I was walking to the train the other day and I realized there was a marching band practicing at the baseball fields just outside the train station.
I then realized how cool it would be to somehow do a For Orchestra for a Marching Band! I guess this site would have to be called ‘For Band’ – either way, it’s something I’d definetly love to do.
Then I also began to think how cool ‘For Orchestra’ is because I’m writing and arranging music that kids from all over email me to tell me they like the orchestra now. So maybe one day we’ll start having marching orchestras, and more students of all ages interested in this music.
After all, music is ‘THE universal language’. It brings us together, and that’s something worth marching to.
Miley Cyrus’ Party in the USA was a song I heard a few weeks ago that I thought would sound great for orchestra. Her voice, and the arrangement of all the instruments were perfectly for my orchestration style.
Not only is she a newer artist with a fresh sound, but I liked the intro guitar riff, and the song as a whole. Arranging songs is about giving a composition new light, by taking it places it originally wasn’t expected to go, and bringing it someone new. Her voice was a perfect fit for the violins in their mid range, and staccato attacks. I doubled the notes on Xylaphone to give it a ‘grounded’ feel, and add some texture to the strings. My favorite part throughout is the huge crescendo and fermata midway through. Only to build it up, stop everything entirely, and simply have the woodwinds perform the next verse alone. I ended the composition softly, which was a good balance for a song that has the entire orchestra playing throughout!
I hope to do many more pieces like this, because this was a blast. Maybe I’ll do another song by her, let me know in the comments!
Today I announced to my Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube community that I am no longer teaching music lessons online anymore. This is because I am now going to focus ALL of my efforts 110% on ‘For Orchestra’. It took me nearly 2 years to build my online lesson music community, and some think that I am just throwing it all away. The thing is I’m not, I’m simply morphing into new territories – which is everything that my lessons centered around. I always said, that change keeps you sharp and exporling is what we all stand for. If you’re in a Jazz band and hit a wall, then start writing for a heavy metal band. If you write Folk, join a techno band.
At first, I thought to myself “What are you doing?!” And then I thought about the idea of change. Change is beautiful. Try new things, meet new people, learn different musical instruments, go skydiving if it scares you, start a business that you’ve been wanting to do forever.
“If it scares you do it” – those are words that Derek Sivers once told me. The thing is that this new idea
I have no idea how long I’m on this earth for, and I have no idea what’s going to happen tomorrow. All I know is that I love the orchestra, and I’m in a position to bring it back. I am so passionate about it, and its all I think about. Over the past 2 years I was never ‘crazy’ about teaching music lessons. There were days I wanted to stop but kept on doing it, there were times when I wanted to throw my camera out of the window. But I did it because of the flood of students who didn’t have answers to questions that they needed. I wanted to help everyone, and I’ve done that. I’ve helped thousands of people a day, and its all archived here.
I’m amazed by everyone’s support – but now its onto something new. Keep evolving, keep doing new things, meeting new people, breaking down walls. I don’t want any regrets, and of all the lessons I’ve ever taught, perhaps this is the greatest one of all – follow your heart.
I was blown away by this TED video that my friend Lauren Amarante of World E Ship Day sent me. Benjamin Zander is an amazing music, conductor, speaker, and person. The thing that struck me about this was his sheer PASSION for the genre. Everything makes sense, and his vision is a breathe of fresh air.
For this who aren’t familiar, TED is a conference of notable people who hold presentations on subjects centering in on Technology, Entertainment, and Design (hence the name TED). My favorite points in this video were how everything we say should be treated as our last word, and how if you’re a shoe salesman, that people who don’t wear shoes are an opportunity rather than a lost one. Benjamin Zander discusses the possibility of classical music, and why it’s an amazing form of music.
What are your favorite points in the video? Have you seen any other TED talks?
When I first started this idea some said (and still say) that I’m not staying true to the orchestra. The Orchestra is about creating, composing, expressing, and collaborating. Music is about trying new things that interest you, and seeking them out – and I always wanted to hear an orchestra play songs I like. So I say let’s have some fun. And yes, this arrangement is sick. You asked for it, and I’m thrilled how it turned out. You can check it out directly below!
I orchestrated Lady Gaga ‘Poker Face’ a few weeks ago. This time though I wanted to do Love Game because I love this song, and I can always tell that her music is awesome for orchestra. The original song starts off with only her voice and the bass line, so I wanted to replicate that feel by using the solo flute. Then enters the full orchestra, which creates a powerful effect. The song continues and uses an array of instruments, everything from Vibraphone, Harp, Xylophone, flute trills, chimes, triangle, and even Ritardando effects.
I live in NYC, so its always fun to arrange another local musician, much like I did with MGMT. The harp player punctuates these lyrics in the last chorus, and creates a crashing crescendo and tension throughout the piece. I always like how something so beautiful can create an effect so powerful. Perhaps that’s why it’s powerful – because you don’t expect it. Then I have the flute play a single note by itself to conclude the composition.
I plan on doing either Britney Spears ’3′ or Miley Cyrus ‘Party in the USA’ next. I can already hear the arrangement in my head, and I like what I’m hearing.
I always keep an eye on trends and news stories and see how it can relate to music and new ideas. This week Google officially released Google Wave, which essentially is a real- time messaging service. It’s Google’s answer to “If email, IM, etc. were invented today, what would it look like?”
So I started thinking – what if there were something like this for Music? What if musicians from all across the world could edit, send, and remix music in real time as the music was playing or being written?
Just to clarify – Google Wave allows people to actually SEE what people are writing as they write it. With this mindset in music, imagine how amazing, collaborative, and audience participation-y live shows, movies, and all entertainment would be.
But then outside of the idea of Google Wave as real-time, I started thinking about how musicians can use the actual Wave program for music in itself. With this technology, a band spread across the globe can write lyrics and ideas together in real time. This is a huge turn in band collaboration, because art is spontaneous and collaboration – and these are exactly what Wave is building on.
I imagine there are few things that launched online that ‘reinvented’ the internet, and one of them is Twitter. This site has launched the online era of real time reporting, collaboration, and more. We’re finally entering Web 2.0 – but what about Music 2.0 ? I hope to see more things like this adapt into our work habits and collaborate on art – because that’s what art is about. It’s about sharing ideas and reinventing ourselves.
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.
