Free Orchestra Seating Chart

[dwdonehoo]

For anybody who missed it, Mr. Tokyo Joe kindly posted my Orchestra Seating Chart(s) for anybody who cares to download it. It is a quite small download. Tokyo Joe sez:


\"Doyle\'s \'orchestra seating charts\' can be found at the following:
Old Seating Chart: http://home.sc.rr.com/tokyojoe/images/SeatingChart.gif (\"http://home.sc.rr.com/tokyojoe/images/SeatingChart.gif\")

New Seating Chart: http://home.sc.rr.com/tokyojoe/images/NewSeatingChart.gif (\"http://home.sc.rr.com/tokyojoe/images/NewSeatingChart.gif\")

\"

[dwdonehoo]

Oh, I forgot to mention, the \"New\" seating chart is based on \"The Harvard Brief Dictionary of Music\", and on the seating chart of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1958-59). Hope you find it useful.

--------------
Doyle W. Donehoo
Radar Music
http://www.sierra-trails.com/radarmusic.html (\"http://www.sierra-trails.com/radarmusic.html\")
MP3.COM:
http://www.mp3.com/Doyle_W_Donehoo (\"http://www.mp3.com/Doyle_W_Donehoo\")

[Simon Ravn]

Very nice - thanks a bunch - will print this out and have it in front of me http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif BOTH of them... and I\'ll still use my ears too. Not sure about the positioning of the violas and french horns/trombones. Generally I think they\'re placed horns left, bones right, at least on many recordings I know.

[This message has been edited by Simon Ravn (edited 03-10-2002).]

[dwdonehoo]

There sure seems a lot of variety in orchestra seating. I have another chart that places the trombones on the middle right, trumpets in the center and other horns left center, with violas center, celli right and percussion spread out from back left center to right center. I like the “new” chart because it spreads out the strings with the bass heavy instruments (bass is mostly omni directional anyway) in the center. My most recent composition uses some of the new chart and seems fuller and more “stereo”. Still, trust your ears and instinct. From what I have heard of your works Simon, it has served you well. http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif

[Mark UK]

I agree with Simon.

This seems to be quite an unconventional set up for the orchestra.

Usually french horns are on the left (from the auditorium facing the stage) with the trombone and trumpets on the right of the stage, usually with the trumpets on the right hand side (facing stage) of the trumpets or sometimes trumpets directly in front of the trombones.

[dwdonehoo]

As I said, “There sure seems a lot of variety in orchestra seating.” I do not know how unconventional the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1958-59) is, but perhaps this seating chart will be more like what some people expect:
http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=22673&url=22673/orchestra.html (\"http://www.thinkquest.org/library/lib/site_sum_outside.html?tname=22673&url=22673/orchestra.html\")

Hit the link: “To proceed to The Symphony: An Interactive Guide click here”

The above link has a chart more like what you were suggesting, Mark UK, and it is also hanging on my wall above my monitor. I use all these charts as guidelines. I like the “new” chart mainly for the strings. A Simon says, “…I\'ll still use my ears too”, and I will not treat this as cast in stone. All of the charts are not things made up by me but come from valid sources of more authority than myself. Still, the composer should decide what bests suit them.

[Thomas_J]

I\'m not sure what you guys are used to, but from a conductors view the horns are on the right, trumpets on the left and bones in the middle-left. Violas are in the middle and enforces the sound of both violins and celli (being in the middle of both of the forementioned instruments range, it would seem an obvious placement)

Thomas

[Mark UK]

Sure looks like a lot of variations occuring in concert halls around the globe.

I have been to two London Symphony Orchestra concerts in the past couple of weeks and both featured different orchestral seating plans.

For a Bruckner symphony concert, the first violins were on the left, followed clockwise by cellos, then violas and the second violins on the right (front desk of first violins opposite those of the second).

The previous concert was first violins, then seconds, followed by viola and cellos (the more conventional style).

Seating arrangements seem to be very much a conductor\'s perogative or sometimes down to available space in the concert venue, particularly when a huge symphony orchestra is required..... and sometimes composers provide specific details of how the ensemble should be seated to maximise the effect of how they have written their music....

[This message has been edited by Mark UK (edited 03-10-2002).]

[This message has been edited by Mark UK (edited 03-10-2002).]

[Bruce A. Richardson]

Depending on the period, the piece, even the hall, conductors will re-arrange the orchestra to suit the needs of the day.

It\'s good to have a general guideline (especially starting out), but important to remember that there are no rules. If it sounds right, is IS right.

Rules are for pussies. Can I say that here (or is it against the rules)? http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/tongue.gif

[A_Sapp]

John Williams breaks a poo load of rules, but he is da ****. Amen? \"Learn the rules, so you can break them.\" (Words of Bill Brown)

[dwdonehoo]

\"Rules are for pussies.\" Richardson the Bruce.

My cat, Pato (sitting in my lap) resents that remark! http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif

Hey Bruce! Funny, I just got mail from Waves today and they quote you. \" \"I love Waves C4, but the Linear Phase Multiband is a hear-it-to-believe-it compression breakthrough. Its Adaptive Threshold feature dramatically
reduces compression squashing,\" said Bruce Richardson,Composer/Producer, Sr Editor ProRec.com\" Wow, thats a mouth full.

Anyway, rules. Thats why I have three seating charts to refere to, and Bruce and Simon I think are right: go with what sounds right. Bill Brown, one of my favorites, yeah, good quote about breaking rules. Did anybody also read (on Browns site) what that agent says about composing in reference to Williams? http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif

[Bruce A. Richardson]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by dwdonehoo:
\"Rules are for pussies.\" Richardson the Bruce.

My cat, Pato (sitting in my lap) resents that remark! http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/wink.gif

Hey Bruce! Funny, I just got mail from Waves today and they quote you. \" \"I love Waves C4, but the Linear Phase Multiband is a hear-it-to-believe-it compression breakthrough. Its Adaptive Threshold feature dramatically
reduces compression squashing,\" said Bruce Richardson,Composer/Producer, Sr Editor ProRec.com\" Wow, thats a mouth full.


<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Haha. Yes, I get around.

That new Waves multiband and the linear EQs are really nice. That Adaptive Threshold thing is brilliant, essentially, if the multiband detects a lot of activity in a particular band, it rides up the threshold of the bands above it...so you get a lot of compression but not a lot of apparent squishing. It is made especially for high-end mastering and orchestral work, as are the new EQs. Great for de-mudding thick tutti passages and getting nice clarity, way better than the C4. They\'re easily the best sounding plugin EQ/compression I\'ve ever heard, on par with $2500 hardware units. Also, the L2 limiter is a part of that bundle, more transparent than the L1. Great stuff, about $1k, but very reasonable for what you get.

[Neal Acree]

For anyone who cares, unlike some classical setups, the typical hollywood orchestra seating arrangement (used on most major film scoring sessions), is horns on the left, trumpets and trombones on the right. All strings in the front in a fan shape (l-r: violins, violas, celli and basses). Winds are in the center behind the strings and percussion is all the way in the back. This varies with smaller studios and special groups.

[Gulliver]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size=\"1\" face=\"Verdana, Arial\">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Neal Acree:
For anyone who cares, unlike some classical setups, the typical hollywood orchestra seating arrangement (used on most major film scoring sessions), is horns on the left, trumpets and trombones on the right. All strings in the front in a fan shape (l-r: violins, violas, celli and basses). Winds are in the center behind the strings and percussion is all the way in the back. This varies with smaller studios and special groups. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


Actually some of the biggest variations in seating positions comes from the filmmusic orchestral community. Certain composers even have their own particular seating preferences and at times this also changes as the composer matures. One easy example is Jerry Goldsmith.

[Neal Acree]

True Gulliver, I\'m just talking about the average film session seating. Sure there are plenty of variations all the time but as far as I know, the usual starting point is as I mentioned above, so I usually base panning on that.

[donnie]

I think everyone is on the right track here. Basically seating arrangements change for lots of reasons:

the piece, the style, the amount of room http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif, the conductor, etc. etc.

It seems like every concet in Memphis we (the percussion) are somplace else. Can\'t wait until our new hall is done but since the frickin\' Grizzlies moved to town (NBA team) they have put our hall on the back burner in order to get the new stadium built for the Grizzlies. But PLEASE don\' get me started on that one! http://www.northernsounds.com/ubb/NonCGI/images/icons/smile.gif

Donnie