WRITE MUSIC FOR ORCHESTRA IN 6 STEPS How to plan, sketch, orchestrate and produce orchestral music

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In this video I walk through the 6 distinct stages of my process for writing an orchestral track.
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🎵 Music used in this video:
The FlipSide Lottery - / the-flipside-lottery-1
Candy Jar Main Titles - / candy-jar-main-titles
Special Delivery - / special-delivery
Ramona Forever - / ramona-forever
TIMESTAMPS
0:00 Introduction
0:22 Step 1: Make a Plan
1:10 Step 2: The Basic Idea
2:07 Step 3: The Sketch
3:18 Step 4: The Orchestration Sketch
4:14 Step 5: Full Orchestration
4:35 Step 6: Production
5:40 Final Thoughts

Опубликовано:

7 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 63

@spacelake 3 года назад

This was great. Looking forward to your approach to film or synth-based tracks.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Thanks! I'll make sure to have those on my "videos to make" list.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

The biggest benefit of the sketch that I didn't mention in the video is that it helps make sure the track ACTUALLY GETS DONE! I can't tell you how many tracks I've started with really interesting or fun sounds or orchestration, but then they get abandoned. When I restrict myself to actually get the outline completely done from beginning to end before moving on, the track itself is WAY more likely to actually become a finished project and not just another dead Logic file.

@alternimousdimension 9 месяцев назад

I had a feeling that would help.

@orchestralhymns Год назад

Usually my compositions follow this order: 1 - chord progression 2 - Melody (or melody first) 3 - dynamics 4 - mixing 5 - mastering I use Sibelius, Noteperformer, Reaper and samples e plugins... Thanks 👏🎵🎶

@kappabravomusic2101 11 месяцев назад

That was great. I also sing my melodies and record them on the phone so I don't forget the motifs.

@terryslade6240 2 года назад

Thank you for these very timely lectures and examples. They REALLY help!

@jimhurt9343 Год назад

Thanks. I am looking for just such a mental process to keep from getting lost and overwhelmed.

@nickmack1976 2 года назад

Great video Ryan - only found your channel a few weeks ago but has inspired me to compose more through notation first with the focus on harmony and orchestration, and then move it over to Logic.

@michalstawarski Год назад

Amazing stuff! Thank You!

@anatomicallymodernhuman5175 Год назад

Very helpful and clear. I’ve never been quite that organized at the outset, though it seems that my greatest successes usually come from thinking the piece through before diving in. As a pre-teen I learned to analyze melodies and chord progressions by ear on the fly, and over the years, I’ve gradually boosted my audiation skills to the point that I can hear a piece pretty clearly in my head while walking around a lake or doing dishes or whatever, notating it in my head as I go. My step two is to enter that into scoring software. Step three is to correct what didn’t work as expected and flesh out the orchestration until it makes me happy. Step four is import the MIDI into the DAW template and drag each MIDI track onto the correct instrument track. Step five is to flip a MIDI track into a playlist for reference, and replay the line as musically as possible - I like the human timing anomalies and the feel of CCs in real-time. I do the least convincing imported tracks first, then all the others one by one. Step six is mix, which is easiest because I’ve made my living in pro audio for decades. I’m going to try your 6 steps as literally as possible, though, and see if it speeds things up or produces more consistent results.

@RyanLeach Год назад

Your step five is very interesting and makes a lot of sense, I'm going to try that one!

@Manas-co8wl 3 месяца назад

Background music being a bop sells this so well.

@chriszinnecker3242 Год назад

Hey man, just discovered your channel. Your vids are insanely helpful and to the point. Just what every composer should know. Wish i had you as a teach, when i was in college!

@urd4651 2 года назад

very helpful. thank you.

@Markrspooner 3 года назад

Great video Ryan. I have subscribed and I am working my way through the material you have on RU-vid.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Thanks Mark! I'm learning how to make these as I go so please let me know what's working and what isn't.

@veenu8474 3 года назад

Great video! I'd be really interested in your steps/approach for library/synth music. For some reason I find that kind of music much hard to compose and bring into form than more traditional orchestral tracks. Hope you'll find the time to do a video on that as well!

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Thanks, that's interesting usually people have a harder time going the other way!

@MilkMuscles 3 года назад

Fantastic content!!

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Thanks, I appreciate it!

@evanseesred 7 месяцев назад

This channel is amazing

@dimensionstomorrow 3 года назад

This was great. I’d love to see some videos where you do the Logic stage of tweaking your midi.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Thanks, I'll try to get through the rest of the 8 Orchestral Textures series first but I'll definitely do some Logic related ones in the future.

@magruhn 2 года назад

Really Helpful Video, Thanks ! The Workflow of first working in Sibelius and only going to the DAW for Production is a really good idea. I might try this out 👍

@RyanLeach 2 года назад

Yea it takes some getting used to but for orchestral writing is easily my preferred method now

@rubenmolino1480 Год назад

excelent ¡¡¡

@chipcode5538 Год назад

Thanks. I am catching up so I watch a lot of your older videos

@BillyPalmerMusic 2 года назад

I'd be interested to see a version of this for your approach to scoring to picture...

@julianmejia7833 9 месяцев назад

Nice

@kelvinleemusic 2 года назад

Hi Ryan, Like your video a lot! Do you mind also share a bit about your approach on scoring orchestral track with picture? Whats most different thing?

@edbuller4435 3 года назад

I know it's a massive ask. But maybe you could do a video of this. You could include you "patent applied for" fast forward trick, but show each step. Obviously step 2 would need a lot of fast forwarding, but 3,4 and 5 would be really cool to see. Again 6 might not need to show much as that is well covered elsewhere. But The internet really lacks someone of your calibre showing step 2,3,4, and 5. Yes Alain Mayrands courses are awesome . He , like you , as a natural teacher and makes fabulous tutorials.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Not too much to ask at all, that's definitely something I will work on putting together!

@rodterrell304 2 года назад

Great information Ryan, very helpful. Approximately how long does this process take, on average?

@jaijeffcom 9 месяцев назад

I wrote my whole piano sketch for It Never Entered My Mind with the idea of it being a flugel feature with big band. So I got the whole thing! Now I want to orchestrate the band parts and hear it rendered. I’m writing parts in Dorico. Guess what? No muted brass sounds in the audio library! And my new DAW that I’m just learning for the first time, Logic Pro, doesn’t have muted brass sounds either. I want to hear flutes and trumpets with Harmon mutes together. I can’t play that simulation back. You made a passing reference to a brass library, I guess it’s Kontact with a K. Is that what I need, I wonder?

@michaelrollo6518 Год назад

I know there are transposing instruments such as clarinet or other woodwind instruments even some brass leading to sharps and or flats when I orchestrate a piece or even write for a symphony or overture I get lost in the wind section please help me out here thanks

@marcuslawson-composer2892 3 года назад

Hi Ryan, great video! Thanks for sharing your process. I was curious about the 'orchestration sketch' phase... do you have a sample page you could share of that step? Just curious how detailed you get and what decisions you leave for the full-blown orchestration. I have been going from 'piano sketch' straight to full orchestration and it's too overwhelming. So I'm trying to figure out a middle step that makes sense (e.g. do you do it by section, or primarily by range, etc.) Thanks so much!

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Hey Marc, nice to see you here! The orchestration sketch is pretty detailed, if I handed it to an orchestrator they would not have to make a lot of decisions. I'll add it to my "videos to make list". The process is heavily inspired by Alain Mayrand's Orchestrating the Line course on Scoreclub which I can't recommend highly enough.

@marcuslawson-composer2892 3 года назад

@@RyanLeach Thanks, Ryan. I did OTL a few months back and it was VERY helpful. But I am still struggling with process a bit as I try to apply it to my own stuff. I really appreciate your videos and your help!

@malzola347 Год назад

I also think a video (or videos) on the creation of an orchestration sketch would be awesome

@Gee-no 3 года назад

Great vid, Ryan. I cant believe you dont have more subscribers. I think these six steps can be used when writing pop stuff too. I write guitar pop and I also have a soft spot (hard spot?) for metal\djent. And I love string quartets (Debussy's is my fave) so any info on writing for string 4tet would be cool. Also analysis of classic film scores. Like how the melody\theme works with the harmony. Anyway, good luck with the channel. Ill be watching.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Ideally I would be this linear in any style, but the reality is if I'm working in Logic I usually end up moving much more section to section. There's something about hiding weak writing with good samples that makes this "keep the writing distinct from the production" approach especially useful for me when it comes to orchestral music.

@Gee-no 3 года назад

@@RyanLeach i agree. Weak writing can always be seen. Or heard, i guess. I like writing for strings and i have Notion for ios and muse score on my laptop. Would you suggest i get a mac and be done with it?

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

I’ve been using a Mac for 20 years so obviously it’s working for me, but there are plenty of good DAWs for windows too like Cubase.

@aranyawaasii 2 года назад

Hi Ryan New subscriber, enjoying your channel. Interesting to see step 4 here. i have a tendency to sketch chords & outer voices, & then when i start writing the orchestration, i find that the motion of the inner voices inevitably starts dividing or redefining the harmony & the harmonic rhythm somewhat, & that's usually how i end up getting lost ... (i'm self taught ...) to what extent is step 4 possibly an antidote to this issue do you think? & do you have any advice about this issue in general you could share? i.e. determining inner voice motion as distinct from the harmonic / 'chordal' sketch? I also wonder to what extent instrumental colour & technique might be influencing & guiding certain decisions at this stage, despite still being an 'unorchestrated' sketch? on which note: what sound pallette do you find works well when listening to the 4 stave score? do you use piano on all 4 staves? & how are you assigning the material to the other 3 staves? by instrument family? by register? perhaps this stage 4 in your process deserves a video to examine it in it's own right? (in case you are looking for ideas ...) many thanks.

@DJaycerOfficial Год назад

I’ve never written an orchestral sketch which is probably why my orchestras sound like a ticking time bomb instead of an expressive explosion of sounds.

@PavelSemin Год назад

Could you tell little bit more about orchestration sketch, are you using piano for all 4 staffs and predict will this sounds good on woodwinds f.e., or this 4 staff also contains like strings brass and woodwinds staffs?

@RyanLeach Год назад

Just piano usually

@PavelSemin Год назад

@@RyanLeach so it's more like you choosing the right orchestral textures at that point, I get it, thanks!

@sentimentalescalade6451 10 месяцев назад

Hey Ryan, is it possible to convert midi files from logic to sibelius to get a sheet music version of all instruments used? I really need to figure this out

@RyanLeach 10 месяцев назад

yes Logic can export to MIDI and then Sibelius can open a MIDI file

@sentimentalescalade6451 10 месяцев назад

Wow thank you very much

@sentimentalescalade6451 10 месяцев назад

I appreciate the timely response as I really needed this for a music composition grad school application

@user-lo4dw7cj9u Год назад

Greetings from Russia!) Dude, thank you so much, you've been incredibly helpful in structuring the orchestral work and taking the next step. For a long time I could not make a general plan of the orchestration, everything went over to small aspects of the woodwinds (as the clarinetist himself) and tried to make it perfect right away. I write and listen from a translator, despite minor errors, the neural network works great. Thank you so much, now I will watch every video on your channel!

@Todzuum 8 месяцев назад

I’m curious after the years since this video do you still use this process?

@RyanLeach 8 месяцев назад

yes, and I didn't even realize it but I basically remade this video a few weeks ago ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-W46OKSXJfKM.html

@dimensionstomorrow 3 года назад

Ryan, I’ve been really enjoying your videos and feel like I click with your teaching style. I’m thinking about emailing you for lessons. I hope that’s OK.

@RyanLeach 3 года назад

Sounds great, check out ryanleach.com/lessons/ for details.