String Arranging Part 2
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ต.ค. 2024
- Writing for strings, around other instruments and melodies. The song used as an example is Es Mejor Asi by Solstice Duo. This video is produced by Pete Whitfield at www.realstrings.com It follows on from Introduction to String Arranging, and gets a bit more technical!
solstice-duo.ba...
ReverbNation.co...
With thanks to Luis Alonso and Solstice Duo
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Still the best video of string arrangement available!!
Sometimes, the lowest line of the strings (cellos, maybe basses) is the same kind of thing as the bass guitar. Even though the bass guitar might be louder in the mix, having a bottom end to the string texture makes it feel well rounded. But if you don't feel your cello part needs to play root notes, then you can give it something higher, more melodic and interesting. Cellos make a great sound and it's great to have them playing important lines.
Your attention on dismantling the sound of loops through the process described is exactly the kind of material I've been looking for online. I aspire to write things beyond loop based structures, and though I understand repetition is a key part to most music, some of my favorites cleverly dodge this aspect somehow and have an organic progressive nature. Sometimes it may be the genre that defines the amount of repetition, sure, but the work of Stephen Sondheim alone proves to me there is a way to be somewhat non-repetitive and still be catchy and interesting. Thanks for the video, really helped me out!
This is absolutely amazing, wow, wow, pure genius.
- Donald, from Kingston, Jamaica.
Thanks Pete.. I am a keybordist.. but learning from you on string arrangements :) God Bless you !!
@cheul Good question! I think that more important than formal counterpoint rules, is simply aiming to write 'lines' in an arrangement. The line is king. The more melodic the lines (and not just the top one) the more organic counterpoint you create.
I found the first video very very useful, and this is a great follow up. Thank you very much for sharing!
I've watched several of your videos. All VERY helpful... Fantastic videos!
Bravo!! Doing this has always been my dream. These two videos have really opened my imagination and understanding into how it's done. Thank you, God Bless!!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge Pete.
Thanks for your time.
Learning lots.
Very tastefully executed! And educational, as always. Thank you, sir, and please continue!
Beautiful stuff; I was really inspired. Thank you so much for sharing your process with us.
Loved it, amazing job, excellent teacher!
Thanks for your videos, very useful, interesting and very nice music.
Nice work Pete thank you keep posting
Holy moly, this is SO useful! Thank you so much for this lesson!! Please make more!!!!
Wow, this is helping no end!!
Amazing, that's quite a skill! Sounds beautiful.
Beautiful work
Your videos are very helpful and inspiring!
Hi pete, thank you so much, this 2 videos, has opened my mind to a world of possibility and a list of what do's and do not's, You maybe can do a Video with some String Arraging for jazz? don't mind if it's a ballad or a big band tune.
Thank you very very much.
Phenomenal!! Please post more as you have time!!
Hi Pete, these videos are extremely informative and helpful. I have been trying to write for a string quartet for the past few weeks and my biggest problem is knowing whether or not my parts actually sound nice played by real strings. I'm using a program called Musescore, and it works well, but the string sound is rather harsh, and the higher notes are usually quite a bit louder than lower notes. Watching and hearing your parts really helps to hear what similar parts will sound like. Thanks.
Awesome vid once again pete!! I've been waiting for a follow-up to part one for a long time haha. Thanks for this!
Excellent and informative. Thanks.
Very nice. I have made a few days ago Piano with Clarinet Sheet.,Doing my own Arrangement with Strings. I got the melody with the Clarine then I used the Piano to do the job for the minimalism part. I might use a Cello in Tenor Clef for the high registers. It might be in my channel in a few days from now.
Cheers,
Doc Interlude
pretty precise. precise and pretty.
This is just what I needed! It sounds so beautiful :)
Good man. Subscribed.
@Camrox Hi Cameron, thanks for checking out the vid! The samples are East West, but I use some of the live recording in there from the original session.
Hi, I'll gladly have a listen but please remember any comment about your music that anyone makes is just an opinion! When it comes to what you create, you are the only expert!
pure genius
Thanks a lot man! More lessons and ideas, More power
Allan Leyva Thank you. Going to try one on chord sequences soon.
Great! Thanks a lot Bro.
You're a genius, men!
Great info on both videos, a technical suggestion, it would be useful if you ducked your voiceover using a sidechaining compressor; there are times where your voice hard to make out against the singer's vocal
Also excellent and informative video :)
If something ever came out of this, I'd love to have a copy too :)
Thank you so much!
Awesome thanks.
No, 4 parts are quite typical, but it's not a rule! 3 parts are common in pop, but use an many parts as you like.
Great!!!
Thank for lesson this will improve my arrangement
wonderful lesson...can you kindly provide me a few tips as how to apply these concepts in a rock band???
Good idea. You could use any melody and chords, but I'll have a go at 24 bars that throws in some challenges.
Hi deb000xed I think the technique applies to any genre of music.
i have a question,is it okay to use two bass notes at a same time? like i am using some lower octave notes on the piano,can i use the cellos at the same octaves? will it cause issues?
Taalpatar Shepai hi. The lower you are, the harder it becomes to use 2 DIFFERENT notes together comfortably. If you are doubling the SAME note down there, that's fine. But, as ever, judge by the sound.
Pete.. Thanks a lot for explaining....could you post a MIDI file on your website?
very nice! which string library and piano library do you use?
greetings
Can you give us something to practice our own string writings to. just like a 24 bar piano and melody midi file that we could add strings to? I am having the most trouble with that. I usually figure out the theory on my own, but I don't want to wait until college to start writing! Thanks.
Thank You so much for the video I learned some things tripping me up on my arranging skills. I'm an aspiring music composer/songwriter and accomplished singer but I'm not quite at the leve I want to be at, I was wondering if you could take a listen to some of my music samples and tell me what you think is missing or it may need something else or maybe not;
@robbiejohnf Thanks! Making vids is great fun and I hope to try some more. Many thanks for the feedback, very kind of you!
oh by the way, what string samples are you using in this video?? What library do they come from? they sound very good
Hi, I only worked on the strings for this, the rest of the production was done by the artist and producer in Costa Rica.
Not entirely related, but did you arrange this whole song or just the strings? If so, I'm curious how you did those filtered sounding drums...is there a certain type of sample set or is it just like a low passed snare or something?
@Alexanification Hi, they are real strings in the final version.
thank you .....i have one more question ....when there is base guitar in the song already ....so wat should be the bass line for the string part
I would really like to know how you would work on something that does not have an andante, straight click track, something that would have a lot of rubato in the click. I would be eternally grateful if you could at all cover it. Thanks. I respect your knowledge and skills, great arrangement by the way.
+Fedor Voronov Hi, I get some tracks to work on that weren't recorded to click, so I make a tempo map. Is that what you mean? It takes a while to do but it's worth it! We fall back too readily on constant clicks! It's so nice to hear music with some rubato!
+Pete Whitfield yes, it is precisely what I mean. It would have been both useful and interesting to see how someone like you would approach it. Thanks.
+Fedor Voronov I did a short video on tap-time tempo.
Sennheiser HD 595? thanx for the video..
Pete, are you getting any credit as a cowriter on this song?
In my opinion you're creating major melodies that shape & completes the song idea. I come away hearing her voice & your strings. The strings definitely evolve & shape the emotion throughout the song.
+armstronglance interesting point! As an arranger, I have no intellectual property in this work. The rights of the song belong to whoever composes the lyrics and vocal melody, and whoever owns the recording.
The Sibelius score is published now. I can't put links in this post by if you go to my site, enter, then search for string arranging part 2 it will show up.
Are these real strings in the end version or virtual?
is string arrangement always limited to four part writting
I'm sure this would have helped loads if I could read notation....
Bass clef on the viola? I hate to think students of string arranging are giving up on learning alto clef. Not really that difficult to master, the sooner the better. musictheorysite.com/clefs
@cheul As much as you have got!
wow
@cheul I went through all the pain of traditional harmony and counterpoint and so I can't say I ignore the rules, 'cos once you have them inside you, you can't help but be aware of them and respond to them when you are creating music. I will gladly check out your music. Is it online somewhere? Or email to pete[at]realstrings[dot]com
those are real strings at the end right? not midi
Yes indeed!
Lol Club Penguin
great string but lame vocalist