Beautiful Dense Chords for Orchestra

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In today's video I go though some beautiful dense chords for orchestra. It's a super nerdy chat about harmony, orchestration and my take on how thick voicings in your arrangement.
0:00 intro
0:32 chord voicings
7:05 how to orchestrate these chords
11:17 formula applied to real music

[@DepressedCapitalist]

No wonder you play so well those chords. You have 3 hands! It's unfair! No, seriously now, great video and very helpful

[@MattiaChiappa]

Ahah thanks!

[@LucasMeneguette]

My personal favorite is Ebm(add9) from Debussy's Clair de Lune, with the 9th both clustered against the minor 3rd on the "middle hand" and doubled on the right hand. It aways sounded like night being lit by the moon 😅

[@miroslavgrencik7889]

I love your work Mattia!

[@joobastudio]

Thanks Mattia !

[@FeetMusical]

Thanks, Mattia. Your video is quite inspiring.

[@mariorichter]

Great. I love this. When jazz chords sound wide. It gets a beautiful color. Chords composed like this sound wonderful. Thank you for taking the time to take this lesson. Thank you for mentioning me again as a member of the patron and your supporter in the closing credits.

[@Frank.Zimmermann]

Thank you so much Mattia, that's very helpful!! 🙏

[@dfizzbom]

Fantastic insight. If these instrument choices are predictable and lazy, your club just got a new member-sign me up for that. This is one of those videos I will reference often until it becomes second nature. Thank you!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Ahah welcome to the club then 😁

[@user-ns5xb5ym8k]

I love this video so much. I've always wondered how different sections between the strings and woodwinds are harmonized together, and which sections tend to be paired together. Thank you for this video, this knowledge is gold!

[@carameii]

Amazing video! Beautiful chords!

[@Merseyrock]

Great tutorial. Thanks! Now I understand and have a better appreciation for why Ennio Morricone was so fond of using dense chords when composing for soundtracks!

[@nicoborromeo1150]

You really are the best out there. I saw so many of your videos, and learnt so much from you. THANK YOU

[@CC-zi3wo]

Love your content!!!

[@Warlowisnumberone]

This is absolutely beautiful

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@paulthiebaut]

Very valuable video ! Thanks for sharing this with us !

[@MattiaChiappa]

Glad you enjoyed it 😁

[@MiketheNerdRanger]

I for SO long just wanted a detailed breakdown of exactly this. For SO. LONG. Finally I think I found it! Thank you so much!

[@bryonharper7660]

Love the complex chord flavors. They satisfy thanks, Mattiah

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@peterreynolds8146]

Hi Mattia I really love the mix and balance and depth in your music work. Well done.

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@billpeet1976]

Thank you! I'm definitely going to try out this approach, and these chords, for myself!

[@MattiaChiappa]

For sure man, try it out! It works most time

[@ZachHeyde]

Absolutely fantastic as always, man--loooove this 👏👏👏

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks brother 😁

[@rohanupadeo]

thank you so much

[@yvanroustan4426]

Beautiful Dense Chords for Orchestra video series are welcome ! thank you very much for your work - very helpful !

[@MattiaChiappa]

Good to know 😁

[@mybiggrin]

Beautiful!!!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@RafalPiwowarczuk]

Amazing! Thank you so much!🥰

[@MattiaChiappa]

You’re welcome 😁

[@PaulGordonBusby]

Thank you so much. The first video I've seen which deals with bigger chords than triads.

[@ignaciolarronde]

This is Gold.

[@hitsounds]

This gives me a great sense of method. Very relatable with piano being my first instrument. I noodle out chords on the piano and melodies almost suggest themselves. Looks like I can build orchestration from there. So that's a big deal given I'm totally new to orchestration. When you put up the final piece it perfectly illustrated the approach. I'm stealing it! Hope you don't mind! Lovely piece by the way 🙂

[@Somer144]

Mattia, I downloaded your the beautiful Dense Chord Template and sequence and it's just brilliant, and since I have most of the same libraries, save the BBC library I have the lite free version, but i think it still covered most of the parts, it played beautifully. The template is a master piece. TY rbs

[@SiggeSvahn]

This is very good and helpful.

[@eosborne6495]

This is so helpful! I tend to use a lot of extended chords and jazz voicings in my writing, but I never knew how to orchestrate them because I wasn’t comfortable using a lot of divisi.

[@TheCoolj1212]

Thanks so much for this Mattia! Voicings are something I struggle with the most.

[@MattiaChiappa]

Glad it helps!

[@arulrozariomusic]

very helpful matt

[@XeNoS_Music]

Mattia, this video is gold. Really very helpful. I would love if You decide to make more videos in "simillar to this one" ...even longer ;)

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks! Good to know

[@ShredmasterScott]

these chords are level 666 cool

[@MattiaChiappa]

💯😎

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

Finally a master of the art of 3 hands!

[@amiralivahabi2090]

you Rock. 🤘🙏 I love the way you teach, thank you very much

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@MarcelloDiLorenzo]

It seems to work!

[@HernanGnesutta]

Nice!

[@chrismeyers7487]

ahhhhh! The secret is finally revealed! You need 4 hands to be this good.

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks 😁

[@SebastianAmmerlynd]

Great video, Mattia! Can you expand on orchestrating these dense chord types and about how they interact, forming different progressions? That would be awesome!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Sure, it’s basically a really simple progression basically a 1 4 2 5 with some added extensions and suspensions that resolve to their natural 3rds. On the second half there are a couple of substitution. Bbm/Db instead of Bb/D, so its minor version and Gm11 instead of Eb#11, these are once again basically the same chord with a different bass, F/G instead of F/Eb. The ending is a 2 5 1. Super common cadence. I spiced it up a bit by using a Cm7b5 instead of a plain old Cm7 but it’s basically the same just a bit darker since it’s a chord borrowed from the parallel minor.

[@SebastianAmmerlynd]

@@MattiaChiappa Thanks, Mattia! What I meant, though, was focus on the mechanics of chord progressions with a special focus on extensions and suspension in a different video. Show and analyze more, how one chord with a number of ext/sus can maybe naturally lead to which following chords with ext/sus, if you know what I mean. I guess, it's more like jazz harmony with orchestral instruments, maybe? Don't know how to phrase it, really, but I am just fascinated by these friction sounds within chords due to minor seconds and seconds. Oh well, never mind :)

[@danielbendshadler9479]

I'm Curious if you have any particular approach to using divisi with ensemble patches. Do you tend to pull the dynamics back by a certain amount to make each line thinner or to you tend just not to worry about doubling number of recorded violins II? Lovely sounding stuff, Thanks!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Hi thanks! It’s not something that concerns me too much. I generally tend to either pull the dynamics back a little bit or use an articulation that has less “presence” likes a flautando or sul tasto. Good question though, I might expand on this topic on a future video 😁

[@ilcorvo77]

Thanks for this lesson. Your content is always so inspiring.

[@Franck_Hoffmann]

This is such a great video! I keep rewatching it; it's definitively making something click in my brain! Thank you! 🙏🏼 Question: When you have so many different instruments with different inherent "volumes" (flutes not as loud as horns, for example), are you only using CC1 to bring life, or are you using a combination of CC1+CC11?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks, most of the time I just use the mod wheel, cc1

[@deeppc]

Beautiful... Thank you so much!!! Love all your videos! So helpful :) May I ask what Piano Sample Library you are using here ??

[@MattiaChiappa]

I’m not sure, probably NI the Maverick. That’s the one I always use

[@deeppc]

@@MattiaChiappa Okay thank you😊😊

[@martybrueggemann8839]

Beautiful content as always. What's that absolutely charming piece playing in the background at the beginning of the video?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Hi thanks! I’m not sure, it’s a random piece of mine I’ve written a while ago

[@martybrueggemann8839]

@@MattiaChiappa lovely, colorful, and personal as always 🧡

[@ViktorKajtazaj]

oh wow didnt know you have 4 hands thats cool!

[@tsmiguel]

Hello Mattia. Analizing the dense chords from your video, i noticed that the violas are often crossing above violins 2. Is this intentional ? and if so can you elaborate how it contribues to the overal string chords sound? Thanks for your inspiring videos…Thanks in advance

[@SecondTierSound]

Three thumbs up! :)

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks Sam!

[@64guatemala]

Holy COW!!!! Man! If I may? How long have you been composing, really, playing the piano? I SO desire to compose music like that. WOW! 🙂

[@MattiaChiappa]

Hi, I started around 2016 I think but I’ve been a musician for about 20 years.

[@64guatemala]

@Mattia Chiappa Clearly... You must have classical training? I'm "self-teaching" 🤔. I absolutely love it, but man... It's so slow going 🥲.

[@MattiaChiappa]

I’m self taught myself. It’s a grind but definitely doable

[@64guatemala]

@Mattia Chiappa That is SO encouraging to hear ☺️. That, in and of itself, gives me hope to carry on. Thank you for all your insights. They are invaluable! 🙂 Have a great day... or night... wherever you're located 😆.

[@Somer144]

Note: I don't have Seventh heaven reverb is there a Logic Designer reverb setting that might get me is the general area of the reverb/s you used?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Any hall type reverb with a 2 seconds decay will work

[@Somer144]

@@MattiaChiappa Got it! Thank you.

[@ownlifedanny]

I knew it! You have four hands!

[@MattiaChiappa]

😉

[@HernanGnesutta]

May I ask you witch samples are you using?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Cinematic studio series, BBC strings and percussion and sample modeling horns

[@HernanGnesutta]

@@MattiaChiappa Thank you very much man!!!! Amazing content!!!

[@LezionixChitarra]

🍷it is your fault if I'm studying orchestration,🎧, I want apply the concept on my track. great video as usual 👏

[@41Fingers]

that's a lotta fingers!

[@bellalexander1707]

so basically learn music theory and then come back haha but apart from the jokes great vid

[@yaboispiffy2549]

Maybe if i had 3 hands i would compete with the likes of hans zimmer

[@indrazchannel2024]

Can you kindly do something like these in the Scale of E?

[@grundvater]

Mir scheint, daß einige Akkorde falsch notiert sind: Bm9 = Bbm9 oder Bb6/9 mit A. Klingt trotzdem sehr gut.

[@williamthelesser]

You might as well go ahead and start the lawsuit now because I'm stealing these chords so hard, you don't even KNOW how hard I'm stealing them.