Category
Orchestration

My May trip to Australia was a lot of fun. Playing with my old band is something I look forward to every year. While back home I also gave lectures at my old colleges- Queensland Conservatorium and Melbourne University, visited a few schools and gave some workshops. Before I went I had the pleasure of conducting a track that Heitor Pereira produced for Melody Gardot. I had not heard of her before but she is a great singer with a very inspiring story, google it.....…
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Heading to Brisbane and Melbourne in May. In Brisbane I will be doing some lectures at the Queensland Con. In Melbourne I will be giving some lectures at VCA and Melbourne Uni and taking some big bands. The trip ends with a performance at the Stonnington Jazz Festival on May 23rd. I have just finished a new piece and hope to have another done as well before the gig. It has been way too long since I had time to write for myself, the silly…
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Niente means nothing! As such, I like to think of it as an effect, not a dynamic. It seems that a lot of people think players are computers and can really play at no volume. A good use of niente What happens when a player sees a note with a swell that starts with niente? It is impossible for many instruments of the orchestra to start from absolutely nothing, so instead they try to come in as softly as possible. If…
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With a little understanding of dynamics and how they work, you can use their default to your advantage. Everyone knows that p means soft and f means loud, but there is a little more to it than that. Many people these days might relate dynamics to a MIDI controller value. pp is 10, p 30, mp 50, mf 75, f 100, ff 120 or something like that. But as we are writing for humans, dynamics are subjective and forte is not the same volume in…
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One thing I find neglected in the major orchestration texts is the discussion of notation. Grammar is just as important a concern in music as it is in literature, and it is very important that we understand how notation works when stripped back to its essence. While the orchestra can be very forgiving when it comes to making sense of your notation, you will get a better performance, make your point more clearly, and save lots of valuable time and toner if you think about…
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In order to notate in a clear and concise manner, one has to understand how an orchestra will interpret any particular dynamic, rhythm or articulation. For instance, what happens if you give the violins a naked whole note and a piano dynamic marking? Even with a minimum of information, the orchestra will impart some life to that note; there is an organic trajectory to all phrases. Now what if you add an articulation or hairpins? How about at shorter rhythms? What will a pattern of…
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deBreved, the Tim Davies Orchestration Blog I have been thinking about writing a book about orchestration and notation for quite a while. The problem with this idea is time; it would be a long time before I got everything I wanted to say organized. Books are also an old medium, and do not allow multimedia and interaction. It then came to me that a blog format might be a better way to go, so here it is. The hardest part was coming up with a…
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Several projects have just come out or are about to. Batman Arkham City is finally out. I orchestrated and conducted the score for composers Ron Fish and Nick Arundel. Footloose, I conducted for Deborah Lurie. 3 Musketeers, I orchestrated for Paul Haslinger. Tower Heist, I orchestrated for Christophe Beck. Muppets, I conducted for Beck. I also recently did some string arrangements for a huge project, details to come where it is released. Chris Beck was just featured in Variety as a Billion Dollar Composer. Was…
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I will be in Brisbane and Melbourne in August. I will be the head Jazz Adjudicator for the Melbourne Schools Bands Festival this year. I will be doing big band a Show at BMW Edge in Federation Square on the 23rd. Tix are available here. Check the Facebook event for latest details. The Reg Cole Quartet will be doing a reunion gig on the 14th at the Transit Lounge in Federation Square, check Facebook event for latest details. Sony's INFAMOUS 2 game is out. This…
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Resistance 3 is all done and one more ep of the Event season to go. I recently conducted the scores for a few remakes, Footloose and Fright Night and next up is orchestrating Paul Haslinger's score for a new 3 Musketeers film. In the meantime I am working on some arrangements for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. I am very excited to have a few big band gigs coming up, May 26th at the Big Band Olympics and June 6th at Typhoon. Big Band shows! Thursday…
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