Yeesh! I'm Addicted To Writing Orchestral Music!

[László]

A funny thing happened on the way to the guitar forum*...

Dear PRS gods, goddesses, and powers that be:

I've spent the last year mainly working on orchestral scores.

I realize this is entirely inappropriate for a PRS fanboy/guitar player. But I can't seem to stop. I've spent very little time with my guitars. Yes, I take them out of their cases at least once a week, tune them up, play them for a few minutes to keep them in shape, check the humidipaks, etc. Yes, I recently did a Ford Truck ad on guitar. But still, I'm worried.

First of all, I've spent zany amounts of money on professional scoring orchestral libraries over the past year, even though my clients don't produce that type of work very often. That's cutting into my guitar/amp budget.

Second, I'm getting even more rusty on guitar than I already was due to COVID.

Is there an Orchestral Composers Anonymous to help me deal with his affliction?

Thanks. Your pal,

Les

*For our younger members: 'A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum' was a 1962 Tony Award Winning Stephen Sondheim musical hit that no one remembers any more. I'm referencing it because I remember musical theater that predates 'Hamilton'.

 

[Wakester]

You are going to have to surrender your most expensive PRS to me as an act of attrition and as promise this will never happen again. You can PM me for shipping information.


Just Kidding

 

[Buildermike]

I'm concerned about that guitar budget contraction.

Just saying

 

[László]

I'm concerned about that guitar budget contraction.

Just saying

It's like any other addiction, you wind up spending too much on it!

 

[bodia]

Bah....do what you enjoy! You’ve earned it.

 

[László]

Bah....do what you enjoy! You’ve earned it.

Except...guitars pay their own way in my work. Orchestral music, not so much. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I love writing this stuff. Trouble is, I have a hard time wanting to write in other styles unless there's a purchase order attached.

This has gone beyond the fling stage.

I've changed my personal website and added a page just for orchestral work. While I was working on it, I realized what I've done to myself over the past year with this addiction!

Uh oh. Soon I'll be wearing white tie and tails just to go into the studio to 'conduct'.

 

[CandidPicker]

Les,

You're gonna need more hard drive space if you keep this up. Compare that with the space that a guitar takes up. You do the math.

 

[László]

Les,

You're gonna need more hard drive space if you keep this up. Compare that with the space that a guitar takes up. You do the math.

Haha!

I've got 5 terabytes of fast (2800 mb/sec) SSD space filled up with orchestral libraries, though I do leave some space empty because I'm told it's a good idea to leave about 10-20% free. Oh, I'll get more SSDs....

 

[László]

You are going to have to surrender your most expensive PRS to me as an act of attrition and as promise this will never happen again. You can PM me for shipping information.

You know, I was just starting to pack them up to ship them out, when my wife asked me what I was doing.

"I'm shipping these out to a pal on the PRS Forum because I'm not using them enough, so I'm shipping them as a sacrifice to prove my contrition," I told her.

"You don't even have any guitar shipping boxes any more, you idiot. You got rid of the ones you have to prevent yourself from selling and shipping any guitars out."

"I forgot that I threw them all out for that very reason. Maybe my friend has his own boxes he could send me."

"You also told me as recently as last fall to shoot you if you ever let go of another guitar," she responded. "I'm ready."

"But will you pull the trigger," I replied?

"I'll call my dad."

[CLICK Bang, what a hang, your daddy just shot poor me. -- Jimi Hendrix, "Wait Until Tomorrow," 1967]

 

[Wakester]

You know, I was just starting to pack them up to ship them out, when my wife asked me what I was doing.

"I'm shipping these out to a pal on the PRS Forum because I'm not using them enough, so I'm shipping them as a sacrifice to prove my contrition," I told her.

"You don't even have any guitar shipping boxes any more, you idiot. You got rid of the ones you have to prevent yourself from selling and shipping any guitars out."

"I forgot that I threw them all out for that very reason. Maybe my friend has his own boxes he could send me."

"You also told me as recently as last fall to shoot you if you ever let go of another guitar," she responded. "I'm ready."

"But will you pull the trigger," I replied?

"I'll call my dad."

[CLICK Bang, what a hang, your daddy just shot poor me. -- Jimi Hendrix, "Wait Until Tomorrow," 1967]

Nope, I don't have any boxes either. I burned all of mine when I found out how flammable they are. Plus my wife wouldn't hesitate to shoot me if I got another guitar.

Then there is the problem of being a cast for the next 4 weeks. So, if i survived the point blank 12 gauge birdshot to the groin, i still cant play any more than you.

Lets just call it even. You keep the guitars and I'll keep whats left of my body parts. Its all good by me.

 

[aphantomvaper]

I'll help you out and make the drive, no boxes needed

 

[gush]

Except...guitars pay their own way in my work. Orchestral music, not so much. Not that I'm complaining, mind you. I love writing this stuff. Trouble is, I have a hard time wanting to write in other styles unless there's a purchase order attached.

This has gone beyond the fling stage.

I've changed my personal website and added a page just for orchestral work. While I was working on it, I realized what I've done to myself over the past year with this addiction!

Uh oh. Soon I'll be wearing white tie and tails just to go into the studio to 'conduct'.

Well maybe you'll attract more of that kind of business?????

How bad would that be??? Steer your business in a direction you love???
W
I
N

 

[László]

Nope, I don't have any boxes either. I burned all of mine when I found out how flammable they are. Plus my wife wouldn't hesitate to shoot me if I got another guitar.

Then there is the problem of being a cast for the next 4 weeks. So, if i survived the point blank 12 gauge birdshot to the groin, i still cant play any more than you.

Lets just call it even. You keep the guitars and I'll keep whats left of my body parts. Its all good by me.

Deal!

 

[László]

Well maybe you'll attract more of that kind of business?????

How bad would that be??? Steer your business in a direction you love???
W
I
N

A positive thinker! I like that!

 

[Davey]

You know, I was just starting to pack them up to ship them out, when my wife asked me what I was doing.

"I'm shipping these out to a pal on the PRS Forum because I'm not using them enough, so I'm shipping them as a sacrifice to prove my contrition," I told her.

"You don't even have any guitar shipping boxes any more, you idiot. You got rid of the ones you have to prevent yourself from selling and shipping any guitars out."

"I forgot that I threw them all out for that very reason. Maybe my friend has his own boxes he could send me."

"You also told me as recently as last fall to shoot you if you ever let go of another guitar," she responded. "I'm ready."

"But will you pull the trigger," I replied?

"I'll call my dad."

[CLICK Bang, what a hang, your daddy just shot poor me. -- Jimi Hendrix, "Wait Until Tomorrow," 1967]

Love it!
You crack me up
I think you should do whatever makes you happy. Do what you value in life!
I have listened to some of your orchestral compositions and I could see some of those end up in a movie or commercial soundtrack. For real. Keep at it.

 

[EdSevered]

I’ve got git boxes. How about for every two I send you, you fill one and send it back. I’ll pay shipping.

 

[Tony M.]

Hey Les,
I remember A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to the Forum.
In fact, I engineered a run of it for a Local theatre company about 12 years ago.
Body pacs for wireless mics and togas do not go well together...

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I’m surprised that none of your clients haven’t used your orchestral pieces, or at least commissioned you to pen a composition.

I know that you’ve said before that you’re not correctly located for film scores. But in this day and age (also pandemic controlled) of internet communication, surely your expertise deserves to be untilised.

Heck, I’d watch a film that you wrote the music for, even if it did have Mila Kunis in it!

 

[goat-n-gitter]

I totally get enjoying composing orchestral music. You really get to explore harmony and counterpoint in ways that are difficult with popular guitar-oriented styles. Being as good of a keyboard player as you are makes it all the more so, as you have the technique to do it more fluently. Heck, I suck at keyboards, but I have had a lot of fun sequencing string section parts on some of my music.

 

[László]

I have listened to some of your orchestral compositions and I could see some of those end up in a movie or commercial soundtrack. For real. Keep at it.

Thanks!

I have scored some TV and documentaries using orchestral compositions, but it was a long time ago. Oddly enough, now that I'm better at it, there's very little demand for the orchestral styles involved. I've done a handful of commercials using orchestra. But clients haven't seemed to want that in a long time, either. Last one I did was a Western ad for Pontiac, who probably went out of business because they used orchestral music in an ad.

Films that get made around here (Detroit) usually have budgets more suited to student composers. I don't want to work under a terrible budget. So I do commercials, it's a better gig for me; budgets are good, and there are royalties. The film money stuff is in LA.