Lesson Eight: Placement of the Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin's Conducting School

Maestro Slatkin explains the placement of instruments in the orchestra relative to the conductor's position onstage.

[@margueritewalkerii7304]

Thank you very much for this series, Maestro Slatkin. Many of us watch and learn, and appreciate.

[@richardwilliams473]

Mr Slatkin is such a wonderful communicator. He is very concise in his placement explanation of the musicians of a typical orchestra.Being a timpanist myself, I would know immediately which orchestra was playing just by listening or observing the placement of the timpani in such orchestra. The New York Philharmonic Orchestra would always have the timpanist in the back on the left side of the stage ,whereas the Boston Symphony Orchestra would have the timpani in the back dead center of the stage.

[@user-xw1zs7ed2w]

Wow, this video was soooo helpful. I’m just trying to learn about the orchestra so I can get more out when I listen to music or go to a concert, and this is a great series. Thank you!

[@jslasher1]

I very much enjoy these videos. I attended a concert at Chicago's Orchestra Hall many decades ago. Slatkin conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a performance of the Copland Third.

[@GuitarJuanra]

a very clear and precise explanation. Thanks you Maestro.

[@keith-marvk-harrisii8666]

Detroiter here. Wonderful explanation. Thank you!

[@ldred2604]

Really great video - loved how the visuals were clear

[@MinhTri-jw3fj]

thank you for the enlightment! So helpful, I'm really appreciate this video :D !

[@vikicampos1540]

Thank you Leonard

[@onlyrri5918]

May my HEAVENLY FATHERS please bless you!! :) video was very helpful thank you so much :D!!

[@practicehardwork1174]

thx sir!

[@armstronglance]

Love your seating visuals!! It’s always a challenge to place (pan) the string sections when using a VST string library, to obtain the most live like sound stage realism (stereo image) I prefer European seating, with Violins on the left & Violins II on the right, violas and cellos spread in the back line your setup.

[@marsbars5907]

Before watching this I didn't quite realize how orchestras are placed what so ever, and I can hear it in my music now and it hurts ;o. Out of curiosity, what vst do you use for your orchestral work?

[@marsbars5907]

ooh thank you, hopefully i get to try it out for myself some time :> Edit: I'm gonna have to save a couple paycheques to be able to afford this ;q ;q

[@armstronglance]

Mars Bars Definitely take advantage of any trial periods!! I’m 66, a retired engineer & lifelong musician/composer , and I have lived through everything from the early DIY years till today. In my lifetime I’ve owned 3 Mellotrons, 80s samplers, till today Where everything’s in your computer. (I resisted the early less than professional 8bit samplers. To tell you what level I operated on, I actually built my own 8bit sampling keyboard. Anyway enough boasting trivia. I’ve found with string library’s you may be disappointed if you don’t find exactly what you’re looking for. So take advantage of the trial periods. If you aren’t already up on string libraries, They are amazing compared to our old keyboards that had to make serious compromises due to memory size. Well that’s not the case today with large ram and SSD capabilities. What I notice when I’m looking for a string library, is the attack of strings, how long the samples are, & when you let up from your keyboard does it run an end sample like a real player stopping to play their acoustic instrument. Not sure if I explained all that well enough, but there’s a lot to look for. My only complaint about LASS is the legato samples are not velocity sensitive. I’m using LA scoring strings mostly for live playing these days. After hearing one of the keyboardist use them on the X factor, I got hooked on LASS’s superior samples. As it turns out they’re designed for use in a DAW for composers. That’s their market. But I need to use them live, so I need that velocity sensitivity. Anyway I compensate for that with the volume pedal. So unfortunately, I still go back to my keyboard patches for some songs. Roland outdid themselves with the design of their now out of production XP-80. It supports MIDI, but Because of its age it doesn’t have a digital or USB out. That’s not an issue for me since I have all the interfaces. The XP80 is one of the only keyboards with jacks for 5 external pedals. And it’s quite an assortment of great expansion boards. Seriously they outdid themselves when they put together the expansion boards. If you ever get deep into the editing of the keyboard, you’ll be amazed at what is there. Just about anything you can imagine you want to tweak, it’s tweakable. It’s too bad they didn’t add more memory to those expansion cards. I got a hold of their Fantom keyboard that came out after the XP 80, and Even with its higher bit sound engine, it just wasn’t as usable. That opinion is reflected by a lot of other users. I would suggest if you’re going to use string library’s live, get a keyboard that has a USB interface. Or if your keyboard has the ability to turn off what’s transmitted over MIDI, turn off what you don’t need. (for ex: If your keyboard transmits polyphonic aftertouch and you never use it, turn it off, it’s a MIDI bandwidth waster) OK I’ll go back to my corner.

[@marsbars5907]

@@armstronglance what noo come back :p, this is like the first real talk i've gotten :>. I'm on the opposite side of the spectrum so to speak, just out of highschool, and when it comes to music, almost every song i feel like I'm winging it, even after a year and a half of trying to figure out the process, I vaguely understand how my DAW works and only occasionally break it, I just got an audio interface and a nice headset (DT 990s, their awesome). My music style is flavored with confusion and hey ik this cool prog and im gonna loop it for the WHOLE song. Some songs take a few hours, and others months, the fact that some people learn to program their own plugins for specific song makes my brain wanna go cry in a puddle of nightmares, i feel like i need an education all the time, but i can't focus well on my own, it's like adhd but with a specific aversion to learning :p. I feel like i need real help, but any way i'm totally down to just fountain over music and the history :>.

[@armstronglance]

@@marsbars5907 Take advantage of any online tutorials for your DAW. I can pretty much afford any software, ProTools, whatever. But I've chose Acoustica's Mixcraft Pro. It's way WAY beyond a shadow of a doubt, the absolute "BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK!". $179! You can buy the lite version for about $79, but I'd spring for the pro version. And they've posted a ton of educational tutorials on their site and KZbin. It's unbelievable the Studio quality VST instruments that come with it! It's worth the price just for those! Anyway, thought I'd mention search for any tutorials for your DAW. And take it from the old man, "Read the Manual!" I had a physics professor in the 70's who use to always say, "RTFB!", or "RTFP"! You can guess what those stand for. The F word got our attention.

[@robrick9361]

Where does the hype man stand?

[@superhobo500]

back to back with the conductor

[@pakipin]

i am listening

[@vedmishra5081]

great

[@EthioMod]

Where synths go?

[@mallikakulal9687]

are they even in the orchestra?

[@InfiniteConstellations]

@@mallikakulal9687 maybe it relates to hybrid orchestra idk.

[@alexlevymusic]

@@mallikakulal9687 Yes kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6TbdYt8hc2Cf8U

[@alexlevymusic]

Depends on the synth and it's role in the orchestra. Could be the solo instrument up front, or simply an added texture, and be off to the side. Or maybe it replaces a piano in the percussion section, or replacing an organ and be wherever they can fit it. The size of the performance space and access to power are things to consider too.

[@EliPorter456]

Synthesizers aren't frequently used in the orchestra. However, from what I've seen it either sits with or replaces the piano. Sometimes off to the side though.

[@misterchristopher8857]

Thank you for the wonderful presentation. How are instruments staged in like type with the energy created in the musical atmosphere? It there a science behind or blended with the art? Or, are instruments arranged this way for other more theatrical reasons? It is based on what is more subtle in sound production in the front with more bombastic instruments which can produce lower frequency, acoustically percussive in the back?

[@hudsoncampos5976]

👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

[@rahabjericho3175]

yay piano!!!

[@347Jimmy]

Does the 1900-style setup with 1st and 2nd violins left/right give a nicer stereo image in person?

[@marcoferrer9840]

where do the 808's go?

[@Karu520]

This made me laugh so hard 😂

[@YambamYambam2]

yeah nobody told me where the 808's go! 😂

[@Aduysvmncmkouyf]

💀💀💀

[@superhobo500]

very back, straight down the middle....or you could do two different 808s spread 45%right and the other 45% left

[@superhobo500]

I put 808's in this orch piece. kzbin.info/www/bejne/baW6eoSMqdelns0

[@dreamcatcher2557]

My flute teacher told me that the second flutist always sits at the right side and turns the pages. However, when I waa in college and was the second flute, I was seated at the left. Is there a rule for this or does this also depend?

[@Sir2Fiable]

Sounds like your teacher was talking about some kind of band layout. In an orchestra, each flute would have their own part and no one is flipping the other ones music. This is true for strings who share stands, however (although it's the "inside" string player / furthest from the audience who flips the pages).

[@santoshgujar5237]

🙏🌺😇

[@lucasseloga2429]

Hello! Excuse me sir, I'm a young South African musician who's musically self-taught. I don't have much of any experience but I love music more than anything, I'm a singer, composer and a conductor it drives me crazy. I know I may sound like I don't know what I'm looking for... But I'd love to ask for something that I have been waiting for so long to get help and I don't know what to do. How can I form my own orchestra, and how to get people together at one place to do music?

[@ferdyholim4218]

1:52 the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra still use this placement.

[@vj7248]

Anyone know what the color coding means? Is it just foreground and background?

[@Sir2Fiable]

Strings, Woodwinds, Brass, Percussion (and piano, which is often also considered percussion).

[@imzighad732]

I wanna be one

[@johntaliaferrothompson6052]

So where's the section of the Organist, Accordionist, Classical Guitarist & Saxophonist?

[@georgf9279]

John Taliaferro Thompson The organist sits wherever the organ is. And the others get wedged in between chairs. As for the Saxophone... the conductor turns around and plays the best instrument himself.

[@johntaliaferrothompson6052]

@@georgf9279 Thank You!

[@lordspongebobofhousesquare1616]

wtf no lol. Sax is usually either auxiliary or placed among other brass instruments

[@muhammadhangtuah9746]

Thanks I don’t know how to mix an orchestra lol

[@OrganisedSound]

First violins........whaaaat about Bayreuth? Why are they on the other side?

[@2planksand2wheels92]

OrganisedSound really that seems ridiculous ???

[@OriginalOrigins]

How does this work for digital instruments

[@OliverCarrasco-olivermusico]

all about the different orchestra's setups is about sound and balance between instruments (no mics or speakers here!)... in digital instruments it's the same... (on stage or recording)

[@davedm6345]

what if i'll give interchangeable placements and move around when a performance is played :) "trumpets to the front" tu TUUU! lol

[@papagen00]

putting violins together on the left and lower strings on the right is a modern layout, old layout in 19th century- early 20th was violins on both sides , and basses flanking the rear (in the case of Vienna Phil).

[@user-mx8cn9dd8x]

ms imen im adam from british school

[@lemon.c0rd]

I’m the 420 like

[@mirensummers7633]

Really interesting, the graphics were wrong in places, where the wind and brass needed to be behind the strings and they were in front of the conductor instead

[@itamarbar9580]

Damnit, video 9 got copystriked

[@natheniel]

great explanation, sadly terrible animation

[@ga7sta]

I don’t get the point of this my music teacher sent me this ;-;

[@foreverfesty1751]

z0mbi D3th my music teacher sent me this too

[@atomicjoan237]

Wpps?

[@ga7sta]

Atomic Joan how ya know

[@ga7sta]

The Bro Show same-,-

[@savageuser40]

I learned a lot about where certain people are placed in orchestras and why! I am also using this videos for a project in my canvas class.