Score-Reading Part 2: Techniques

Practical advice on the technique of score-reading.

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Category:

Music

Tags:

• professional
• orchestrator
• orchestration
• craft
• tutorial
• lesson
• conductor
• composer
• beethoven
• 5th
• symphony
• score
• reading
• series

[Mgjaggers]

While reading scores, should I be marking in chord structures of harmony along with melody markings (and where they may show up) in order to hone my composing skills?

[OrchestrationOnline]

@Mgjaggers If you feel the need to do so, then go ahead. But only once or twice, on pieces you may wish to study very closely. There is just not enough time in your life to do this with every piece you read, especially if you read several pieces a week. It's better and much more time-effective to train your ear to be a better tool, because in essence all the "notes" that you need to take are right there on the score.

[apocalypsedude88]

Hey thanks a lot for these videos, I'm really learning heaps from watching them.

I'm really keen to start thoroughly reading and analyzing a Beethoven string quartet but I'm not quite sure which one to start on. Could you help point me in the right direction? Keep in mind that I'm fairly new to score reading.

Cheers,

[OrchestrationOnline]

@apocalypsedude88 A good way to start would be with the quartet in F which is an arrangement of the piano sonata #9 in E. Play the sonata, which is one of the easier ones, then listen to the quartet reading along with the score. You will see all the themes and episodes that you just played (keep in mind that Beethoven added and mutated things to make it more of a quartet).

[NOSFERATUalu]

This is golden information. Thank you for this Thomas =D!!!

[juglis]

I have to say that I'm deeply inspired by your videos.

You have no idea how helpful they have been to me.

I've been stufying msuic for about 5 years. Now that I've reached that crossing in which I have to decide a path in music, orchestration is my main choice.

However. I didn't know where to start!

I just wanted to say thanks. I hope we can keep in touch.

Greetings from Argentina!

[synthetic88]

Great stuff. Made me pull out some old scores and orchestration textbooks. Keep them coming. :)

[hornuser]

Great job again Mr. Goss,

I don't think it can be stressed enough to actually begin simply and actually hear in your *inner* ear each note before moving on to motifs and phrases. You probably say this in the next video, but as pros, if we can insist that our inner ears hear all of the notes and all of the various tones of the orchestra rather than bundling cellos with bassoons, our ears will be more quickly developed.

But, when beginning it is good to bundle, and it is good to notice phrases.

[hornuser]

also groove shark is a way of listening to different pieces of classical music.

[Burgundia1980]

I've been listening/reading the Ravel string quartet because I've known it for several years and played it a lot...but I still find it hard to absorb the harmonies, and I think it's because I don't have the vocab to describe the chords and intervals. My brain stops at major, minor, and simple diminished/augmented stuff. Is there a good resource for understanding Ravel harmony?

By the way, IMSLP score printing is the main reason I have started staying late at work after my boss goes home. :-)