Rp, I have a question.
You write of needing a 'brassier' sound when writing chase scenes etc, and i think we've all seen enough action movies to have at least some idea of the genre you seem to be attempting to emulate. So, what's happening in the rest of the orchestration, that requires the trumpet to cut through? Is the sound really thick, resulting in the trumpet getting lost in the, at a loss for a better term at the moment, 'Wall of Sound?.'
We seem to be inundated these days with massive, thick harmonic skyscapers of sound, and any instrument attempting to make a musical point wuld find it difficult to cut through.
I mean no offence to your writing skills, or expertise, i'm just curious if this a another instrument becoming an unwilling victim of the ever increasing need to go to 11 on the orchestral amplifier, and if a review of the orchestration would yield the result you want.
For what it's worth, that 'hollywood sound' you hear so often mentioned has it's roots indeed in the US, and more specifically, the type of music played in school and colleges. Many many marching bands i the US for example play to make themselves heard, and talented though they may be, they have short time to be noticed, and enthusiasm takes over. So much American music I've listened to is loud continually with less dynamic variation than you might find in Europe or elsewhere. That's not a criticism, but an acknowledgment of culture, and the trend seems to pervade in the movie industry as producers want a wall of sound to go with a big picture. (At least in the mainstream).
I understand you're making a living, and as the saying goes, if the man wants big and loud, then you'll eat a lot more regularly working with him.
I wonder if it's worth thinning the orchestration a little and let the natural tone of the trumpet give the impression of brassier noise, as great composers of the last 200 years have done successfully.
Regards,
Alex.
You write of needing a 'brassier' sound when writing chase scenes etc, and i think we've all seen enough action movies to have at least some idea of the genre you seem to be attempting to emulate. So, what's happening in the rest of the orchestration, that requires the trumpet to cut through? Is the sound really thick, resulting in the trumpet getting lost in the, at a loss for a better term at the moment, 'Wall of Sound?.'
We seem to be inundated these days with massive, thick harmonic skyscapers of sound, and any instrument attempting to make a musical point wuld find it difficult to cut through.
I mean no offence to your writing skills, or expertise, i'm just curious if this a another instrument becoming an unwilling victim of the ever increasing need to go to 11 on the orchestral amplifier, and if a review of the orchestration would yield the result you want.
For what it's worth, that 'hollywood sound' you hear so often mentioned has it's roots indeed in the US, and more specifically, the type of music played in school and colleges. Many many marching bands i the US for example play to make themselves heard, and talented though they may be, they have short time to be noticed, and enthusiasm takes over. So much American music I've listened to is loud continually with less dynamic variation than you might find in Europe or elsewhere. That's not a criticism, but an acknowledgment of culture, and the trend seems to pervade in the movie industry as producers want a wall of sound to go with a big picture. (At least in the mainstream).
I understand you're making a living, and as the saying goes, if the man wants big and loud, then you'll eat a lot more regularly working with him.
I wonder if it's worth thinning the orchestration a little and let the natural tone of the trumpet give the impression of brassier noise, as great composers of the last 200 years have done successfully.
Regards,
Alex.