For the last few months I am trying to create my orchestral tracks, but I would always fail for to me unknown or known reason.
Let me explain, I always start from piano.
Having chord and melody, i use bass put it on bass, put root on cellos, add syncopated notes to fill everything around, I create percussion, i add very high low volume violins moving up down to add more high freqs and atmosphere into the track.
Now problem comes when I have to add more things...
I don't know if its prohibited to add track into the questions, but I don't know how to explain without it
https://soundcloud.com/jmser/tryit
As you can hear my track starts as I explained movable strings, and than when it comes to 0:24, the disaster is starting, I tried to introduce this melody with articulations as martele, staccato, spiccato, marcato seems similar to what my brain works was with sustains (https://soundcloud.com/jmser/tryit-version-2), but actually I want to have some kind of movable track without sustain patches in it, and mostly without legato romantic slow things, I want it to jump around like crazy, in epic style.
Also, how do I fill up track more to get more rich harmony, fuller background?
As I used violins 1 for one melody, violins 2 for zig zag moves, cellos for rhytm spiccato, basses for spiccato, the most i can repeat arew violins 1 one more time to work as divisi for new melody, than i have to introduce brass too, and basically there comes problem with articulations (choosing them), with filling up the song (getting more rich harmony), and I think problem is not with melody or some theory things, not even in ranges of instruments, i think its pretty fine, but again you do say, and help me?
Thanks, James.

James,

What you have sounds like a great opening for a very dramatic piece of music.

How much do you know about classical 4-part harmony? If you want to get rich, full harmony, this is the best tool in the tool box. Also, have you read any books on orchestration? Rich and full harmony also requires an understanding of how composers use 4-part harmony across the ranges of the different orchestral instruments.

One book on orchestration that I highly recommend is by Adler. It's called "The Study of Orchestration" and is found here.

I'm also a fan of Walter Piston. His book called "Harmony" was one of the best treatises I've ever read on 4-part harmony. This link is to the original version of the book. I found this much easier to read and to understand that the latter versions which had additions by Mark DeVoto.

Walter Piston also has a book on Orchestration but I have not had the chance to read through this.

(The above books are not for beginners. They all require a well developed understanding of music theory.)

Hope this helps,
Noel Adams

I have a book Tonal harmony which is by Stefan Kostka.
There is written about root position writtign where they mention four part writtings.
It is this in images
To be honest I did not understand it, and I knew I will have to sooner or later.
Before that in book is basic theory about chords, how scales are formed by whole and half steps etc... and than comes this.
But as you mentioned it, can you explain me a bit.

In book they confuse me, on "Root Position Part Writing with Repeated Roots" and "FOUR-PART TEXTURES", they said:
1. All members of the triad are usually present. The final I chord is sometimes incomplete,
consisting of a 3rd and a tripled root.
2. The root is usually doubled. The leading tone (7) is almost never doubled because it is ˆ
such a strong tendency tone.
All member of the triads are present where?
Final chord, okay finishing one is probably with doubled root, instead 5th or 3rd, I can get that.
And, yeah, don't double 7th note in scale.

Root Position Part Writing with Roots a 4th
(5th) Apart
FOUR-PART TEXTURES
1. Common tone and stepwise. One method for writing this root relationship in four
parts is to keep in the same voice the tone that is common to both chords, while the
remaining two upper parts move by step in the same direction. The stepwise motion
will be ascending for root movement of a P5 down.
I don't get this one. and those others as well...
FOUR-PART TEXTURES
Two common tones and stepwise. Assuming that the fi rst of the two root position triads
has a doubled root, only one of the upper voices will need to move. Th e two upper voices
that have tones in common with the second chord remain stationary, whereas the remaining
voice moves by step. Th e stepwise motion will be upward for roots a descending 3rd
apart and downward for roots an ascending 3rd apart.

Root Position Part Writing with Roots a 2nd
(7th) Apart
FOUR-PART TEXTURES
Contrary to the bass. If the root is doubled in the first chord, as is usually the case, the
voice leading is usually quite simple: If the bass moves up by step, the upper voices move
down to the nearest chord tone, whereas if the bass moves down by step, the
upper voices move up to the nearest chord tone.

IS this what you talk about for fourth part writting?
And can you, or anyone explain it in some simple as possible way?

Thanks in advance.
- James.

James,

Yes, what you mention is based on 4-part writing (tonal harmony). It's a complex field of music theory. From what you've written above, it sounds like the book that you have been reading makes understanding it quite a challenge. There are many books like this on the market.

That's why I recommended that you get hold of a copy of Walter Piston's "Harmony" (3rd editon). It sweeps away most of those complicated rules and regulations that many theory books go into.

Here is a link to a secondhand copy of that book. This is the one you should get hold of. In my experience, I've read around twenty different books on 4-part harmony, Piston's book makes harmony easiest to understand. (I actually bought a copy from Abebooks last night after typing my reply to you because I lost my book a few years ago.) As previously mentioned, the 5th edition of the book (with Mark DeVoto) is not as easy to read as Walter Piston's original book.

Unfortunately, I do not have enough time to type my way through a course on harmony for you. Try Youtube for some clips. When I went to Youtube and searched for "four part harmony tutorial", many video clips were found.

All the best with your journey.
Noel

Did someone say 'Harmony'?


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdTRq3lxnXA


Regards,

Bob