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Rey's theme - what is the instrumentation?

Can anyone actually hear the piano? I was surprised to see it in the score, I can't hear it at all. Can hear all of the others though.

Also, unrelated, but I noticed in the score there are no key signatures, everything's notated with accidentals. Is this common practice for orchestral scores?
 
BubbaMc said:
Also, unrelated, but I noticed in the score there are no key signatures, everything's notated with accidentals. Is this common practice for orchestral scores?
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That's very common in soundtracks, to write the score in concert pitch (in short, in "C"), so no key signature and no transposing instruments, to make the sight-reading easier for the musicians (although I guess this probably does not apply to horn players, i.e, as they have to sight-detranspose their parts, but anyway...).
Is not common practice for orchestral music, just to soundtrack music. In the classical world would be very rare to find an orchestral score written in concert pitch.
 
Yes, the score is typically written in concert pitch with no key signature for film scores, but players DO NOT have to transpose their parts. Horn/clarinet/trumpet/etc. parts are transposed as necessary, but still written with no key signatures. All accidentals are written to make sight reading easy for the players.
 
Thanks. I think scores without key signatures are a bad idea for several reasons - it makes it much harder to hear it in your head by reading, for one.

Anyway, I plan on transcribing Rey's Theme as accurately as possible. I bought the score to have a reference to see how close I get. I'll be using key signatures in my transcription :)

Then I'll attempt a midi mock-up (my first) as a learning exercise.
 
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It makes a lot more sense to use no key signature in the film music world where the music is constantly changing keys, using non-diatonic harmony, atonal passages, etc.
 
resound said:
in the film music world where the music is constantly changing keys, using non-diatonic harmony
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More than in Mahler or Wagner? :)
For sight reading, if it helps the players, that's ok, but I don't think your reasoning applies here. There are much more examples of fast key changes, non diatonic harmony and atonal passages in the classical repertoire than in film music. And in the classical repertoire, I never seen a score in concert pitch.
 
This is from Hollywood orchestrator/conductor/composer Tim Davies blog debreved:

https://www.timusic.net/debreved/how-to-score/

You might find it interesting. He touches briefly on this subject.



For sight reading, if it helps the players, that's ok, but I don't think your reasoning applies here. There are much more examples of fast key changes, non diatonic harmony and atonal passages in the classical repertoire than in film music. And in the classical repertoire, I never seen a score in concert pitch.[/QUOTE]
 
Iskra said:
More than in Mahler or Wagner? :)
For sight reading, if it helps the players, that's ok, but I don't think your reasoning applies here. There are much more examples of fast key changes, non diatonic harmony and atonal passages in the classical repertoire than in film music. And in the classical repertoire, I never seen a score in concert pitch.
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If my reasoning didn't apply, then it wouldn't be the standard for EVERY film scoring session :)

As Tim Davies mentions in his blog referenced above, it's actually easier for performers to have all the accidentals written out rather than using key signatures. It's easier to see the accidental for every note written out rather than having to remember that there is a Db in the key signature after playing a bunch of D naturals, for example. Time is money in the studio, so there is no time for errors. Time spent asking questions to clarify accidentals is time/money wasted.

Even in a Mahler or Wagner symphony the written key signature can be subjective at times, but players will have time to rehearse and write in courtesy accidentals where they need them for live performances.
 
Unless I'm recording a song that is clearly one key signature all the way through I'll have all accidentals. This doesn't mean it's a concert score. Concert scores are usually for revisions but I always deliver transposed scores for the conductor - without key signature. This way he sees what the musicians see: transposed music with no key signature.

And accidentals are way easier to sight read and in a crowded passage I'll state the same accidentals several times in the same bar simply to avoid confusion.
 
brek said:
From the score -

piano, harp, vibes, marimba x2, glockenspiel. Very soft mallets. Celeste comes in at :24.
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Hi Miket and brek,

How do you know this so precisely ? Did you work on it, or is there a place where we could get the score ?

Thank you,

Michel
 
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