Orchestration 101: Writing for Woodwinds

In this video, we'll cover some specific strategies to help you when writing for the woodwind section! We'll cover the most common uses for these instruments, specific considerations to be made when writing for them, and even a few basic things to keep in mind when notating your music!

[@TableTopComposer]

Hi Everyone, so a quick update about this series. When I made these videos I used a Pitch-Octave notation other than SPN (Scientific Pitch Notation, which is standard). The system I worked with has C4 as middle C, and resets octaves every "A" instead of every "C". I apologize if this is confusing. My orchestration video on transposing explains the system in greater detail. Other than this, the information is accurate and should be helpful! I'll be releasing an updated series on orchestration soon with more information (and that actually uses SPN). Thank you for your understanding and support! I'm grateful to have such a great community surrounding this youtube channel!

[@thib_frcs]

thank you for this great lesson, my arranging and composing skills has greatly improved thanks to your talent for teaching useful notions.

[@eylam9690]

This series is amazing! The most in-depth break down of orchestration tips for woodwinds I have come across to date.

[@zulaqil]

legit the best composing video i ever seen. It was very informative, and full in every way possible. Cant recommend enough

[@nloc1929]

Dude, this was great. Very succinct and informative, very helpful thankyou!

[@PaulGordonBusby]

Why do so many tutorials on orchestration seem to assume composers nowadays are content with very basic chords? What about the layout of woodwind chords in a more complex chord? Here, the oboes stick out and do not blend with the other instruments - a big problem.

[@yohan1539]

This is great.

[@briantriesart]

thank u very much

[@studioonetutorials]

Thanks. Great video. 4:55 Is there the 3rd missing...?

[@TableTopComposer]

Thank you! No, it is not. The third in an Em chord is a G. This particular example was written with an open voicing, and the G is being played by the flutes. Does that answer your question? :)

[@studioonetutorials]

@@TableTopComposer No. My question was: Do you hear it? :)

[@TableTopComposer]

@@studioonetutorials oh, Gotcha! Yes, it's there, just a bit tricky to hear :) that's probably due to a combination of the samples I used, and the voicing it was written in. One of the cool things about voicing an open chord with the third on top is that it interferes with how the overtones of each note interact with each other. This G is a G5, which means the first partial would be a G6, then a D7, etc. The upper partials all continue to get closer and closer to the inaudible range of the human ear, until you're left with a much more crystalline sound to it, robbing some of the color normally associated with the third. It's really fun to experiment around with if you ever get the chance! Sorry if this is more than you were expecting, I just geek out about stuff like this! Honestly it probably has a lot to do with the audio quality of the video as well. It's much quieter than it sounded when I was editing it. You can here the flute a little better if you use headphones

[@joshsanchez9793]

thankssss : )))))

[@reymondavellana7367]

He's consistently saying B5 that it makes me question my own reading skill because I see B4.

[@TableTopComposer]

Yeah, I didn't use scientific pitch notation for these videos (probably should have) the system I used resets at A, not C. I'll be changing that when I update this series in the future :)