Study Hall

In the Study Hall you'll find an MP3 audio lecture and transcript giving an intro lesson about divisi writing for strings. Below that is a free 4-part video LASS Class series for owners of Audiobro's L.A. Scoring Strings library, which users of other string libraries may also find useful. Then you'll find an archive of selected articles and reviews previously published at the now closed Sonic Control website.

WHAT THE HECK IS DIVISI AND IS IT CONTAGIOUS?

Taught by Peter Lawrence Alexander, in this free 10-minute audio lecture with downloadable PDF transcript you'll learn what string divisi is, how it's created, and how it applies to the string sample libraries offering it as a feature:

MP3 Audio Lecture - What The Heck Is String Divisi?

PDF Transcript - What The Heck Is String Divisi?

LASS CLASS

These four free teaching videos were developed by Peter Lawrence Alexander for the initial Version 1 release of Audiobro's L.A. Scoring Strings (LASS) at a time when we were an authorized dealer for LASS (which is now only sold direct from Audiobro). Even though LASS version 1 has been superseded by further releases, these videos have been kept available for the useful information they contain.

Click the links below to watch the videos at the ProOrchestration YouTube channel.

YouTube Video: LASS Class #1 - Overview
LASS Class Video #1 Update: The LASS Class Scoring Bundle mentioned in the first video is no longer available and is not something you need for these free videos. For those interested, the Bundle contained the book Professional Orchestration Vol. 2A: Orchestrating the Melody Within the String Section, and the Spectrotone Instrumental Tone-Color Chart. Both titles are still available from this website in the Orchestration category. The LASS Class forum has also now closed.

YouTube Video: LASS Class #2 - String Ensemble Sizes
LASS Class Video #2 Update: The Appalachian Spring Combo Package is no longer available, but the original ballet version scored for 13 instruments and the full orchestral ballet version of Appalachian Spring are both still published by Boosey and Hawkes.

According to Aaron Copland, at the discretion of the conductor, the string section can be expanded to 8-8-4-4-2. With LASS, you can create a string ensemble of 8-8-6-4-2. With EastWest's Hollywood Strings, you can create a string ensemble of 7-6-4-4-3. Nearly perfect with either library! Now add in flute, clarinet, bassoon, and piano, and you're set!

YouTube Video: LASS Class #3 - Creating Smaller "Color" Ensembles

YouTube Video: LASS Class #4 - Building a Woodwinds Template

SONIC CONTROL ARTICLES ARCHIVE

The Sonic Control website was originally founded in 1998 by Ryan L. Miglierina, a talented and enterprising young composer, musician, and student of Mount Royal University in Alberta, Canada. Sonic Control was an online webzine for musicians, composers, songwriters, recording and production enthusiasts, whose purpose was to bring the exciting world of music technology and related issues to the everyday user with simple, easy-to-understand articles and reviews. Peter Alexander was asked to take over the Sonic Control website after Ryan tragically lost his life in a car accident at the tender age of 24.

Between 2004 - 2014 Sonic Control was maintained by Alexander University, Inc. owner, Peter Lawrence Alexander, an award winning journalist for Film Music Magazine and graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston. Peter studied counterpoint with Dr. Hugo Norden at Boston University, and orchestration in Hollywood with Dr. Albert Harris, Jack Smalley, and Arthur Morton (Jerry Goldsmith's orchestrator). A prolific music educator for more than 30 years, Peter's orchestration and harmony books (available here at AlexanderPublishing.com) have been endorsed by winners of the Academy^®, Grammy^®, Emmy^®, BAFTA^®, G.A.N.G., Telly^® and Ava Gold^® Awards. Most of the articles and reviews found at the Sonic Control website were written by Peter Lawrence Alexander, who had a tireless passion for music education and seeing young composers properly equipped to pursue their careers. Peter tragically passed away very suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2015, at which point the Sonic Control website was forced to close its doors.

Below, you will find a selection of the articles and reviews posted at the Sonic Control website between 2008 (when the site underwent a major overhaul) and 2014, all lovingly preserved in PDF format for your private study use. Just click on the links below to open the PDF documents.

Study Hall

WHAT THE HECK IS DIVISI AND IS IT CONTAGIOUS?

LASS CLASS

SONIC CONTROL ARTICLES ARCHIVE

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