# Updated Description: Spectrotone Chart Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-ordering ending!



## Peter Alexander (Oct 3, 2012)

I'm excited to announce the NEW downloadable *Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration* now available. Pre-Order Pricing available for limited time.

*1.* There are Seven (7) downloadable video lectures each running an average of 30 minutes (except the Introduction which is shorter).

*2.* If you bought the Spectrotone Chart from Alexander Publishing, you only need the Basic Version.

*Visual Orchestration* is specifically designed for live ensemble or MIDI mock-up applications. 

There are three versions starting as low as USD$29.95:

*Basic Course ($29.95) for those already bought the Spectrotone Chart directly from Alexander Publishing or with a Professional Orchestration bundle;* 
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Basic-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-01.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-01.aspx)

*Master Edition ($49.95) for those who don't have the Spectrotone Chart at all;*
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Master-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-02.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-02.aspx)

*The Advanced Edition ($74.95) containing all the video lectures, the Spectrotone Chart and our roughly 10 hour Concert Package featuring an average 20-minute concert per orchestral instrument.*
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Advanced-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-03.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-03.aspx)

*Video Lecture List*
The Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration has seven video lectures totaling 3.78 hours of instruction. To learn effectively, if you don’t already have the CDs in your collection referred to in the lecture list below, legal MP3s are available from iTunes for listening analysis.

Video 1 (Intro): 18 minutes
Video 2: 40 minutes
Video 3: 32 minutes
Video 4: 43 minutes
Video 5: 27 minutes.
Video 6: 37 minutes
Video 7: 30 Minutes

Total Teaching Time: 3.78 hours of instruction - nearly 4 hours

*Lecture 1 – Introduction:* Looks at the beginnings of instrumentation and orchestration; four aspects of music notation separate from the creative process; starting point for the instrumental composer; orchestration’s goal; Visual Orchestration course goals and how they’re achieved.

*Lecture 2 – How the Spectrotone Chart Came to Be:* The four men who influenced Arthur Lange in the creation of the Spectrotone Chart; the origin of Span of Orchestration; why we use C4 instead of C3; what Rimsky-Korsakov started that Arthur Lange finished with the Spectrotone Chart.

*Lecture 3 – First Steps in Using of The Spectrotone Chart:* MIDI Note Numbers; Span of Orchestration; instrument ranges; musical language; technical language; Hz frequencies; Span of Orchestration and EQ’ing; Tone Colors; Tone Colors and instrument range; application to the flute and other instruments, muted brass; and the string section as a whole. 

*Lecture 4 – Orchestral Registration:* Tone Color transitions; ethnic instruments and the Spectrotone Chart; 3-Part span of orchestration; contrasts by register; melody placement by register; common knowledge; _Four Sea Interludes_ from _Peter Grimes_, _Princess Leia’s_ theme; _Sayuri’s Theme_.

*Lecture 5 – Composition With The Spectrotone System:* Broad music creation paths; a framework for inner listening to compose; melody and figuration; melody in unison or harmony; scoring in 2, 3, and 4 parts; order of listening; contrapuntal rhythmic structure; _Basic Instinct_, _Star Trek Voyager_ theme; _Jupiter_ from _The Planets_.

*Lecture 6 – Creating Combinations:* 5 steps to learning combinations; combination definition; secret of coloristic orchestrations; combinations and musical language; combination and technical language; layering in Visual Orchestration; four types of combinations; four types of contrast; finding complementary combinations; remote combinations; combinations and the 8 _Keys of Professional Orchestration_; compositional decision making; 4 applications with strings; what is orchestration; the need to contemplate.

*Lecture 7 – MIDI Mock-ups, Tone Colors and Voicings:* the dreaded organ/accordion sound; unisons; octaves; the next generation orchestral sample library; tone colors and tonality; Articulation Tables; _Sayuri’s Theme_, Bizet’s _Carmen Suite #1_; French horns and _ET_; _Liberty Fanfare_; opening to Mendelssohn’s _Symphony #4_; tone colors and tonality; dominant tone colors for the brass; key points summary; conclusion.


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## Scrianinoff (Oct 3, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing - Releases Week of Oct 15*



Peter Alexander @ Wed 03 Oct said:


> I'm excited to announce the NEW downloadable *Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration* for those who read or barely read music. [...]



Do you mean those who _cannot_ read or barely read music? Or perhaps, will not read, or do not read, or no longer read, etc.


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## Scrianinoff (Oct 3, 2012)

What's in the "PDF booklets with supporting material"? Mostly everything covered in the video lectures? A summary of the information to fall back on?

How does it compare to your professional orchestration series?

I have been thinking of getting the pro orch series for a long time, as a refresher and as a bundling of knowledge that I collected here and there over the years. Some people are raving about the contents. Still I find it difficult to assess what's really in it, and in what form. Can the pro orch series and/or this new series be used in this fashion? Or is it tied to an A to B to Z type of course?


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 3, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing - Releases Week of Oct 15*



Scrianinoff @ Wed Oct 03 said:


> Peter Alexander @ Wed 03 Oct said:
> 
> 
> > I'm excited to announce the NEW downloadable *Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration* for those who read or barely read music. [...]
> ...



I've revised the statement to reflect those who read music and those who compose mostly be ear, hence, visual orchestration.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 3, 2012)

Scrianinoff @ Wed Oct 03 said:


> What's in the "PDF booklets with supporting material"? Mostly everything covered in the video lectures? A summary of the information to fall back on?
> 
> How does it compare to your professional orchestration series?
> 
> I have been thinking of getting the pro orch series for a long time, as a refresher and as a bundling of knowledge that I collected here and there over the years. Some people are raving about the contents. Still I find it difficult to assess what's really in it, and in what form. Can the pro orch series and/or this new series be used in this fashion? Or is it tied to an A to B to Z type of course?



PM me your email address and I'll send you a 4-color PDF brochure.

To answer your questions.

1. For those who have the Spectrotone Chart from either buying it outright or within a Professional Orchestration bundle there are two PDF booklets included. 

2. The PDFs accompanying the 6 30-minute videos (average timings) are a handful of sheets containing material not practical to visualize onscreen. 

3. For those who have the Spectrotone Chart through one of our Professional Orchestration bundles, Visual Orchestration is advanced training based on questions I've received from customers over the years, plus new material not included in any previous books or video courses. 

4. For those on VI who want to learn orchestration by ear, Visual Orchestration is the ticket because you don't have to read music to learn a lot to do a lot as it combines instrumentation, orchestration, composition and some recording info. 

When combined with Writing For Strings, The Professional Orchestration Everything So Far Bundle is the content equivalent of four semesters of orchestration training. In the US, you get one or two semesters of orchestration in your senior year of music school. Books 2A, 2B, and volume 3 (2013) are grad school in content. 

These books are about VOCABULARY. Nearly all of the examples are organized by the low, medium, high, and very high registers with multiple examples showing how scoring changes when the melody is located in different registers with different solo instruments, sections, combinations within sections, and combinations combining sections. 

Audio timings for volume 1 are now ready and audio timings for volumes 2A and 2B will be released shortly.

How they work is simple: analyze, do a MIDI mockup, write!


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## snowleopard (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing - Releases Week of Oct 15*



Peter Alexander @ Wed Oct 03 said:


> I've revised the statement to reflect those who read music and those who compose mostly be ear, hence, visual orchestration.


I'm still a bit confused by this. When you say "those who compose mostly by ear", you mean those who don't bother with notation, regardless of their level to read music? But that doesn't make much sense to me, for if that's the case, don't you mean most anyone?!


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing - Releases Week of Oct 15*



snowleopard @ Thu Oct 04 said:


> Peter Alexander @ Wed Oct 03 said:
> 
> 
> > I've revised the statement to reflect those who read music and those who compose mostly be ear, hence, visual orchestration.
> ...



To truly learn orchestration you DO have to be able to read music. But in Visual Orchestration I've distilled the core principles so that the ability to read music is not required. The focus is on the things you do by ear using the Spectrotone Chart as your visual guide.

So for whatever reason that you don't read music and you create by ear, which is many on this forum, Visual Orchestration is a value priced course where you can learn some really great stuff.

Thanks for asking!


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

*Quick note* - Visual Orchestration features a newly revised Spectrotone Chart. After verifying ownership, Alexander Publishing customers will have the new chart placed in their account for *FREE*.


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## Alex Cuervo (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

Wait - so if I own an Artie Lang Spectrotone chart - it won't work for these lessons? I bought one last year from Cambria and was hoping I could use it for this.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*



Alex Cuervo @ Thu Oct 04 said:


> Wait - so if I own an Artie Lang Spectrotone chart - it won't work for these lessons? I bought one last year from Cambria and was hoping I could use it for this.



You can use it but it won't have all the features of our newly revised version. The first revision, BTW, is two years old. This is our second revision. And those who bought this first revision from us get this second revision gratus.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

BTW, Artie Lang is a comedian. Arthur Lange was the creator of the Spectrotone Chart.


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## Alex Cuervo (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*



Peter Alexander @ Thu Oct 04 said:


> BTW, Artie Lang is a comedian. Arthur Lange was the creator of the Spectrotone Chart.



Well I guess that's what I get for buying an orchestration chart I heard advertised on Howard Stern! :wink:


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 4, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*



Alex Cuervo @ Thu Oct 04 said:


> Peter Alexander @ Thu Oct 04 said:
> 
> 
> > BTW, Artie Lang is a comedian. Arthur Lange was the creator of the Spectrotone Chart.
> ...



>8o


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 5, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

We will need a copy of your receipt as the $29.95 price is for those having bought the Spectrotone Chart from us. The one being released for the class is a major revision and will have information on it the original never had.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 8, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

We appreciate all the orders the past few days. Still on course for release week of Oct 15.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 15, 2012)

*Re: New! Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95*

For those who've ordered:

1. Thank you!
2. We'll be sending you emails shortly to let you know when to come and download
3. Because of the number ordering, file sizes and our site, we are staggering the days we post each vid.

Thanks again!

PA


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## ThomasL (Oct 16, 2012)

*Re: New! Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95: Downloads begin Shortly!*

Great news Peter.

I'm looking forward to it.


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## Martin Brannigan (Oct 16, 2012)

*Re: New! Visual Orchestration - Pre-Order Pricing Starting at USD $29.95: Downloads begin Shortly!*

+1


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 18, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration - Downloading Has Begun: Please Read*

*For those who have bought the Basic, Master and Advanced:*

1. Because of the NUMBER (!!!) of people ordering, to avoid the site going down, we're posting new vids every few days.

2. Videos 1, 2, a PDF booklet, and the 70TH Anniversary Spectrotone Chart are ready for download. Just LOGIN to your Account to download them.

3. Videos 3 and 4 will post over the weekend (U.S. time). I'll announce here when they're ready for download.

*Please note:* The Spectrotone Chart can be printed out on a home printer but is designed as an 18 x 24 poster (standard size).

*DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTIONS* 
To access your downloadable files please go to www.alexanderpublishing.com and follow these steps: 

1. Login to your accouont. 

2. Once logged in you will see your Order History. Click on the 'Product Info' button next to your Spectrotone Course order then scroll down the page and you'll see your starting download links.

Thank you so much for ordering.

Peter and Caroline Alexander


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration - Downloading Has Begun: Oops! Food Poisoning*

My apologies but there's been a slight delay on the posting of the next vids. Caroline, who does this, came down with a serious case of food poisoning after getting take out from our favorite Mexican restaurant. Happily, she's on the mend.

My apologies for the delay.


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## Marko Zirkovich (Oct 21, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration - Downloading Has Begun: Oops! Food Poisoning*

Hi Peter,

Please convey my get-well wishes for a speedy recovery to your wife Caroline. Just don't tell her that my motives might involve a fair share of egotistical reasons in regards to downloading the remaining videos. I watched the first 2 videos yesterday and they are very informative, clearly structured and well produced. Great historical background information and I'm really looking forward to the rest of the videos.

A steal for the measly $29.95 pre-order price as far as I'm concerned. o-[][]-o


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 23, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration: Video 3 posted (32 minutes)*

Caroline is doing better and Video 3 is posted.

So far:

Video 1 (Intro): 18 minutes 
Video 2: 40 minutes
Video 3: 32 minutes

Video 4 will post shortly with 3 PDFs.

Thanks for your patience.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 25, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration: New PDFs Uploaded*

Caroline is improving so:

1. 2 PDFs posted replacing previous
2. FINAL revision of 70th Anniversary Spectrotone Chart uploaded
3. All 3 have now been linked into the accounts of those previous ordering it from us either standalone or as part of a bundle
4. Video 4 posts shortly

Thanks, folks!


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## kclements (Oct 25, 2012)

Hi - 

[strike]Quick question Peter - I bought the Spectrotone Chart from you back in 2010. I went to my account, but I don't see a place to download the new one - How do I get the new version?[/strike]

thanks
kc

EDIT: Never mind - I found it. Too early to be looking at the internets.

kc


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 25, 2012)

kclements @ Thu Oct 25 said:


> Hi -
> 
> [strike]Quick question Peter - I bought the Spectrotone Chart from you back in 2010. I went to my account, but I don't see a place to download the new one - How do I get the new version?[/strike]
> 
> ...



Good lad! Enjoy!


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 25, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration: Video 4 (see note)*

Bump


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 28, 2012)

*Re: Uploaded: Visual Orchestration: Video Lecture 4*

*Visual Orchestration Video Lecture 4 Posted - 43 minutes*
Video Lecture 4 is now available to download from your account, along with our newly revised and expanded 70th Anniversary Edition Spectrotone Chart for all registered chart owners. If you have already downloaded the new Spectrotone Chart, please make sure that the file you have is the expanded range version labeled: SpectrotoneChart+Guide-70thAnvsryExtEd.zip 

This replaces all previous files.


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 30, 2012)

*Re: Pre-ordering ending soon! Visual Orchestration: Video Lecture 5 Uploaded!*

Video 5 Uploaded! 28 minutes.
Pre-order now before the prices go up!

70th Anniversary Spectrotone Chart now available for individual purchase.

http://www.alexanderpublishing.com/Depa ... Chart.aspx

Please copy link into a new browser.


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## Kejero (Oct 31, 2012)

For this price this series is a no-brainer. Thanks Peter!


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## DaddyO (Oct 31, 2012)

Kejero @ Wed Oct 31 said:


> For this price this series is a no-brainer. Thanks Peter!



I agree, and so I bought my first formal training in orchestration, having heretofore relied on my musical background.


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## Martin Brannigan (Oct 31, 2012)

*Re: Pre-ordering ending soon! Visual Orchestration: Video Lecture 5 Uploaded!*

+1 - I'm enjoying this Course, Peter, many thanks


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## Kejero (Nov 2, 2012)

Hehe. "Gravy".


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 6, 2012)

*Re: Visual Orchestration Video Lecture 6 Uploaded! Pre-ordering ending! Vid 7 posts shortly!*

Greetings! Video 6 posted: 37 Minutes!

Video 1 (Intro): 18 minutes
Video 2: 40 minutes
Video 3: 32 minutes 
Video 4: 43 minutes
Video 5: 27 minutes. 

Video 7 posts shortly!

*Please note!*

Order NOW because prices go up shortly after the release of Vid 7.

The 70th Anniversary Edition of the Spectrotone Chart OBSOLETES all previous versions including the original 1943 edition. For those owning the original 1943 edition, you must order now if you want the $29.95 price. 

Please copy into new browser.
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Master-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-02.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-02.aspx)


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 13, 2012)

*Re: FINISHED! Visual Orchestration Video Lecture 7 Uploaded! Pre-ordering ending!*

*FINISHED!*
Video 7 running 30 minutes is uploaded and waiting for you. Run time is 30 minutes.

http://alexanderpublishing.com/Departme ... Chart.aspx

Video 1 (Intro): 18 minutes
Video 2: 40 minutes
Video 3: 32 minutes
Video 4: 43 minutes
Video 5: 27 minutes. 
Video 6: 37 minutes
Video 7: 30 Minutes

Total Teaching Time: 3.78 hours of instruction - _*nearly 4 hours!*_

Order now because pricing *IS* going up!


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 15, 2012)

*Revised Lecture Description List for the Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration*. Pre-Order Pricing still available for limited time.

*Video Lecture List*
The Spectrotone Course: Visual Orchestration has seven video lectures totaling 3.78 hours of instruction. To learn effectively, if you don’t already have the CDs in your collection referred to in the lecture list below, legal MP3s are available from iTunes for listening analysis.

Video 1 (Intro): 18 minutes
Video 2: 40 minutes
Video 3: 32 minutes
Video 4: 43 minutes
Video 5: 27 minutes.
Video 6: 37 minutes
Video 7: 30 Minutes

Total Teaching Time: 3.78 hours of instruction - nearly 4 hours

*Lecture 1 – Introduction:* Looks at the beginnings of instrumentation and orchestration; four aspects of music notation separate from the creative process; starting point for the instrumental composer; orchestration’s goal; Visual Orchestration course goals and how they’re achieved.

*Lecture 2 – How the Spectrotone Chart Came to Be:* The four men who influenced Arthur Lange in the creation of the Spectrotone Chart; the origin of Span of Orchestration; why we use C4 instead of C3; what Rimsky-Korsakov started that Arthur Lange finished with the Spectrotone Chart.

*Lecture 3 – First Steps in Using of The Spectrotone Chart:* MIDI Note Numbers; Span of Orchestration; instrument ranges; musical language; technical language; Hz frequencies; Span of Orchestration and EQ’ing; Tone Colors; Tone Colors and instrument range; application to the flute and other instruments, muted brass; and the string section as a whole. 

*Lecture 4 – Orchestral Registration:* Tone Color transitions; ethnic instruments and the Spectrotone Chart; 3-Part span of orchestration; contrasts by register; melody placement by register; common knowledge; _Four Sea Interludes_ from _Peter Grimes_, _Princess Leia’s_ theme; _Sayuri’s Theme_.

*Lecture 5 – Composition With The Spectrotone System:* Broad music creation paths; a framework for inner listening to compose; melody and figuration; melody in unison or harmony; scoring in 2, 3, and 4 parts; order of listening; contrapuntal rhythmic structure; _Basic Instinct_, _Star Trek Voyager_ theme; _Jupiter_ from _The Planets_.

*Lecture 6 – Creating Combinations:* 5 steps to learning combinations; combination definition; secret of coloristic orchestrations; combinations and musical language; combination and technical language; layering in Visual Orchestration; four types of combinations; four types of contrast; finding complementary combinations; remote combinations; combinations and the 8 _Keys of Professional Orchestration_; compositional decision making; 4 applications with strings; what is orchestration; the need to contemplate.

*Lecture 7 – MIDI Mock-ups, Tone Colors and Voicings:* the dreaded organ/accordion sound; unisons; octaves; the next generation orchestral sample library; tone colors and tonality; Articulation Tables; _Sayuri’s Theme_, Bizet’s _Carmen Suite #1_; French horns and _ET_; _Liberty Fanfare_; opening to Mendelssohn’s _Symphony #4_; tone colors and tonality; dominant tone colors for the brass; key points summary; conclusion.

*There are three versions starting as low as USD$29.95:*

*Basic Course ($29.95) for those already bought the Spectrotone Chart directly from Alexander Publishing or with a Professional Orchestration bundle;* 
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Basic-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-01.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-01.aspx)

*Master Edition ($49.95) for those who don't have the Spectrotone Chart at all;*
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Master-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-02.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-02.aspx)

*The Advanced Edition ($74.95) containing all the video lectures, the Spectrotone Chart and our roughly 10 hour Concert Package featuring an average 20-minute concert per orchestral instrument.*
http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products/Spectrotone-Course--Visual-Orchestration---Advanced-Edition__Spec-VizOrch-03.aspx (http://alexanderpublishing.com/Products ... ch-03.aspx)


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## Peter Alexander (Nov 16, 2012)

Bump


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## Martin Brannigan (Nov 24, 2012)

Hi Peter,

Just wanted to say "many thanks " for this new Course. For me it has, and will continue to be, a great source of learning and education.

Also, I see that you have plans for Part Deux !! sounds great. 

Thanks again Peter


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