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[Advice needed] Arpeggios with weird time signatures?

I'm entering the Abbey Road scoring competition, and having fun with it even though I don't really know what I'm doing and have no chance of winning. I improv'd in the opening section without any regard for timing and kind of liked it, so I kept it with some tweaking. I managed to tweak the chords so they're at least the same length and still mostly hit the beats I wanted, but now they're in a weird time signature. The chords themselves are four bars long, but then there's a half bar gap between them. I don't even know what time signature that is, 4/18? As you can see, the opening's a bit sparse (although that section is more about playing with sound than any amazing orchestration), so I thought I could spice it up with some pizzicato string or harp arpeggios, but the timing is really throwing me off. Is there anything to be done, or is it a fool's errand?
 

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Well... it’s hard to deduce the signature from a DAW piano roll screen capture, that’s for sure... how about some audio?
OK, here's what I have so far. I'm still not sure about the third chord, I'm going for discordant to match the horror movie, but it might be a bit too discordant.
Can`t see properly but is it 4/4 and then just a 2/4 bar in the gap and then back to 4/4?
Yes, but the idea was that the arpeggios would keep playing during the gaps, bridging the chords.
 

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My guess from the pic is that you have a pattern of 9/8 | 9/8 | 7/8 at 120bpm.

I created a short mock-up based on what I see.

Attached is what I came up with.

If I am anywhere close to your score, then I would recommend listening to Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring for a better example. That piece abounds in odd time sigs and uses an orchestra to boot.

Edit: just saw you posted your audio. My mockup was not close, so no cigar. Darn.
 

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Cool ideas you got there. I kind of like the 2/4 gaps in the intro. I feel you should own them. Really make those intro chords huge and bold. And leave those gaps of silence in there, as metaphors for speechless onlookers of the spectacle that unfolds! In my mind’s eye I can see an ancient sea monster rise from the deep! So, I would deliberately leave those moments of silence in there rather than fill them... Just my 2 cents
 
My guess from the pic is that you have a pattern of 9/8 | 9/8 | 7/8 at 120bpm.

I created a short mock-up based on what I see.

Attached is what I came up with.

If I am anywhere close to your score, then I would recommend listening to Aaron Copeland's Appalachian Spring for a better example. That piece abounds in odd time sigs and uses an orchestra to boot.

Edit: just saw you posted your audio. My mockup was not close, so no cigar. Darn.
I like it, but yeah doesn't really fit.
 
Cool ideas you got there. I kind of like the 2/4 gaps in the intro. I feel you should own them. Really make those intro chords huge and bold. And leave those gaps of silence in there, as metaphors for speechless onlookers of the spectacle that unfolds! In my mind’s eye I can see an ancient sea monster rise from the deep! So, I would deliberately leave those moments of silence in there rather than fill them... Just my 2 cents
OK maybe I will then, thanks.
 
I'm entering the Abbey Road scoring competition, and having fun with it even though I don't really know what I'm doing and have no chance of winning. I improv'd in the opening section without any regard for timing and kind of liked it, so I kept it with some tweaking. I managed to tweak the chords so they're at least the same length and still mostly hit the beats I wanted, but now they're in a weird time signature. The chords themselves are four bars long, but then there's a half bar gap between them. I don't even know what time signature that is, 4/18? As you can see, the opening's a bit sparse (although that section is more about playing with sound than any amazing orchestration), so I thought I could spice it up with some pizzicato string or harp arpeggios, but the timing is really throwing me off. Is there anything to be done, or is it a fool's errand?
Don't do things you are not aware of :rofl:
 
Question: Are you aiming to get this down into notation or just trying to make sense/organize the project?

Some possible solutions if you want to have this down in notation:

1- Empty 2/4 bar as suggested if you want to keep the pauses

2- A fermata with a streamer at the next chord would be the "old school" way, if you'd like to have the chords ring until the next chord, which I assume (without watching the video) is placed there for some dramatic purpose or sync point, correct? This requires a skilled conductor that has keen timing.

3- Another option with the same purpose, assuming the same situation, an "Action" track on top that details the events of the video and shows the chord starting at the right time. It is essentially a one-line percussion track on top of the score, any notation software can do it. Same thing as before: Requires a good conductor that can sync the orchestra to picture.

4- Otherwise, the norm these days is that there would a click track and a "molto rall" on the score signaling the slow down. Super simple.

If you don't want this down in notation you can just edit the tempo map so that the chord has essentially a fermata and you get the hit for the next one at the next 4/4 bar with no extra bar (essentially "slowing down" the last beat of the chord, with something akin to a molto rallentando as described before).

I would advice to do that last thing regardless of whether you plan on notating this or not. I don't know the particulars of the contest but if you are asked to (or would some day want) to record this, that alone will make any orchestrator/copyist job (or yours, if you are so inclined!) much easier, since these days film orchestras record with a click and the "streamer" or "action track" methods are rarely used. Click tracks save time and money.

A final tip in the same vein: Try to start at bar 3 or even 5 and line up your cue timecode start to that point. You normally get 8 clicks free in most formal notation for film orchestras, if you have the count-in you just export the tempo map and nothing extra is required. If you don't have that then you have to go back and add it and you expose yourself to trouble.
 
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