The cheat code to perfect woodwinds' voicings

In todays' video we explore arranging for woodwinds. More specifically how to voice chords across sections. We talk about the difference between stacked, interlocked, enclosed and overlapped voicings.
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00:00 Intro
00:55 Stacked
4:07 Interlocked
6:01 Enclosed
8:46 Overlapped
11:10 Mixed

[@LeDrummerDu88]

Perfect video !! Can you do the same for the Brass section in the future ? 🙂

[@Nightowl427272]

This video is EXCELLENT and what a beautiful piece showcasing the techniques in the video at the end. Wow! Mattia I’ve learned more from your channel than from any other, and I’ve been to a LOT of them. Your 100 Orchestrating Techniques Every Composer Should Know changed everything for me. Thank You!!!

[@ChrisSchmidtComposer]

Great video. Far too many people who explain wind voicings just make boring videos with nothing but whole-note block chords. Although I would say this video does demonstrate that despite how different their timbres are, stacked voicings do actually still work pretty well.

[@tylerpedraja6049]

I'd be interested in a video on the relationship between woodwinds and the different sections. Should the flutes double the first violins? Does a tutti woodwind section overpower the strings? These sorts of things. Nice video :)

[@Hartproduktie]

Great Tips Mattia, thank you, the arrangement was great, loved it

[@thereiffodyssey2000]

That woodwind arrangement was incredible!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks!

[@petersvan7880]

Lovely arrangement, making CSW sound so good!

[@5ammy13]

Amazing Woodwind arrangement Mattia. I learnt a lot because I write very little for Woodwinds. I really love the Albion Legacy Woodwinds sound. They sound so lush and good. My music doesn't rely on WoodWinds as the main section so Albion Legacy helps me greatly there. And Hollywoodwinda as well just adding those textures.

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks! Albion legacy is great 😁

[@martijnvanbeek4387]

What a beautiful composition you've made here for WW! Just love it!

[@btidelius7344]

Brilliant! So helpful and clear. Many thanks!

[@nRGmusicproduction]

Amazing video Mattia. Thank you!

[@jimrogers7425]

Lovely arrangements and very useful, instructional video. Thank you, Mattia! Cheers!

[@dwukMUSIC]

Thanks for sharing this video. It is very informative and easy to understand.

[@N-JKoordt]

Well done - as usual. Really nice piece too.

[@DrGroo]

Thanks for this. It's really useful to hear so many breakdowns of such nice source material.

[@marcomeloni]

informative and gorgeous music as always. Bravo Mattia!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thank you!

[@Oliver_music_]

youre so talented (work hard)! thanks for the videos

[@jihwoanahn]

Definitely gotta try Enclosed one... great video. Thank you

[@michaelreynolds1177]

Great advice as always, it inspires me to swap the usual positions. Also I don't usually double the flute and oboe but it makes sense - thanks!

[@gspublishing28]

Beautiful!!

[@liambrownpianoproductions3445]

Ahh hello, nice to see your content again. I have really missed it!

[@davidmagnus]

Thank you so much for the video Mattia. I love how you explained and compared so delicately! I have read about the subject a couple of times but never really understood and felt the differences between all those amazing techniques. You truly are a genius teacher and quite the inspiration for me. 👍🏼

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks David!

[@elchabonification]

Great Tips Mattia, thank you. The woodwinds is by far the most difficult section to write for me. What a beautiful arrangement you make

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

Woodwinds ARE the most difficult section to write idiomatically. Mattia did great job explaining all basics. Analyze opening bars of Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade for example. Already starting in measure 8, Korsakov begins just with 2 flutes and 2 clarinets, then he adds 2 oboes and 2 bassoons respectively ! There you go. Perfect voicings, perfect blend, perfect idiomatic writing. Bravo Mattia for great explanation without the necessity to dig in history, in one cohesive video. I remember spending years in my school studying scores (along with recordings), and here you go : everything condensed to just one video ! i wish we had resources like this back in the 90s...

[@ReubenCornell]

Another excellent video explanation

[@mauromonti5568]

Your contents are always so interesting, Mattia. Un cordiale saluto!

[@marcel_schweder-composer]

Great video! Woodwind instruments are so underrated and underused these days.

[@jenssieckmann]

Awesome video. I definitely have to try every method. What about crossing lines/voices? Is there any guideline on that?

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

4:57. This is the essence ! For novice orchestrators ; start just with flutes and clarinets. Both instruments blend perfectly well across all registers.

[@MattiaChiappa]

Yeah pretty much! Simplest go to that always works and sounds nice

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

@@MattiaChiappa Absolutely ! I show your videos to my music students as a perfect supplement to their daily orchestral scores studies…

[@mikaiarasamihaga9780]

Iit s just what I need and looking for . Would it be possible do an other video about strings's voicing?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Watch this video I made last year kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6W7aJRpp5uLiacfeature=shared

[@karayuschij]

I missed you!

[@QuiemRe]

Beautiful and useful video as always! Can I know how did you make the sound of woodwinds so realistic, cinematic, and separate? The original sound of CSW is not like this unfortunately. Thank you for doing this content!

[@MattiaChiappa]

Thanks! I didn’t change the sound extensively, just made it a little brighter. Programming does a lot particularly though for blends.

[@QuiemRe]

@@MattiaChiappa Can I know what plugins did you use to make woodwinds brighter?

[@MattiaChiappa]

Sure! It’s just a smiley eq, gullfoss, and some reverb. Nothing glamorous

[@DavideBonfantino]

Hi Mattia, what computer and specs do you have? I have hard times with system overload messages, thanks in advance :)

[@rubenmolino1480]

excelent ¡

[@emanuelmarques8631]

you should something like this with brass and strings xd

[@MattiaChiappa]

I have already done strings not too long ago

[@mimosa-music]

I think the biggest difference, much more so that the type of voicing, is the choice of instruments and the choice of register. The interlocking/stacked/enclosed choice is far less important.

[@KrystofDreamJourney]

Completely agree. Study Ravel...

[@thegoodgeneral]

Interlocking the flutes and clarinets in your example is kind of a sad example: flute 2 would be seriously drowned out sandwiched in between the clarinets like that. You hear it better in your example because you’re using samples, but acoustically it wouldn’t work as well.