The 17th Shard Symphony Orchestra (and other musicians)

[InfiniteInsanity she/her]

1 hour ago, Lego Mistborn said:

Guys, you realize it's not hard to play with weird time sigs. The biggest issue is counting rests. Otherwise you just count the notes on the page and it's easy.

Tubist out.

Its hard to count when it alternates every measure.

[Shining Silhouette he/him]

21 minutes ago, InfiniteInsanity said:

Its hard to count when it alternates every measure.

It's usually easier if you think of it as in 5 and combine the measures

[InfiniteInsanity she/her]

16 hours ago, Shining Silhouette said:

It's usually easier if you think of it as in 5 and combine the measures

But mentally I can only do that for like a third of the song.

[That1Cellist he/him]

16 hours ago, Shining Silhouette said:

It's usually easier if you think of it as in 5 and combine the measures

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Why don't they just write 5/4? Is it a beat emphasis thing?

[InfiniteInsanity she/her]

2 minutes ago, That1Cellist said:

Yes, that's what I was thinking. Why don't they just write 5/4? Is it a beat emphasis thing?

My mind isn't processing the words but the melody goes 1-2 &-3 1 2 so on and so forth.

[Shining Silhouette he/him]

2 hours ago, InfiniteInsanity said:

But mentally I can only do that for like a third of the song.

That's fair, honestly. 

2 hours ago, InfiniteInsanity said:

My mind isn't processing the words but the melody goes 1-2 &-3 1 2 so on and so forth.

Could you explain this haha? Not sure I understand 

[Quivil]

I have to help play the first violin part of Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet... 

[Edema Rue she/her]

That is honestly amazing. Are you excited? If not, I'm happy to switch lives with you for a short time. You can play the devil went down to Georgia for me.

[Immortal Platypus]

On 2/2/2023 at 7:13 PM, InfiniteInsanity said:

Its hard to count when it alternates every measure.

I have a song in choir that we change time signatures about 7 times in the first 9 measures. And they're weird ones, like 9/8, 5/8, and 3/2. Some are harder than others, but there isn't a lot of common ones. I pity my conductor. 

[Tea Leaf]

I am an ex-cellist, before you scorn me for quitting orchestra entirely and letting music go (I still compose music), I have become more mentally stable and emotionally expressive.

[Shadowed they/them]

Fellow musicians I need some advice.

So I’m building a music-based magic system where everyone plays an instrument, the instruments grant things like speed, strength etc depending on the family of instrument (strings, brass etc). But the instrument you play is defined by your personality, and I’ve tried to fit the personality traits of each instrument with their sound/common repertoire style/role in the orchestra. 

BUT, I’d like some input on the accuracy of these personality traits, and whether there’s something that fits better. And I can’t think of anything for trombone or cello!

DISCLAIMER: This is in no way meant to offend anyone, and is not what I actually think of the instruments - obviously anyone can play any instrument. I just relied on over-generalised stereotypes for the purposes of the magic system only. Please don’t take offence if your instrument is given a quality you don’t agree with!

The list so far:

Spoiler

BRASS

- Tuba: Reliable, holds everything up

- Euphonium: Best friends with tuba, ‘second in command’ of the friend group

- Trombone: 

- French horn: Warm, gentle, loving

- Trumpet: Loud and sometimes aggressive but can also be the kindest soul

WOODWIND

- Bassoon: Quirky and perceived as ‘different’ but is actually integral to the whole friend group

- Clarinet: Quiet, unnoticed, but vital to the sound of the section

- Saxophone: Weird one that doesn’t quite ‘fit’ 

- Oboe: Vital for the whole group to be good together (‘tunes’ them to each other)

- Flute: Delicate, quiet, sweet but has an adventurous heart

STRINGS

- Violin: Popular, lots of friends that split into cliques but work as a large group overall

- Viola: Often the younger sibling of a violin, seen as inferior but is super nice when you get them on their own without a violin

- Cello:

- Double Bass: Clumsy and socially awkward but has the kindest heart

- Harp: Glamorous and fashionable

PERCUSSION

- Percussion: Versatile, can adapt to any situation

(sorry for the long post lol)

Edited February 22, 2023 by Shadowed

[SymphonianBookworm she/her]

3 hours ago, Shadowed said:

The list so far:

  Reveal hidden contents

BRASS

- Tuba: Reliable, holds everything up

- Euphonium: Best friends with tuba, ‘second in command’ of the friend group

- Trombone: 

- French horn: Warm, gentle, loving

- Trumpet: Loud and sometimes aggressive but can also be the kindest soul

WOODWIND

- Bassoon: Quirky and perceived as ‘different’ but is actually integral to the whole friend group

- Clarinet: Quiet, unnoticed, but vital to the sound of the section

- Saxophone: Weird one that doesn’t quite ‘fit’ 

- Oboe: Vital for the whole group to be good together (‘tunes’ them to each other)

- Flute: Delicate, quiet, sweet but has an adventurous heart

STRINGS

- Violin: Popular, lots of friends that split into cliques but work as a large group overall

- Viola: Often the younger sibling of a violin, seen as inferior but is super nice when you get them on their own without a violin

- Cello:

- Double Bass: Clumsy and socially awkward but has the kindest heart

- Harp: Glamorous and fashionable

PERCUSSION

- Percussion: Versatile, can adapt to any situation

(sorry for the long post lol)

As a saxophonist I am mortally offended by being called the one that doesn’t quite fit  Honestly, the saxophone is one of the more interesting, cool instruments, so you could change the description of the person to something more like that.

Spoiler

To be fair, I’m not saying I do fit in…

 

Edited February 22, 2023 by SymphonianBookworm

[Shadowed they/them]

4 hours ago, SymphonianBookworm said:

As a saxophonist I am mortally offended by being called the one that doesn’t quite fit  Honestly, the saxophone is one of the more interesting, cool instruments, so you could change the description of the person to something more like that.

  Reveal hidden contents

To be fair, I’m not saying I do fit in…

 

Noted  I put that because most non-musicians (at least in my experience) think saxophone is a brass instrument, and it’s not your ‘typical’ classical-centric woodwind instrument, but that was mostly because I didn’t know what else to put. 

I’ve changed it to ‘Has many different sides to their character, all of them interesting and cool to explore’

[Wittles he/him]

11 hours ago, SymphonianBookworm said:

As a saxophonist I am mortally offended by being called the one that doesn’t quite fit  Honestly, the saxophone is one of the more interesting, cool instruments, so you could change the description of the person to something more like that.

  Hide contents

To be fair, I’m not saying I do fit in…

 

Yay! A fellow Saxophonist!

[Telrao she/her]

15 hours ago, Shadowed said:

The list so far:

  Reveal hidden contents

BRASS

- Tuba: Reliable, holds everything up

- Euphonium: Best friends with tuba, ‘second in command’ of the friend group

- Trombone: 

- French horn: Warm, gentle, loving

- Trumpet: Loud and sometimes aggressive but can also be the kindest soul

WOODWIND

- Bassoon: Quirky and perceived as ‘different’ but is actually integral to the whole friend group

- Clarinet: Quiet, unnoticed, but vital to the sound of the section

- Saxophone: Weird one that doesn’t quite ‘fit’ 

- Oboe: Vital for the whole group to be good together (‘tunes’ them to each other)

- Flute: Delicate, quiet, sweet but has an adventurous heart

STRINGS

- Violin: Popular, lots of friends that split into cliques but work as a large group overall

- Viola: Often the younger sibling of a violin, seen as inferior but is super nice when you get them on their own without a violin

- Cello:

- Double Bass: Clumsy and socially awkward but has the kindest heart

- Harp: Glamorous and fashionable

PERCUSSION

- Percussion: Versatile, can adapt to any situation

(sorry for the long post lol)

Weow! This is a super cool idea, Shadowed!

I think, this far, the stereotypes fit pretty well! I have a suggestion for the cello: Serious and deep thinking, with a hint of mischievous humour. idk something like that  

[The Wandering Wizard he/him]

16 minutes ago, Telrao said:

Weow! This is a super cool idea, Shadowed!

I think, this far, the stereotypes fit pretty well! I have a suggestion for the cello: Serious and deep thinking, with a hint of mischievous humour. idk something like that  

That does describe us quite well!

I just couldn't put it to words.

[SymphonianBookworm she/her]

13 hours ago, Witless of Shinovar said:

Yay! A fellow Saxophonist!

You too?

This is so cool. No one plays saxophone.

[Edema Rue she/her]

I have friends who play the saxophone!

Also though, I’m a violinist and I couldn’t be less popular if I tried 

[That1Cellist he/him]

4 minutes ago, Aes Sedai said:

I have friends who play the saxophone!

Also though, I’m a violinist and I couldn’t be less popular if I tried 

Yeah. I'm not a violin lover in any sense, but I do think that people hate on them a little too much.

The Mendelssohn violin concerto in E minor (Op 64.) is really amazing.

And Paganini is cool too.

Edited February 23, 2023 by That1Cellist

[Edema Rue she/her]

Nobody loves us but that’s okay.

Paganini is so fun to play! I’m a fiddler so I like playing things faster than should be possible.

[SymphonianBookworm she/her]

Also I love the song Canon in D and if you have something to say about it being overused YES IT IS BUT ALSO IT'S BEAUTIFUL SO THERE.

[Shadowed they/them]

35 minutes ago, Aes Sedai said:

Also though, I’m a violinist and I couldn’t be less popular if I tried 

True, violinists do tend to be a bit… less popular with other musicians  

I just put it because theres so many of them in an orchestra and the thing about separate cliques was referring to 1st and 2nd violins.

Edited February 23, 2023 by Shadowed

[Edema Rue she/her]

6 minutes ago, SymphonianBookworm said:

Also I love the song Canon in D and if you have something to say about it being overused YES IT IS BUT ALSO IT'S BEAUTIFUL SO THERE.

I got to play it in my Christmas concert, it was awesome.

3 minutes ago, Shadowed said:

True, violinists do tend to be a bit… less popular with other musicians  

I just put it because theres so many of them in an orchestra and the thing about separate cliques was referring to 1st and 2nd violins.

Yeah, that’s probably fair.

[Immortal Platypus]

Quote

- Violin: Popular, lots of friends that split into cliques but work as a large group overall

- Viola: Often the younger sibling of a violin, seen as inferior but is super nice when you get them on their own without a violin

- Double Bass: Clumsy and socially awkward but has the kindest heart

As a bass player, I can say that none of the ones I know are clumsy and socially awkward. I'd put us as fun and joking, often seen as not serious because we mess around a lot. (Our music is easy enough that we rarely need to practice so we spend time doing stuff we don't need to.) Also, we usually don't have the kindest heart, we like to mock other instruments when they complain.

For the violin, I'd say: Widely known as important, in the orchestra they are often called annoying/boring and hated. Once you get to know them, they're usually nice though.

For viola, I'd say: Kind and generous, they are often overshadowed by their older siblings, the cellos, and their cousins, the violins. When you get them on their own, they sound really cool.

I couldn't really tell you about the cellos.

Spoiler

My analogy is as follows:

Violins: a coral reef, vast and important to ecosystems. When they're on their own, they don't survive for long though.

Violas: Tadpoles that are important, but are often overshadowed.

Cellos: Frooooogs. They fill the area with a deep, rich sound, helping to make everything sound good.

Bass: Fish. It's literally in the name. They are the largest, but the least common. Overpowering smaller instruments with ease, the other instruments must group up to fight them.

Feel free to ignore those, those are just my experiences. Might have to do with the age group I'm with though.

1 hour ago, SymphonianBookworm said:

Also I love the song Canon in D and if you have something to say about it being overused YES IT IS BUT ALSO IT'S BEAUTIFUL SO THERE.

Ah, yes, the song where we play the same two measures 54 times. Bring me Rockabelle's canon any day. 

2 hours ago, That1Cellist said:

Yeah. I'm not a violin lover in any sense, but I do think that people hate on them a little too much.

We probably do, but it's really fun. They get so defensive when I criticize their shifting

[Edema Rue she/her]

5 minutes ago, Being of Cacophony said:

As a bass player, I can say that none of the ones I know are clumsy and socially awkward. I'd put us as fun and joking, often seen as not serious because we mess around a lot. (Our music is easy enough that we rarely need to practice so we spend time doing stuff we don't need to.) Also, we usually don't have the kindest heart, we like to mock other instruments when they complain.

For the violin, I'd say: Widely known as important, in the orchestra they are often called annoying/boring and hated. Once you get to know them, they're usually nice though.

For viola, I'd say: Kind and generous, they are often overshadowed by their older siblings, the cellos, and their cousins, the violins. When you get them on their own, they sound really cool.

I couldn't really tell you about the cellos.

  Reveal hidden contents

My analogy is as follows:

Violins: a coral reef, vast and important to ecosystems. When they're on their own, they don't survive for long though.

Violas: Tadpoles that are important, but are often overshadowed.

Cellos: Frooooogs. They fill the area with a deep, rich sound, helping to make everything sound good.

Bass: Fish. It's literally in the name. They are the largest, but the least common. Overpowering smaller instruments with ease, the other instruments must group up to fight them.

Feel free to ignore those, those are just my experiences. Might have to do with the age group I'm with though.

Ah, yes, the song where we play the same two measures 54 times. Bring me Rockabelle's canon any day. 

We probably do, but it's really fun. They get so defensive when I criticize their shifting

How did you manage to call me a nice person and insult me like 4 times in the same post? I…I don’t understand if I should be happy or mad or sad or just agree.