Is Timbre Actually the Most Important Factor in Orchestration?
Not sure what instrument fits best? Here’s a guide to understanding how to employ and experiment with timbre when orchestrating musical work.
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On Decoda’s ‘Music For Transformation’ – A Collaborative Songwriting Program
Read about an incredible project that pairs a NYC string quartet with inmates at a South Carolina prison, where the results and changes go both ways.
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A Beginner’s Guide to Morton Feldman — an Intimate Encounter with Sound
+ Welcome to Soundfly! We help curious musicians meet their goals with creative online courses. Whatever you want to learn, whenever you need to learn it. Subscribe now to start learning on the ’Fly. By Soundfly Mentor Tim Maryon A student of mine recently said that they’d never been given the chance to “get into” famed American composer Morton…
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The String Section – A Brief Context
In this quirky video, courtesy of our popular Mainstage course, Orchestration for Strings, composer and arranger Ian Davis demystifies some of the historical context behind the modern day orchestra’s bowed string section, as well as its attributes and compositional strengths. Davis composed all of the compelling score music to this course himself, and you’ll hear and…
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Mirah on the Sound of 50,000 Decisions and ‘Total Collaboration’
Welcome back to Soundfly’s weekly interview series, Incorrect Music, curated by guitarist, singer, and composer Lora-Faye Åshuvud (of the band Arthur Moon). In this series, we present intimate conversations with artists who are striving to push the boundaries of their process and craft. Brooklyn is the latest home to the singer-songwriter and performer Mirah, who comes to us by way…
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Nick Photinos on Fearless Collaboration and Playing to An Iranian Weather Forecast
Welcome back to Soundfly’s weekly interview series, Incorrect Music, curated by guitarist, singer, and composer Lora-Faye Åshuvud (of the band Arthur Moon). In this series, we present intimate conversations with artists who are striving to push the boundaries of their process and craft. Nick Photinos’ debut solo album, Petits Artéfacts is a playful, masterfully performed collection of…
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Hear 9 Inspiring String Quartet Arrangements Written by Soundfly Students
Last fall, we debuted the first-ever session of our course Orchestration for Strings that included personalized support for students from a Mainstage Mentor — a handpicked expert in his or her field who offered feedback on the student’s work. The course itself was a big success, garnering a 100% completion rate and a ton of validating feedback from our students,…
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Orchestral MIDI String Libraries Compared
As a composer, finding that string library that can do everything you want can often feel like a never-ending quest to find the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. New libraries pop up every month or so, all professing to be the best and urging you to press the “buy” button as soon as they’re…
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Putting the Maelstrom of Politics to Song: PUBLIQuartet’s Live Score of the Final Debate
Last Wednesday, October 19, presidential candidates Donald J. Trump and Hillary R. Clinton faced off in the third and final debate leading up to the 2016 US presidential election. With absolutely no reasons remaining for viewers to continue to tune in to further coverage of this news media maelstrom, Stephen Colbert and his team at The Late…
