# Hi, I'm Lea, I'm a professional violinist/violist, & aspiring composer



## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

Currently pondering whether I could make income from my music writing. I would love to go back to school to focus on composition, but for now I keep plugging away on my own. Since I taught lessons for 10 years, I decided to write alternative accompaniments to the most common songs my students were playing, employing various orchestral instruments, since I knew everyone's parents were getting sick of listening to the CD with it's I-V's or maybe I-IV-V clunked out on the piano. So my hope is to create a professional quality album of those ensemble accompaniments using Cubase and my EastWest sample library. I've come a long way from the luddite I was, but still find the learning curve of this tech to be a steep and slippery slope. I'm inspired by what I'm reading and hearing on hear though, so thanks!


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## Sears Poncho (Mar 25, 2020)

Hi Lea, pro violinist and composer here. That's a good idea, kinda like ye olde "Music Minus One" albums. If you don't know them, google it. Good luck!


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## JohnG (Mar 25, 2020)

Hi Lea,

Welcome! 

I read your story with interest; I'm sure you know that Jane Austen started writing for her immediate family in order to amuse everyone and divert them -- olden days in the country, you know -- so maybe you'll be a musical Jane Austen?

Glad to have you here.

John


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## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

Sears Poncho said:


> Hi Lea, pro violinist and composer here. That's a good idea, kinda like ye olde "Music Minus One" albums. If you don't know them, google it. Good luck!


I haven't heard of it, I'll have to check it out!


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## Sears Poncho (Mar 25, 2020)

Lea1229 said:


> I haven't heard of it, I'll have to check it out!


Music minus one


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## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

JohnG said:


> Hi Lea,
> 
> Welcome!
> 
> ...


Thanks John, one can always hope


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## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

Sears Poncho said:


> Music minus one


Yes, that's pretty much exactly what I'm imagining for the cd - except of course using samples instead of live recordings. As a classical musician, I used to be kind of bummed that we are becoming replaceable, but as a composer, I'm like, yep, live musicians & studio NOT in the budget, haha.


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## zhengyimusic (Mar 25, 2020)

Lea1229 said:


> Yes, that's pretty much exactly what I'm imagining for the cd - except of course using samples instead of live recordings. As a classical musician, I used to be kind of bummed that we are becoming replaceable, but as a composer, I'm like, yep, live musicians & studio NOT in the budget, haha.


Sounds like a wonderful idea, Lea! I was just thinking maybe you could combine the sound of your own violin with the sample libraries. That would make the recordings sound much more realistic and I believe that's what Hans Zimmer is doing with his film scores?


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## Sears Poncho (Mar 25, 2020)

Lea1229 said:


> Yes, that's pretty much exactly what I'm imagining for the cd - except of course using samples instead of live recordings


I did one years ago, Bartok 2nd concerto. I made my own orchestration. I did it so I could adjust the tempi and "customize" it.



Lea1229 said:


> I'm like, yep, live musicians & studio NOT in the budget,


IMO the key is mixing a little of both. I am working on a track currently, I have the sample strings laid down. I am using Spitfire Studio Strings Pro, Spitfire Solo Strings, CSSS, Tina Guo. After I do a rough mix I will add real violin and viola parts and mix them in. I also have a real guitarist, electric violin (me), all sorts of other stuff... and narrator. With all that, it's really hard to tell that there are only 2 actual humans playing.


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## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

zhengyimusic said:


> Sounds like a wonderful idea, Lea! I was just thinking maybe you could combine the sound of your own violin with the sample libraries. That would make the recordings sound much more realistic and I believe that's what Hans Zimmer is doing with his film scores?


You know, I'll probably try that. Initially I was worried that I wouldn't be able to achieve the sound of the same "space", as every recording situation yields such a different feel. But I did not know that Hans Zimmer does it that way, and maybe with all the fx/plugins available I could make the live & sample tracks mesh. Sears Poncho said the same thing, so it may just be a matter of me sharpening my mixing skills.


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## Lea1229 (Mar 25, 2020)

Sears Poncho said:


> I did one years ago, Bartok 2nd concerto. I made my own orchestration. I did it so I could adjust the tempi and "customize" it.
> 
> 
> IMO the key is mixing a little of both. I am working on a track currently, I have the sample strings laid down. I am using Spitfire Studio Strings Pro, Spitfire Solo Strings, CSSS, Tina Guo. After I do a rough mix I will add real violin and viola parts and mix them in. I also have a real guitarist, electric violin (me), all sorts of other stuff... and narrator. With all that, it's really hard to tell that there are only 2 actual humans playing.


Wow, nicely done re the Bartok. I will definitely think about this, I'm currently working on learning how to use MIDI effectively to make the samples more realistic, but once I feel more confident in that I'll try laying down some tracks myself and see how it goes.


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