# Which is better practice for learning orchestral writing styles?



## Manok

I've been transcribing Schubert's 9th into Sibelius, but I have to wonder would a better idea be to tun a piano sonata or a string quartet into an orchestral piece? Maybe that would be something I do later when I get used to what orchestras can actually do? Or is there some other activity that I can do? I'm learning it on my own by the way. I have a couple of books as well on the subject.


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## Pugg

I would start with the string quartets or sting quintets, see how that's going and move on from that.


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## EdwardBast

Manok said:


> I've been transcribing Schubert's 9th into Sibelius, but I have to wonder would a better idea be to tun a piano sonata or a string quartet into an orchestral piece? Maybe that would be something I do later when I get used to what orchestras can actually do? Or is there some other activity that I can do? I'm learning it on my own by the way. I have a couple of books as well on the subject.


A common exercise in orchestration classes is to orchestrate piano (or other) music. (One drawback of using string quartets is that they are already "orchestrated" to some extent.) I remember one class in which we were assigned a couple of movements from Pictures at an Exhibition, a couple of the easy Debussy preludes, a movement from a Beethoven Piano Sonata, and other works. Be careful to avoid music that is so pianistic as to preclude effective orchestration.

Along the same lines I would recommend looking at scores of piano works that have been orchestrated already. Compare the piano score of Pictures at an Exhibition with Ravel's version. Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_ exists in piano and orchestrated versions. There have been numerous orchestrations of the most popular Debussy piano works. Respighi orchestrated five of Rachmaninoff's Etudes Tableaux. Most of these scores, at least the piano versions, can be downloaded for free if you don't have access to a good music library.

Playback using Sibelius software can help with developing your ear for orchestration, but I would recommend first "calibrating" your ear by transcribing bits of orchestral music and seeing how the playback does and does not reflect the sound of real performances.

Good luck!


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## Il_Penseroso

My recommendation is also orchestrating piano compositions... particularly short character pieces...


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## Vasks

EdwardBast said:


> Along the same lines I would recommend looking at scores of piano works that have been orchestrated already. Compare the piano score of Pictures at an Exhibition with Ravel's version. Ravel's _Le Tombeau de Couperin_ exists in piano and orchestrated versions. There have been numerous orchestrations of the most popular Debussy piano works. Respighi orchestrated five of Rachmaninoff's Etudes Tableaux. Most of these scores, at least the piano versions, can be downloaded for free if you don't have access to a good music library.


This! Because you need to see what the orchestrator does to make it more idiomatic


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## Manok

Well Debussy and Ravel are who I have been playing lately on the piano, so maybe I'll find pieces by them that seam easy to orchestrate. I haven't quite covered wind instruments yet, but I played the clarinet for a few months before deciding it wasn't me, so I at least understand the basics of single reeded(sp?) instruments, if not the real limits of what they can do. I know next to nothing of brass instruments either. So that will be on my list of things to cover. As I think I said I have a couple of books on the subject, and just haven't gotten there yet.


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## ST4

Read about how instruments function, study the way each instrument relates to eachother in an orchestral work you like. Then rip them off (I'm being serious) till you feel comfortable dealing with a relatively large amount of instruments. 
I don't think transcribing is the most helpful thing unless it's really your interest but orchestrating piano works is also effective :tiphat:


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