String arranging IN-DEPTH + your WINNING arrangements for

In this episode, Alex dives deep into arranging for strings and presents different arrangements based on the melody we provided for our VOStringsComp23 competition!
Alex demonstrates how the string section can be used and orchestrated to create very different musical impressions. And at the end of the video, we announce the winners of our competition!
Have a listen to their entries and please show some support by dropping them a comment, like, or sharing them on your socials.
1st prize: Andrea Amici • Tema e variazioni per ...
2nd prize: Florian Voss / fv-epic-emotional-vers...
2nd prize: Kalden Alexander / vostringscomp23-ashes-...
Virtual Orchestration is a collaboration between Berklee College of Music (Boston, USA) and Orchestral Tools (Berlin, Germany).
▬▬ Table of content ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬
0:00 - Intro : Melody and chords
0:42 - 1st very simple arrangement
2:26 - 2nd example : more original voice leading
4:18 - 3rd example : applying musical intention
7:58 - 4th example : maximum range
9:34 - 5th examplee : out of the box
11:52 - COMPETITION WINNERS!
Assets used in the video :
SFX :
The following sounds provided by: mixkit.co/
Air Whoosh
__________________________________________________
Video creation credits:
Script / video concept 📜 : Alex Lamy, Eduard Flemmer
Music 🎶 : Alex Lamy
Camera 🎥 and Editing ✂️ : Fabián Barba Hallal
Motion graphics 🎨 : Michael Logar

[@AndreaAmici-musicamultimedia]

I’m truly honored to receive this special award! Thank you for the great news and for the opportunity to partecipate in your competition!

[@alexlamymusic]

Well done, Andrea! We loved your arrangement!

[@AndreaAmici-musicamultimedia]

@@alexlamymusic many thanks!!! The theme was very versatile and full of ideas for a set of variations

[@kaldenalexander7251]

Thank you so much for this Alex and the Orchestral Tools team! Truly honored by the recognition and love the channel.

[@mrsakitumi]

I'm so glad you won 2nd prize for your arrangement. yours was definitely my favourite and one that I actually commented on. well deserved.

[@alexlamymusic]

Thank you Kalden! 🥳

[@Florian_Voss]

Thank you Alex for the great competition and for rewarding our efforts even more with the 2nd prizes! It was a big pleasure to be a part of it! :)

[@alexlamymusic]

Well done, Florian! And thank you for taking part!

[@WillWalt]

Thank you so much for the informative video and thank you so much for the opportunity you have given us composers and arrangers to test out our skills! I would also like to express my deepest appreciation and respect for everyone who took part in this string arrangement competition. The level of talent, creativity, and sheer dedication displayed was truly amazing! But to those who lost or did not win and may be feeling down, I wish to express some empathy and remind you that this result is by no means a measure of your worth as composers and people. This competition was but a single event, and the world of music is full of countless opportunities and platforms to showcase your talents. It's natural to feel disappointed, and perhaps even question your abilities (I do after stuff like this). However, it's crucial to remember that music, in its purest form, is about self expression and connection, not competition. Your pieces have touched hearts, inspired thoughts, and painted beautiful landscapes of sound and emotion. The value of this cannot be measured by a simple win or loss. I can’t help but remember the saying: "I never lose. I either win or I learn." In the spirit of this wisdom, I encourage each one of you to perceive this moment not as a defeat, but as a stepping stone in your journey towards self-discovery and mastery. Every experience brings with it lessons that can shape and refine our craft. Your growth as a composer doesn't end here. Remember that art is inherently subjective. Different people connect to different expressions of music. What might not resonate with one person could deeply touch another. While the judges had the challenging task of picking winners, that doesn't diminish the beauty and importance of the pieces that weren't chosen. Robert Schumann said it best, "To send light into the darkness of men's hearts - such is the duty of the artist." Your music has already accomplished that task. Keep composing, keep pouring your heart into your work, and keep spreading that light! You are all winners in your own right, and I cannot wait to witness the future masterpieces you will bring into existence!

[@alexlamymusic]

Music is definitely subjective, but I share this sentiment - nobody should feel like they didn't do a good job. Honestly, there were so many creative and distinctive entries that any criteria we use to judge arrangements would always have ended up being too subjective. And it really was hard to pick a winner - which is why we couldn't just pick one!

[@kylebutlermusic]

Congrats to the winners and thanks for hosting the competition Alex and Orchestral Tools! This series on arranging for strings has been very informative, keep up the great work!

[@joegrint6280]

Really interesting video - thanks Alex! The 'out of the box' example definitely had a Vaughan Williams feeling to it! 🙂 Congratulations to the winners!

[@alexlamymusic]

Always happy to be compared to RVW 😅

[@ShivSagar010]

Thank You Very Much! 🙂🙏💛

[@themusicalpete5001]

oh man I really wished I did this competition, congrats to the 3 winners! and of course great video!

[@virtual.orchestration]

Next time! We will do a competition someday in the future, no worries.

[@alexlamymusic]

I just want to say thank you again to everyone who sent in an arrangement for this competition! Picking winners was no easy task, and we'll definitely make sure to do another thing like this in the future and give everyone another chance to win some libraries! I'm also really pleased that so many people found participating to be not only fun but helpful as well. Hopefully some of the ideas in this video are also helpful for future arrangements 🙂

[@azaelemoro]

I really hoped to be at least third but I recognize that I have to learn a lot after I listened to the winners' work! I hope that my work is at least good ahaha! Thank you for this opportunity!

[@polycarpopiyo5058]

hello....I've seen this video today, can I send you my arrangement for some pointers

[@alexlamymusic]

@@polycarpopiyo5058 Hey! I won't be giving feedback on these, as I'd have to do that for 150 of them to keep it fair! But... the community on here and on the associated post in the VI Control forum was very active in commenting on each others arrangements, so maybe if you post it up and share the link then there will be others out there who will share their feedback still.

[@AndromedaX8]

Thank you for this awesome lesson Alex and congratulations to all the winners! Really beautiful arrangements! :)

[@alexlamymusic]

Thank you! Happy to talk about strings all day long 😅

[@spuddyferret]

Congrats to the competition winners! All of those arrangements are amazing!

[@nmcreative956]

Great experience gained from this exercise. And congrats to all the winners

[@alexlamymusic]

Glad to hear that - that's exactly what we want! 💪

[@grobinson9352]

Congrats all!

[@Franck_Hoffmann]

Can we expect future competitions to come? This has been an enjoyable experience!

[@alexlamy6102]

We will do other competitions, yes! I'll get thinking about another fun thing to do.

[@mrsakitumi]

congrats to all the winners! thanku Alex, VO and OT! this was a great challenge with many amazing entries. it also got me to try my hand at string quartet type arranging, which I enjoyed.

[@alexlamymusic]

Really glad you enjoyed it! We'll definitely find some other opportunities to do something like this again!

[@MamaSymphonia]

The 2nd example actually sounds like something John Powell would write, and is consequently my favorite. The 3rd and 4th examples may be more "out of the box" and interesting on a surface level, but they lack the focus and emotional impact of the 2nd version imo. I loved hearing everyone's different takes on the theme!

[@calogiga]

This channel is so incredible... All informations are so usefull... Please go on to teach us all these wonderfull technics... Thanks...

[@alexlamymusic]

Thank you for the comment 🙏

[@jeffbird5082]

This was a great opportunity thank you! I look forward for more competitions to come!

[@alexlamymusic]

Us too! 🥳

[@azaelemoro]

At least I tried... I really really enjoyed this "competition" and it is always wonderful to hear what other people compose with the same starting idea! Thank you all!

[@dangeeestudios]

I'm sadden that I just saw this competition. I will still make a track of the melody and post it to KZbin. looking forward to the next competition

[@aaronbird9437]

Congrats Winners! Wow, so many good arrangements!

[@davidhepworthmusic]

Good job to everyone involved and congrats to the winners. Thanks Alex and Virtual Orchestration for inspiration providing a burst of communal creativity

[@alexlamymusic]

I'm really glad with the response from the community. It's really cool that so many people have found it rewarding

[@NickWendelsGuitarLessons]

Ah, how great. I'm sorry I missed the competition! 🙂

[@32Bivens]

Thank you guys for these videos so much! As a heavily visual learner, the colors, icons, and simple examples really help to solidify the concepts in my mind!

[@nielmotzmusic]

That was so much fun! Congrats to everyone! 🎼🤘🎻

[@yaroslav_kniazev]

Hey, guys. Thanks for another great lesson! If we keep this up, we will soon surpass all the famous composers of today ) Regards, Yaroslav.

[@virtual.orchestration]

We actually might! But instead of comparing yourself to others, you could also just compare yourself with yourself yesterday, meaning you could become a better orchestrator / composer / arranger / music creator tomorrow than you were yesterday.

[@shubus]

As a composer who works from score and notation software, I found this video very hard to watch. But I did LISTEN to the very interesting arrangements. Hope there are more of the competitions in the future as all kinds of fresh ideas are most welcome---as in in this video.

[@PerchHunter]

Dear @Virtual Orchestration. If i may and If it would not be a great problem, I would be extremely grateful if underneath the upcoming films it would be stated somewhere which libraries have been used in the film. It is often the case that we really like the sound and would like to know what instrument it is so that we can consider buying it. I am sure that many of us would be very happy if somewhere in the description of upcoming films such information appeared ;) Thanks for an amazing video and I look forward to more

[@alexlamymusic]

In this one there are a few. Berlin Strings, Berlin Strings Special Bows 1 and 2, Berlin Strings First Chairs, Time Macro, and the Nocturne Solo Violin 👍🏻

[@MamaSymphonia]

I always struggle to get the strings to sound dynamic and interesting. I think since all the sections sound similar (apart from pitch), it's more difficult to get a good sense of contrast than it is when writing for other sections. So I have a bad habit of only writing either action-y ostinatos or romantic, languid legato lines, and very little in between. Lately I've been pushing myself to write music using strings exclusively so I can't rely on the other sections to provide all the interest.

[@alexlamymusic]

It's a really good exercise to write 'strings only' music. I love doing it, and the more you do it the more you get familiar with those subtle timbral differences between one section and another, one register and another, and in same cases even one string or another! I think it's really rewarding when you crack that. I'd also recommend trying to listen to lots of string music - find quartets, or concertos for string orchestras and soloists, and that will inspire you with more sounds other than the "longs and shorts" we get a bit too used to with out samples! 👍🏻

[@noahjezyk]

what is the vst used here? Im assuming the orchestral tools berlin orchestra. Im so excited to grab myself the discounted library when i get my GAIMS package, it sounds great

[@alexlamymusic]

Hey, I think I answered this in another comment too. It’s mostly Berlin Strings, with a bit of the Berlin Strings special bows (sul tasto etc.) and some patches from Time Macro, and the Nocturne solo instruments. All Orchestral Tools l 👍🏻

[@ExploratoriumTP]

What I struggle with the most with strings is managing dynamic and expression to create a realistic string part and not something rather flat and lifeless. Another struggle is to use different articulations simultaneously while keeping them audible, I often find that pizzicatos and harmonics for example tend to get overridden by the other articulations

[@alexlamymusic]

To some extent that's the right way - pizz and harmonics don't come out clearly among a texture of regular sustained strings. You have to make the decision in the arrangement to accompany them with something softer in order to balance everything. And so the dynamics should have intent behind them and not change for the sake of it - then use expression to put the shape you need into the line.

[@HYP3RK1NECT]

0:26 Esos acordes quedan mejor con los bronces. Con o sin sordina.

[@superblondeDotOrg]

Great composers write using figured bass, not rules of root-inversion harmony.