# Composing non-boring strings



## Stephen Shelton

I've got a chamber piece I'm composing, and I'm having a bit of a dilemma. I have strings playing softly to give the piece a backbone, but it seems stupid to leave them so boring.

To clarify, I have small violin, viola, and cello sections just playing the chords. See the issue? 
Any advice?


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## Guest

Sustained chords in strings can be good to give backbone, that is true, but what kind of effect are you going for and what are the limitations you have in terms of instrumentation and the musicians abilities?


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## nobilmente

*Check out Gorecki*

I'd say there might be something to learn from the piece below. Admittedly he is using a full orchestra, but you get the idea. The other movements are also well worth a look.


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## Stephen Shelton

Oh yeah, should've specified the nature of the piece. It's meant to score a sentimental scene (all lovey-dovey and whatnot). It starts of with some fairly complicated piano, only to be taken over by a harp and a glockenspiel for a bit of a slow down. That part is where the uninteresting strings are especially distracting.

My limits in terms of instrumentation are relatively broad. I'm generally not opposed to any additions, but the piece doesn't work well with brass.


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## Stephen Shelton

that Gorecki piece is nice. I'll be sure to review it in a bit, when I'm done with school. Thanks!


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## nobilmente

Harp & strings? Be my guest...


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## Stephen Shelton

Oh and earlier, when I said my limits involving instrumentation were broad, I of course meant within reason. I definitely want to keep realism.


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## Guest

You mentioned it's a chamber piece, right? What level of difficulty are the musicians comfortable playing? If you take a look at music by Ferneyhough it could provide you with a really good knowledge of extended techniques you can use that might create some more depth to the soundtrack in addition to the more _expected_ accompaniment to a sentimental, romantic scene. You could create a bit more nuance....is it sentimental but could the characters have some underlying traits that might make them incompatible? Is it sentimental but has there been some tragic moment in the characters' histories? Is it sentimental, but could it be slightly _ironically_ sentimental?


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## Stephen Shelton

Unfortunately, I won't get any contact with the musicians for a week, so their level of proficiency is beyond me. I suppose i should construct something basic just in case. The scene sees the character sitting at a piano, unable to play properly as she's getting distracted by thoughts of her mother, whom she had abandoned due to a difficult relationship. The mother died 3 months ago without the character knowing, and the character reflects on just how much her mother really cared for her.


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## Stephen Shelton

I should also mention, that the scene is somewhat of a flashback sequence, as the mother and daughter are already established characters.


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## Guest

I would definitely suggest trying to capture the nuances of and emotional weight of the flashback...


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