02-17-2017, 07:27 PM
I find that an E played at the 14th fret on the D string sounds louder, more throaty and seems to contain more of the root note versus the open high E string, which sounds brilliant, snappy and full of overtones. I have to pluck the open high E string quite strongly to get an equally loud root note. Which one of them has more harmonic content is an interesting question. Different, in any case.
When experimenting with the string section yesterday, it seemed to me that each instrument sounds most "at home" in a certain range. That is to say, there is a range where a viola sounds most typically "viola-ish", and violins sound most typically "violin-like" at a different point on the frequency spectrum at least to my ear. This is probably a result of listening to a lot of classical music and what composers tend to do with these instruments most often.
Put in another way, the instruments seem clearly different in the kind of sound they excel at. So if one is going for a kind of mournful violin sound, in most cases the viola is probably the ticket while 1st violins might better be able to provide a silky sheen kind of thing.
Anyway, what you're both saying is true. Especially with the horn and cello, you could say that the instrument really has three or four different voices available. Bassoon is another one of those instruments.
But in my current WIP, the trumpet line used to be done by the trombones (I think) originally, and that just didn't sound good. The big horns sound thin in such a high register. So I moved that to trumpets and doubled that with solo oboe to add some of the sheen back. Similarly, the old violin part is moved to violas but doubled by violins at low velocity on some notes.
I'm just starting to explore the possibilities, really.
Still looking to make my brass section sound punchier. Considering to support it with woodwinds.
When experimenting with the string section yesterday, it seemed to me that each instrument sounds most "at home" in a certain range. That is to say, there is a range where a viola sounds most typically "viola-ish", and violins sound most typically "violin-like" at a different point on the frequency spectrum at least to my ear. This is probably a result of listening to a lot of classical music and what composers tend to do with these instruments most often.
Put in another way, the instruments seem clearly different in the kind of sound they excel at. So if one is going for a kind of mournful violin sound, in most cases the viola is probably the ticket while 1st violins might better be able to provide a silky sheen kind of thing.
Anyway, what you're both saying is true. Especially with the horn and cello, you could say that the instrument really has three or four different voices available. Bassoon is another one of those instruments.
But in my current WIP, the trumpet line used to be done by the trombones (I think) originally, and that just didn't sound good. The big horns sound thin in such a high register. So I moved that to trumpets and doubled that with solo oboe to add some of the sheen back. Similarly, the old violin part is moved to violas but doubled by violins at low velocity on some notes.
I'm just starting to explore the possibilities, really.
Still looking to make my brass section sound punchier. Considering to support it with woodwinds.