Scenario 3

How to replicate a finished interpretation.

The material

In the following scenario, the interpretation of a piece of music is "reproduced" using notation software and virtual instruments. The aim is to get as close as possible to the quality of a live recording with as little effort as possible, making intensive use of the software's "tweaks".

Music: Edvard Grieg: Beginning of "From Holberg's Time - Suite in the Old Style", op. 40, Prelude for string orchestra (approximately 45 seconds). Grieg wrote the original for piano, the arrangement for string orchestra followed later.

On YouTube you can find several interpretations for piano or strings. Here is a selection, e.g.: 
Version for solo piano: Peter Jablonski, piano 
Version for string orchestra: Norwegian Chamber Orchestra
Version with sheet music: 'A Far Cry' String Ensemble

 more ...

Those interested in orchestration techniques can take a look at how Edvard Grieg arranged his own piano music for string orchestra: The original arpeggios became rhythmic repetitions distributed among the high strings - a technique that could be memorised for one's own works.

If you are looking for piano scores, you will find them here.
Strings scores can be found here. 

Here is the score in modern notation:


Whether you enter the rhythmic figure of the high strings into a DAW track or into a music notation program, choosing the right sound is not so easy. In the video you can see how 'airy' the players play the sixteenth notes and how little bow (length) they need. The eighth notes are also played at different volumes depending on whether they are played "fortepiano" or with an accent. Strings solve this problem by no longer moving the bow back and forth from a certain speed, but by letting it jump (spiccato). It should now be clear that two different sounds are needed for this kind of rhythm.

If you render the original notated text with the built-in sounds of a notation program, you will be disappointed - even NotePerformer will not deliver a satisfactory result without further modifications. The problem is the original score: Grieg did not like to give the strings a clue as to 'how' his music should be played. He knew that the strings would play such a rhythmic figure spiccato in connection with the indication "Allegro vivace". Our software does not know this automatically. And vice versa: If you are a composer or arranger and want to use such rhythmic figures in a fast tempo, you should note down the programme text for the corresponding keyswitch when creating your score (see illustration).

If you use sounds from other manufacturers instead of the on-board tools, you will probably find a suitable solution in your own sound libraries. ​Often the names of the articulations in different products do not match, but you can usually find the solution and the corresponding keyswitches in the categories.
Here is an excerpt for string instruments from three different products:

 Lists of articulations of various products ...

Legato (Portamento & Slurred)
Long Long CS
Long Flautando
Short Spiccato
Short Staccato
Short Pizzicato
Short Col Legno
Tremolo
Trill (Major 2nd)
Trill (Minor 2nd)
Long Sul Tasto
Long Harmonics
Short Harmonics
Short Pizzicato Bartok
Long Marcato Attack
Tremolo Sul Pont
Tremolo CS
Long Sul Pont
Short Spiccato CS

Long Solo
Flautando
Grand Détaché RR
Lyrical Mute 
Lyrical Vibrato 
Sustain Expressive 
Sustain NV NV VB
Short
Marcato Vibrato RRx4
Martele RRx4
Pizzicato RRx4
Sforzando
Spiccato
Legato
Leg Bow Change Fast | Smooth 
Leg Exp Vib 
Leg Lyr Vib 
Leg Runs 
Leg Slur 
LegSus

Short notes:
Staccato short & regular, bold & agile
Staccato short & regular, fortissimo and harsh
Spiccato
Détaché
Long notes:
Sustained, regular vibrato, molto vibrato, senza vibrato
Espressivo piano
Very soft (pianissimo & flautando)
Vibrato crossfade options
Attack and release variants for basic articulatons except molto & senza vibrato
Legato:
Legato, regular vibrato, molto vibrato, senza vibrato
Espressivo piano
Very soft (pianissimo & flautando)
Vibrato crossfade options
Attack & release variants for basic articulatons except molto & senza vibrato
Legato agile:
Legato agile with attack & release variants
Auto-speed option with regular legato
Portamento
Dynamics: 
Sforzato
Soft swell with normal & soft release
Crescendo short & long
Diminuendo short & long
Tremolo:
Tremolo sustained, marcato option & regular sustains crossfading option
Measured tremolo
Trills:
Half tone trills
Whole tone trills
Pizzicato:
Regular pizzicato
Snap (Bartók) pizzicato
Col legno
Harmonics:
Sustained
Tremolo sustained
Crossfading options sustained/tremolo & regular/harmonics
Ponticello:
Short notes, bold & agile
Sustained
Legato
Tremolo sustained, with marcato option
Crossfading options with regular articulations

Which of the two audio samples will be played live?

audio 1

audio 2

 ​How you recognise this ...
  • ❯
    audio 1 is a live recording!
  • ❯
    The rhythmic figure is not played as precisely as in audio 2 for the first 8 bars, but this changes after 2-3 bars.
  • ❯
    After about 9 seconds, you will hear empty strings.
  • ❯
    In the solo of the 1st violins, the rhythmic figures are again played less precisely.
  • ❯
    The trill in bar 15 sounds too synchronous in audio 2.
  • ❯
    The noise in audio 2 is an artificial addition!  

The vibrant sound of a live performance is made up of human criteria. This means that, as a composer or arranger, you are spoilt for choice when using virtual instruments. And it means that you have to invest a lot of manual work in order to achieve a realistic elaboration (e.g. of solo passages). It is not for nothing that solo passages in film scores, for example, are played on acoustic instruments.

This project is not about mastering, but about developing ideas for challenging music.

The Dynamic_ Scores project shows how to create "good sounding" scores with relatively little effort.  

The score from which the audio has been rendered is not very different visually from the score by Edvard Grieg. It has been supplemented with texts on technique and expression at points where the playing style or dynamics change. 
Details will vary from software to software. This is because notation programs and sound libraries require different 'commands' for Techniques and Expressions. A typing error can result in the programmed keyswitch not being activated. 
Dorico, Finale, Notion and Sibelius allow you to "hide" text. The advantage of this is that you can use keyswitches that are not linked to a specific word of text, but are offered by the sound plugin, while the possibly cryptic-sounding command remains hidden.  

z.B. Sibelius Technique Text ~N27,64 keyswitch for key D#0

The reason for this is that the sound sets provided with music notation software often do not contain all the available keyswitches. In this case, you will have to learn a few tricks that you can find in user manuals or forums.

How is the example executed here?
Notation software: Sibelius Ultimate
Synchronized DimensionStrings (by VSL)
The replay will not be played.

The "VSL Style Sheet" and the special sound set were loaded for playback or audio export of the score.

Vienna Symphonic Library

Summary

The cooperation between the notation software and the sound library can quickly lead to a satisfactory results. The key to this is the correct coordination of the software and libraries involved, as well as the correct interpretation of technical and expression texts, e.g. in key switches. This is usually explained in the manufacturer's manuals or in tutorials. To get tips on fine-tuning and other tweaks, you often have to spend some time searching user forums.

In the following scenarios, fine-tuning issues will increasingly come to the foreground, but always on the premise that the effort involved will remain within a certain range.

continue scenario #4