COURSE SYLLABUS. Course Title: WRITING AND SCORING FOR STRINGS. Reg. # V3044 Units: Quarter/Yr: Fall Quarter Day/Time: Wednesday, 7-10PM

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1 COURSE SYLLABUS Course #: X Discipline: Music Course Title: WRITING AND SCORING FOR STRINGS Reg. # V3044 Units: 4.00 Quarter/Yr: Fall Quarter 2009 Day/Time: Wednesday, 7-10PM Dates: Westwood: 217 Extension Lindbrook Center Wednesday, 7-10pm, September 23- November 25 (No Class November 11 th ) Hollywood: Private Island Trax Wednesday, 7-10pm, December 2 Westwood: 217 Extension Lindbrook Center Thursday, 7-10pm, December 9 Instructor: Dr. Norman Ludwin Instructor contact: lmus@mac.com Course Description: This comprehensive workshop in writing film music for the string family--violin, viola, cello, and double bass--takes a thorough look at the contemporary and historical use of the strings and their usage in concert music film composition, with a focus on such composers as John Williams, Thomas Newman, Michael Giacchino, Maurice Ravel, and Leonard Bernstein. Different instrumental techniques are examined, including bowing, harmonics, pizzicato, double and triple stops, chords, aleatoric effects, solo effects, and ponticello. Each session features one of the members of the string family, with top professionals from L.A. recording studios demonstrating their respective instruments and playing the student compositions. The final project is the writing and subsequent recording of a work for string quintet.

2 Goals & Objectives: Upon successful completion of this course, students will have had the exciting experience of writing an original work for strings, rehearsing it with the players, and finally having this work recorded. The students will also be writing six short works to be examined and discussed in class. These assignments allow the students to put to practical use the techniques that they have learned in class, specifically various styles of composition. The major focus of the class is on 20 th century and contemporary techniques, as these techniques apply to concert music and to a considerable extent how they apply to film and television music writing. Composers examined are Brahms, Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Ravel, Debussy, Ligeti, Penderecki, Bernstein, Williams, Newman, Dvorak, Ludwin, and Giacchino. Further issues of correct phrasing, transposition, the role of bowings for the strings, instrumental techniques, effective ranges of the instruments, the use of dynamics to balance your forces, articulations, and finally how to intelligently prepare one s music for a recording session will also be examined. Required Text: Samuel Adler, The Study of Orchestration 3rd Edition Samuel Adler, The Study of Orchestration Workbook Online resources: Blackboard itunes imix search for Ludwin Recommended: Mozart Symphonies 40 or 41 Any Beethoven Symphony Lost TV show episode Essential Dictionary of Music Notation by Alfred Publishing Essential Dictionary of Orchestration by Alfred Publishing Grading: Course grades will be based the on the completion of exams, assignments, and classroom participation as follows: Breakdown of the weight for each component of the final grade: Homework assignments: 40 % Final: 50 % Attendance/Participation: 10 % LetterGrade % A (90-100%) B (80-89%) C (70-79%) D (60-69%) F (<59%)

3 Please note that ALL COURSE GRADES ARE FINAL. Attendance: Students are expected to attend class each week, do the required reading, and the assignments. Because of the limited amount of time and the tremendous amount of material to be covered, the class moves at a rapid rate. Students who miss class are responsible for acquiring and learning the materials that they have missed. Absences may be excused by the instructor for serious reasons only. Participation: Students are strongly encouraged to participate in the class discussions. When all students are engaged and sharing opinions, the class becomes a more rich and challenging environment. Assignments: The homework assignments are designed to insure that the students are keeping up with the course materials that are being presented to them. The assignments are cumulative; building upon each other, so that the earlier material can be mastered before new material is presented. Completion of these assignments is vital for the successful completion of the course, and also enables the instructor to evaluate how well the students understand the material. Each student is expected to complete the homework and bring it class the following week. Failure to complete the assignments will result in a lowered grade and possibly the student s opportunity to write for the final project, which consequently would produce a failing grade. Information about Incompletes: The interim grade Incomplete may be assigned when a student's work is of passing quality, but a small portion of the course requirements is incomplete for good cause (e.g. illness or other serious problem). It is the student s responsibility to discuss with the instructor the possibility of receiving an I grade as opposed to a non-passing grade. The student is entitled to replace this grade by a passing grade and to receive unit credit provided they complete the remaining coursework satisfactorily, under the supervision of and in a time frame determined by the instructor in charge, but in no case later than the end of the next academic quarter. At that time, the Registrar will cause all remaining Incompletes to lapse to the grade "F". Note: Receiving an I does not entitle a student to retake all or any part of the course at a later date. Student Behavior involving cheating, copying other s work, and plagiarism are not tolerated and will result in disciplinary action. Students are responsible for being familiar with the information on Student Conduct in the General Information Section of the UCLA Extension Catalog or on the website at

4 COURSE OUTLINE Date/Topic Class activities and works studied Assignments for next week s class Week One: 9/23/09 Review bowings, range, harmonics, Read Adler Chapters 2 techniques and 3 Introduction and overview of class Basic concepts Bowings Week Two: 9/30/09 Strings family Terminology, phrasing, clefs Week Three: 10/7/09 Late Classical /Early Romantic Demonstration of viola and double bass Brahms (Symphony 2 and 3) Stravinsky (Firebird) Play down of student s writing for bass and viola Tchaikovsky (Serenade for Strings) Rimsky-Korsakov (Scheherazade) Write a short work for viola and bass Read Adler Chapter 5 Write for string orchestra in the style of Tchaikovsky Week Four: 10/14/09 Solo instrument with orchestra Week Five: 10/21/09 Avant garde Week Six: 10/28/09 Impressionism Week Seven: 11/4/09 Thomas Newman Adler Chapter 5 Leonard Bernstein (Serenade- First Movement) John Williams (Schindler s List- Remembrances) K. Penderecki (Threnody for Hiroshima) G. Ligeti (Ramifications for 12 solo strings Maurice Ravel (Rapsodie Espagnole, Stephen Mallarme) Claude Debussy (La Mer- First Movement) Continue Chapter 5 (if necessary) String quartet in class The Green Mile Shawshank Redemption Road To Perdition Write for chamber orchestra and solo violin Write for string orchestra in an avantgarde style Write for string quartet in the Impressionist style Write in Newman style for small orchestra and harp (or piano) NO CLASS: 11/11/09 Week Eight: 11/18/09 String Quintets VETERANS DAY Antonin Dvorak (Quintet in G Major) Norman Ludwin (Zuluz, Jhazz Fever Dreams) Ludwin s Law Write for ensemble in class next week: quintet (2 violins, viola,

5 Discussion of preparation for next week s play down; Review doublings, unisons cello, and bass) Read Chapter Alder 15 Week Nine: 11/25/09 Ensemble in class quintet (2 violins, viola, cello, and bass) Week Ten: 12/2/09 Michael Giacchino Week Eleven: 12/9/09 Final recording quintet (2 violins, viola, cello, and bass Week Twelve: 12/16/09 Final Discussion Play downs in class Adler Chapter 15 The Incredibles Ratatouille Lost Continue Chapter 15 (if necessary) Notation and score overview and preparation for final recording Possible guest artist Location: Musicians Union Suite 1550 Hollywood, California Group discussion and play down of student s recordings; discussion of what was learned at the recording session, what problems were encountered, and topics for further study.

COURSE SYLLABUS. Course Title: Advanced Orchestration: Applied Techniques for the Studio and Scoring Stage

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