Oh yeah, lots of drummers used drum machines in interesting ways.

>recall reading a story about very early rhythm machines that were made to accompany live musicians and I think there was talk of placing a tariff on such items with the proceeds going to support union musicians.

And then you had guys like Phil Collins who saw increased success after figuring out "I can use these drum machines for their weird sounds and computerized precision while I simultaneously keep physically druming."

Also the orchestra can play an arrangement that is more suited to a live play through.

I saw Powaqqatsi performed live once. It was pretty awesome.

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That must have sucked for the musicians, but I can say with certainty that for most of my life, I wouldn't have been able to afford going to the movie theater if there were live music.

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The one I went to was the Oregon Symphony Orchestra playing Star Wars to the movie.

Excellent point! I remember it went back decades. Just didn't know it went back that long. Thanks!

You’re right that every profession has its challenges. But every profession also has its give and take. Tax accountants might be really busy and not have a lot of rest from February-April (in the US), but the rest of the year may be a little calmer.

I’m not saying that every concert should be easy, but that as music has progressed through history, so have the demands placed on players. Mozart wrote some great music, but I wouldn’t call most of what he wrote “heavy” repertoire. It’s definitely difficult, and takes a lot of skill to play, but at least personally, I don’t have to rely on raw strength to play Mozart in the same way that I do when I play something like Mahler.

To give a specific example of how a movie might be different than a symphony or an opera: a few years ago we played the soundtrack to Home Alone. The beginning of the movie has some orchestral moments, but also plenty of rests. It’s not that difficult for most of the movie. As the movie progresses and gets into the finale where Kevin defends his home with all the booby traps the score gets more and more difficult, with less and less rest, and more constant playing. The end of Home Alone is basically 20-30 minutes of nonstop playing and barely a moment to catch your breath. This is the part of the movie that is really difficult for players.

In an opera or a symphony, composers could write the exact same amount of notes and rests for the orchestra, but they’d be more likely to be spaced out over the course of the entire evening, and not all crammed into one huge stretch of hardly any rest.

Thanks for being kind and explaining that you didn’t mean to offend. I appreciate that! This is just my own experience. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so if you don’t personally find playing a movie score any harder than playing an opera, more power to you!

Oh I agree. I know someone who went from classically trained vocalist in musical theater in college, to national musical theater touring star, to Broadway star, to one of the top agents for TV, Hollywood, and Broadway. If I could tell you who he reps, you'd be amazed.

He has always had super professional performing chops. He told me once that the biggest weakness singing performers have now, as recording artists or in musical theater, is most of them have never been trained classically as vocalists with a voice teacher so they cannot hold notes out for any decent length of time in tune. They never learned to breath correctly while singing or using their ears, nose, throat, respiratory system, and diaphragm correctly. Most of the top performers have been well-trained BTW.

So they learned to compensate with vocal ornamentation so they don't have to. I've seen that SO many times and as a musician, it always irks me when performers overdo vocal ornamentation. Same feeling I get when I hear Kenny G on saxophone. Ugghh...

I saw the original star wars trilogy with a live orchestra. It was pretty cool.

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You're living up to your username and I appreciate it.

PS: i didnt mean to disrespect you or your profession. I’m a musician myself. Sorry if i offended you.

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Soundtracks like star wars, LOTR, harry potter (which are the only ones i’ve seen being played around my area) are very much like classical composed pieces of music. There is absolutely rests built into those soundtracks. Not every single instrument is playing 100% of the time.

I kinda see what your point is, but I dont feel like it’s somehow impossible or ruthless for professional musicians to pull something like that off. Sure, it’s challenging, but so are many other professions.

Hey, thanks, /u/PubeSmoker69 for explaining to me how I know nothing about the field that I work in! I mentioned in another comment about some of the differences between music written to be recorded in a studio and music written to be played live. But to reiterate: one of the biggest differences between a movie score and an opera is usually the amount of rests built in to each individual part. Composers writing for live orchestra know that players need rests from time to time, so they’ll have the violins sit out for 32 bars while the woodwinds play a bit.

Intermission is great for taking a break, and of course, movies and operas can both have them, but you still need the little “micro breaks” within the playing portion of a concert to let your body rest and get ready for the next big passage.

I’m not saying ALL movies are scored that way, but that sometimes movie composers don’t build in the same amount of small rests that a concert composer may, and it definitely makes our jobs more challenging.

No, nothing specific. But balancing the orchestra is one of the things we spend the most time on for live concerts, and it’s something that you don’t really have to worry about as much (but still should be considered) when doing studio work. So it was just an example I thought of that comes up from time to time.

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This comment makes no sense. Professional musicians do long and complicated concerts all the time. Operas for example. Idk what your point even is.

They also take breaks for these orchestra screenings if the films are long. I went to a LOTR one and there were two breaks.

People will never change their mind on things that affect their livelihoods. Even if it makes the planet better/progresses humanity, it'll put them out of a job they're used too/rely on, so change = bad

This is basically the opposite of the argument that the "record" companies make today.
When the big music companies get up in arms about music piracy, it's not often acknowledged that being paid multiple times for one performance wasn't always a thing. It's only been a thing for a hundred years or so.
I have long suspected that sometime in the early parts of the 1900s, someone must have written something about it. i suspected i would find it in the letters to the editor of some scanned newspaper, but finding that there was a whole movement about it really confirms it for me.
New rabbit hole to explore, now that i know the name i am looking for.