Lesson 1 Discussion

[Leaf]

Can you tell me what is meant by the word "desk" in the first part, strings? It looks like they are talking about something different than a music stand.

The players are then divided by desks, numbers 1, 3, 5 etc. playing the upper part, and 2, 4, 6 etc., the lower; or else the musician on the right-hand of each desk plays the top line, the one on the left the bottom line.

Here I thought it was the name given to describe each division.

but when I later read this part, i was unsure.

Besides this, an extra desk of first violins is usual in all orchestras, and as a general rule they possess a more powerful tone than second violins.

Hope it's not a dumb question, i tried to look it up with an online music dictionary, but the link on google didn't work.

great course!

David

[Poolman]

Leaf:

A desk is two players sharing one music stand. One advantage is that at the end of a page, one player can turn over while the other carries on.

Terry

[dermod]

Already on lesson one, it is clear that a course presented in this way is going to be a major learning tool for the future with universal application. Indeed, the course has the potential to outlive GPO itself. And free of charge! What is the world coming to? At this rate, optimism could come back into fashion.

[mike harper]

great lesson thanks! brings up one major problem with sampled strings. The
problem of sub divsions, IE playing chords on one section.

[carlmsmith]

Thanks, Ben E., for the reply. Yes, I think I get it re "divisi".

I still have a lingering problem with the language of the test:

"Whenever a group of strings is written for more than five parts..."!

I'm not inclined to quibble over grammar, but in this context, trying to unravel a new (to me) concept, I found it disconcerting.

Anyway, thanks!
Carl

[Leaf]

Leaf:

A desk is two players sharing one music stand. One advantage is that at the end of a page, one player can turn over while the other carries on.

Terry

Thank You, Prof. Poolman. I see clearly now.

[Drew Buchan]

How do you distinguish between;

- instrumentation
- arrangement
- orchestration

are the boundaries well defined ?

[mfortunato]

I don't have any questions just yet. I just want you all to know how overwhelmed with emotion I am over this project. The amount of work you are all putting in to help us and guide us to be better musicians, composers, etc. - not just using GPO, but in general, truly warms me. I do not have a huge musical background. I'm a singer primarily and took a few years of piano lessons, but I do not know a thing about orchestrating. This is truly a treat for someone like me (for all of us, I'm sure). Thank you for your hard work, your talents, and for your love of music. You inspire us all.

- Michael Fortunato

P.S. - using the video from the concert series to show examples of the instruments and their placements in the orchestra is a stroke of brilliance .

[Cobalt Katze]

Very cool so far. I've already learned a great deal even from these overviews! Keep it coming

[L0W]

Fascinating stuff. I assume that the text is largely as RK wrote it - hence the somewhat circuitous and confounding use of language observed by one or two others!

Yachting Monthly recently published parts of their magazine originally produced 100 years ago, and the same could be seen there "one or two big awkward seas baptised me pretty well and left of their substance in the dinghy" - ie, "a couple of big waves got me wet and some water ended up in the dinghy".

I doubt I would ever read RK's book, but will avidly follow this series though - congratulations on actually bringing it off Gary and all the contributors.

Any chance of the footnote number in text being hyperlinked to the actual footnote?