A course of six enhanced 90 minute videos on ‘The Instruments of the Orchestra’.
A recurring bit of feedback from previous courses and classes has been that many people feel unsure about identifying the source of a sound in an ensemble or differentiating between instruments that inhabit similar tonal spaces.
This six video course aims to address these issues - during each session we talk about a specific instrument family and then listen to works from the classical repertoire that features those instruments. By the end of the course you will be able to recognise the sound of an english horn or a contra-bassoon and appreciate the context in which those instruments are being used!
We also learn about phrasing and how musicians go about shaping the notes and the sounds they produce, orchestration and the development of orchestral instruments from the baroque period onwards.
Lots of good music with my guidance.
Watch the session on the strings below:
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Courses: Live courses (on ZOOM) are held 3 times a year - in September, January and June. Each course consists of six, 90 minute sessions held on a Wednesday evening at 7.30pm (UK time). The sessions are recorded and edited into a video which is uploaded to the site, usually within a week. If you miss a session, you will be able to catch up by watching the recorded video in your own time. Some people prefer not to attend the LIVE sessions and just watch the recorded videos.
Videos: The Thinking Arts website has a growing catalogue of videos (currently 50+) which you will be able to access at any time. The videos are usually about 90 minutes long and cover a wide range of subjects - music history, chamber music, vocal music, the concerto, the symphony, contemporary music and many more.
Week 1: The Science of Sound and how instruments actually work
Week 2: The Strings and the String Quartet
Week 3: The Woodwinds
Week 4: The Brass
Week 5: Percussion - Tuned and Untuned and Keyboards - the Piano, Harpsichord, Celeste
Week 6: The Orchestra
