ACOUSTIC AND MIDI ORCHESTRATION FOR THE CONTEMPORARY COMPOSER

By V. MAVAS

CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 – BASIC CONCEPTS FOR THE MIDI COMPOSER,ARRANGER, AND ORCHESTRATOR INTRODUCTION TO MIDI AND AUDIO SEQUENCING REVIEW OF THE MIDI STANDARD MIDI MESSAGES AND THEIR PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS CHANNEL VOICE MESSAGES MOST COMMONLY USED CONTROL CHANGES EXTENDED CONTROLLERS COARSE VERSUS FINE CONTROL YOUR SOUNDS REGISTERED AND NON-REGISTERED PARAMETERS CHANNEL MODE MESSAGES SYSTEM REAL-TIME MESSAGES SYSTEM COMMON MESSAGES SYSTEM EXCLUSIVE MESSAGES (SYSEX) PRINCIPLES OF ORCHESTRATION COMPOSITION RANGE REGISTER AND THE OVERTONE SERIES TRANSPOSITION CONCERT INSTRUMENTS TRANSPOSING INSTRUMENTS WEIGHT, BALANCE, AND INTENSITY HAZARDS OF WRITING AT THE PIANO FINAL CONSIDERATIONS SUMMARY EXERCISES CHAPTER 2 – WRITING AND SEQUENCING FOR THE RHYTHM SECTION INTRODUCTION: GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS THE COMPONENTS OF THE RHYTHM SECTION THE ROLE OF THE ESSENTIAL INSTRUMENTS THE BASS THE DRUMSET (AND AUXILIARY PERCUSSION) KEYBOARDS AND GUITARS COLOR AND STYLE BASSES GUITARS KEYBOARDS MALLET PERCUSSION DRUMSET AUXILIARY PERCUSSION WRITING PARTS FOR THE RHYTHM SECTION BASS PARTS DRUMSET PARTS GUITAR PARTS KEYBOARD PARTS MALLET PARTS SAMPLE SCORES FOR THE RHYTHM SECTION SEQUENCING THE RHYTHM SECTION: AN INTRODUCTION THE KEYBOARD THE ACOUSTIC PIANO SEQUENCING AND MIXING TECHNIQUES FOR THE ACOUSTIC PIANO THE ALTERNATE KEYBOARDS: ELECTRIC PIANOS AND ORGANS THE SYNTHESIZER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SYNTHESIZERS SYNTHESIS TECHNIQUES ANALOG SUBTRACTIVE SYNTHESIS ADDITIVE SYNTHESIS FREQUENCY MODULATION SYNTHESIS WAVETABLE SYNTHESIS SAMPLING PHYSICAL MODELING SYNTHESIS GRANULAR SYNTHESIS SEQUENCING FOR THE GUITAR: OVERVIEW SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR THE GUITAR MIXING THE VIRTUAL GUITAR SEQUENCING FOR THE BASS: OVERVIEW SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR THE BASS MIXING THE VIRTUAL BASS SEQUENCING FOR DRUMS AND PERCUSSION: OVERVIEW SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR DRUMS AND PERCUSSION QUANTIZATION FOR DRUMS AND PERCUSSION GROOVE QUANTIZATION PERFORMANCE CONTROLLERS FOR DRUMS AND PERCUSSION FINAL TOUCHES MIXING THE VIRTUAL DRUMS AND PERCUSSION FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ON SEQUENCING FOR THE RHYTHM SECTION: TEMPO CHANGES CHAPTER 3 – WRITING AND SEQUENCING FOR THE STRING ORCHESTRA CREATING SOUND “OPEN” STRING VERSUS “STOPPED” STRING BOWINGS PERFORMANCE TECHNIQUES FOR GREATER EXPRESSION PORTAMENTO PIZZICATO HARMONICS MUTES THE SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS THE VIOLIN FUNCTIONS OF THE VIOLINS IN AN ORCHESTRATION THE VIOLA FUNCTIONS OF THE VIOLAS IN AN ORCHESTRATION THE VIOLONCELLO FUNCTIONS OF THE CELLOS IN AN ORCHESTRATION THE DOUBLE BASS FUNCTIONS OF THE BASSES IN AN ORCHESTRATION ORCHESTRATION EXAMPLES THE HARP SPELLING MATTERS MASS EDIT PEDAL CHARTS PEDAL CHANGES THE HARP GLISSANDO ENSEMBLE CONTEXT SEQUENCING FOR THE STRING ORCHESTRA SYNTHESIS TECHNIQUES AND LIBRARY OPTIONS MULTI-LAYER PATCHES KEY-SWITCHING LIBRARIES ADVANCED LAYERING TECHNIQUES FOR STRINGS MIDI SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR STRINGS ATTACK AND RELEASE CONTROL PERFORMANCE CONTROLLERS EXTENDED PERFORMANCE CONTROLLERS HARDWARE MIDI CONTROLLERS FOR STRING SEQUENCING SPECIAL SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR STRINGS LEGATO, STACCATO, AND DÉTACHÉ SUL TASTO, SUL PONTICELLO, AND MUTE TRILLS AND TREMOLOS DETUNING TECHNIQUES SEQUENCING FOR THE HARP MIXING THE STRING SECTION PANNING THE STRING ORCHESTRA EQUALIZATION FOR THE STRING ORCHESTRA REVERBERATION THE FINAL TOUCHES SUMMARY AND FINAL CONSIDERATIONS ON WRITING AND SEQUENCING FOR THE STRING ORCHESTRA CHAPTER 4 – WRITING AND SEQUENCING FOR THE WOODWIND SECTION GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS THE WOODWIND SECTION “DOUBLING” TONGUING (ARTICULATION) THE SLUR THE TRILL GRACE NOTES THE FLUTE (IN C) THE PICCOLO FLUTE (IN C) THE ALTO FLUTE (IN G) THE OBOE (IN C) THE ENGLISH HORN (IN F) THE CLARINET (IN B?) THE CLARINET (IN A) THE BASS CLARINET (IN B?) THE BASSOON (IN C) THE SAXOPHONES SAXOPHONE TONE QUALITY SAXOPHONE RANGE SAXOPHONE TRANSPOSITION CONCERNS REGARDING ORCHESTRATION SEQUENCING FOR THE WOODWIND SECTION: AN INTRODUCTION SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR THE WOODWIND SECTION: INPUT CONTROLLERS USE OF MIDI CONTROL CHANGES AND EDITING TECHNIQUES FILTER AND TIMBRE CONTROL PERFORMANCE EXTENDED CONTROLLERS SPECIAL SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR WOODWIND: THE SAXOPHONE SECTION BLENDING ACOUSTIC AND MIDI PERFORMANCE NOISES MIXING THE WOODWIND SECTION PANNING THE WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS EQUALIZATION FOR THE WOODWIND INSTRUMENTS CHAPTER 5 – WRITING AND SEQUENCING FOR THE BRASS SECTION THE BRASS SECTION IN THE ORCHESTRA THE BRASS SECTION IN THE JAZZ BAND TONGUING SLURS THE GLISSANDO ARTICULATION MARKINGS AND EFFECTS THE FRENCH HORN THE TRUMPETS THE PICCOLO TRUMPET THE FLUGELHORN THE TENOR TROMBONE THE BASS TROMBONE THE TUBA THE EUPHONIUM MUTE PREPARATION ORCHESTRATING THE BRASS ORCHESTRATING BRASS AND WOODWINDS SEQUENCING FOR THE BRASS SECTION: AN INTRODUCTION WHAT TO LOOK FOR MIDI CONTROLLERS FOR SEQUENCING THE BRASS SECTION SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR THE BRASS INSTRUMENTS MICRO-LEVEL AUTOMATION QUANTIZATION PERFORMANCE CONTROLLERS FOR THE BRASS BREATH CONTROLLER AFTERTOUCH AND SOFT PEDAL EXTENDED PERFORMANCE CONTROLLERS: ATTACK AND BRIGHTNESS ATTACK CONTROL BRIGHTNESS CONTROL ADVANCED SEQUENCING TECHNIQUES FOR THE BRASS: DETUNING SOLO INSTRUMENT DETUNING SECTION DETUNING VELOCITY-TO-PITCH ADDITION OF REAL INSTRUMENTS THE FINAL TOUCH: PERFORMANCE NOISES MIXING THE BRASS SECTION PANNING THE BRASS INSTRUMENTS EQUALIZATION FOR THE BRASS INSTRUMENTS REVERBERATION FOR THE BRASS INSTRUMENTS