It’s Friday. And you know what that means… New Music! So here’s this weeks arrangement is Bon Jovi ‘Livin on a Prayer’. This request was by iJustine. She told me that this is her favorite song, and I agree, this song rocks – so I hope you and her all like it!
The violins on this track gave me SO MUCH trouble I’m surprised I got it out this early as opposed to Monday. The song builds up pretty big, and I learned a few more technique in my writing and music production that are a huge leap in my knowledge.
I knew this song was going to sound good, so I was excited, and if you listen closely there is a key change 3/4 of the way into the piece! This was my first orchestrated arrangement with a key change, and it sounds epic.
So I like to orchestrate in the way people talk. When you speak not everything is ALWAYS loud, or soft, or fast, or slow. As a result, I had the flutes play some verses, and the brass play others, and then the strings come in on others. This variation kept it interesting, and at the same time built up the tension as you continue listening. The brass sounds so awesome in this piece, that I plan on doing more in future arrangements of maybe dropping out the entire orchestra and just having the brass play. I did something like that with the strings in my Michael Jackson ‘Beat It’ piece towards the end.
I like this song because it pertains to me as a musician. I’m ‘Living on a Prayer’ as I start this ‘For Orchestra’ idea I came up with. It’s scary starting something new, but liberating, too. I tend to worry alot (will people like the idea? Will it take off? Will anybody buy my arrangments that I work hard on?). This goes without saying my own questions and concerns in my own life. So just like I’m ‘Livin on a Prayer’ with my decision to be a musician at a time when there are probably other ‘stable’ careers, I chose to now start something that has another uncertainty – ‘For Orchestra’. But one thing is for certain: living my life the way I want to, taking chances, meeting all of you, and hearing all the positive reinforcement is what’s gets me up in the morning. I don’t want any regrets, and that’s a life worth living. I’m halfway there
1.) It’s my first blog post from my phone. This is huge because as I’m on the road I can keep everyone in the loop with what I’m up to.
2.) I’m halfway done this weeks arrangement. Which if you haven’t guessed it is Bon Jovi Livin on a Prayer. What’s this you say? I’ll never finish it within one night. Well, I’m no stranger to lack of sleep, and the first 50% of an orchestral arrangement is the most difficult. Transcribing arrangement etc.
While I’m at it I want to see if these emoticons work from my phone:
Anyway, so be prepared. For tonight I get no sleep. And tomorrow you will be happy!
I so hope this post shows up because writing a blog this long is no fun on a phone. See you on the AM!
So I arrange an orchestral song a week, but what about the other 6 days a week where there’s no blog post?
Well, starting today I’m going to start blogging daily. As you know the forum is starting to fill up!
Second, I want to say thanks to you for your support. Its been amazing. There’s ALOT of stuff going on, and I plan to have new things all set this week.
“Put on my blue suede shoes, and I boarded the plane”
This song was at the request of Leo Laporte back while I was on Twit.TV at Blogworld last year. I asked him what his favorite song was, and he mentioned Marc Cohn ‘Walking in Memphis’. But this was at the beginning of my journey of this ‘For Orchestra’ idea, so I told him I was going to do something cool with it. While there I met Tony Wang, who is awesome. Like me, he rides motorcycles, so I just KNEW right away he was cool, haha
I liked the opening lyrics of this piece because it reminds me of setting off on a journey. Putting on your shoes and boarding a plane, to me, refers to tackling a dream you always wanted to do. Acting on the impulse, getting ready for the trip, and not looking back.
The arrangement of this piece was extremely difficult – perhaps the most difficult one I’ve done so far. There was an issue with the tempo, and then the arrangement of the original. The guitar part was difficult to hear at times, which didn’t translate itself easily to be arranged for orchestra. Then there was also the vocals, which were extremely loose in rhythm, thereby making this difficult to ‘line up the beat’. I’m happy how it turned out though! Leo is awesome, be sure to check out his show!
‘Can’t take it with you’. Something about those lyrics really mean a lot to me. This arrangement was at the request of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Digg‘s Kevin Rose. I met them at IWNY and Diggnation respectively, and after finding out they were fans of Radiohead thought it would be neat to arrange this for them. I use their sites, and thought of it as a ‘thank you’ of some sort. I hope everyone likes it, it took me quite some time.
When I choose a song, I understand that I’ll be spending alot of time with it. There are times when I dislike a song I’m arranging but have to live with it, or eventually get sick of it. Luckily, Radiohead ‘Reckoner’ grew on me pretty strongly. After a few days I began looping it for hours while I was walking somewhere or was waiting at the train station. I started depicting the lyrical meaning of the song and really getting involved in their song structure and repertoire.
There’s something authentic and beautiful about arranging a song for orchestra. Maybe its the ‘honesty’ of it… forcing to strip down the parts to true acoustic instruments. Or maybe it’s just the orchestra itself, being such an amazing ensemble to arrange for. Or maybe its’ the freshness of hearing an arrangement remix in such an extreme fashion.
Whatever it is, Radiohead’s music is beautiful. ‘Can’t take it with you’.
Michael Jackson was the man. This is my way of saying thank you.
These arrangements take 40+ hours to make – but I figured of all the happiness he brought to my life (whether it was karaoke with friends, or driving down the shore, or singing as I was walking down the street) – my time spent on this isn’t comparative to the hours his music inspired me and added to my lifestyle.
My arrangement was between ‘Beat It’, ‘Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough’, ‘Billie Jean’, and ‘Thriller’. I chose ‘Beat It’ because it sounded good in my head for orchestra
Music is amazing how it creates emotion. fear, Love, Hate, Mystery, Dancing, etc. It’s extremely powerful, and to rearrange it in a way that an orchestra can capture that power and excitement and transition it to another is something I feel is what music is all about. It’s about passing it on. It’s about creating emotion.
Hope you enjoy this arrangement, and that it makes you smile in the same way MJ’s music and work made me happy.
My name is Walt. I arrange pop songs for orchestra. I've done Lady Gaga, Motley Crue, The Cure, Radiohead, and more. Thanks for stopping by. To purchase mp3's go here. For more info Click Here.
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