# Writing for strings, tutorials?



## Nuno (Oct 1, 2014)

Hi :D 

Can someone recommend me a good book, tutorials or software about writing for strings, not too dense, not too expensive? I would be particularly interested in something that was accompanied by midi examples...thanks!


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## davidgary73 (Oct 1, 2014)

Do check this thread out ASAP @ http://www.vi-control.net/forum/viewtop ... 7&start=70


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## Nuno (Oct 1, 2014)

I have scoring stages 1 and 2...but i want something different, only about strings and midi oriented, if that exists...


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## AlexandreSafi (Oct 1, 2014)

Learn to write & orchestrate for strings first, the knowledge you've gained should organize the MIDI part later...

Adler, Piston, Rimsky-Korsakov to organize your general knowledge...
http://www.amazon.com/The-Study-Orchestration-Third-Edition/dp/039397572X (http://www.amazon.com/The-Study-Orchest ... 039397572X)
http://www.amazon.com/Orchestration-Walter-Piston/dp/0393097404 (http://www.amazon.com/Orchestration-Wal ... 0393097404)
http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Orchestration-Dover-Books-Music/dp/0486212661 (http://www.amazon.com/Principles-Orches ... 0486212661)

But more specifically to your request: 
Try the great Thomas Goss:
https://www.askvideo.com/course/orchestration-the-string-section (https://www.askvideo.com/course/orchest ... ng-section)
I'd also highly recommend his youtube orchestration channel too, immensely informative, he's a great man...
http://www.youtube.com/user/OrchestrationOnline
Otherwise these two might interest you too:
http://www.groove3.com/str/midi-orchest ... ained.html
http://www.amazon.com/The-Guide-MIDI-Orchestration-4e/dp/0240814134 (http://www.amazon.com/The-Guide-MIDI-Or ... 0240814134)

AND.. Don't forget the underrated gold method: Listen carefully to string performances a lot from the masters of Midi Strings Writing (Zimmer, Newton-Howard, Elfman, Powell, T.Bergersen, A. Blaney>Williams) absorb a lot, and both transcribe and write A LOT! 
Alexandre


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## bryla (Oct 1, 2014)

Since this has been brought up I would like to mention once again that score studying is crucial. Learn to decipher the notes and reduce them to the grand staff. Attend concerts with the score in hand. Watch how the string players move. Try to notate where they use up and down bow. Talk to the players afterwards.



AlexandreSafi @ Wed Oct 01 said:


> AND.. Don't forget the underrated gold method: Listen carefully to string performances a lot from the masters of Midi Strings Writing (Zimmer, Newton-Howard, Elfman, Powell, T.Bergersen, A. Blaney>Williams) absorb a lot, and both transcribe and write A LOT!
> Alexandre



I don't understand why MIDI strings should be your reference. There are great quality recordings of real strings out there and scores easily available. Let the real deal be your reference and spend time making your samples sound like that!


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## ed buller (Oct 1, 2014)

try these:

http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how ... udio-23215

http://music.tutsplus.com/tutorials/arr ... -cms-19809

e


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## AlexandreSafi (Oct 1, 2014)

bryla @ Wed Oct 01 said:


> I don't understand why MIDI strings should be your reference. There are great quality recordings of real strings out there and scores easily available. Let the real deal be your reference and spend time making your samples sound like that!



I apologize to the OP about my wording indeed, this is actually exactly what i wanted to say, so i couldn't agree more. Since Nuno also mentioned MIDI, what i precisely wanted to refer to was to take the great composers who mainly work on DAW as an example of what level you can expect they are at, even though you generally only hear the final live performances output from them and not their demos...


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## Nuno (Oct 1, 2014)

I know that i should study scores and listen to the real thing (and i do that to some extent), but i have found that i learn a lot by listen to midi mockups and watching walkthrough videos or by importing midi files into the sequencer.

So, thanks everyone for the bits of advice and for the links (Alexandre and Ed), i will look closely at these. 

Cheers!
Nuno

ps: @8dio, you don't miss a chance of advertise your products, don't you?


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## Peter Alexander (Oct 1, 2014)

Nuno @ Wed Oct 01 said:


> Hi :D
> 
> Can someone recommend me a good book, tutorials or software about writing for strings, not too dense, not too expensive? I would be particularly interested in something that was accompanied by midi examples...thanks!



We have a writing for strings course that covers a semester's worth of work. 20+ lessons supported with video instruction. There are two versions - lite if you have Professional Orchestration v1 and Full if you don't.

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


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## amordechai (Oct 1, 2014)

Score reading is fundamental, IMHO. Start with string quartets: one staff less and no divisi (you tend to find more double stops, but you can ignore them for now). Then procede to string orchestra works/full orchestra passages with prominent strings writing.

The key is to ask yourself "why did the composer give this line, in this octave, to this instrument and not another one?"

You can find a good primer to this method of thinking/asking yourself questions in orchestration textbooks. Here i comment their approach.

I found "The technique of orchestration" (Kennan & Grantham) very useful. In one of the first chapters the authors take a Bach chorale and orchestrate it for strings ensemble in a dozen of different ways each time with a comment (and an audio recording, if you have the cd).

Adler ("the study of orchestration") does a similar thing but with another approach: he takes the incipit of the second (or third? I always confuse them) movement of the third symphony by Brahms and alters it's orchestration (again with comments and audio examples). 

Both are excellent books, but I learned much more with the technique of orchestration book. It opened my eyes. 

Hope it helps,

-A.


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## Nuno (Oct 2, 2014)

Thank you, all! o-[][]-o


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## JohnG (Oct 2, 2014)

Ravel's string writing has been imitated by many film and media composers. If you only look at one composer, he might be the one.


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## Rob Elliott (Oct 2, 2014)

JohnG @ Thu Oct 02 said:


> Ravel's string writing has been imitated by many film and media composers. If you only look at one composer, he might be the one.



+1


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## Nuno (Jan 9, 2015)

JohnG @ Thu Oct 02 said:


> Ravel's string writing has been imitated by many film and media composers. If you only look at one composer, he might be the one.




Any particular work you recommend?


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## tokatila (Jan 9, 2015)

amordechai @ Wed Oct 01 said:


> ...
> You can find a good primer to this method of thinking/asking yourself questions in orchestration textbooks. Here i comment their approach.
> 
> I found "The technique of orchestration" (Kennan & Grantham) very useful. In one of the first chapters the authors take a Bach chorale and orchestrate it for strings ensemble in a dozen of different ways each time with a comment (and an audio recording, if you have the cd).
> ...



Thanks for the tip, was going to buy DM-307 went for Kennan book instead. o/~


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