Repetition is Key to Speedy Orchestration
I say this alot In order to make you orchestration, second nature (like driving a car), repetition is key.
There is a certain level of dedication, work, and effort that has to go into something in order to make things flow.
When you first get into a car, everything is awkward. If you start out with a stick shift, oh god. The clutch seems like a foreign entity, you can’t get the timing right, you can’t remember where the stick goes to get into the right gear. You literally have to focus all your effort on just the small things in order to get the vehicle moving. It can be stressful, discouraging, and confusing.
Hopefully, with some driving lessons, hours behind the wheel, and a good teacher, you’ll one day pass the driver’s test. You’re probably still intensely focusing and sweating in your palms being absolutely terrified of making a mistake that will cost you the license, but once you do get that license and keep driving for a year – you won’t even think about the small stuff anymore.
Such Is Music and Orchestration
In the beginning, you need to think of every little aspect. The voicing, the instruments, layering, separation, what articulations to use, what to combine, and so on. It can be quite overwhelming and awkward, just as learning to drive. The chords might sound stale, it might be muddy, it might sound weak or flat, and just plain boring compared to the things you aspire to create.
But, with a good guide and a bunch of hours under the belt, it eventually becomes second nature. When it becomes natural, you can easily whip up 6 different orchestrations of a single composition like Anže Roman does in this video from his workshop.
That’s when things get really fun, and you are able to use the orchestra for what it’s worth. It becomes like the feeling of taking your first road trip across the country. All fun and exploration, and no more awkward gear changes, struggling with the clutch and killing the engine when trying to make a stop in an intersection.
Level Up Your Orchestration Skills
But it sure takes time to get there. That said, the time required is dramatically lowered when you have a solid framework like Anže’s MeHaRyTe method.
It’s a super simple but effective method that he uses in all of his work, and demonstrates beautifully in the Orchestration Workshop.
Once you combine hours of practice with that framework, you will find yourself becoming more and more comfortable with Orchestration and making it almost second nature.
If you want to check it out, you can….
