestra]
A sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments.
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What does ff mean for time duration?
I found a cue manager for composers and saw a record:
Start TC End TC
(hhmmssff) (hhmmssff)
h - hours
m - minutes
s - seconds
I don't understand what f(ff) means. Can you explain me please?
the ...
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German abbreviations for instrument names in score markings (Deutsche Armeemärsche)
I'd like to know to which instruments are these signatures referring.
And these parts:
Additionally, I'd like to how to use this score music. This book is titled as "Particell". Does it ...
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Is it reasonable to expect a lower-level orchestra to have four trombonists?
My symphonic piece has a passage that requires four independent lines from the trombone section. Since brass instruments can't play more than one simultaneous note, this requires four trombones. I don'...
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As a soloist, should I face the audience or the conductor during long tutti sections?
I am playing a violin concerto with an orchestra and a fairly large audience in a few weeks. So my question is, in the long Tutti parts where I don't play, should I face towards the audience, and what ...
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Secondary brackets in the string section
In an orchestral score, each section of the orchestra gets a thick square margin bracket, e.g. the woodwind section.
Within these, thin square secondary brackets are used to group instruments in the ...
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What is the best way to create a Midi file of transcription of orchestral score from audio or sheet music?
There is a song that I cannot find in midi format, and was wondering what the best process would be to create such a file, if I have either the original score and/or an audio recording of an orchestra ...
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What tips would you give to a beginner violinist to execute these pieces well? [closed]
I am practicing these two pieces to enter orchestra, but I am having difficulty practicing it. Specifically, as I am quite a beginner, I am not sure about many things technique wise. For example, how ...
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Tuning hierarchy for orchestras
Several recent questions have been about tuning. Often an orchestra will tune to the oboe. One reason for this is that oboes are the only instruments that cannot be tuned. 1. What if the oboe was ...
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Performance practice of Viennese Waltz
Occasionally, when I listen to an orchestra playing a Strauss waltz or something similar, I hear something interesting in the background rhythm of 'boom chik chik' in that the first 'chik' happens ...
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No Saxophone part in band sheet music
I am attempting to have my band/orchestra students learn a song for our holiday concert, but the song doesn't have a saxophone part. Which other instrument part could I have my saxophone players join ...
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Arrow below staff pointing to number
What does this arrow below the staff pointing to six mean? Do I repeat the measure until 6, rest until 6, or something else? If it helps at all this is pit orchestra music for a musical :)
Thanks!
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Bb vs. A clarinet in union orchestras [closed]
A sometimes-mentor and someone in the know at a professional orchestra advised me recently on writing for orchestra. I'll paraphrase his advice here:
Writing for a flute player doubling on piccolo ...
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What techniques can be used to get a bigger, more resonant orchestral bass drum sound?
In college we had a conductor who really like deep, resonant bass drum sounds (think movie explosions). What are some ways to get more oomph out of a concert bass in a live setting?
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How quickly can a [skilled, professional] percussionist switch between tam-tam and bass drum?
Can a professional orchestral percussionist play tam-tam and bass drum together? Could he/she position the two instruments near enough that they can played one with each hand?
The passage...
is loud ...
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What is a "bass xylophone"?
In the instrumentation of the opera Turandot there is something called bass xylophone, but I couldn't find many things about it. What is it? And, since it doesn't seem to be a common instrument, how ...
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Do the violas often play the same parts as the violins in an orchestra?
Are violas always part of an orchestra? How are they typically used? Do they often play the same parts as the violins to create a richer texture?
I'm new to orchestration and have been wondering ...
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range of notes that can be handled by any symphonic instrument
What range of notes (pitches) can be handled by any instrument in a symphonic orchestra (excluding percussions, of course)?
EDIT:
In other words, I am asking about that core part of instruments' ...
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How do orchestras synchronize bow movement?
The last few times I've been to see the orchestra, I've noticed that the bow movements of all the strings are synchronized. I've been in bands and choirs before but never a group with strings, so this ...
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Is there any specific reason to why are the instruments placed as they are in an orchestra?
What is the reason that instruments in an orchestra are placed the way they are placed?
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Why are there pairs of wind instruments in a symphonic orchestra?
Why is it so that there are often two identical oboes, two identical clarinets, two identical bassoons and two identical trombones in a symphonic orchestra?
Is it just because one instrument is not ...
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Describing the difference between a mass and an opera?
I have a tradition of listing to Bach's "Mass in B minor" around springtime of each year, as I was once part of a chorus-ensemble that performed it a number of years ago.
My wife doesn't ...
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What is the largest number of parts (divisi) an instrument should have?
I often write music for orchestras, and I was wondering what is the largest number of parts I should assign to one instrument. For example, I'll often write 5 french horn parts, and sometimes up to 6 ...
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What are popular songs with a philharmonic orchestra arrangement/accompaniment called?
I am trying to understand whether there is a name for this genre,
For example, Somewhere over the rainbow and many songs of Ray Charles like this Eleanor Rigby one. and like in this Barbra Streisand ...
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What's so off about the intro to Prokofiev's Dance of the Knights?
Now this question is by no means an attack on any conductor or orchestra, nor Prokofiev himself, but why does it seem that it's hard for everyone to get right into time with one another with this ...
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Do scores or ancillary materials often specify the number of string personnel?
A question came up recently about the practice of specifying the performing forces for a score using a string of numbers (e.g. 2-2-1-1, etc), and I expressed surprise that it bothered to also make a ...
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Orchestral strings disposition (numeration meaning)
It's going to be the first time I'll be trying to compose a piece to be played by an orchestra and I don't know much about orchestral strings numeration/disposition.
I just ran into this Composers ...
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Nervous about concert! [duplicate]
I have a concert tomorrow and im really nervous, i have practiced many MANY hours but I don't think iv'e practiced enough for the concert, or maybe it just that im really nervous....any tips?
I play ...
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Question about the abbreviation for 2 instruments in an orchestra score
I'm learning an orchestra score and I'm really new to that. I'm figuring out what instruments are included in this score, and I get most of them (correct me if there is any mistake). However, I'm ...
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What is first chair?
I am under the impression that first chair is the seat reserved for the best player of a particular instrument. Second chair would be reserved for the second best.
Is that all there is to it? Or does ...
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The interaction between strings and woodwinds in an orchestral setting
I have only worked with relatively small orchestras, and in that time, one of the biggest problems is the combination of strings and woodwinds, especially in contrapuntal writing where the main voice ...
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Is it common for an orchestra to have 5 string double basses?
I recently went to watch Mozart's The Magic Flute and saw at the orchestra that all the double bassists (I think there were 3 of them) had 5 string basses. I had never seen a 5 string double bass up ...
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Partially-optimized orchestra scores?
There are two different conventions I have seen for orchestra scores. In one, the full orchestra is shown on every page. Even if the flutes don't play a single note, (for example) their staff ...
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Why do famous conductors rarely conduct ballet?
Why do famous conductors rarely conduct ballet?
However, many famous conductors spend a large chunk of their time conducting operas beside just symphonic works.
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Can you explain the transposing convention in this Jean Sibelius's score?
I am looking at a 1954 edition of Jean Sibelius's orchestral score for Tapiola.
It has the Concert Pitch instruments (Flutes, Violins etc) in two sharps.
He then has various other key signatures which ...
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How long to wait before following up with conductors? [closed]
An emerging composer is seeking to have some of their work performed by a smallish professional orchestra (i.e. not something like the Boston Symphony, but a fairly well-known regional symphony). The ...
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Who chooses an orchestra's repertoire?
Who chooses the repertoire for a large, state-level orchestra (or the orchestra of major city)?
In my experience, in smaller amateur orchestras the conductor is relatively easy to contact (via email), ...
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Counting long rests in music
So, in orchestra we got given Bolero and the third trombone part has 236 rests before we come in (yes I counted). If you're wondering, I'm not some professional player, I'm the youngest in the group ...
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Does having both first and second violin on the same staff replace the use of div. in a symphony score?
With consideration to the general rule that when div. is presented upper notes in the music are played by the violinist sitting on the outside, and lower notes are played by those sitting on the ...
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How could you make a key change sound natural
I've been working on an orchestral piece for a while and I want to include a key change. For example, from Bb major into Eb major. How could one go about changing keys in a way that makes the music ...
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Do film scores match film dialogue pitch?
Human speech (including dialogue in movies) has a certain pitch.
The harmony between the film dialogue and the film score can be influenced by the filmmakers. For example, the score can be composed ...
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What happened to the orchestral scores of Johann Strauss?
As far as I understand, Johann Strauss and his family attempted to burn many of his scores. For this reason, most of them are not to be found on IMSLP. Is this true? One reason I am confused is ...
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What is this chord progression/ascension called?
There is this specific sequence of chords that I have always liked, it ascends by fifths at the same time it ascends by whole tones, ending on a melodic minor scale, scale which has always been my ...
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Intonation when playing with a click track on one ear
Recently I participated in a project where we played film music live with the film playing. We got an earbud that played the click track for one ear so we stayed in time.
Now this was an amateur ...
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Where can I read more about Monteverdi's role in the evolution of the orchestra?
I have seen it mentioned here and there that Claudio Monteverdi was the first composer to score for a specific set of instruments, for his opera Orfeo in 1607, and that this had a significant impact ...
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Are "The Carnival of the Animals" and "Danse Macabre" the same piece?
I wonder if "The Carnival of the Animals" and "Danse Macabre" are the same piece? Why are they named differently?
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Why do temple blocks come in sets of 5?
It seems like temple blocks are commonly sold, bought, and played in sets of five as pictured here:
Image Source
My old high school had a set like this, but we never needed more than two blocks for ...
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How do you count many bars of silence (rests)?
Playing in a jazz band there are often 5,6 or 8 bars of silence. This is no problem as I can count them on my fingers. But how do I count larger rests, for example 52, 112 or even longer rests, as in ...
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Has there ever been an orchestra without a conductor?
I don't think I have ever seen an orchestra where there wasn't someone conducting.
Has there ever been such an example of an orchestra?
Edit: By conductor, I mean the guy swinging the baton:
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Tuning the lowest bass string a hair flat
I was listening to Abbey Road but it's just Bass and it sounds like the low E string is a hair flat in a lot of the songs. How did they get away with that?
When I was in the pep band many years ago ...
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Modern (Hollywood) score convention for Solo & Tutti
I've written my first orchestral score, and I've engraved it, as best I can, in a style to serve recording it by a conductor and orchestra on a sound stage in a short session, Hollywood soundtrack ...
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