Orchestration book?

I'm really hoping to hone up on my arranging/orchestrating skills and I was wondering if any you had any ideas for good books to take a peek at. I've worked a little bit out of some of the "Idiots Guide to..." series because they've been easy to find locally, but I was maybe thinking of trying to track down some college level texts or a tried and true "system."

Garritan has PRINCIPLES OF ORCHESTRATION by Rimsky-Korsakov available free online:

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=77

Worth a look.

The textbook I studied from was:

Cecil Forsyth's ORCHESTRATION, from Dover Books, copyright renewed in 1982.

One does well also to read Nelson Riddle's book on arranging, called ARRANGED BY NELSON RIDDLE. While not nearly as in depth as the Forsyth, it has some ideas which come from the world of jazz and big band.

+1, Some versions of the book come with a CD so make sure you get that.

And of course, just sitting down with a Brahms or Beethoven symphony and listening and following along with help out.

Rimsky K was a master as well....

Yes, Stravinsky cited R-K as an influence for his own orchestral approach. I agree with buying scores and following along. I sometimes do the legwork of actually entering all the notes from select passages into my own orchestral templates to further burn the process into my brain (and to hear how my sample library fares).

In addition to Beethoven and Brahms, for a more modern approach, consider Richard Strauss and Maurice Ravel, both considered masterful orchestrators. Check out Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra (think 2001: A Space Odyssey) and Till Eulenspiegel's Merry Pranks (Warner Bros. cartoons), and Ravel's wild and thrilling La Valse. They're a little shorter than a Brahms symphony, too!

R-K is one of my favorite composers, and his book is really great. Plus, getting it online for free can't be beat. The Cecil Forsyth book is excellent also.

Nevertheless, the book I'd recommend is "The Study of Orchestration" by Samuel Adler.

However, to get the most out of the book, you really need the accompanying CD set which costs even more than the book itself. With the book and the CD set, it is the next best thing to having real players. The CDs include a bunch of videos showing people playing the instruments. Unless you have access to orchestral musicians, you need something like this.

As with anything in music, the more resources you have, the better. Go to some concerts, study scores, and get at least a couple good books.

Once you're actually writing music, I'd suggest having an Essential Dictionary of Orchestration on your desk. It is a real time saver when you can't remember the lowest note of a bassoon or where the tricky register on a clarinet is.

All books mentioned above are good.

Here is more:

Very useful book if you're going to use a computer.

Good one, too.

Thanks for the suggestions, gents. The MIDI Orchestration ones look especially helpful because it will be primarily for scoring needs and arranging for students, etc.

and get one book about instrumentation too

while your at it

"Jazz Composition and Orchestration" William Russo

"Russo has undertaken an ambitious project, attempting to discuss together the elements of music that are commonly treated separately in books on harmony, counterpoint, and orchestration. As such, his new book contains enough musical instruction to be of interest even to students not particularly interested in 'jazz' or Russo's own musical idiom.

If you try to score for MIDI instruments without first having a good handle on how to score for real instruments, you'll be unlikely to be satisfied with your work.

I have some rudimentary knowledge... definitely enough to be reckless. I'm familiar with the majority of the instrument ranges, different articulations, etc. and I'm very comfortable with the theory and harmony aspects. I just want a more thorough understanding and comfort level than what I have now.