# Best used brass in original film scores. Your favorites?



## germancomponist (Apr 5, 2010)

There are so many scores where you can listen to so well used and arranged brass instruments.

When I ask you about best brass using in film-music, what comes in mind to you?

2 of my favorites: "Independence Day (1996), by David Arnold" and "Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, by John Williams".

What do you like most?


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## choc0thrax (Apr 5, 2010)

Sleepy Hollow and Final Fantasy: Spirits Within.

And before someone else says it: the Matrix trilogy... naner naner naner


Hey don't all film scores use used brass? I doubt they buy new instruments for each gig.


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## chimuelo (Apr 5, 2010)

Well my favorite Brass in a soundtrack was in Dances w/ Wolves.
John Barry is the chaps name and is also famous for James Bond movies, and many other blockbusters.
I really doubt they were the usual Cubase curvedrawn virtual instruments.
They sound too dynamic and full.
If I am wrong, please correct me. As I would gladly buy that Virtual Instrument immediately.


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## dcoscina (Apr 5, 2010)

Spartacus by a mile. Ben Hur is pretty friggin terrific too.

For out there stuff, David shires Pelham 1,2,3
not that piece of shit remake...the original


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## Dave Connor (Apr 6, 2010)

Sparticus is some of the best brass writing by any composer in the 20th century in any medium. His Cleopatra score also has some incredible stuff but you expect that from Alex North.

John Williams brass writing is consistently top drawer.

Goldsmith's Patton has great brass writing as does Planet of The Apes. (He's always great.) He was writing great brass charts when he was very young such as in "The Four of Us Dying" Twilight Zone episode which is some of the best Jazz horn writing I've ever heard to this day.


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## Tanuj Tiku (Apr 6, 2010)

Without doubt, I would say John Williams has written some fantastic music for the brass section. His music has a very wind band kind of approach.


Very few other composers come close to him if you look at his entire body of work. He has consistantly delivered great scores throughout his career - Even at the age of 78!

I am eagerly waiting for the Tin Tin score. 


I wish, every year I could look forward to a John Williams score. He just writes fantastic music.



Best,

Tanuj.


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## Christian Marcussen (Apr 6, 2010)

Yeah... He was born to write Tin Tin... But to think that the time of new Williams scores to look foreard to, will be over in the not too distant future :(


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## alphonse (Apr 6, 2010)

Don Davis The Matrix o=<


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## gsilbers (Apr 6, 2010)

alphonse @ Tue Apr 06 said:


> Don Davis The Matrix o=<



yep, that def made its mark on filmscores to come, even TV shows!


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## Waywyn (Apr 6, 2010)

choc0thrax @ Mon Apr 05 said:


> Hey don't all film scores use used brass?



HAHAHAHAHAH!!

Oh by the way, please change your avatar soon. Everytime I read a post of yours I have to puke! :oops:


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## requiem_aeternam7 (Apr 6, 2010)

how about a thread topic: worst used woodwinds and least used woodwinds in any score?

Answer: Hans Zimmer's entire oeuvre.


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## germancomponist (Apr 6, 2010)

requiem_aeternam7 @ Tue Apr 06 said:


> how about a thread topic: worst used woodwinds and least used woodwinds in any score?
> 
> Answer: Hans Zimmer's entire oeuvre.



I don`t get it what your answer has to do with my question?

How about a thread topic: worst used triangle and least used triangle in any score? 

Answer: requiem_aeternam7 entire oeuvre. :mrgreen: o=< o-[][]-o


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## germancomponist (Apr 6, 2010)

choc0thrax @ Tue Apr 06 said:


> Hey don't all film scores use used brass? I doubt they buy new instruments for each gig.



Smile,

all film scores used more or less braas. The important question is: How well is it used and arranged? o/~ 

@ the others: Thank you all for your suggestions!


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## choc0thrax (Apr 6, 2010)

germancomponist @ Tue Apr 06 said:


> requiem_aeternam7 @ Tue Apr 06 said:
> 
> 
> > how about a thread topic: worst used woodwinds and least used woodwinds in any score?
> ...



Ouch! He may have totally burned you there requiem... I'm not sure, but it's possible. o/~


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## germancomponist (Apr 6, 2010)

:-D


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## NYC Composer (Apr 6, 2010)

+1 for John Barry. Best brass writer of all time, for me.


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## requiem_aeternam7 (Apr 6, 2010)

germancomponist @ Tue Apr 06 said:


> requiem_aeternam7 @ Tue Apr 06 said:
> 
> 
> > how about a thread topic: worst used woodwinds and least used woodwinds in any score?
> ...



I'll be honest I actually use a lot of triangles in my scores so that's not quite accurate. 
=o


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## germancomponist (Apr 8, 2010)

requiem_aeternam7 @ Wed Apr 07 said:


> germancomponist @ Tue Apr 06 said:
> 
> 
> > requiem_aeternam7 @ Tue Apr 06 said:
> ...



I hope you read my joking between the lines... . o-[]ò²


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## NYC Composer (Apr 8, 2010)

josejherring @ Thu Apr 08 said:


> JohnG @ Thu Apr 08 said:
> 
> 
> > These cannot fail to remind me, however, of how one's own emulations pale in comparison, like Macbeth's titles that "hang loose about him, like a giant's robe upon a dwarfish thief."



That's why I've moved away from the idea of trying to emulate the orchestra with samples. If samples are the final product then write what sounds good with samples. If you have live instruments then write what sounds good with live instruments, using samples then as a general rough demo.

But, I'll go to my grave saying that there is no way that you could even do a 10th of the above stuff with samples. Just ain't gonò²Í   Í!²Í   Í"²Í   Í#²Í   Í$²Í   Í%²Î   Í&²Î   Í'²Î   Í(²Î   Í)²Î   Í*²Î   Í+²Î   Í,²Î   Í-²Î   Í.²Î   Í/²


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## NYC Composer (Apr 9, 2010)

Yes, but look again in two years, and the landscape will be different for talented composers/sample gurus.


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## Waywyn (Apr 9, 2010)

josejherring @ Fri Apr 09 said:


> NYC Composer @ Thu Apr 08 said:
> 
> 
> > josejherring @ Thu Apr 08 said:
> ...



But there is still the questions of budget and time. Sometimes customers don't have enough of this to pay a real orchestra session but they may have a certain imagination for the project which may be hard to solve with samples. I am not the one who is then avoiding by doing certain things, but feel challenged by it.

If you start thinking that samples has limitations, then you maybe would do the other way round. Orchestra got it's limitations too (not just in terms articulations, but countless other things).

In the end I wanna say, that I prefer critics like this:

"Wow, that stuff is awesome. I still hear a bit MIDI and samples, but it just blows big time!"

rather than:

"Oh, it totally sounds real ... but the composition itself ... hm, it's okay"


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## NYC Composer (Apr 9, 2010)

Alex- an oddity of language...

In English, saying' it blows' means ' it sucks, it's terrible'. Just fyi :D


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## Waywyn (Apr 9, 2010)

NYC Composer @ Fri Apr 09 said:


> Alex- an oddity of language...
> 
> In English, saying' it blows' means ' it sucks, it's terrible'. Just fyi :D



LoL oh, thanks for the headsup ... okay, so ... it blows ass! :D


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## Hannes_F (Apr 9, 2010)

Waywyn @ Fri Apr 09 said:


> josejherring @ Fri Apr 09 said:
> 
> 
> > NYC Composer @ Thu Apr 08 said:
> ...



I want to quote myself from another forum:

There used to be a time when composers and players had a _pact _and were a _team _rowing in the same boat. This pact has been eroded from both sides ... performers not enough wanting to promote newly written music and composers looking at performers as necessary evil that has to be avoided. I am not sure this trend is best for the progress of music itself though.


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## Hal (Apr 9, 2010)

choc0thrax @ Mon Apr 05 said:


> Hey don't all film scores use used brass? I doubt they buy new instruments for each gig.



:lol: :lol:


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## Ed (Apr 9, 2010)

NYC Composer @ Fri Apr 09 said:


> Alex- an oddity of language...
> 
> In English, saying' it blows' means ' it sucks, it's terrible'. Just fyi :D



Yes, something can blow and suck at the same time heheee


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## snowleopard (Apr 9, 2010)

As you said "brass" not just blaring trumpets, or lead lines, I'm going to go with Jerry Goldsmith's score to Rambo. There are great themes and motifs in there that convey Rambo's entire story and depth of character musically with great skill and aplomb. Goldsmith used the full brass, from the subtlety of the french horns, to the power of the trumpets, to the uniqueness of the rips, all to great effect. Take a listen, it's three minutes and worth every second: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHAALE90xUU


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