Techniques of Orchestration Part 1 | How To Orchestrate a Chord

[@BlackMatt2k]

I watched this last week, and just spent the past 4 hours laying out a 40-track GPO template in my DAW, and programming keyboards. As a "self-taught" (by people like you) hobbyist, I've gone from 90's tracker music, to trance, to rock/metal, and I get most of that now, but I've never understood why my back-burnered orchestral attempts over all those years sound Nintendo, and not Film. I'm probably too old to become the next John Williams, and work with deadlines and whatnot, but your videos are turning "_someday_ I'll revisit these ideas that are important to me" into "these are the discrete, countable elements I must learn to finally get these ideas out of my head, and I can do so in X years..." I can't thank you enough, Rick.

[@RickBeato]

B Matt - That is so great to hear! This is why I'm doing these videos. Thank you so much! Rick

[@TheM4rster]

Get a fkin teacher.

[@medianode]

What he said. Can't thank you enough!! Dreams becoming reality. I am soaking it in.

[@donnythompson408]

B Matt - brother, the wayI look at is, ”better late to the party than to not go at all”. It doesn’t matter when you start something, or when you put into practice something new you’ve learned ... the fact that you are DOING it ... and expanding your knowledge, is what is important. Keep at it. We’re never too old to learn. I just picked up GPO5 myself, because my Vienna Epic Orchestra package doesn’t have solo instruments... but your post shared a great idea - setting up orchestral templates in my DAW. Thanks for that! 😊 🙏😊

[@AlexeyFilippenkoPlummet]

Fast Tracker II in the 90's, then trance, and now orchestral score music - my path as well :)

[@OldMovieRob]

This is like the music theory college class I never got to take but always wanted to

[@AimeeNolte]

What a great chord to learn on! Who doesn't love that first Bb chord?!!

[@elmanocristo]

I do!

[@rafaelr.2228]

Hhahahahah youtube comments cracks me up

[@papi1050]

A# sounds better

[@MICKEYISLOWD]

I go microtonal now!

[@majid__jafari]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@sordidC]

I was briefly a music major. My chords on keys for jazz tend to be okay because well that's ALL the bulk of the cording is and where it stays. The way you just explained this in PLAIN LANGUAGE is a gift that has to be recognized amongst professors who teach higher order chords. It makes even the books much much more understandable much faster. Thank you!

[@VDYPMusic]

Clarinet is Bb instrument when we write in music score. But in piano roll (DAW) we don't need to make the note Major 2nd below. Just put exactly the same note we want to write to

[@tagaykamunapre9615]

VDYP Music thank you!!! I was wondering how that concept would transpose to a DAW

[@humanmindsfeel9722]

I was just wondering about that, thank you!

[@aheshle]

I'm still confused as to why a clarinet or trumpet or fench horn sounds different to what is written. I mean, if they play a C on clarinet and it sounds like Bb, why not just make that note Bb?

[@VDYPMusic]

@@aheshle Maybe it's because the natural position of Clarinet in C sounds Bb. Very confusing but yeah, that's the fact.

[@aheshle]

@@VDYPMusic I'll stick to guitar and piano then :)

[@aiadeleon8989]

I’m just so happy in this day and age the gatekeeping has ended. Really grateful for these vids that help us non academics who simply want to enjoy creating music. Much gratitude to you Rick, a mentor I wish I had when I was younger!

[@AlbertKimMusic]

I remember when I first started my orchestral journey, immediately clicked off this video after 30 seconds not know what anything meant. Now i'm binging your entire channel haha, love it man.

[@alekseyshegolev9812]

Thank you for the video! Learning to orchestrate tutti chords is an important part of a composer’s training. That being said, you explain WHAT’s going on, but you don’t explain WHY is it like that. Violins 1 and 2 are not in unison in the original score. Violin1 has an 8va written on top of it. It therefore sounds an 8ve higher that violin 2. Why? Because the strings section is responsible to help blend what otherwise is a heterogeneous ensemble. The chord spans from the top of piccolo note to the bottom bass note of the chord. The third is doubled not according to the total of notes, but to the section. As you said, it is important to learn to orchestrate in sections. So the third appears only once exactly like you explained (no doubling), but once in the horns, once in the trumpets and once in the strings: once per important “harmonic” section. There is a good reason to write the beginning of the piece in Bb other than to follow Newman’s Bb intro. Why Bb? Because the theme is presented in the trumpets. The melody reaches the top Bb or the Bb5 if you will. That’s very high and is therefore technically demanding. Writing the piece in Bb allows the trumpet to play in C major not using any valves. The sound will be brighter, clearer and overall the theme is easier to play. You are clearly a good musician! However, always strive to explain the WHY of things once you told us the WHAT. Thank you for your work once again!

[@VERMiiNE]

Excellent comment, thank you. You could think about making your own channel. With content similar to your comment here, I'd watch it and I probably wouldn't be alone. Nowadays, back and forth between KZbin channels is mainly used for drama, but I'd dream of it being used for creating a virtuous ecosystem. You could use the traction of Rick's channel by expanding on his specific videos where you'd feel you would have wanted it here more like this or less like that, or why he said this, or didn't say that, etc... Maybe with titles like "The WHY behind Rick Beato's Orchestration Principle" or something along theis line. I think that would be a great concept, and make for a very interesting and fertile synergy and KZbin parallel ecosystem.

[@0000song0000]

Thank you so much Aleksei. I second Vermine's petition. If you have any blog/ig/tumblr/or brochure I would gladly read/watch/listen to it. :)

[@QueirozVini]

I never thought orchestration took so much work and consideration! I mean, just for one chord, look at how many variables we need to take into account! That's just awesome!!

[@RockerProf]

This is clearly the most illuminating thing I have ever listened to about orchestration. Thank you so much. I also watched your video on string instruments and their ranges, which was also fantastic. Your explanations are so clear and and concise, yet complete.

[@thechannelitrollwith1645]

There is a pause for “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.” It’s decently long, but the Bb matching the fanfare isn’t lost because of it. Your videos are a wealth of knowledge. Thank you so much.

[@danielmanahan692]

Would love to see a lesson segment broken up into several parts if needed where you go over the different emotions and what instrument combinations help get those emotions, and what instruments rarely get used for them. the dos and don'ts of each emotion in orchestration. for example I rarely hear a lot of percussion in Dark Evil sounding music. Much more strings and organ sounding instruments like woodwinds. And Brass in the aggressive war like scenes, fight or flight emotions.

[@RickBeato]

Daniel Manahan will do!!

[@pasijutaulietuviuesas9174]

Looking forward to that!

[@pkjho]

yes!

[@lifewhyz]

Has this been done yet? I'd love to watch it.

[@GrumpyOldMan9]

Had been mesmerized by this music for over 30 years, and you just blew all that away. Shame on you, Mr. Beato.

[@grahamwevans9383]

Thank you so much Rich. As an amateur musician with a desire to compose but no formal training, I find your videos incredibly informative, interesting and fun. Keep up the good work please!

[@ThePsychedelicCherry]

I've been orchestrating a musical I've written and this video alone has already really helped me understand why I'm doing what I'm doing and organize my process better. I wish you were my music teacher. Excellent video series.

[@TheClassicalSauce]

There is actually a 5 or so second break between the 20th FOX theme and the Fanfare opening. "A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away..."

[@RickBeato]

Thank you for that! I wouldn't find my copy of Star Wars to check in time :) Rick

[@looneyburgmusic]

@@RickBeato I always wondered if for Star Wars the 20th Century fanfare, and the Star Wars intro, were recorded as one piece, because on the RCA CED disc of the original Star Wars it's possible to count the beat perfectly between the two, with the fan fare ending on the (4) , and the first chord of the intro hitting exactly on the (1), after three or four rest measures, (I forget which)....

[@liteoner]

@@looneyburgmusic You just need an editor who can count to 4, no need to record them in one take

[@looneyburgmusic]

@@liteoner Sure, but listening to the original 70's era recording, that hasn't been screwed around with/remixed for the "Special Editions", it just feels more organic, like the orchestra was playing one continuous piece.

[@liteoner]

@@looneyburgmusic they never do. What you hear as one continuous recording is actually several takes merged together.

[@remyslim1756]

I'm working on learning orchestration and understanding how to write parts for each section. This is clearly a very complex music concept and you've made it very easy to understand, and its very informative and detailed while being practical and applicable. Knowing how each part works together in the section is going to be critical from a foundational/fundamental standpoint and I don't think it could have been done any better. You're an amazing teacher and I can't thank you enough for all of the knowledge you've shared through your numerous videos. Your piano playing, guitar playing and orchestral work/musical knowledge is clearly of the highest echelon.

[@WarrenByrdSpeak]

You know, Rick, one of the mysterious parts of orchestration is understanding the textural weights and how to balance the sections and, as well, how to mix them. All I really can offer is instinct, talent, wispy "pickup knowledge", and years of listening and studying intently. I think the only thing after that is trial and error/success...unless I could be brainwashed by a great master of orchestration, whether living or posthumous.

[@TheMeJustMe75]

I still have the two record Star Wars album that came out in the early 80's.When you open it up, there are pictures from the movies. I listened to it just about everyday as a little kid.

[@grantharrismusic]

I pity the spacebar on your computer keyboard.

[@DaoStew]

Lol

[@inpursuitofhappiness4873]

Scrolled just for this! Sooooo distracting. And unnecessary.

[@galacticgui2305]

@Me, Also Me EPICO!

[@dailywarcraftreforged9816]

LOL

[@35volts52]

He probably could have just hooked up a pedal and map it to space

[@futurythm_]

Been watching a lot of tips & tuts online since a year but Rick's videos are something else. I've realised that once you've gathered sufficient basic knowledge about music theory and prod, RB's videos are a breeze for people who want to improve their knowledge and go deeper. This video for eg. It took me a day of digging to find the perfect video that demonstrates orchestration techniques and this was it. So helpful, so informative. Explaining complex ideas comes effortlessly to RB whereas I've often seen other online tutors fumble while explaining relatively simpler topics.

[@nicktardifbass7]

This is great, and it is breath of fresh air as far as internet music pedagogy goes. It's the real stuff, and it shows respect to the Common Practice ( not that Common Practice is the be all end all, but the old saying of knowing the rules before you break them...). These days the internet is flooded with kids getting into or out of college that are trying to make their bones on youtube. To me, they usually don't respect the rich tradition that precedes them and they don't have the experience to make their knowledge useful. Thank you so much for this page, I'm ready to watch all of it now!

[@gustavobeyerdecarles9831]

Hi everyone I m Rick Beato. . even his opening line sounds like these video will blow your mind.. perfect master class...

[@drtejashmodi]

Eagerly waiting for part 2 and more. Great lesson. Thanks so much!

[@gregdanielson9086]

Rick: Thank you so much for taking the time to show/teach us these things. Great info! Now I had a much deeper appreciation for orchestration.

[@orchestraladventure4203]

Great basic review for many. However, the actual score has Trumpet 1 on high C above staff. That's where a ton of the power in the original score comes from - the trumpets are E, G, C, in their upper range. Additionally, due to the complexity of this music, Bb is easy to play in because all through middle and high school musicians learn in concert Bb.

[@recordman555]

Thanks, Rick! I advise beginners to obtain a SATB + piano arrangement of any particular piece, and use that - perhaps with some MIDI instruments - to experiment with voice (instrument) assignments. This can provide instant feedback as to how their orchestration philosophy delivers the desired effect.

[@jadenschwartz1057]

Rick is by far my favorite content creator. It is insanity that I can get this information for free on the internet. Rick you are a god.

[@meatloafandmanilow97]

Thank you so much Rick. I'm a mostly self taught multi instrumentalist, and I learn soooooo much from these videos!

[@edzielinski]

Revisiting this in 2022 and it's still pure gold.

[@Nikioko]

The third makes the difference between major and minor. So you always hear the third, it doesn't have to be prominent. You also hear the lack of the third in an empty fifth.

[@emanuel_soundtrack]

You see like a god of music with all this concepts, a cool studio, and this fresh style: “its easy”!

[@bradleydoyle6752]

Hey man! Just saying thank you for the videos. I love writing music, Frank Zappa got me into orchestral music, and he is my favorite composer. I am learning how to write more orchestral music, and learning the subtleties of orchestration/arranging are incredibly exciting and complex. Videos like yours are irreplaceable for someone like me who is in school and doesn't have time to attend scheduled lectures!

[@michaelstokowski]

Could watch your theory classes all day. Great stuff. Note: Since Williams scored for a world class orchestra, and not a big band or concert band, trumpets are most likely non-transposing C-trumpets, which are brighter in timbre and pretty much the orchestral standard worldwide.

[@nunohs3371]

Mr. Beato, you did it again! Excellent exposition of such complex matters in your usual simple and practical way. The only way to cram a whole semester of college-level information into eighteen minutes :)Thank you.

[@NickRossi]

I absolutely cannot believe the incredible amount of valuable information you provide.

[@charlesbrown6171]

Rick, you are a master instructor. And that is my opinion as the Composer in Residence for a Chicago composer. I wish you offered private composing lessons and score reviews.

[@retox2929]

very nice of you. you luuuuuuvve to teach. & I luv to learn. your undying enthusiasm is GREAT !! lot's of fun & inspiring . about 3-4 years ago, i stumbled my way into the "soft synth" world. I'm still battling with it & gaining ground almost everyday. Thank you so very much. it means a lot

[@johnkea4292]

This was both a practical explanation and a nostalgic look at an audio snapshot of my childhood. Thanks Rick.

[@VFXCommander]

Wow, time really flies. I've crushed the "subscribe" button. I'm in desperate need of orchestration!

[@Blontified]

B-flat is great for horns.

[@ltraina3353]

I knew this was complicated, but wow! I’m curious about how all this relates to the classical composers like Mozart or Beethoven; did they know all this technical stuff? Or did they compose intuitively? I find it amazing that such beautiful, complicated music originated in some guys head, and he somehow separated out all the instruments, and wrote down the notes they needed to play, the precise timing and loudness and mood required to create something from nothing. They somehow translated what only they could hear into a form they could share, so that everyone else could hear it too. And the fact that Mozart did so at such a young age just blows my mind!

[@TheGurner1]

I'm going to watch all these, Rick Beato is a great guy for creating so much educational stuff - stuff that hits the spot ;-)

[@hankfowler8194]

What a great lesson. I have learned so much from this and the lure of the Star Wars them kept me highly interested. Really, the music in this ground breaking movie played a HUGE roll in developing the story. Light on the 5ths and lighter on the 3rds. Nice.

[@Husholdninger]

The 21st fox theme is engrained into my soul, I have always loved that intro. Now, having subscribed to a huge sample library, I can't wait to learn more and actually hear this take shape. Looking forward to experiencing more of your tutorials.

[@justgivemethetruth]

Fascinating ... it's always seemed like magic the way a mere human can coodinate so many elements into an orchestra. I love the sound of oboes and bassoons.

[@SamanthaIreneYTube]

There’s an excellent book I recommend called Techniques of 20th Century Orchestration that is a master reference for writing for each instrument.

[@jasonfella265]

Can't seem to find the book on amazon =( Can you recommend another one?

[@kellykoistinen1934]

Jason Fella Alfred blatters instrumentation and orchestration

[@onethousandtwonortheast8848]

Kelly Koistinen thanknyou!

[@grt002]

Hey Rick - thanks so much for the great video. I just read “Arranging for the Concert Band” by Frank Erickson and am really trying to study arranging and orchestrating without having to go back to music school again for a master’s! I really appreciate the great informative video.

[@erynsunn383]

love finding these videos!!!!! really dig your channel more the more i see from it. pretty sure i've learned more from your videos than i ever did in music class lol so yeah thanks for posting stuff like this it helps us "aspiring musicians" out a LOT :D

[@liambrownpianoproductions3445]

you are my dream teacher there is no opportunity for learning orchestration in my collage which is really annoying because I am scoring a musical and scoring and orchestrating isn't easy and I've learned a lot from you already thankyou.

[@NogorianChant]

"One of the most powerful openings to any piece I can think of." That sounds like fun; brainstorming some of the great powerful openings. My first thought jumped to Brahms 1st symphony.

[@protakill]

This was extremely helpful. Thank you so much, Rick Beato, you're a great teacher.

[@know5703]

You are the most qualified person to change music "theory" to music "fact", there shouldn't be any argument not to learn music theory because it is music fact!

[@ishagshafeeg]

Your channel will be my favorite channel for years to come. Great

[@TiagoFrancomusic]

thank you, Rick. Please do a part 2. Really interesting stuff!

[@drkam6]

Absolutely excellent lecture! Pure gold. Thank you Rick!

[@rekoja]

You really are a great teacher and I hope you'll keep making these videos.

[@SongSwan]

Perhaps you could do a video on the Guitar orchestration of Brian May,his work on the early Queen albums was quite amazing.

[@TheNormanduartetolle]

Or Queen's choir

[@frantyozorawattilete4742]

Thank you so much! Cheers from Jakarta, Indonesia!!!

[@matthewlevin3671]

Absolutely love the way you break this down, Rick. You make it super easy to understand, even for someone who's been playing music a long time like myself lol.

[@randolfjones1024]

So interesting I only play one instrument and have altered some of my arrangements with this video in mind and it has made a real difference when thinking of the 1,3 & 5 which were rather heavy on the 3rd's

[@philippechapnik4754]

Well, it was really late, I was really tired and at first I thought I would just watch the beginning, but I couldn't stop before the end. Thank you. Great lesson. Thank you.

[@toniamarchesiello7508]

Such a great and very clear explained lesson Maestro, grazie 👍👌👏👏👏👋

[@LordBrozart]

I’m about to take a college level Orchestration and this is my introduction to the world of Orchestration

[@AlexeyFilippenkoPlummet]

Would be cool to have the summary of what exact instruments are playing 3rds and 5ths. I think I learned more about which instrument in the orchestra plays with which transposition, which is for a library music composer much less important than what "piano notes" one should divide into which sections and instruments to get the right feeling. Anyway, watched till the end, thanks for the disection!

[@TerenceKearns]

I have very little music theory knowledge but you did a beautiful job explaining this. I'm gonna give this sort of stuff a try. I'm also gonna spend some time learning more music theory. I really enjoyed this video. Thanks so much.

[@XANDRE.]

I had always heard that Williams wrote the Star Wars Main Theme, and it wasn't until synch that everyone realized that it was a half step lower than the 20th Century Fox Theme. The 20th Century Theme was re-recorded down a half step (because it's orchestration sounded thin next to William's Theme), and that's why on older films the Fox Theme sounds higher, because it is actually a higher pitch.

[@MichaelColeman]

This is one of the most understandable and educational explanations of orchestration that I've ever heard. Thank you! I just wish you'd done a whole series like this. Alas, there's not even a Part 2. :-(

[@ericashmusic8889]

Great job-Rick !- glad I stumbled on this. I was taught that 1 note is not a chord !! But you present, just 1 note- but duplicated. ( 1 note in theory ) but in practice-as can be heard, the timbre sounds rich & embraces combined overtones created by each instrument, & sounds like a chord.That's v'useful to know . Thankyou very much.

[@ericashmusic8889]

I have ref- W/W only of course.

[@DrGargani]

not having ever studied this, it is a bit overwhelming, however, you have broken it down so well, I must congratulate you!! I have orchestral layer sounds on my keyboards that do a lot of this for me, but you are showing just how many things go into achieving such a sound.

[@Swizzenator]

Cant spell Bravo Beato without a B flat. What a great teacher thank you.

[@trajan_x0128]

My tip for transposing instruments - write in concert pitch and change it back to normal.

[@bhaveshmistry3255]

Amazing! Sir you are the best music teacher in this world. Salute to you !

[@WilitoJunior]

14:58 makes me jump everytime I hear it *play* Doesnt jump😆 great video!

[@wozzywick]

This was really interesting. I'd love to see a guide on how to orchestrate more complex chords with extensions

[@kappabravomusic2101]

That was great and super informative. Thank you!

[@a2zpiano]

SATB part writing (4 part writing) is very important to master as composers .. Great job Rick!

[@ENDTIMEsVideoLibrary]

Wow!THANK YOU.. I'm a song writer just starting a more serious journey into orchestration. This is so helpful..

[@jfcomposition]

YOU ARE A KING

[@VictorColli]

In order to play the Bb on a Saxamaphone, you must play the square root of a C# in order to play the Bb a whole octave and a third above when you write it. It's actually rather simple once you take the square of the frequency of the note and notate it.

[@Andy-lm2zp]

All roads lead to Rick !

[@charlesreynolds2694]

Awesome! Read my mind lol! I have been studying instruments of the orchestra, choral writing and voice leading rules a lot recently and this breakdown of a single chord (especially involving transposing instruments) is what I've been really trying to understand well. Very appreciative!

[@InsideOfMyOwnMind]

Deepest musical instruction I've ever even dreamed of. For awhile though I was having flashbacks from the days when I had to use Microsoft Windows.

[@Grutbrushes]

Good lord that was good! I know almost nothing about orchestration but after watching this I understand exactly what I don't know!

[@darrenjharris9907]

Great stuff Rick! I followed everything by hitting pause and putting it into my DAW. These are great videos as it is good to know where to start when orchestrating.

[@stewrock5919]

thank you for all your hard work! Really appreciate it. best wishes.

[@ElBeeEss]

Oh my days, this was great! Would you include a bit of a Quincy Jones arrangement analysis in this series? That would be so awesome xx

[@uryic000]

Thank you thank you thank you Rick. I 'm a full time jazz pianist/private educator/arranger and musical director. My 1st instrument is piano (and voice) Been producing local artist and small combo arrangements for local artists from time to time. Even tried my hand at film scoring for a short film in the Sundance Film Fest. a few years back. Been recording on a DAW for years, but just now getting into sample libraries and such. Whew, You seem to have forgotten more that I remembered. LOL Thanks for the excellent video. I'm so interested in film scoring and film music. Huge fan of Elfman and Zimmer, and of course John Williams. But I feel like I relate better to Zimmer. Thanks again and I'm a new subscriber.

[@nealjones2901]

Where did these ads come from all of a sudden? At least now I can go to the bathroom while they drone on. My internet experience is limited due to my changing geographical location. I am a mariner. No internet where I am. SO..... when I have the opportunity to avail myself of programs like these I eat this stuff up. THank you, Rick

[@MNorbert89]

One small correction: 1st violin part marked as (8va) with the tremolo meaning sounds an octave higher than the 2nd violin's Bb. It's hard to notice in the score but it's there.

[@paoloagostini1407]

It's a pleasure listen to your lessons Rick. Thank you so much

[@PhilGooch]

Love this video, so much to learn just from one chord, and so well explained, thanks for this!

[@lindareese4579]

Thank you rick beato for the wonderful lesson.

[@grahamplato1735]

Great tutorial, a great communicator, you have a really engaging delivery, feels like a personal tutorial.

[@danmart1879]

This guy's a music genius.

[@musical_lolu4811]

Bullshit.

[@bbqfetus-the_don_grilluminati]

stumbled on this video, subscribed today, will watch all videos. thank you!

[@SunilMungur]

Just what I needed! Thanks Rick! Just recently got into wanting to know this stuff! I got the full komplete 13, so I am overwhelmed with instruments , and need more guidance on what to do with them...ive been making a few tunes. They keep getting bettwr as I watch videos like these.thanks!

[@blackcitadel37]

Is there a Techniques of Orchestration part 2?

[@iyaron1000]

Nice practical knowledge in orchestration.

[@Amevaag]

This is just great stuff Rick! I can only imagine you explaining the opening chord from the last movement of Mahler’s second symphony.