For Orchestra #6: Michael Jackson ‘Beat It’
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.
Preview!
Buy It!This is a tribute.
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.
Stay well everyone. RIP Michael Jackson.
-Walt
Feel free to check out my music, or at least spreading it on Twitter, Facebook, or email.You can suggest songs via Twitter using Hashtag #ForOrchestra
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This was my favourite song as a toddler.
Great work, Walt!
Someday I foresee a “Tribute to Walt Ribeiro & his Orchestra Tributes”, in which a live marching band performs one of your arrangements, perhaps at a Superbowl halftime show.
cooollllll, like it so much, can i suggest that you play jazz like can’t fly with me by frank??
super job! keep ‘em coming, loving what you have been doing with the songs. you rock!
Great job. I’d like to see more clips of the orchestra mixed in with the videos.
I like this a ton! Found it through Reddit, by the way. I would have also imagined that it sounded pretty good arranged for orchestra, but if I may be slightly critical, I think the sustain between notes in the main guitar riff were missing (replaced with hits). I know, everyone’s a critic, but I seriously did like it.
LunchboxG5 – it’s definitely right that the main guitar riff is changed to be more staccato here, but I think it’s a really nice touch, especially since the orchestration here helps emphasize how much this is really in a minor key. I especially liked the gang fight sequence here – the orchestration made it clear just how much this is really a ballet. It always reminded me of West Side Story when I saw the original video, and this one makes that resemblance even closer.
Is this arrangement available? I would need individual instrument parts and conductors score. I would like to perform this with my Senior orchestra at the spring gala.
Please let me know asap. Thanks!!!!!
i like both betta no choice got 2 though i like both hahahaha