Posts Tagged ‘Writing for stringed instruments’
Friday, June 5th, 2009
This week we contributed to two contrasting recording projects - one for some final year students at SAE in Oxford where the studio was absolutely state of the art and the particular studio we were in used a lot of analogue recording equipment including an old analogue valve mixing desk. The recording was part of an assignment for the students and their brief was to record 4 acoustic instruments on top of guitars / drums etc, with three tracks all in all. The session involved some music which was already scored and some which we were asked to improvise in order to fulfill the assignment brief.
On Monday we were asked for something totally different - working with a talented singer songwriting partnership who needed string quartet parts adding to some tracks which were almost finished. As I’d been asked to arrange the strings for two of the tracks, we’d been working together all week via email with small adjustments to get the strings sounding as close to the composers ideas as possible - this is a process which requires patience as often several revisions are needed before the song is ‘just right’. It’s always gratifying to get into the studio and finally record the parts - and after all the careful arranging work, we laid down the strings at the Dairy Studios in Brixton. The session ran smoothly and we recorded three songs with very few ’second takes’ needed. Although the majority of the music was scored for string quartet, there were a few bars where the sound needed to be thickened up with an extra violin or viola part, so I stayed on and carefully overdubbed a few phrases at the end to give a larger string sound.
Tags: Adding string parts, adding strings to a song, Dairy Studios, Improvising session musicians, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, Recording studios, SAE, session musicians, session string players, string arranger, String Arranging, String quartet, studio musicians, studio strings, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
Pizzicato is simply a technique where the strings are plucked rather than bowed (arco). It is a great tool to add variety to a piece and can enhance the rhythmic vitality of a section. As the tension of violin strings is higher than that on guitars, plucked notes tend to give an immediate response with a slightly ‘tight’ sound and a rapid decay.
When used in a full string section, pizzicato can cut through other textures without sounding abrasive, but can also be used to add a touch of humour or quirkiness to a song. Often single notes can be picked out or plucked as part of a counter melody, or if a single chord needs to be struck, 2, 3 or even 4 notes can be simultaneously plucked. In this instance, a knowledge of the tuning of stringed instruments is needed as the spacing of the chord is unique to the string family (being tuned in fifths). A string arranger has to take into account that on a given chord, there is a big spread of notes and it’s important to know which finger takes each string so that the chord ends up being playable by your session musicians.
When writing for stringed instruments, it’s always important to keep in mind how the four strings are tuned unless the lines are very simple. If the parts have been written on a keyboard, they may not necessarily be playable on a violin, viola or cello so unless the composer is a professional string arranger, having a string player check them through is advisable before entering the studio.
Although usually used sparingly, adding some pizzicato effects can be a great way to bring some bounce and life to a string arrangement. Plucked strings can be soft and subtle or really dramatic.
Tags: Adding string parts, appropriate string parts, arranging for violin, composer, orchestrating, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, Pizzicato, plucked strings, session musicians, session string players, string arranger, String Arranging, String orchestra, studio musicians, studio strings, violinist, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Wednesday, May 20th, 2009
Adding a mute to a stringed instrument has a very different effect from muting a brass instrument. Although by definition, a mute does take off a little of the volume, rather than just making the violin quieter, it can make the sound more mellow and add a subdued quality. Adding a mute is an excellent tool where the harmonies are complex and slow moving - or where the arranger would like a wash of strings to add a special ambiance.
A mute is a small piece of either plastic or wood which sits between the strings and the tailpiece of the instrument - it can be slid up on top of the bridge to restrict the vibration - thus creating a less piercing sound. The Italian musical term for adding a mute is ‘Con Sordino’ and the instruction ‘Senza Sordino’ means to take the mute off again.
When scoring for strings and using mutes, it’s important to allow a few seconds either side of adding or removing one so that the player has a chance to move the mute on or off.
Although it’s possible to just mute some of the instruments in the section, the effect is more striking if all the strings are muted simultaneously - this can really add interest, variety and a whole different sound to the strings.
Tags: Adding string parts, arranging for violin, cello mutes, con sordino, haunting strings, muted strings, mutes, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, senza sordino, session string players, soft string sound, string accompaniment, string arranger, String Arranging, String orchestra, studio strings, viola mutes, violin mutes, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Friday, May 8th, 2009
Despite the title, todays blog entry is nothing to do with bicycles…. 
A pedal note is where the bottom note of a chord (the bass note) is held through a passage of music including some chords which it does not belong to. This is a great technique which has been used in every form of music, including baroque, classical, rock and pop.
A pedal note can add real drama and build tension in a piece. Sometimes it can be used as a dramatic opening in it’s own right, or as a bridge section.
In the strings, the double bass or cello section can provide a pedal note which adds thickness to allow it to be heard without being too dominating. Many tracks have a sustained pedal note high up in the violins - this is called an inverted pedal but has the same idea. An inverted pedal is a good choice to add mystery or a sense of unresolved longing. A sustained note high on the violins can be a great way of starting or finishing the track, either as a slow introduction or fading out gently at the end.
In a more complex use, it’s possible to use pedal chords - (which have all the notes of a chord combined) - sometimes clashing with the changing chords which surround it - and if it’s placed low in the mix can be very bold when eventually the harmonies resolve.
Although they occur infrequently, when used in the correct way, pedal notes can be an excellent way of adding complexity to a passage which otherwise could sound too simple.
Tags: Adding string parts, appropriate string parts, inverted pedal notes, music theory, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, pedal chords, Pedal notes, session string players, string arranger, String Arranging, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Tuesday, April 28th, 2009
One of the most common ways in which strings are added to a track is through the provision of chords. There are in essence three basic ways of using a chord in music.
One is called a ‘root’ chord, the others are a ‘first’ or ’second’ inversion of a chord. If the chord in question is in C major and the note C is placed at the bottom, then this is a ‘root chord’ of C. If the next note in the chord (E) is placed at the bottom, this is a ‘first inversion’ and if the third note of the chord (G) is at the bottom, this is a ’second inversion’ of the chord.
When arranging for strings, inversions add variety to the harmony and give the opportunity for all the parts to move in a musical way. What this means is that you can have an inner part (viola or second violin) moving in step so that when the session musicians play just that part, it has a logical and satisfying musical line to it and doesn’t just jump around randomly.
This is crucial when writing a bass line as it underlines the entire harmony and has to flow as a line of music in it’s own right (as well as fitting with the individual chords).
Sometimes, chords may all be grouped quite close together with the parts low in their register - this is when the rest of the track may have a ‘hole’ in that register which needs filling by the strings. In other situations, the gaps between the individual notes of the chord might be very wide and spaced apart - when a more sparse texture is needed. It’s always possible to thicken or thin out the texture of the strings by doubling notes in different registers (a careful use of double stops), or by not using all the notes in the chord.
A double stop is where two notes are played simultaneously on any given instrument. As the celli, violas and violins are all tuned in fifths, the interval of a fourth, fifth, sixth and octave can all work well. When it comes to thirds, these work better in the violin and viola parts than they do with a cello, but your studio musicians won’t thank you if both the notes in the third are written on the same string!
Other chords which require more than three notes in them are seventh chords (again in the chord of C this would be C, E, G and a Bb on the top), or diminished chords - which are a succession of minor thirds spaced one on top of another.
Jazz chords are a whole area in themselves where the arranger needs to have a good knowledge of harmony and be able to hear the chords in order to arrange around them.
In the next blog entry, I’ll be writing about the effective use of pedal notes.
Tags: Adding string parts, appropriate string parts, arranging for violin, chords for strings, orchestrating, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, session musicians, session string players, string accompaniment, string arranger, String Arranging, String orchestra, studio musicians, studio strings, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Sunday, April 19th, 2009
When the strings are more in the background, there are many ways in which they can add interest to the track without becoming too dominant.
The use of a repetitive arpeggiated accompaniment is one such technique - what this means is that the strings can oscillate between the various notes of the arpeggio (for example if the chord is in G major, the first violins could play G,B and D in rapid succession), then the second violins and violas could simultaneously add moving parts, using the other two notes of the same chord. The cello often adds stability to the other parts, by providing a more static line.
These arpeggios can be slurred, played with seperate bows or staccato bowing, they can be quavers or semi-quavers and you can vary the patterns of them according to the context of the track. Arpeggios can be very simple, even alternating between just two notes (rather like the piano accompaniment in the song ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon), but they can also be quite elaborate - using notes of more than one octave.
As the chords change in a song, the arpeggios can simply remain in the same pattern but just progress to the next chord.
Using arpeggios in a string accompaniment can add life and movement to the track while remaining quite subtle and they can ‘lift’ a song, giving it buoyancy.
Tags: Adding string parts, arpeggiated, arpeggios, chords for strings, Orchestrating for strings, string accompaniment, String Arranging, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Tuesday, April 14th, 2009
One of the first things to consider when beginning a string arrangement is how much strings will be needed in a particular track and when it can be potentially overwhelming.
By listening through a song a few times, a string arranger will start to hear places where the addition of string parts will really enhance the piece - and also places where they should fade into something less dominant, or perhaps be left out altogether.
With some songs, it’s definitely a case of ‘less is more’ - so for example if there are passages of beautiful solo piano, or bars where a single voice really stands out, adding orchestral string parts can make the track too busy, drowning out and detracting from what is already there.
Obviously having the power of a full scale string orchestra powering up a big rock number can make a huge impact, whereas a string quartet, or even a solo stringed instrument might be an ideal accompaniment to a soft folk piece or ballad.
Bringing in a wash of strings at key points can be more effective than having them all the way through, adding some harmonies and support to the song.
String parts can also work well as a bridge between verses - or by adding a counter melody, receding low into the mix when other instruments come to the fore.
If there are going to be other orchestral instruments, such as brass or woodwind, it’s probably best to allow one arranger to write all the parts so that they all work in harmony and don’t sound cluttered.
In essence it’s all about having sensitivity to the particular track and following the guidance of the songwriter as closely as possible. On the other hand, when an arranger is given free reign, there are several ways that string parts can be made more interesting… which I’ll be writing about in the next post.
Tags: Adding string parts, appropriate string parts, notation, orchestral instruments, Orchestrating for strings, orchestrator, string arranger, String Arranging, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Tuesday, April 7th, 2009
Sometimes when we’re just booked to turn up and play on a session, we are handed parts where all the notes seem to be in unison, (meaning all the instruments are playing the same note or are spaced octaves apart). Although the composer or band may have envisaged this sounding full and orchestral, it doesn’t really bring out the best qualities of a string section.
The spacing of chords is very important, and often string arrangements fall down because the notes of a chord are distributed either in the wrong inversion or with too large a gap between them.
Bearing in mind that the violins are in the same register, with the viola five notes below them and the ‘cello an octave below the viola, very often the upper strings can cover three notes of a chord with the ‘cello providing an anchor or counter melody underneath - generally making sure all three notes of the chord are there (or all four notes in the case of a 7th chord).
By using ‘double stops’ (using different strings to play more than one note simultaneously), this can help the chord to sound much fuller with the cello part never straying too far from the root of the chord.
Of course, context is everything - if we’re writing string parts for a solo voice with guitar, it’ll be composed in a totally different way than if we need to arrange a much more orchestral piece to accompany drums, guitar, brass and piano.
Tags: Adding string parts, arranging for violin, chords for strings, Orchestrating for strings, String Arranging, writing for string section, Writing for stringed instruments
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Sunday, March 29th, 2009
Session string players have always been in demand to play on pop or rock tracks, for many reasons. Often the texture of a particular song may be sparse and stringed instruments provide the perfect way to expand and fill out the sound. Sometimes a catchy “hook” played by the strings can really make a track come alive. In the case of The Beatles, a unique (and often imitated) soundscape was provided by the strings, with an edgy and percussive texture that added a real vibrancy to the songs. There are also tracks which spring to mind where an epic, orchestral string sound has been achieved. In all of these instances a skillful string arranger has been able to improve the existing music by sensitively arranging this most versatile of combinations without getting in the way of the rest of the instrumentation.
In the forthcoming weeks I would like to blog about what differentiates good string arranging from the less effective and hopefully give a few insights into what exactly goes into it. Often bands or composers (particularly those on a tight budget) will want to add string arrangements of their own to a particular song - and sometimes these are really terrific, so all we need to do is ‘tidy up’ the score and write in bowings / dynamics / articulations before the session. On other occasions, parts are written as simple chords on a keyboard, then hastily transcribed to stringed instruments - and it does seem like a false economy to hire a studio, book session players and present them with parts that don’t really make the most of the full range of sound and playing effects that strings can offer.
Tags: Adding string parts, Orchestrating for strings, String Arranging, Writing for stringed instruments
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