Behind the Score: The Last Samurai

[@AshtonGleckman]

Free Pack (Session, MIDI File, Stems): bit.ly/2IC0qZ1 Let me know if you have any recommendations for the S2 finale! Chapter I (Introduction): 7:00 Chapter II (Elements of the Score): 8:42 Chapter III (Theme Gallery): 13:42 Chapter IV: Suite Breakdown: 16:44 Chapter V: Technical Overview: 53:26

[@KM-tv5km]

Ashton Gleckman how about something by Jonny Greenwood? There Will Be Blood would be awesome!

[@AshtonGleckman]

K M Would love to also do Phantom Thread! Great idea though, he’s a brilliant composer.

[@GarenEvansMusic]

This score literally makes me shed to tears. What a beautiful film. An underrated classic! One of my favorites.

[@chungkingexpress94]

It's so good. Saw it in theaters. Loved it then and still love it

[@AndyRobinson1010]

Ashton, I don't know where you find the time to make your incredible "Behind the Score" series and still make a living. Your content is so rich, generously giving so much to the community, you truly inspire. I have no option but to say thank you.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Andy Robinson Means a great deal, Andy! Thank you for watching.

[@AlexBallMusic]

Your channel, breakdowns and mockups are astounding. You're smashing it out of the park.

[@ryanchamales7311]

the fact that you're only 17 is astounding, so much talent and humility! Keep crushing it

[@GarenEvansMusic]

"As for the American Captain, no one knows what became of him. Some say he died of his wounds. Others, that he returned to his own country. But I like to think he may have at last found some small measure of piece, that we all seek, and few of us ever find." 5:21

[@GrantStinnett]

This is one of my favorite scores ever. Thanks for making this one

[@СулдэЭшар]

Thank you for this video the last samurai is my favorite score

[@ch40t1c1989]

It is such a bummer that the audience for these kind of videos is just so small. You deserve so many more subscribers ;).

[@vishnunarayanan6232]

Why are you so underrated my guy? I will Pray for your Channel to grow , this is amazing, you put so much time and effort into giving us this , you are just wonderful.. may this channel grow beyond limits..

[@vishnunarayanan6232]

Can you also describe how you got the sounds , plugins, it would be amazing, you did mention some of them , but if you could name them in the description underneath the video , it would be wonderful

[@samuelzins5089]

Great video. Deserves so many more views

[@rajarajanmanoharan]

Damn it man. Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any better. Now all you have to do is IT and I’ll be at inner peace.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Rajarajan Manoharan on the schedule for the future! :)

[@LeDrummerDu88]

FANTASTIC JOB !!!

[@dharambasi1928]

The Last Samurai without Zimmer's soundtrack wouldn't be nearly as good as it turned out to be. It's an incredible soundtrack.

[@mehranmosaddeq]

I can't believe what I'm seeing here, you included Cubase project file as well. Thank you so much man, I just found your channel, Subscribed and love you so much.

[@KidCubano]

WOW :o this is the only thing i have to say to your great work on this video. Thank you Ashton

[@HiSaimanSays]

Amazing channel!

[@bacaca]

Another great choice. one of my favorites. THANKS. Next you should start digging a decade older. the 90s had some amazing sound tracks like brave heart and Last of the mohicans.

[@carlosgomezasensio9057]

This soundtrack is the sky! Congratulations!

[@Gabzilla27]

Love this! Definitely going to check more of your videos out!

[@PeterSatera]

I absolutely love this score! Thanks for this Ashton! :D

[@cineman8697]

Is 1 Am On my country. And still seen this. Such a beauty

[@trondhalvorsen3480]

One of my favourites! Excellent work :)

[@boozalm3715]

Does anyone have ANY idea why Hans Zimmer never EVER plays this in his live shows? It is his best soundtrack ever and it has never been performed live. I can't even google an answer!

[@dharambasi1928]

Exactly my thoughts, I've looked everywhere for an answer but to no avail.

[@boozalm3715]

@@dharambasi1928 :'( Katsumoto!!!!

[@dharambasi1928]

@@boozalm3715 Captain Nathan Algren. I love The Last Samurai. Ken Watanabe as Katsumoto was brilliant.

[@LeeroyCageman]

Thank you for this video! Amazing work.

[@sensium9757]

Grossartig, great Ashton. Thank you very much. The next Oscar goes to You!

[@keerthivasanmanu]

Thanks Much Ashton... Inspired a lot

[@nRGmusicproduction]

Awesome video Ashton. Thank you.

[@cineman8697]

Thanks ashton. This is really helpfull. Have u done some video about. how to change melody chords ( on different scales ) between transitions , sections.. etc. I want to see that.

[@princegrwl]

Thank you so so much ashton for doing The Last Samurai....learned a lot about voicing and layering different instruments from this BTS specifically. My wish for S2 finale - La La Land coz its so different from the conventional film scores and so jazzy and moving......would definitely love to learn how to do the instrumentation for something like it. Thanks !! :)

[@AshtonGleckman]

Great recommendation!

[@noman9528]

Like everytime, it's just amazing. Keep on going!

[@PauhovXiong]

You recreated these scores? Amazing dude!

[@OmarGabra]

Man, how did you learn all that at a young age? amazing!

[@yasseralbanna7102]

Great video Ashton .. will explained thanks .. although this is 2 years old video just wondering what’s your pc specs ?? I can not run half of your instrument on my macMini 2020 i7 with 64gb .. how did you manage to do that ?? I do have scs and sss but unable to use more than 2 of Kontakt instances even when loading individual articulations .. any advice ?

[@MrDinko]

This is very appreciated man! Keep it up!

[@mickward5776]

Another great video Ashton...Thanks. You said that you weren't satisfied with EWQL Silk for the Shakuhachi. Impact Soundworks do Ventus, which includes one with more phrases and ornaments. Also Spitfire Andy Findon Kit Bag

[@AnatolianPiano]

Awesome work. but can you add subtitles this video ?

[@issiewizzie]

I am enlightened 😀😀😀

[@Gabriel_SJ_Composer]

Hi Ashton, how is your work in regard eq and masking in these Behing The Score and your works in general? Is it really important or is it more a matter of arrangements, orchestration and sounds layers? What strategie do you follow? Thank you so much for your effort and time doing this jobs. They are amazing and you too by doing them. Regards, Gabriel

[@firstgamerable]

Can I please know which percussion VST you have used? thank you :)

[@lch7145]

hey ! which violin or cello soloist libraries would you recommend ? and what is the name of this cello solo in the track? Thanks Ashton, you have my respect and love !

[@AshtonGleckman]

It's Nocturne Cello from Orchestral Tools. Takes lots of editing and massaging to get right, but after some work you can get a pretty nice sound out of it! I don't personally own it, but I've heard First Chairs from OT is quite good, as well as CineSolo Strings. Cheers!

[@lch7145]

alright thanks a lot Ashton ! I will look at it ! Good night.

[@khoitran4232]

I am thinking about how Hans Zimmer worked with the filmmaker. Should they finish the score before shooting or they only compose the score base on the final film. Because if the score was done before shooting then how could Hans Zimmer (or music composers in general) feel the film in order to create suitable music and If the score was done before shooting then what would happen if the mood & tone of the score does not match with the director's vision? How did the film directors do to make sure all the scores are correct and suitable for their movie? How to brief and work with music composers? And if the film director wants to give feedback, how to give feedback effectively for a load of work like this.... sorry for so many questions but it totally drives me crazy. Can't believe how hard they put into to make these beautiful pieces of music. And thank you for your video. Extremely great content, I watched without pressing pause a single time even though I don't know anything about composing music.

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

music is something very general, this is not that hard. We create any relation with music and image easily. Many composers did like this, they created an album so to say, to be used for some general purposes in the movie 🍿 This strings theme could be something of Mel Gibson…. Now, if you compose on the film, the music gets certainly more tight , principally if you have to score dialogues and a lot of movement

[@benjaminmagambo3849]

Can please do a lesson about how you write and record the dynamics of your midis ?

[@drewlitton3843]

Just discovered your channel...amazing work! Do you possibly have Crimson Tide planned? That’s one of Hans’s best scores in my opinion

[@brookmunro]

Great work Ashton. Would love to see you tackle a suite from John Williams!

[@AshtonGleckman]

Brook Thompson Great idea! Any one in specific you’d be interested in seeing?

[@brookmunro]

Not an easy one to answer. But I think I have to go with my hear and say Star Wars. Perhaps a classic medley of the Force theme, Leia and Han, Yoda, Rebel fanfare. Or you could take a more contemporary approach and go with something more recent like Rey's Theme, March of the Resistance, Jedi Steps. I'm a huge fan of the Last Jedi score because of how well orchestrated it is. While there's not a lot of new themes, there's a vibrance that John brings to the score has he ties themes together all the way back from 1977. Just a few ideas, but I think there's a lot to dissect and learn, and you have the skill and platform to teach others.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Brook Thompson Thanks for the recommendation!

[@reneiloe_m]

JJ Berthume has a few great videos analyzing John Williams

[@peter.c.bailey]

Hey Aston - any chance you'll ever do one of these for Last of the Mohicans?

[@AshtonGleckman]

Perhaps!

[@peter.c.bailey]

Excellent - I'll keep my eye out. Otherwise - great work - I really appreciate these deep dives!

[@nico5281]

Thanks for the video Ashton! Could you tell us what reverb did you use on the orchestral samples?

[@AshtonGleckman]

Nicolai Patricio QL Spaces for all the o orchestral elements and Eventide Blackhole for the solo elements and the flutes at the beginning.

[@vidyutonnati6435]

Incredible work Ashton, many thanks for that! How do you know so exactly all the instrumentations? Do you have the original score or can you detect all this by listening to the recordings? Thanks again!

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

@18 Hands even though you can’t tell if there are 43 42 or 41 cellos…. otherwise i guess he would be helping Hanz Zimmer first ;)

[@ringchamp6543]

Just awesome effort to do this for us, thank you very much Ashton. Btw did you ‘rebuild’ your studio after the flood? Also I await a studio when you’re ready, always interested to know what you’re using and your room as a creative space. Thanks as always bud

[@AshtonGleckman]

Ring Champ Yep! It was a bit crazy for a few weeks. Sadly the water got everywhere and the whole floor had to be ripped out, damage to ceiling, etc. Going to try to do some kind of studio tour soon!

[@victoremanuel7718]

hahaha Ashton. Man you rock. You have teached me so much, and I am forever greatful for that. If you ever visit Norway, let me know. If you dont like over crowded tourists places, then I will guide you through the streets of Oslo. Take care mate :)

[@michaellaumusic]

Which score did you use to recreate?

[@alexanderproudlock2328]

Ashton, Whats better Pro Tools or Logic Pro X for composing?

[@AshtonGleckman]

Aluminium Productions it’s really a preference thing. Many brilliant composers like HZ, HGW, and so many more use Cubase. Djawadi and Jackman for example run Logic, but very few write in Pro Tools. An example would be Steven Price. It’s all about what gets you to the final product efficiently.

[@alexanderproudlock2328]

Ashton Gleckman couldn’t a great more. Thanks for the comment. Also thanks for the channel. Great and inspiring work Ashton!

[@davidpontius7031]

I absolutely LOVE this movie's soundtrack! You did a really good job, but why didn't you cover the music that plays during the final battle, while Kasumoto(?) dies, or when the main char talks to the emperor?!?? EDIT: Could you provide a link to the free library you used for the koto-like instrument at 23:00 ?

[@AshtonGleckman]

David Pontius with any of these scores, the suites could theoretically go on for a half an hour! ;) For me it’s all about selecting a few select tracks that I feel represent the score and it’s overall sound the best, which is why I chose these. Here’s the link: en.catsnu.com/Project/GugakVSTi.aspx

[@davidpontius7031]

That makes sense, thanks for the reply.

[@davidoooooo1]

Awesome work, very inspiring even for newbies. Very impressive that you do all this by ear ... but tell us the secret why there are exactly 23 Celli in the Orchestra setup.... ? Really keen on your next season, wishing you go for GoT or Westworld (Ramin Djawadi, interesting discusiion within HZ roundtable about that)

[@AshtonGleckman]

Thank you! We will definitely be getting into GoT and Westworld. In regards to the cellos, I go over it in the video, but it has to do with the divisi techniques in the score. The cello section is split up in 3-4 part (violins as well) to create a wider, more lush sound. Also, because there are no violas, which was an aesthetic decision for the score, having some of the cellos assigned to the higher voicing help compensate for that.

[@hansmagon2036]

Hey Ashton! Great piece man :) What strings do you prefer when scoring? Saw u used css a while back but now you used the spitfire strings, and was looking for something i could pick up but cant decide lmao

[@AshtonGleckman]

Hans Magon the con sordino patch from Spitfire Chamber Strings I use for 90% of everything for the basis of the whole string section, sometimes I’ll use it exclusively. It has such a silky cinematic tone, and can be used in such a wide range of styles. I have CSS, CS2, Mural, etc, but over time, I’ve just just grown to really love SCS. I’d definitely recommend it!

[@hansmagon2036]

Ashton Gleckman ahh sweet bro thanks for that!

[@StefanLundmark]

Wow!!

[@thefallenknightplaythrough4565]

Can you pls recommend some books to dive into music theory for composition??

[@AshtonGleckman]

I'd recommend checking out Tonal Harmony! I believe the latest one is the eighth edition.

[@thefallenknightplaythrough4565]

Thanks man Great content on the channel

[@ChrisSchmidtComposer]

Very nice! Would be positively epic if you did another of Harry Gregson-Williams' scores, though: Prince of Persia. IMO, among his best stuff.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Chris Schmidt I just did Narnia last episode, but hopefully in Season 4 will get around to doing something like Shrek or the Martian!

[@Cameron_Moody]

Could you do Black Panther in the future? I’d love to see that! Great work!

[@amaymankad121]

Why does it sound different from the original score?

[@_atinsy]

You missed the Shakuhachi in Way Of LIfe, it should've been louder

[@stevet9308]

Do you do them by ear!? Great work.

[@AshtonGleckman]

Thank you! Everything is by ear, yes :)

[@ibanezxiphos700]

What was the reason for the switch from logic to what I believe is reason?

[@AshtonGleckman]

I switched to Cubase around a year ago because I really liked the direction Steinberg was going as a company, and the overall functionality of the software. Logic was great and I used it for quite a while, but switching to Cubase has been awesome. Wouldn't go back for anything!

[@chaldiran]

Sorry, I am a complete stranger. Did you recreate this session or you have the original one? Any of both situations is asthonishing. I love this video.

[@inArtopia]

Good Day but midi files are no shown :'(

[@AshtonGleckman]

humam ch they’re in the pinned comment

[@M4T]

And congrat for the like from the great man

[@miguelrodfher]

Hello, What software are you using…?

[@connorbines7280]

he's using cubase

[@bensmirmusic]

Hey the link is dead :(

[@dharambasi1928]

This is a 4 year old video.

[@wolfie8748]

which program is this?

[@raymondleggs5508]

Nice username

[@wolfie8748]

Ty lol

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

cubase no?

[@peiyuchen9757]

Nice haircut!

[@CCPvirus141]

Can you cover anime music?

[@siwy4don]

And now tell me, why he isn't perfoming it live? Why!?:(

[@ncn0505]

29:35

[@darodism]

when u can read these notes but cant read sheet music. feelsbad

[@davidklemencz]

Hohohohooo :)

[@charlesgaskell5899]

Hi Ashton, have you come across the new film score analysis series that Rick Beato is doing? Definitely worth checking out! The first one is on a Thomas Newman cue from The Shawshank Redemption: kzbin.info/www/bejne/jqPCkIN_g9Rjl5o

[@riccardobelardinucci342]

hey Ash, how do you make that midi iinformation at the beginning ? how do you export that from cubase ?

[@AshtonGleckman]

Riccardo Belardinucci You can change all the colors in the editor to black in preferences, then screen record it, bring it into your daw, and make the blending mode to lighten. The midi will then separate and become transparent.

[@riccardobelardinucci342]

Ashton Gleckman thats clever, thank you