Writing for the Percussion Section

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As a beginner composer, do you struggle to write effectively for the Percussion Section? In this video I breakdown the basics of writing and orchestrating for a Percussion Section, including a brief description of the main instruments. I then take you through an orchestral piece detailing various Percussion writing and orchestration techniques, to help you get the best sound from the section, alongside my recommendations for Percussion sample libraries for beginner composers.
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00:00 - Intro
01:19 - Low Drums Overview (Timpani, Bass Drum, Taikos, Surdos)
04:12 - Mid Range Drums Overview (Toms)
04:35 - High Drums Overview (Snare Drum)
05:04 - Metals Overview (Cymbals, Tam Tam/Gong)
07:24 - Example of writing for Low Drums
09:46 - Example of writing for Mid Range Drums
11:08 - Example of writing for High Range Drums
12:38 - Example of writing for Metals
14:11 - Whole piece with Orchestra
16:23 - Recommended Percussion Sample Libraries for beginners
19:06 - Outro
Recommended Percussion Sample Libraries
Spitfire Audio BBC Symphony Orchestra Discover
www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
Project Sam The Free Orchestra
projectsam.com/libraries/the-...
Spitfire Audio Originals Cinematic Percussion
www.spitfireaudio.com/shop/a-...
Audio Imperia Nucleus Lite
www.audioimperia.com/products...
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Composing Academy is the place to learn how to begin composing your own music. Here you will find easy to follow videos explaining core Music Theory concepts along with various tips and tricks to help you craft that perfect song of cinematic piece of music.

Пікірлер: 102

  • @rumar4u
    @rumar4u2 жыл бұрын

    Wow Simon... without too much fanfare you have certainly made the Best Orchestral Percussion tutorial on KZread. You have covered Lows, Mids, best uses and certainly by your example in 1/8 you have also covered the best accents as well. If in any future video you dive deeper, I'll be more than glad to watch it. Thank you

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Ruben, oh my word thank you so much for your kind message. I'm glad you found it useful - it was a lot of fun to write the percussion parts and ultimately put it together for people to learn from!

  • @dannyherbert1420
    @dannyherbert14202 жыл бұрын

    really useful information here, thanks so much. i especially appreciate the inclusion of recommended sample libraries

  • @nadiabirkenstock_harpsong
    @nadiabirkenstock_harpsong Жыл бұрын

    Great tutorial. thank you for creating this! I found it especially helpful that you displayed the sheet music along with the explanations and the audio.

  • @41Fingers
    @41Fingers2 жыл бұрын

    I don't know how I missed this channel, but glad I found it.

  • @mimix3555
    @mimix3555 Жыл бұрын

    This might have been the best video I have ever seen regarding how to use the individual instruments to build up a song. I have been struggling to work with the timpani, but now I know that they are usually working in conjunction with many other instruments, including other low drums such as a gran cassa. Thank you for this information!

  • @audiomixexpert3175
    @audiomixexpert31752 жыл бұрын

    Another top quality video. Just what I was looking for! Thanks Simon.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for watching!

  • @PapierschnitzelPapercraft
    @PapierschnitzelPapercraft2 жыл бұрын

    Great presentation as usual. I always look forward to your next video. Your way of explaining makes it so easy to learn something new! Thanks!!!

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for watching and for your continued support!

  • @beatsbybergstrup1427
    @beatsbybergstrup14272 жыл бұрын

    Great video! Thank you so much. I’ve been looking for a while on a tutorial on this. Great work, keep it up. I have learned much watching your videos

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much - I'm glad it proved useful and happy the other videos have provided some value for you!

  • @ljdobles8104
    @ljdobles81042 жыл бұрын

    Your videos are top notch. I learn a lot! Gracias (thank you). Greetings from Mexico.

  • @chucksl21
    @chucksl21 Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much for taking the time to teach this to others. Awesome video!!!

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much! My pleasure!

  • @homeofcreation
    @homeofcreation3 ай бұрын

    Your newsletter, that brought me here, is GOLD! Easy to read valuable tips without unnecessary embellishments.

  • @ratnacomposerstudio
    @ratnacomposerstudio Жыл бұрын

    The percussion categories have so well been explained along with slides and examples of sound too. Thanks.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for the comment, I am so pleased the videos are helping you!

  • @iluvsyphonfilter
    @iluvsyphonfilter Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic! Very well explained and great examples!

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank for your kind comments and for watching!

  • @musiclad290
    @musiclad290 Жыл бұрын

    Best tutorial on drums for me 🤯

  • @PatrickOkora
    @PatrickOkora9 ай бұрын

    Thank You so much, finally I know what to do with all those percussion instruments in my library. Really informative and exactly what I needed to hear

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    7 ай бұрын

    I am so pleased you have found it useful! Thank you so much for watching and the comment!

  • @user-zr5xy5pv8w
    @user-zr5xy5pv8w Жыл бұрын

    I'm so appreciate, I learn so much from your tutorial videos. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    I am so glad you find them informative, thank you so much for watching!

  • @Ioan_S
    @Ioan_S2 жыл бұрын

    What a great tutorial! I've taken many notes and I hope I could use them for my next epic song =)

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Glad you found it useful - thanks for watching!

  • @flavioishimaru5399
    @flavioishimaru539911 ай бұрын

    Simon is a great teacher, always learning from you new stuff 😅glad to find you 😁 Gratitude 🙏

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    10 ай бұрын

    Wow, thank you so much for the kind words. Its my pleasure!

  • @sfJomusic
    @sfJomusic Жыл бұрын

    thank you for the sharing !

  • @rik-keymusic160
    @rik-keymusic1602 жыл бұрын

    Great video's ! and thank you for alle your effort you put into this !! :)

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    My pleasure - I'm glad you enjoyed it!

  • @GavinNellist
    @GavinNellist2 жыл бұрын

    Brilliant, much needed quality video on this topic. I really struggle to write for percussion, it always sounds so rigid and fake, hopefully I'll use some of this information now to help me improve.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you - I've also got a video called 'Epic Percussion Grooves' which breaks down the various parts, which you may find useful!

  • @nitinmistry6280
    @nitinmistry62802 жыл бұрын

    I've been watching your great video series into orchestral comps. I have learned a lot and wanted to thank you. I had a question... I would love to get a download for the Midi file.

  • @kolz9387
    @kolz93872 жыл бұрын

    this is gold I could buy for that information!

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Haha thank you!

  • @leo-ki9ye
    @leo-ki9ye2 жыл бұрын

    THANK YOU SO MUCH

  • @MoodScores7538
    @MoodScores7538 Жыл бұрын

    Very useful video. Keep it up.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much!

  • @pierresilence
    @pierresilence Жыл бұрын

    Thankx, it is very nice tutorial.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    My pleasure - glad it was helpful!

  • @hjfsound
    @hjfsound2 жыл бұрын

    Really helpful. Orchestral percussion can be hard to pull off well.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Hi Hugh, I'm glad you found it useful. I'm a drummer, so the percussion section is my favourite :-)

  • @xilvnta980
    @xilvnta980 Жыл бұрын

    OMG TY

  • @Andmagic77
    @Andmagic772 жыл бұрын

    Super! Thanks)

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    My pleasure!

  • @MECHINEAU49
    @MECHINEAU492 жыл бұрын

    Hello, thank you for all these clear and precise explanations. I wanted to know, is there a mix on what you're showing? EQ? Compressor? thank you for everything

  • @ssurt_
    @ssurt_2 жыл бұрын

    would love a guide on the keyboards (glockenspiel, xylophone, vibes, etc.)

  • @micahbijon_
    @micahbijon_ Жыл бұрын

    Great video

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Glad you enjoyed!

  • @cjavierd86
    @cjavierd862 жыл бұрын

    Hello dear, how are you! Your channel is excellent, all its content is very good. You explain everything very well. Keep it up! Greetings from Argentina!

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for your kind words and support! Greetings from South West England!

  • @TastePolice378
    @TastePolice378 Жыл бұрын

    i would love a guide on orchestral mallets like glockenspiel and turbular bells

  • @maplefoxx6285
    @maplefoxx6285 Жыл бұрын

    this is really good thanks! I already know how to make midi drums fairly well for a drum kit with humanizing the velocity and timing. I play drums, heavy metal and funk style both. this is a really good video, maybe the best i've seen yet. I love how you show it all layered. I have not seen this yet from anyone. I will be using True Strike from Project Sam mostly and some Taikos that this guy made for Sforzando player that sound just amazing.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi, really appreciate you leaving a comment, thank you! I am also a drummer so appreciate what you are saying. I am pleased you have found it useful!

  • @maplefoxx6285

    @maplefoxx6285

    Жыл бұрын

    @@composingacademy8270 This was really really helpfun honestly i did not understand how to layer them before properly. Do you have any lessons or tutorials we can do at home and follow along with? I think my main weak point is harmonizing the sections together or making chords across individual sections. Or when to use deep heavy bass instruments. I did a few mock ups from video games, I think i need to study a lot of scores over and over to get more of an idea.. I can come up with melodies and ostinatos fairly well from playing a lot of guitar, but Harmonizing across the sections seems difficult for now.

  • @user-fs2us1xl2s
    @user-fs2us1xl2s2 жыл бұрын

    Great! Understanding dummies like me!!!!

  • @zqchz3227
    @zqchz3227 Жыл бұрын

    Do you have a video for composing with the pitched percussion instruments?

  • @mr88cet
    @mr88cet4 ай бұрын

    Great overview, thanks! Being primarily a woodwind and strings player, it’s challenging, but way-fun, to take on a “mostly-about-rhythm” mindset. Percussion instruments strike (😂) me as, in a certain sense, the opposite of orchestral strings: they are by far the most varied and colorful timbres from instrument to instrument within the family, but each individual instrument has far less variety in melodic and articulational capability. Violins and ‘celli sound different, yes, but that timbral difference is minuscule compared to the timbral difference of, say, crash cymbals compared to bass drum. On the other hand, a ‘cello can play a huge range of pitches, even with microtonal precision, with arco, right-and left-hand pizzicato, spiccato, regular staccato, sul tasto, tremolo, natural and artificial harmonics, just name a few. Woodwinds are sorta mid-way between: Flute, oboe, and clarinet, sound more different than violin vs. viola, for example, but not nearly as wildly different as glockenspiel vs. snare drum. However woodwinds don’t have quite as much range nor as many intriguing articulational options as violin family instruments.

  • @ineedstuff8286
    @ineedstuff8286 Жыл бұрын

    i guess i was surprised one could layer all that and it not sound muddy and conflicted. Sounded incredible

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi, I really appreciate the comment, thank you!

  • @6thour592
    @6thour5929 ай бұрын

    The percussion with the strings sounds majestic af

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    9 ай бұрын

    Appreciate it, thank you!

  • @imanifilmz6552
    @imanifilmz65522 жыл бұрын

    You're an amazing composer following you closely

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for your kind words!

  • @TheNocturna001
    @TheNocturna00110 ай бұрын

    Good video but I obviously need more :) I have so many questions, like how do you make that build-up before each section? Are there any drum patterns mostly used in cinematic or classical music etc.

  • @ashokflash
    @ashokflash5 ай бұрын

    Only one good video about percussion

  • @peperillo
    @peperillo3 ай бұрын

    if you want a more "experimental" sound on the gong i found out you can rosin some spray can caps and just scrape them against the gong

  • @raoulhere
    @raoulhere21 күн бұрын

    Is there by chance a a possibility to listen to the track you have composed in the latter part of the video (14:11-16:22)? It sounds super amazing! Thank you!

  • @SamuelRoyerLegault
    @SamuelRoyerLegault2 күн бұрын

    Just like bass drum and timpani, should we avoid playing too fast or complex rhythms on taikos and surdos? Or are they more similar to toms? Thanks for the videos that you make by the way, I always come back to them every now and then.

  • @josiahsimmons9866
    @josiahsimmons98667 ай бұрын

    In the orchestras I've played in and been in the audience for, there are frequently five timpani. So, at least in my opinion, you can go up to about 7 tones used, because a percussionist will generally be comfortable retuning one or two of the drums periodically, just try not to have things move too quickly.

  • @ishagshafeeg
    @ishagshafeeg2 жыл бұрын

    Awesome. Due you coach for composing drum line percussion as well? Thanks.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thank you! I've never actually written anything for drum line percussion before, but I love to watch performances of it. Some of the ensembles are amazing!

  • @khalidrafi4909
    @khalidrafi49092 жыл бұрын

    It’s helpfull sir. Can I join your music accademy?

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching! At the moment Composing Academy is just on youtube!

  • @timjonesguitar
    @timjonesguitar7 ай бұрын

    HOw did you program the tympani rolls? Looks like just one note there.

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    7 ай бұрын

    Hi Tim, the Roll patch was from Spitfire's Percussion Library - they have 'roll' articulation, which has a pre programmed roll baked in. So a single midi note can trigger a sound that sounds like multiple hits. We can then obviously change the length, dynamic etc. I hope that helps?

  • @timjonesguitar

    @timjonesguitar

    7 ай бұрын

    @@composingacademy8270 ah ok, I thought maybe there was something in Cubase I could program with the MIDI. Thank you!

  • @deveshsolanki8875
    @deveshsolanki8875 Жыл бұрын

    What's use string runs? & how it write? Make video

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi, I have a video on Writing for Strings, check out my channel for the video. Thanks for watching"

  • @danielezekiel97
    @danielezekiel972 жыл бұрын

    What software ,programme do you use?

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Its Cubase Pro 11

  • @danielezekiel97

    @danielezekiel97

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@composingacademy8270 thanks . sounds great , I use notperformer , do you think its superior in many ways to Noteperformer ?

  • @imanifilmz6552
    @imanifilmz65522 жыл бұрын

    Which version of cubase is that?

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Its Cubase Pro 11

  • @Ismael.2010
    @Ismael.20102 жыл бұрын

    what is the name of the instrument was played between 14:37 and 14:47 that has a metallic feeling?

  • @BryanWeltonIII

    @BryanWeltonIII

    2 жыл бұрын

    It's an anvil

  • @Ismael.2010

    @Ismael.2010

    2 жыл бұрын

    @@BryanWeltonIII thank you so much sir

  • @ytinutroppo
    @ytinutroppo Жыл бұрын

    But whats with the speed? I dunno why but it sounds like sth missing. I playing „düm - düm düm | düm - düm düm“ and than I want to make a transition to the next part with a „düm düm düm“ but sth is wrong😅

  • @entropylovesyou
    @entropylovesyou Жыл бұрын

    please keep in mind that most middle school/high school percussion sections don’t have taiko’s and surdrom’s! so if your writing for that level of percussion, you wont want to include those instruments

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    That is a very good point - thank you! I guess I was primarily aiming the video at people who would write music that would only stay in the DAW environment with samples etc. Thank you for your feedback!

  • @RMS777
    @RMS7772 жыл бұрын

    Like84🥚

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    2 жыл бұрын

    Thanks!

  • @ansemvanverte
    @ansemvanverte Жыл бұрын

    Idk what english teacher told you that periods and commas are 3 second breaks but pls cut the silence out if you're gonna pause at the end of every phrase, my adhd ass can't focus this long

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    Жыл бұрын

    Hi, still working on the balance between delivering slowly vs too quickly. Clearly I am not there yet! Thank you for the feedback, will look at improving for future videos.

  • @ansemvanverte

    @ansemvanverte

    Жыл бұрын

    @@composingacademy8270 Hey, sorry if that sounded aggressive, commenting often feels like old-man-yelling-at-clouds when no one replies lol. Just want to add that whatever hangups I have with the voiceover, these videos are super helpful and informative and I hugely appreciate you doing them

  • @kdakan
    @kdakan7 ай бұрын

    I liked the music but the bass drums are too much cluttered to my ears, I would use them less

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    7 ай бұрын

    Thanks for the honesty!

  • @JohnSk82
    @JohnSk8211 ай бұрын

    Nice one mate

  • @composingacademy8270

    @composingacademy8270

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you!