- Everything playing all the time (everything sounds homogenous/boring)
- Overloading the low end with too much stuff thinking that gives you power (gets muddy)
- Believing the french horns are the power instrument of the brass section or believing you need 8+ horns to get a big brass sound
- Doubling everything or "dogpile" orchestration (pick a note and everybody pile on)
- Forgetting to give brass and woodwinds space to breathe
- Not using the woodwinds at all (greatly reduces the color palette)
- Relying too much on percussion for rhythmic interest
#1 - Thinking orchestration is the problem when the problem is actually in the composition. That could mean bad harmony, chord voicings, voice-leading, elements fighting with each other, or a weak melody. You can't orchestrate your way out of compositional problems.
Jesus, JJP, I was going to go on an orchestration rant, but you nailed all my points already. :middle finger:.
So, I guess I'll just talk about how the Flyers suck, and how we're doomed to another 30 years of sports mediocrity in Philly.
I'll add a couple more, that are variations of a theme:
1. Using the percussion (esp ethnic percussion) as the driving rhythm in orchestral pieces; Percussion should be (if you want to write great orchestrations) accents and colors, not a drum kit.
2. Registral issues. Writing chords too low in the register, creating harmonic mud. Look up classic "low register limits" in jazz arranging, and make sure your brass and strings don't duck down below those. And, before you say, "Well, Bernie Herrmann and Jimmy Horner did low register chords", look me in the eye, and tell me you're as good as either of those two.... Yeah, didn't think so. Watch your low registral limits.
3. Really thinking about your dynamics. Thinking about how a flute chord in piano would softly color against a harp in mf; thinking about what it means when a trumpet is forte, versus a violin section.
4. Getting off on walls of ethnic percussion as a primary force in your composition. It doesn't sustain formal interest; it's just a cheap hormone trick. Yes, I said it twice. Because it bears repeating.
5. Repeating JJP's thing about working more with woodwinds. For god's sake, every great theme written is stated in a woodwind at some point. Think about it.
There you go. Now go and study Ravel.
Mike