How to Write for Woodwinds from a Piano Sketch

Arranging the Techno de Chocobo theme from Final Fantasy VI for woodwind ensemble using Dorico.
🎻 The 8 Orchestral Textures of George Frederick McKay • The 8 Orchestral Textu...
In this piece I start with a piano sketch and arrange it for flute, oboe, english horn, 2 clarinets, and bassoon.
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#woodwinds #arranging #orchestration
0:00 1 Piano sketch
0:23 2 Performance
3:37 3 Main sound
7:08 4 Enhance the main sound
10:01 5 Supporting parts
12:19 6 Final touches
17:01 Final arrangement

[@wernervannuffel2608]

Interesting to see a composers' thinking and doing process in the finetuning stage of building up and entire music piece and focusing on phrasing, articulations, dynamics, doubling, coloring with different instruments, building up texture and contrasts, detecting gaps, determining fill ins and blendings and so on... Again a very nice and very well constructed video. Your channel and all your videos are very underrated. You deserves much more viewers. Keep going your wonderfull videos 👌👏👏👏👍👍👍

[@RyanLeach]

Thanks for the encouragement!

[@nyancs7098]

This is great, but make sure in future to use the full range of bassoons, I get in this ensemble that it needs a bass line and I agree here, but loads of arrangers fall into the trap of using the bassoon as a bass instrument in large settings like orchestra or concert band. The low register for bassoons is really strenuous (past low f) stick some tenor register (the best sounding register for bassoon) in future arrangements and compositions.

[@RyanLeach]

Great tip, thanks! There’s a course called Secrets of Orchestration that does a great job of voicing chords with bassoons and they definitely get high up there

[@jameseverett4976]

@@RyanLeach Maybe it's just me and my deaf inner ear, but the old saying that "talking about music is like dancing about architecture" describes my eternal frustration with pretty much everyone teaching music. If it were up to me, there would be a law against discussing any music in any way without first letting the audience HEAR the music being discussed. This problem was bad enough before the internet, where pretty much all books on music had nothing for you to listen to, but were full of dry notation you were expected to "hear" just by looking at the notes on a page. For that reason alone, I never learned much about music in my first 50 years, until the multi-media savvy internet came along, where there was at least the opportunity to combine sound with graphic musical information. Anyways, so my "bitch" here is that this video started with just a graphic notation page, and went straight into discussion about what you were thinking, with no audio reference of what the notation spells out [until about 6 minutes in]..... which rendered it useless as tits on a boar for those of us who don't "hear" anything unless we actually hear something. OK maybe the message is "well you should do something besides music then, if you can't hear notes on a page, like us Pro's do." Fair enough. So I'm thinking of putting on a "concert for professionals" where instead of hiring the usual symphony players, we save money and make the tickets cheap, by just having a giant score displayed in the concert hall - large enough to easily read, of course. Maybe some spotlights on it just to make sure every note is crystal clear, you know. ....wait...................what? You wouldn't come to my concert?? Why on God's green Earth not???

[@niklas3686]

@@jameseverett4976 well the video is to showcase some basic tricks in Orchestration not to showcase the piece

[@parkerchace]

​@@jameseverett4976bro quit your bitching and get your knowledge up. Nobody said you need to know the notes/pitch/bs. This is very basic music theory. He says exactly what he's going to do "legato *plays legato* and then here's staccato*plays staccato" if you don't know what that is then that's your opportunity to go learn about it. If you can't distinguish it, that's not a fault of the video, that's an opportunity for you to write staccato or legato or "A B section" or "woodwind basics" I think there are short videos out there that very basically describe the functions of different instruments and their interactions with sheet music. I don't read sheet music and purely listen to these videos with my knowledge of music theory and try to listen for things that don't make sense to me, write them down, and Do my research. Quit ya bitching :)

[@jameseverett9037]

@@niklas3686 completely missed the point. You should read & try to comprehend comment before responding to it. But I guess that takes time and effort, so no one bothers anymore.

[@billpeet1976]

This is a fantastic lesson. Now I want to take a piece and try out the same techniques myself. Thanks so much for this!

[@RyanLeach]

Glad to hear it's helpful, feel free to share your results!

[@deedub760]

I love how you explained each part as you moved forward. Your instruction was based on good and proper theory, yet very much "laymen's speak"... accessible for all. Excellent video. Thank you!

[@NikolaiMusicChannel]

Excellent video and workflow, always well structured and inspiring 😊

[@RyanLeach]

Thanks, I appreciate it!

[@kimaellarive8845]

These videos are so important. That's how composers used to write music, they sketched everything on the piano and then arranged everything for the orchestra. Even today, many game and film composers to a piano mockup before making the actual song. It's still imo the best technique for writing pretty much any kind of music (except ambient stuff and music that rely on soundscapes and sound design), because you're entirely focused on the writing without interuption. And since the piano is such a complete instruments with a massive range, it's very easy to translate what you write to other instruments.

[@rae4469]

how luck am I to find your channel ! thank you so much!

[@rodterrell304]

Brilliant, so nice to watch. I use Dorico also and it makes it easy to follow along.

[@j.lindback]

Thank you!!! I learned a lot from this. It was no-nonsense, straight to the point, and really informative. So glad I found your channel!

[@davidkissser8011]

Ryan, thank you soo much. I am currently studying Biology but trying to work in the film-music industry. Channels like yours really helps me to get more competent without having to do a whole music degree. Thanks again, you're fantastic

[@johnhazlett3711]

Wow! This is both instructional,,,,,, and inspiring. Thanx!

[@bahadirbulutcomposer]

These are very useful for a beginner composer like me! Please continue these series!

[@mariasungmusic8182]

Thank you for this great lesson. It's very helpful!!

[@ishagshafeeg]

Brilliant. Very useful. Thank you.

[@9VDC]

Brilliant exercise and you're a very good teacher, too! Thanks for doing that work

[@hunt3r36]

Very nice! Thank you. You made it look easy!!!

[@InLightTone]

This channel is a goldmine!

[@LeoHeath]

Thank you for a great masterclass!

[@nemesys13]

Thx very much for sharing your work and your knowlegde !

[@AvantjerTube]

More Please… excellent work! Thanks!

[@scottg4520]

Thank you for this. This really helps.

[@PaulaRodMar]

This was so helpful, thank you so much!!

[@lim7lim]

This was terrific!

[@edbuller4435]

awsome...your Dorico chops have seriously improved !

[@RyanLeach]

Ha, yea it’s coming along

[@martycli9299]

Great lesson, thanks a lot, I learnt loads

[@aaronaragon7838]

A master class...wow.

[@raymondspagnuolo8222]

Very helpful! Thanks!

[@innerthreatcircus5651]

Hey Ryan, I just wanted to say that you inspire me a lot. I started playing the piano a year and a half ago, and left the guitar, so I have a better instrument for music composition. Now that I have some technique, I purchased today a midi controller (midiplus mini 61) so I have a keyboard close to the computer and purchased Dorico software. Developed a motif and I'll try to make my first composition with that. thanks for so much.

[@alexander.hansson]

When I heard “thickening” I knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. Great to see you are linking Scoreclub, that course changed everything for me aswell!

[@kaymanaldis5279]

Fantastic video

[@robertpoole9258]

Always nice to see some Uematsu in my youtube feed

[@raphaelhudson]

I am really enjoying your channel. Need to take off a week from work just to study this stuff.

[@mbishop]

What a wonderful, concise, and generous video. Thank you for posting this it is very clear. As a new Dorico user, I kept wanting to watch over your shoulder and ask, "wait, how did you do that?" Any time you exploded music across staves or copied large sections from one place or another or made some measures across staves suddenly adopt a rhythm without changing notes. You are very fast with the tools and it's inspiring!

[@ephialteskpersonal]

Excellent video and very inspiring as well! Can you maybe make a tutorial on how to write for choir? It's the thing I struggle the most currently and a video of yours will be very helpful. Thanks!

[@RyanLeach]

Thanks for the comment! Hm other than singing in high school choir, as a composer I don’t really have much choir experience. I would go to the Bach chorales and 4 part writing for guidance.

[@ephialteskpersonal]

@@RyanLeach Thanks for the reply! I will make sure I check those out!

[@oibruv3889]

@@RyanLeach a really great place for studying the more dramatic choral style would also include handel pieces such as zadok, as well as the bach passions, and beethoven 9 (just a starter ofc). Taneyev masses are also great. As is john of Damascus

[@carlosandres7006]

Can you share some of your struggles to see if I can be of any help? ;)

[@ArielDranov]

Thank you 😁

[@yzhk3036]

Great video!

[@polkmusic]

Very informative video. I am working on my first orchestral piece now. This gives me some great ideas.

[@RyanLeach]

Awesome, come join us on Discord and share the progress of your piece some time!

[@jimdunleavypiano]

That was a treat to watch. You make it look so easy (I know it isn't!).

[@rubenmolino1480]

excelente ¡

[@valderil]

Absolutely Fantastic lesson, Ryan! I am a novice in orchestration and use musescore 4 to my compositions! Would you mind to tell me the software you are using in this video? Sorry by my naive question! Thank you!

[@PedroCristian]

Is it me only, I feel this is the Bob Ross of music composition.

[@grt002]

Thanks for making this video, man. Just curious, what would you have done differently if you had to also score parts for percussion and brass?

[@Klutinius]

Great video! Quick question. Bar 5-12. The Clarinets has no pause to breath. I assume performers will figure something out, but I remember being taught early that one should try keep breathing in mind when composing. What do you think?

[@RyanLeach]

Yes real players will catch a quick breath after every two or maybe four bars with what’s written, but notating the full half note shows the intention that it should be held out as long as is reasonable. Technically you could write in 8th note rests if you wanted to be super precise but they’re not necessary, the players will naturally find places to breathe. Try singing the part and see where you take a quick breath.

[@Klutinius]

@@RyanLeach Thanks for answering. I suppose it’s more important to keep it in mind when writing for amateurs rather than professionals. I love your channel, by the way. I really appreciate the work you put into it. Thank you very much.

[@FocusMrbjarke]

Always nice with some techno music 😜

[@RyanLeach]

Yup, I'm planning on turning this into a dubstep channel!

[@FocusMrbjarke]

@@RyanLeach Looks like I will be using this channel to party’s in the future 🤟

[@xaviersibre]

Hey Ryan, great stuff! I was wondering what « patch » do you use to play your harmonies etc on the keyboard? It seems to be what I ‘m missing when I use Dorico for writing… Thanks for videos.

[@RyanLeach]

NotePerformer! It takes using notation software to another level

[@RyanLeach]

🎻 The 8 Orchestral Textures of George Frederick McKay kzbin.info/aero/PLhiuDs71BWGFYKQfVI1SSZNx-8Wy_sdKV

[@meneerot]

which software do you use?

[@wabarabenjamin5676]

Please what app are you using for this. I think I like this. Can it work also for Android?

[@Shsrptooth]

Hi Ryan Just started listening to your channel! Fantastic stuff! Will you be doing a video on the different DAW packages and their pros and cons? Keep on orchestrating 😀

[@RyanLeach]

Probably not in the near future. I was going to make "Can Cubase convince this Logic user to switch?" but after playing around for an hour I already knew the answer was no. I'm perfectly happy with Logic and don't have much experience with anything else

[@Shsrptooth]

So does logic have notation module as well? Like you are using in the video

[@RyanLeach]

@@Shsrptooth I'm using Dorico in the video. Logic "can" do notation but it's not as user friendly as dedicated notation software

[@omarirm]

Excellent video. Thank you so much. Could you make a video of how to arrange music for string ensemble?

[@RyanLeach]

Thanks! Yea definitely. In the meantime here's an older video I have about strings: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fYjOfGZ_mLumf6c

[@yusifabbasov713]

Hello Ryan! Can you make the same video but for strings? Thank you in advance.

[@Camille_Hargraves]

Hello, your chanel really express me, I watched lots of your videos and I would like to ask a question, if it's not very difficult for you, answer, what program do you use for composing? Play6? I downloaded it, but it doesn't work, can you tell me is there some programs too, that I can use? I tried to search, but I find either very very uncomfortable programs or something like fruity loop, but I think, programs with notes suit me more than such kind. I really need your help, pls. (Sorry, if there're some mistakes, I'm not from USA or England originally and I am only learning this language)

[@RyanLeach]

I use Dorico, Musescore is a good free alternative

[@curtismckendrick3873]

Are you using finale? How are you getting such good sounding woodwinds? Thx for a great video

[@RyanLeach]

I use Dorico and the sounds are NotePerformer, which also works in finale

[@CarlineFrancois]

Thank you for the tutorial videos. I really like them. What software do you use to compose on sheet music?🎵🎶 Your composition sounds great. It's a happy sound.🎵🎶🎵🎼

[@RyanLeach]

I use Dorico for notation. Glad you like it, the arrangement is mine but the actual composition is Nobuo Uematsu

[@ShaharHarshuv]

11:44 did you copy the rhythm without the pitches? How did you do that? (in dorico)

[@RyanLeach]

Nah I just cut out the part where I input those parts to keep the video from being too long. I don't remember but probably I copy-pasted the bass line and then adjusted the pitches

[@ShaharHarshuv]

@@RyanLeach lol I thought I missed some really cool feature in Dorico 😅

[@danielbrandt9072]

Really good! What instrument library do you use?

[@RyanLeach]

In this video it's NotePerformer

[@freewheelburning8834]

what is the software you are using and is there a windows version?

[@RyanLeach]

Dorico on Mac but yes I'm pretty sure you can use it on Windows

[@ethank118]

what music software do you use?!

[@RyanLeach]

For this Dorico + NotePerformer

[@johnnynoirman]

What music program is that?

[@RyanLeach]

Dorico

[@MichaelJohnson-composer]

These sounds are really good. Do they come with Dorico? The Finale sounds are kind of crap.

[@RyanLeach]

Not default, it's an extra thing called NotePerformer but 100% worth it. Works in Finale too!

[@ppheard1254]

If I were doing this I'd add 2 alto clarinets a contraalto clarinet, Bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, bass oboe, alto flutes, piccolo flute, cotrabasson, subcontrabasson and a bass oboe.

[@Teladian2]

As a comment, your English Horn line is very high in the tessatura, and it would be better an octave down as it would have more powet

[@joonasneumann9088]

yes. it's actually criminally high!

[@wesleyballard860]

SFCM thumbnail is SFCM thumbnail

[@maiaka_]

No tambourine? Would be great with some percussion