This is honestly one of the greatest explanations of how an orchestra moves together. I've learned so much. I'd take an entire masterclass from this guy.
@Forrest Vicente Do you understand how seriously foolish your comment on this video's postings looks? I neither care about you, your girlfriend, or Instagram. Go Away!
I always felt like an outcast for having virtually almost no formal music education. Back in the day, I thought only people who had been classically trained could ever aspire to become professional musicians. You are an inspiration.
Let's be clear and not confuse the facts. Yes, he may not have been formally trained at the collegiate level. But this man is EXTREMELY EDUCATED in his craft! His theory, vocabulary, understanding of the orchestra and talent showcase that...
Yes! As someone who taught conservatory counterpoint, harmony and composition and who studied orchestral performance with Bernstein and Celibidache I thought "what!? How could you claim 'not knowing' is a good thing?" But you know what? So much of what we have been teaching in "music theory" has no value. We're so caught up in learning what the names of things are that we rarely get around to understanding why music works the way does, and more importantly, how to create compelling musical experiences. By ignoring that and focusing on what you hear, what you imagine, and what you want, you get to the heart of the matter. Now, of course there might be some babies in that bath water we're throwing out! Understanding how harmonic, linear and rhythmic energy works to create musical motion is absolutely crucial to making music that goes beyond merely "sounding like" (orchestral) music. You may get that understanding from playing and singing and listening to music, or you may get it from a more explicit study of some kind. Either way, if you have that understanding, and can combine it with the astoundingly expressive tools and techniques Spitfire and others provide, you absolutely can create musical magic. It would be great to see you show a bit more how consonance, dissonance, modulation, line, rhythm, meter and orchestration, variation, contrast, are able to build and release musical energy. That's something that is not part of any musical technology (digital or analog), but is essential to all music, regardless of style or genre. So, it makes a huge difference! Thanks so much for taking the time to share you knowledge and experience!
The value of the theoretical infrastructure you develop as a composer in music school isn't merely in labeling chords or melodic/architectonic construction, it's in developing the intellectual technology to facilitate your ear and creativity to hear and create a wider variety of sounds than you otherwise would. ...Enlarging your canvas, basically. It's easy to get "defaulted" into writing everything in C, E, A, D, and G if you're not facile with the full chromatic palette, and I think one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with that palette is by study and comprehension of what the best artists before you have done. Music theory worked for Mozart, Rahcmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, JW... but it's not good enough for us now?
@@silverXnoise Yeah. I'm a Impressionist composer, who learnt traditional and contemporaneous harmony, along with obviously music theory and learning piano too. The theory doesn't limitate you, it brings to you the way to comprehend how music works, and gives you better elements to work with. The people who say that kind of things is because they don't have creativity neither inspiration to innovate in some aspect.
both have pros and cons. if you were taught, you might be stuck with "making music that is too complex for the average audience" if you taught yourself, you might be stuck with "making music that follows the same patterns over and over again" nothing is perfect, I can only tell you, that teaching myself helped me more than any music theory that I got, except for chords. I easily get trapped in theory.
I've been doing this work for about 15 years now and have never been so in awe of a company who really thrives on bettering the community. Christian and Paul, hats off to you, really. You never cease to amaze me with your earnest sincerity behind these videos, hoping each one of us can extract a sliver or two of knowledge and improve our craft as a result. A big YES to a Day 2 and so forth. You're doing something really great here, even greater than all your excellent sound libraries combined. The world is a better place because of Spitfire.
OMG. I absolutely cannot state enough how great this is. As an old man who has been making music for over half a century, all my (well, midi) life I've wanted a tutorial like this. I haven't even finished day one (about 15 minutes in, but I'm going to watch and rewatch this MANY times) and already I've learned more than years of musical training (I'm classically trained) and reading dozens of books on both composition, arranging and orchestration, and musical theory. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I don't know if you do more than just these two but I'll follow you anywhere (and buy anything you're selling).
I recently started to make music again. After 30 years rallying in Business and life, now it is time. My time. Your Video and your spirit is absolutely pure Inspiration. Please make more days! So will I.
I'm in same frame of mind. I started my music journey 3 years ago, after 56 years rallying in I.T. and life. I'm living a happy life, and I'm not looking back.
I'm playing the viola in a beginner string group, and I must admit that so far, the viola part in the music I've played hasn't really been boring. In fact, much of it (despite being harmonic) could have been used as a decent main melody.
Essential viewing for anyone who wants to write orchestral music- Particularly those without compositional training- Well done christian - lets have number 2 please! 5 stars
This has got to be the most informative, positive and enjoyable tutorial i've seen in a very long time. I've gained knowledge here that i've been wracking my head for ages about, and it's crazy that Christian Henson makes it looks and sound so easy and fearless. Cheers to Spitfire Audio for this series, thank you very much.
I keep The Study of Orchestration by Sam Adler on my desk. It's truly one of the greatest references that I believe every composer should own. You don't need to read it front to back (though I have and it's wonderful), but definitely a handy tool. Also, thanks Christian, I hope you keep these Orchestral Programming series coming. It's always very helpful to have someone bring it back to the basics for us all.
Great stuff! As a composer who has studied theory, harmony, counterpoint I can appreciate not having to know this, because when I started composing I just did it by ear. That being said, theory, Harmony etc... has gotten me out of a pickle many times! But ultimately it’s about the ears and the music came before the theory! Cheers brother!
This is incredible. We need more tutorials like this becaude this is exactly what I needed to know about producing orchestral pieces. And it is so inspiring to know that we come from the humbling beginnings. I also can't read music and I have had those days that I was in tears with no hope. So watching this makes my outlook on producing so much better. Thank you Spitfire. 🙏❤
Every time i sit at my desk with my DAW open, i feel so powerless, i mean, there is an entire endless world in front of me, finding a place to start is so difficoult. Anyway, rhank you very much for your suggestions and i'd love to watch a day two.
Get out of your head and maybe out of your DAW at first. Just sit behind a piano or pick up a guitar and start jamming. Just play, and write down or record good ideas with your phone. Then take it into your daw and just have fun. Just try things and filter ideas later!
This was the video where I truly started to understand how to write and program orchestra music. One can imagine it’s only been that long since as well. Thank you, Christian and Spitfire team.......have a drink for me drink!
As well as fantastic musician, you are a phenomenal tutor too! I love how you explain clearly why certain techniques are used and how to go about creating realistic-sounding results. I'm looking forward to watching many more of your videos like this!
Mark Aylward agreed. It’s one thing to know your craft, but if you can’t communicate it well then you’re just another common fish in the UA-cam sea. CH has a natural knack for explaining clearly - with a dash of humour and without any sense of condescension. Oh and all in 4K 😃
I just started composing orchestral music and this is the best tutorial I’ve seen so far. You have a calming way about you. Please do another one, it was amazing.
ABSOLUTELY! PLEASE PLEASE DO ANOTHER TUTORIAL LIKE THIS! YOU'RE THE MUSIC TEACHER I WISH I HAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER! I love how you humanize the intimidating process of writing for the orchestra. Thank you very much sir, cheers! :)
His body language really shows how much he enjoys what he is doing. It's an incredibly inspiring video especially for someone like me who has bought some orchestral instruments on a whim but never got to learn the "classic" music theory.
As a composer myself, I must admit you offered here such a plenty of professional wisdom, practical know-how and intelligent approach to creating music properly. Based on practice, you advise many useful tricks to achieve best sounding results that theoretical knowledge often fail to point out seriously enough. Methods of attempts and failures in studio on virtual orchestra kit quite quickly bring to bright conclusions when there's a gifted men behind the console. For all reasons mentioned, congratulations!
This is really great - as a self trained keyboard studio musician type who is just getting back into music after a really long absence, I have always flirted with orchestral sounds via SampleTank and recently aquiring the Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover and been exploring and looking back at my old music theory books it was fab to stumble across this most excellent and inspiring approach - am looking forward to some extra late nights and little sleep as I rediscover my love for composing music
You're honestly so inspirational. The way you explain things is very authentic, articulate and powerful. It was a great tutorial and I loved every second of it!
Spitfire Audio is well worth having and it's free. I am sorry I missed your video for so long but hope to see lots more, having a broad mix of music tastes there is always something to learn, well presented thank you
"Brassy" (or Cuivré, with its French version) is actually an orchestration term mostly used in French Horn parts to designate the more aggressive timbre obtained through strong breath rather than a more mellow woodwind-ish soft brass sound. Probably the fff samples (activated when this controller he uses is all the way up) contain recordings of instruments played "Brassy-Cuivré" and he was talking about that.
I have always strugled with Traditional learning enviroments due to dsylexia and ADHD+. I was on the edge of giving up until I watched this vid. Thank you thank you thank you! I will send you my first Kompleet compastion when I'm done.
I love all of Spitfire’s orchestrating videos, I found them all so helpful, and they have played a great part in my leaning to compose and orchestrate. Thank you Spitfire Audio!
Marnix Peeters .. Own the Adler orchestration book too. My professor in college used it in a couple of orchestration courses, which he told us it will be a book we will want to keep for good to refer back to at times. He was so right. Great book!
Just stumbled on this after entering the Westwood scoring competition, and am absolutely loving it ... wish I'd found it sooner. Will be watching more of your videos (and no doubt investing in your libraries) - inspirational stuff, especially for self-taught musicians who find orchestration a bit overwhelming!
I cannot believe this hasn’t had 10 million views - perhaps there aren’t 10 million people in the world who want to make good music.The best free (or paid!) crash course in orchestral music composition… by far!
I'm not musical in the slightest. Love hearing it, cannot play though. I think your enthusiasm and explanations for your process are infectious, especially the 'brass just sounds mental'. I don't know how I got here but I think I'll stay a while.
Thank you Christian for creating this video. I've been in love with and fascinated by music all my life but have never realised my dreams to become a musician. I try to make steps towards it but hit hurdles and no doubt use excuses to justify the lack of any real progress. On the other hand, I continue to find inspiration from people like yourself. Thank you.
love it, christian. I've also been mostly self-taught my whole life, and its always instructive/inspiring to learn how other people approach musical problems.
I've been watching and purchasing the spitfire stuff for about a year now and have some how never stumbled onto this video.... WOW you just basically unlocked an entire section of creativity for me.... thank you!
Thanks for "showing your work," as maths teachers would say: I really appreciate seeing how the process can work, particularly using ensemble patches. While I'm not aiming at scoring for actual humans to perform, I do appreciate the need to have empathy / imagination for the performers (like not writing a drumkit part requiring five limbs!).
This man understood everything about music, and the empathy he expresses with very simple ideas, clear, easy listening straight to the point melodies. Hats off to you Sir, I have learned a lot from this video. The thing i appreciated the most was how invested you were, by being aware of your lack of musical theory and yet feeling vulnerable but pushing on no matter what, by making your sound feel humane and compelling. Thank you.
22:13 The white-covered orchestration book which remained unmentioned is the "Orchestration" by Walter Piston. I agree that Adler's book accompanied by audio-visual material is the bible of orchestration but since Piston's book appeared on screen, I thought it has to be mentioned. I also recommend "Instrumentation/Orchestration" by Alfred Blatter which is more focused on full capacity of individual instruments rather than orchestral sections and conventional orchestral applications.
I loved this. I learned that building in dynamics is important, as I wasn't doing that before. It makes a huge difference. I learned that horns are good for the middle glue. This was so helpful.
A sense of peace runs through me from your story shared here. I don't feel overwhelmed by the modules and sound patches. I don't feel like I am alone any more with what I am encountering.
Sounds like something straight out of the Starbound soundtrack, very nice. my only regret is that I don't have $500 to blow on sound library lol. In fact all the VSTs I dooo own came complimentary with my native-instruments midi keyboard controller so I actually have all the prerequisite software to run this. just not the prerequisite wallet XD
I swear you guys are in my head at the moment, every time I’ve wanted to learn something recently up pops one of your videos covering it 😁 Thanks so much, looking forward to more.
This was the first video I ever watched about how to create orchestral scores with MIDI - and it lit a fire that has only spread like crazy. Thank you, Christian, for your heartfelt encouragement and inspiration to "give it a go" as you say!
Good for her. You are a lover not a therapist first and foremost, if she cant handle the brunt of your emotions she doesnt deserve to stay and be miserable
@@kingkylie9655 in your last quote it seems like expressing your troubles should be a paid service to the therapist and the role of a partner is to only see you happy ?
Lol. This be the truth. Either your lover or mother. It seems to be different for girls (When they cry and weak it's ok - guy expected to be supportive n play daddy. Not my desire but just an observation on the expected roles of romance.
This video really helped me get past that mental hurdle I've been feeling since I bought my midi controller (Arturia MKII). Spent a nice hour or so messing around for the first time and created a short 30 second atmospheric piece. Thanks so much. Subscribed here and to Christian's channel too. Great stuff.
Actually, the. Sam Adler orchestration book is really great. I own seven different orchestration books, and it probably has the most useful advice of any of them. I want to know what the second book in the video was. He never said.
Let's be clear and not confuse the facts. Yes, he may not have been formally trained at the collegiate level. But this man is EXTREMELY EDUCATED in his craft! His theory, vocabulary, understanding of the orchestra and talent showcase that... we must put in the work!
Christian, i know this is a old video but all of it was awesome and really entertaining... but above all what really got me was the final advice, use your ear and your personal music influence and not your theory. I was in a state that theory was making a big block of "this should be like this" not "this is I like". That single piece of advice reminded me what I really liked about orchestral music programming, composition. Thanks you and I bless the Lord because He remind us of what we should really do. Bless you
Can anyone tell me more about the "expression box" ? What is it and who makes em? How does it link to the DAW? Through Kontakt or is it added onto each midi track as a seperate 'effect' / plugin ?? Thanks in anticipation :)
You can use any controller that has sliders or knobs on it to accomplish the same thing. In later videos, Christian talks about a multitude of problems he's been having with the creative console and how he’s thinking of switching. If you have a mod wheel on a keyboard, you can map it to do the same thing. Otherwise if your keyboard doesn't already have a controller, you can always get something like a Kong Nano fader for about $30.
perhaps you didn't study at a uni, but you sound like you've studied your field quite a lot. i would define auto-didactic reading, listening and watching, a form of study though.
Every time Christian Henson says he is self taught, that never went to a music school and begins to play the piano I experience opposite feelings. The way he positions his hands on the keyboard says otherwise.
This was a wonderful lesson. I was enrolled with Berklee College of Music Online and I just kept trying to force myself to learn from a traditional standpoint but just disappointed myself in the end. This style of education has given me another route to building an orchestral skillset. Thank you very much!
Been writing music for years! made a lot of mistakes along the way! Just discovered Spitfire and have been purchasing a lot of plugins. In the works of writing my first album and I can't Thankyou enough for everything you've done with Spitfire. Its truely amazing
Christian is a beast. He taught himself to be a working orchestral composer after crying about it from the FEAR alone. I respect this guy's ability to FIGHT. If he has a YouTUbe I'm def gonna subscribe. I learned so much in this one video!
Hi there! first of all - thank you for this series, its a real life saver. secendly - im building a studio, and ive already got an electric piano so i can use it as a control keyborad. my question is - i want to get a seperte device where i can control the dynamic and the expression of my music (when i play strings samples) - like the one that youve got - what does it called? where can i get one like this? thank you!
Hi, Could you please tell us what are the sliders you use at 7:34 for expression control ? Which brand, reference ? What could you recommend to buy for such midi expression control that could work for Eastwest libraries and Cubase on MacOS ? Thanks :)
I think it's just a midi controller, one fader mapped on expression and the other on volume. Could be any midi fader, or keyboard expression wheel plus a midi expression pedal mapped on volume, or 2 midi knobs (would be a bit trickier with one hand), or anything else.
4 роки тому+2
@@matthieutricottet the palette kit, I think it's deprecated now by "monogram creative console" or whatever, I suggest just getting a tiny mixer that can send CC signals if your keyboard doesn't have any controls but you want to keep it
I have studied music, but I must say I agree with you. A colleague of mine at university actually reminded me of someone, a mindset I still use today; he said "Play Music, not Theory". It's good to know, what Theory provides us, but it's more important to know/remember; We Are Playing, SO PLAAAAAAY
@@jacobras is there a chance I can make it work by using the volume wheel of an audio interface? I have a Scarlett 18i8 and an AKAI lkp25 as a midi controller. I usually just plug the keyboard in my laptop usb port, and I've been thinking about buying a wider keyboard with an expression wheel, but I've got to figure out the cheapest option.
@@daveisaframe no idea. Maybe it's possible to configure the Akai to send out the desired control commands. I use a BCF2000 which allows me to send whatever MIDI command from whichever fader/slider/expression pedal
I really enjoyed this introduction to Orchestral Programming and it has made me very inquisitive to explore what hidden music may be waiting in my mind. Your closing comments are particularly interesting.
I am 73 years old retired architect, I was trying to get into this kind of composing orchestral music and Sir you have inspired me, thank you.
Well with music always start with your foundations first 👀
@@darrenhirst9900
YES Bruv.. Quality pun - I'm not even going to try to build on it.
@@darz_k. you clearly want to cement your opinion, but you don't need to plaster it everywhere
@@zedpenguin Not so much wanting to cement my opinion, as more so wanting to just provide some building blocks.
Wishing you the best, Mr. Karaca, I'm always glad to see musical enthusiasts on the Internet :)
This is honestly one of the greatest explanations of how an orchestra moves together. I've learned so much. I'd take an entire masterclass from this guy.
I know right? Absolutely phenomenal explanation from this guy. I have never been able to find someone put it as simple as he did.
Seriously. I have been watching this guys videos non stop the past 5 days lol
@Forrest Vicente stop spaming bro it's not nice and nope, no one cares
@Forrest Vicente Do you understand how seriously foolish your comment on this video's postings looks? I neither care about you, your girlfriend, or Instagram. Go Away!
@@Musicman2012Now it´s a bot, it shows up everywhere with different names...
To study music, we must learn the rules.
To create music, we must break them.
- Nadia Boulanger
@Wilson Sc.Jordan Who is we
U right.
"Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist” ~ Pablo Picasso
You must learn the rules first in order to break them consciously.
True. Learn the rules, then you know what to listen to in the mix, to make it work.
I always felt like an outcast for having virtually almost no formal music education. Back in the day, I thought only people who had been classically trained could ever aspire to become professional musicians. You are an inspiration.
The biggest breakthrough to me, Hans Zimmer was self taught.
Let's be clear and not confuse the facts. Yes, he may not have been formally trained at the collegiate level. But this man is EXTREMELY EDUCATED in his craft! His theory, vocabulary, understanding of the orchestra and talent showcase that...
Yes! As someone who taught conservatory counterpoint, harmony and composition and who studied orchestral performance with Bernstein and Celibidache I thought "what!? How could you claim 'not knowing' is a good thing?" But you know what? So much of what we have been teaching in "music theory" has no value. We're so caught up in learning what the names of things are that we rarely get around to understanding why music works the way does, and more importantly, how to create compelling musical experiences. By ignoring that and focusing on what you hear, what you imagine, and what you want, you get to the heart of the matter.
Now, of course there might be some babies in that bath water we're throwing out! Understanding how harmonic, linear and rhythmic energy works to create musical motion is absolutely crucial to making music that goes beyond merely "sounding like" (orchestral) music. You may get that understanding from playing and singing and listening to music, or you may get it from a more explicit study of some kind. Either way, if you have that understanding, and can combine it with the astoundingly expressive tools and techniques Spitfire and others provide, you absolutely can create musical magic.
It would be great to see you show a bit more how consonance, dissonance, modulation, line, rhythm, meter and orchestration, variation, contrast, are able to build and release musical energy. That's something that is not part of any musical technology (digital or analog), but is essential to all music, regardless of style or genre. So, it makes a huge difference! Thanks so much for taking the time to share you knowledge and experience!
Please do a part 2. Your explanations of how you normally arrange your different parts was so useful!
The value of the theoretical infrastructure you develop as a composer in music school isn't merely in labeling chords or melodic/architectonic construction, it's in developing the intellectual technology to facilitate your ear and creativity to hear and create a wider variety of sounds than you otherwise would. ...Enlarging your canvas, basically. It's easy to get "defaulted" into writing everything in C, E, A, D, and G if you're not facile with the full chromatic palette, and I think one of the best ways to familiarize yourself with that palette is by study and comprehension of what the best artists before you have done. Music theory worked for Mozart, Rahcmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, JW... but it's not good enough for us now?
Paul Smith As a victim of formal musical education, I cannot but agree with both Christian and you.
@@silverXnoise Yeah. I'm a Impressionist composer, who learnt traditional and contemporaneous harmony, along with obviously music theory and learning piano too. The theory doesn't limitate you, it brings to you the way to comprehend how music works, and gives you better elements to work with. The people who say that kind of things is because they don't have creativity neither inspiration to innovate in some aspect.
both have pros and cons.
if you were taught, you might be stuck with "making music that is too complex for the average audience"
if you taught yourself, you might be stuck with "making music that follows the same patterns over and over again"
nothing is perfect, I can only tell you, that teaching myself helped me more than any music theory that I got, except for chords. I easily get trapped in theory.
Dear everyone who plays brass:
You are the chocolately middle.
Thats cute
Except when they get farty
Sad times hahaha. Not the only place for us though. POWER!
@@jensmartinyorkchr8664 ;*D
Do another one?? We want another hundred. Sunday afternoon, coffee, mince pie & a half hour orchestral masterclass from CH - bliss.
It really is as simple and easy as that (Disclaimer: 35 years composing experience sold separately)
TheRantingBoy There’s certainly an opportunity for many of us to experience the Dunning-Kruger effect first hand here.
I've been doing this work for about 15 years now and have never been so in awe of a company who really thrives on bettering the community. Christian and Paul, hats off to you, really. You never cease to amaze me with your earnest sincerity behind these videos, hoping each one of us can extract a sliver or two of knowledge and improve our craft as a result. A big YES to a Day 2 and so forth. You're doing something really great here, even greater than all your excellent sound libraries combined. The world is a better place because of Spitfire.
I couldn’t agree more!
Absolutely!!!
here here!
Can I ask specifically what tech I need to buy to get started?
OMG. I absolutely cannot state enough how great this is. As an old man who has been making music for over half a century, all my (well, midi) life I've wanted a tutorial like this. I haven't even finished day one (about 15 minutes in, but I'm going to watch and rewatch this MANY times) and already I've learned more than years of musical training (I'm classically trained) and reading dozens of books on both composition, arranging and orchestration, and musical theory. THANK YOU SO MUCH! I don't know if you do more than just these two but I'll follow you anywhere (and buy anything you're selling).
I recently started to make music again. After 30 years rallying in Business and life, now it is time. My time. Your Video and your spirit is absolutely pure Inspiration. Please make more days! So will I.
ITS HIS TIME
Rock on Jörg! Go for it!
I’m in the exact same place. I used to compose in a small keyboard when younger but academics types will frown upon you and discourage you.
@@luisfmoreno Not if you work your ass off in music education :o Lisboa gang
I'm in same frame of mind. I started my music journey 3 years ago, after 56 years rallying in I.T. and life. I'm living a happy life, and I'm not looking back.
"Poor violas. They get to play the boring part."
Twosetviolin would be proud.
@@coalescence3835 40 hours a day les gooo
I'm playing the viola in a beginner string group, and I must admit that so far, the viola part in the music I've played hasn't really been boring. In fact, much of it (despite being harmonic) could have been used as a decent main melody.
Absolutely fantastic work and education! Please make a day two!
The gods of orchestration demand it!
ua-cam.com/play/PLliSrCAhG04dK1lMnoG6GA10g9a_AHZxr.html&feature=share
Day two and day three! 👍
Don't forget day 365 too.
Clicked on this by accident. All of the sudden - 20 minutes later. Going straight to day 2.
Basically...
haha agree
I clicked by accident too, the best accident I've made since my first child.
@@K183-u4j I haven't asked him
Essential viewing for anyone who wants to write orchestral music- Particularly those without compositional training- Well done christian - lets have number 2 please! 5 stars
This has got to be the most informative, positive and enjoyable tutorial i've seen in a very long time. I've gained knowledge here that i've been wracking my head for ages about, and it's crazy that Christian Henson makes it looks and sound so easy and fearless. Cheers to Spitfire Audio for this series, thank you very much.
Please do.. Day two, three, four.. week five, six, seven.. This is absolutely brilliant. Thank you!
LABS and BBC SO by Spitfire are golden. Probably the most inspiring thing I've come across lately.
I keep The Study of Orchestration by Sam Adler on my desk. It's truly one of the greatest references that I believe every composer should own. You don't need to read it front to back (though I have and it's wonderful), but definitely a handy tool. Also, thanks Christian, I hope you keep these Orchestral Programming series coming. It's always very helpful to have someone bring it back to the basics for us all.
Tears and snot would be an epic title for a modern-day orchestral masterpiece.
Great stuff! As a composer who has studied theory, harmony, counterpoint I can appreciate not having to know this, because when I started composing I just did it by ear. That being said, theory, Harmony etc... has gotten me out of a pickle many times! But ultimately it’s about the ears and the music came before the theory! Cheers brother!
This is incredible. We need more tutorials like this becaude this is exactly what I needed to know about producing orchestral pieces. And it is so inspiring to know that we come from the humbling beginnings. I also can't read music and I have had those days that I was in tears with no hope. So watching this makes my outlook on producing so much better. Thank you Spitfire. 🙏❤
i hear british accent, i feel authenticity
Even the word "authenticity" sounds more authentic with a British accent
Just imagine David Attenborough saying it and you'll cream
unless you are named Boris
@@ianinvancouverbc That would have the opposite effect
but the hands seems italian speaking
The kind of video I love to see for someone who is also self-taught in music.
Every time i sit at my desk with my DAW open, i feel so powerless, i mean, there is an entire endless world in front of me, finding a place to start is so difficoult.
Anyway, rhank you very much for your suggestions and i'd love to watch a day two.
Get out of your head and maybe out of your DAW at first. Just sit behind a piano or pick up a guitar and start jamming. Just play, and write down or record good ideas with your phone. Then take it into your daw and just have fun. Just try things and filter ideas later!
I find that if I walk for a few miles (without earphones) ideas come of their own accord
@@MrVleker thanks for your idea.. let me try it out. Im stuck somewhere
This was the video where I truly started to understand how to write and program orchestra music. One can imagine it’s only been that long since as well. Thank you, Christian and Spitfire team.......have a drink for me drink!
As well as fantastic musician, you are a phenomenal tutor too! I love how you explain clearly why certain techniques are used and how to go about creating realistic-sounding results. I'm looking forward to watching many more of your videos like this!
Mark Aylward agreed. It’s one thing to know your craft, but if you can’t communicate it well then you’re just another common fish in the UA-cam sea. CH has a natural knack for explaining clearly - with a dash of humour and without any sense of condescension. Oh and all in 4K 😃
I come back to these videos so often to remind myself of the basics of programming.
Kudos on a great tutorial, and here's another vote for a Day Two.
...and Three, Four, Five etc...
i have a theory in my life and it says: when someone makes it look too easy, know he's a legend.
sir.. this left me jaw dropped !! hats off
I just started composing orchestral music and this is the best tutorial I’ve seen so far. You have a calming way about you.
Please do another one, it was amazing.
ABSOLUTELY! PLEASE PLEASE DO ANOTHER TUTORIAL LIKE THIS!
YOU'RE THE MUSIC TEACHER I WISH I HAD WHEN I WAS YOUNGER!
I love how you humanize the intimidating process of writing for the orchestra.
Thank you very much sir, cheers! :)
His body language really shows how much he enjoys what he is doing. It's an incredibly inspiring video especially for someone like me who has bought some orchestral instruments on a whim but never got to learn the "classic" music theory.
As a composer myself, I must admit you offered here such a plenty of professional wisdom, practical know-how and intelligent approach to creating music properly. Based on practice, you advise many useful tricks to achieve best sounding results that theoretical knowledge often fail to point out seriously enough. Methods of attempts and failures in studio on virtual orchestra kit quite quickly bring to bright conclusions when there's a gifted men behind the console. For all reasons mentioned, congratulations!
OMG! So useful video!!! Thank you very much! I would pay for tutorials like this one. Christian Henson explained everything so well to understand!
This is really great - as a self trained keyboard studio musician type who is just getting back into music after a really long absence, I have always flirted with orchestral sounds via SampleTank and recently aquiring the Spitfire BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover and been exploring and looking back at my old music theory books it was fab to stumble across this most excellent and inspiring approach - am looking forward to some extra late nights and little sleep as I rediscover my love for composing music
You're honestly so inspirational. The way you explain things is very authentic, articulate and powerful. It was a great tutorial and I loved every second of it!
Spitfire Audio is well worth having and it's free. I am sorry I missed your video for so long but hope to see lots more, having a broad mix of music tastes there is always something to learn, well presented thank you
When brass gets loud it becomes brassy
-Christian
Lol
"Brassy" (or Cuivré, with its French version) is actually an orchestration term mostly used in French Horn parts to designate the more aggressive timbre obtained through strong breath rather than a more mellow woodwind-ish soft brass sound. Probably the fff samples (activated when this controller he uses is all the way up) contain recordings of instruments played "Brassy-Cuivré" and he was talking about that.
White pixels driving me insane.
@@ErayAltin You have a limited sense of humour!
How Brass!!
Spitfire Audio: Bravo! Yes, please do more. Thank you, and very well done!
I have always strugled with Traditional learning enviroments due to dsylexia and ADHD+.
I was on the edge of giving up until I watched this vid.
Thank you thank you thank you! I will send you my first Kompleet compastion when I'm done.
I love all of Spitfire’s orchestrating videos, I found them all so helpful, and they have played a great part in my leaning to compose and orchestrate. Thank you Spitfire Audio!
I'm also a proud owner of a S.Adler Orchestration manual. Definitely helps.
Marnix Peeters .. Own the Adler orchestration book too. My professor in college used it in a couple of orchestration courses, which he told us it will be a book we will want to keep for good to refer back to at times. He was so right. Great book!
All books are good and contain lots of information missing from the others. I would heartily recommend Walter Piston's books.
This is possibly the best orchestral video that I have ever seen. it has reignited my love for orchestral music.
Just stumbled on this after entering the Westwood scoring competition, and am absolutely loving it ... wish I'd found it sooner. Will be watching more of your videos (and no doubt investing in your libraries) - inspirational stuff, especially for self-taught musicians who find orchestration a bit overwhelming!
I cannot believe this hasn’t had 10 million views - perhaps there aren’t 10 million people in the world who want to make good music.The best free (or paid!) crash course in orchestral music composition… by far!
I'm not musical in the slightest. Love hearing it, cannot play though. I think your enthusiasm and explanations for your process are infectious, especially the 'brass just sounds mental'. I don't know how I got here but I think I'll stay a while.
Thank you Christian for creating this video. I've been in love with and fascinated by music all my life but have never realised my dreams to become a musician. I try to make steps towards it but hit hurdles and no doubt use excuses to justify the lack of any real progress. On the other hand, I continue to find inspiration from people like yourself. Thank you.
love it, christian. I've also been mostly self-taught my whole life, and its always instructive/inspiring to learn how other people approach musical problems.
I've been watching and purchasing the spitfire stuff for about a year now and have some how never stumbled onto this video.... WOW you just basically unlocked an entire section of creativity for me.... thank you!
Thanks for "showing your work," as maths teachers would say: I really appreciate seeing how the process can work, particularly using ensemble patches. While I'm not aiming at scoring for actual humans to perform, I do appreciate the need to have empathy / imagination for the performers (like not writing a drumkit part requiring five limbs!).
The best drummers have at least eight limbs.
This man understood everything about music, and the empathy he expresses with very simple ideas, clear, easy listening straight to the point melodies. Hats off to you Sir, I have learned a lot from this video. The thing i appreciated the most was how invested you were, by being aware of your lack of musical theory and yet feeling vulnerable but pushing on no matter what, by making your sound feel humane and compelling. Thank you.
22:13 The white-covered orchestration book which remained unmentioned is the "Orchestration" by Walter Piston. I agree that Adler's book accompanied by audio-visual material is the bible of orchestration but since Piston's book appeared on screen, I thought it has to be mentioned. I also recommend "Instrumentation/Orchestration" by Alfred Blatter which is more focused on full capacity of individual instruments rather than orchestral sections and conventional orchestral applications.
Good eye, appreciated!
I loved this. I learned that building in dynamics is important, as I wasn't doing that before. It makes a huge difference. I learned that horns are good for the middle glue. This was so helpful.
Phenomenal lesson. Thank u so much. That was absolutely fantastic to watch, listen and learn.
A sense of peace runs through me from your story shared here. I don't feel overwhelmed by the modules and sound patches. I don't feel like I am alone any more with what I am encountering.
"never fear orchestral music" day 2 please!
thanks for the inspiration!
It is absolutely wonderful from Spitfire Audio and Christian to make videos like this, they really encourage and this 22:43 is an amazing advice.
Sounds like something straight out of the Starbound soundtrack, very nice. my only regret is that I don't have $500 to blow on sound library lol. In fact all the VSTs I dooo own came complimentary with my native-instruments midi keyboard controller so I actually have all the prerequisite software to run this. just not the prerequisite wallet XD
Oh those chords and transitions... Heaven!
I swear you guys are in my head at the moment, every time I’ve wanted to learn something recently up pops one of your videos covering it 😁 Thanks so much, looking forward to more.
This was the first video I ever watched about how to create orchestral scores with MIDI - and it lit a fire that has only spread like crazy. Thank you, Christian, for your heartfelt encouragement and inspiration to "give it a go" as you say!
Yes please .. day 2!
What gift this tutorial is - Thank you so very much, Christian. All my best to you.
"I decided to call my girlfriend up. Crying. Tears and snot. She left me 2 weeks later."
Someone who does this showed not to be worthy and therefore did you a favor. There are much better people out there!
Good for her. You are a lover not a therapist first and foremost, if she cant handle the brunt of your emotions she doesnt deserve to stay and be miserable
@@kingkylie9655 in your last quote it seems like expressing your troubles should be a paid service to the therapist and the role of a partner is to only see you happy ?
Lol. This be the truth. Either your lover or mother. It seems to be different for girls (When they cry and weak it's ok - guy expected to be supportive n play daddy. Not my desire but just an observation on the expected roles of romance.
@@justsomeguywhocommentsonev4741 Yes good point :) Back to the music!!!
This video really helped me get past that mental hurdle I've been feeling since I bought my midi controller (Arturia MKII). Spent a nice hour or so messing around for the first time and created a short 30 second atmospheric piece. Thanks so much. Subscribed here and to Christian's channel too. Great stuff.
"Here are the two reference books that Christian recommends to have gather dust at the back of your studio" :D Awesome!
Actually, the. Sam Adler orchestration book is really great. I own seven different orchestration books, and it probably has the most useful advice of any of them. I want to know what the second book in the video was. He never said.
Let's be clear and not confuse the facts. Yes, he may not have been formally trained at the collegiate level. But this man is EXTREMELY EDUCATED in his craft! His theory, vocabulary, understanding of the orchestra and talent showcase that... we must put in the work!
What is the name of the Green and red Volume Thing to the left of the Keyboard ?
Palettegear Monogram creative console
Christian, i know this is a old video but all of it was awesome and really entertaining... but above all what really got me was the final advice, use your ear and your personal music influence and not your theory. I was in a state that theory was making a big block of "this should be like this" not "this is I like". That single piece of advice reminded me what I really liked about orchestral music programming, composition. Thanks you and I bless the Lord because He remind us of what we should really do.
Bless you
Interesting video. Sounds like something from the "Cities: Skylines" game!
i was thinking exactly the same hahaha
Same, or perhaps Starbound
Sehr beeindruckend. Ich liebe solch ein Tutorial. Die Musik ist einfach klasse.
Day two and beyond please 😄
The piano and the high and low strings made me tear up.
Amazing !
Can anyone tell me more about the "expression box" ? What is it and who makes em? How does it link to the DAW? Through Kontakt or is it added onto each midi track as a seperate 'effect' / plugin ??
Thanks in anticipation :)
I am also interested in this!
Palettegear Monogram creative console
You can use any controller that has sliders or knobs on it to accomplish the same thing. In later videos, Christian talks about a multitude of problems he's been having with the creative console and how he’s thinking of switching. If you have a mod wheel on a keyboard, you can map it to do the same thing. Otherwise if your keyboard doesn't already have a controller, you can always get something like a Kong Nano fader for about $30.
WOW! I never studied music but have played in many bands. This, in a few minutes, explained soooooo much. Amazing.
"Violins don't inherently sound very nice when you play them." Agreed.
This is illuminating, elucidating and ideologically transformative! Thank you!
perhaps you didn't study at a uni, but you sound like you've studied your field quite a lot.
i would define auto-didactic reading, listening and watching, a form of study though.
The final bit of advice is so true!
I didn't plan on playing in my DAW with LABS tonight, wanted to go sleep...
*THE POWER OF ORCHESTRA COMPELS ME!*
Fantastic Video. I Appreciate everyone involved in getting this video posted.
Every time Christian Henson says he is self taught, that never went to a music school and begins to play the piano I experience opposite feelings. The way he positions his hands on the keyboard says otherwise.
Yeah, that's what we know as piano lessons. He is self-taught when it comes to orchestration.
This was a wonderful lesson. I was enrolled with Berklee College of Music Online and I just kept trying to force myself to learn from a traditional standpoint but just disappointed myself in the end. This style of education has given me another route to building an orchestral skillset. Thank you very much!
"The brah-ss sounds MENTAL"
I love this guy so much.
Been writing music for years! made a lot of mistakes along the way! Just discovered Spitfire and have been purchasing a lot of plugins. In the works of writing my first album and I can't Thankyou enough for everything you've done with Spitfire. Its truely amazing
That's so funny: He says, he never studied music...and I tell myself, what the hell I am doing wrong then!?
Some equations we're not able to work out.
Ur not having the brain then
Coming back to this 4 years later, now that I actually can use Spitfire. Really inspiring, one hell of a teacher here !
Followed his advice. My girlfriend left me two weeks later.
Christian is a beast. He taught himself to be a working orchestral composer after crying about it from the FEAR alone. I respect this guy's ability to FIGHT. If he has a YouTUbe I'm def gonna subscribe. I learned so much in this one video!
Man deadass just made a song for Saving Private Ryan lol
I really admire your passion in music and am grateful for the explanation of the orchestral music.
When think about Beethoven that he orchestration without any technology I call him *Boss* .
Beethoven and all the other greats did exactly this, just with different technology.
Chris, you're an inspiration. That orchestral comp, gave me shivers.
Hi there!
first of all - thank you for this series, its a real life saver.
secendly - im building a studio, and ive already got an electric piano so i can use it as a control keyborad.
my question is - i want to get a seperte device where i can control the dynamic and the expression of my music (when i play strings samples) - like the one that youve got - what does it called? where can i get one like this?
thank you!
Any MIDI fader controller can be mapped to control CC1 and other functions. Longer faders are easier to control.
Palette kit
שלום ישראל לורנס האם הצלחת להתחיל את הסטודיו שלך?
@@elishafreedman כן, תודה על ההתעניינות:)
Immediately intrigued and hooked by the opening shot.
Hi, Could you please tell us what are the sliders you use at 7:34 for expression control ? Which brand, reference ? What could you recommend to buy for such midi expression control that could work for Eastwest libraries and Cubase on MacOS ? Thanks :)
Subscribing to the thread, I'm also interested.
I think it's just a midi controller, one fader mapped on expression and the other on volume. Could be any midi fader, or keyboard expression wheel plus a midi expression pedal mapped on volume, or 2 midi knobs (would be a bit trickier with one hand), or anything else.
@@matthieutricottet the palette kit, I think it's deprecated now by "monogram creative console" or whatever, I suggest just getting a tiny mixer that can send CC signals if your keyboard doesn't have any controls but you want to keep it
I have studied music, but I must say I agree with you. A colleague of mine at university actually reminded me of someone, a mindset I still use today; he said "Play Music, not Theory". It's good to know, what Theory provides us, but it's more important to know/remember; We Are Playing, SO PLAAAAAAY
Great video!
What is the name of this dynamics controller? greetings
"Palette" it's called. Seems like it's a modular thingy, you can connect different blocks to create the setup you need. Looks cool!
@@jacobras is there a chance I can make it work by using the volume wheel of an audio interface? I have a Scarlett 18i8 and an AKAI lkp25 as a midi controller. I usually just plug the keyboard in my laptop usb port, and I've been thinking about buying a wider keyboard with an expression wheel, but I've got to figure out the cheapest option.
@@daveisaframe no idea. Maybe it's possible to configure the Akai to send out the desired control commands. I use a BCF2000 which allows me to send whatever MIDI command from whichever fader/slider/expression pedal
I really enjoyed this introduction to Orchestral Programming and it has made me very inquisitive to explore what hidden music may be waiting in my mind. Your closing comments are particularly interesting.