fororchestra:
Journey ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ For Orchestra by Walt Ribeiro
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“Don’t Stop Believin”
Of all the songs I’ve heard in my life, Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin” was one that I just couldn’t wait any longer to arrange for orchestra.
This arrangement took a lot of different turns. I originally had the xylaphones performing the opening chord progression, which the piano plays in the original, but then settled on having the strings perform it. I also wanted the strings to breathe, and sway more throughout the piece as opposed to my previous arrangements.
I believe a big part of the success of this piece is the drums. Not only the drum rhythm, but leaving out the drums for the first minute. It’s similar to how I feel about the drums in the Kings Of Leon song. It’s all about building suspense and not throwing everything at the listener all at once.
The wind section also plays a big part in this arrangement, as I have them perform the verse before the last chorus. Overall, I’m thrilled with the ending.
Formed in 1973, Journey released this song in 1981 on their CD Escape, and it went on to broaden their fanbase explosively – having even become the most downloaded song on iTunes.
The lyircs are beautiful, because it’s always important to remember in the tough times to keep on going. And the band name is quite fitting, because I always say that life is all about the Journey from adventure to adventure.
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p>You just have to keep your head up high. And that’s worth believing.
This brightened my day so much.