Regarding arranging for Strings:

Everything that works that can possibly be done with Strings has already been written.

Voicings, choice of chord stack open, closed, etc. and even other instruments in the orchestra that work well (and it pays to know which instruments DON'T work well with Strings) are as close as your local library that stocks "mini scores" of classical musics and etc. Studying a few of these, while listening to recordings of the piece, can serve as a full education in String Arranging that will last a lifetime.

Orchestral Instruments that work well with Strings are the woodwinds and the French horns, mostly.

Pays to listen to those genres, too, and get to know the few various String arranging systems, so that you can knowledgeably pick one that fits your personal project.

Closed voicing in chording is not all that wonderful with Strings in popular recordings, unless we are talking String Quartet or the likes, which usually stand alone.

Opening up the voicing can open up the String part. Yields Space.

A few close-spaced triads played on any String sampler or synth will "organ" - and kill any chance of yielding the most desirable aspect that Strings can bring to a project. At that point, you could substitute a Pad of any type, synth, organ, what-have-you using the same notes and achieve the same result, but it likely won't sound like a String arrangement should.

Put the Violins in the octave that Violins play in, the Violas in the octave that Violas live in, Cellos in their area, Bass Viols at the bottom. This should cover at least two octaves, if not three or more, depending on things such as available Space, etc.

Finally, having some MIDI samples of MUTED strings can really be a very good thing.


--Mac

PGmusic FAQs, Tutorials and Updates! click here

You must be Audiominds.
www.audiominds.com