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Orchestral Kitchen

6 sessions · Tuesdays, Thursdays · 2hr each

Cheesy strings ends here

Great orchestral libraries won’t save poor programming. The best sample libraries in the world sound terrible when played like a keyboard — because orchestral instruments don’t behave like keyboards. This course teaches you how the orchestra actually works, and how to translate that knowledge into realistic, expressive productions.

12 chapters of ground covered

The orchestral template — setting up a session that mirrors how an orchestra is organized
Reading the orchestra — understanding the score, the sections, and how they interact
Writing for strings — voice leading, articulations, divisi, and the techniques that make string parts sound performed rather than programmed
Programming strings — translating written parts into MIDI that sounds real. Velocity, expression, legato transitions
Writing for woodwinds and brass — range, doubling, section writing, and the characteristics that define each instrument family
Programming woodwinds and brass — articulation keyswitches, dynamics, and expression mapping. The MIDI side of making wind and brass patches respond like instruments
Percussion and the full score — orchestral percussion writing, and assembling a full orchestral arrangement
Orchestral mixing — reverb, spatial positioning, balancing sections, and making sample-based orchestral productions sound like they were recorded in a real space

Prerequisites: DAW Core Skills or equivalent. Music Theory is helpful but not required.

May 4, 2027 – May 20, 2027

Tuesdays, Thursdays, 4 PM Pacific | 7 PM Eastern | 12 AM UK

6 × 2hr classes

$335.00

I'm a current resident $250.00

Price includes 1 month BKS Residency

What's a residency?

Residency is your Beat Kitchen membership —$85/mo or $700/yr. It includes office hours, gyms, beat challenges, and a community of producers on Discord.

Non-residents can take any class — residency months are bundled into the price. If you're already a resident, check the box above and you'll see the lower class-only price.

Learn more about residency →

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What students say

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Nathan was extremely helpful in helping better understand the basics of harmony and music theory. The instruction style is small group and having the ability to communicate and not just listen to a lecture makes the learning process more

—Ira, Los Angeles, CA

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Took a lesson over music theory and learned a lot in a short amount of time! Amazing teacher and lots of great information!

—J4de

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I studied with a couple of these teachers before they started this school. They were really inspiring and knew exactly how to help me push my music production skills to the next level. It’s great that they are starting this music community!

—Caleb, Detroit, MI

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Had an Awesome class about Music Theory! It was short but sweet! Being only a music enthusiast and curious on what the class has to offer, Nathan (Instructor) was able to explain it so well and had me captivated on what it is all about. Pretty sure I’ll be attending more classes and just expand my knowledge for sure! -Timothy

—Timmy, San Francisco, CA

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Lots of foundational and important information happens in this class. For producers this class is a MUST, for artists its a PRIORITY and for theorists its a MOST DEFINITELY. You will leave the class with something no matter how skilled of a

—ivan, New York, NY

Explore Classes

Office Hours Weekly. Ask questions, get help, and connect. Included with residency. Production Gym Weekly. Production breakdown of your favorite songs. Included with residency. Theory Gym Weekly. Morning music theory workout. Included with residency. Ear Training Weekly. Test your ears and discuss — music, mixing, and more. Included with residency. Instrument Gym Weekly. Practice and workout on instruments. Included with residency. Weekly Beat Review Weekly. Listen to Beat Challenge song ideas together. Included with residency.

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Beat Kitchen At-A-Glance

Beat Ktichen Calendar

See the full calendar
Recent Resident Gyms
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: We did two different types of finger dexterity exercises that work for both bass and guitar, and talked about how to structure daily practice sessions- even if it means breaking the practice into two chunks. We talked about improvisation, and muscle memory, and did some practice drills of "not looking" at the instrument. Finally we closed with a G pentatonic scale, and talked about how to make practicing scales more interesting to open it up to writing and playing in a more intuitive way.
- THEORY-GYM: Covered tritone substitution — what it is, when to use it, and how to hear it in a ii-V-I-IV context. Also worked through a question about half-step intervals and when they're problematic versus idiomatic depending on chord function. Spent extended time reviewing a student's original singer-songwriter piece, with feedback focused on piano pedaling technique, rhythmic intentionality, and harmonic ambiguity around an A-flat chord center.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed submitted beats from several community members this morning, focusing on harmonic choices in minor-key compositions. Along the way, we got into a substantive discussion about how minor scales work in practice — why treating "minor" as a single binary category is limiting, and how chord function and tonal center are more useful frames than scale labels. We also covered inharmonicity as an acoustic phenomenon, talked through DAW workflow for free-tempo recording, and discussed the value of quantity-over-quality as a creative practice.
- OFFICE HOURS: we talked about drum machines, listened to some student songs and discussed sound treatment
- PRODUCTION-GYM: We shared a production breakdown of The Doors "People Are Strange'. We talked about instrumentation, arrangement, structure, and production techniques- panning- close miking- even the choice of musicians and how that can change a recording. We also spent some time contrasting the Echo and The Bunnymen cover of the same song, to see how 1967 sounded agains 1988! We noted production and structural changes, as well as changes to the arrangement and parts.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: Single strokes, double strokes, paradiddles and sung vs straight feels.
- OFFICE HOURS: we talked about re-creating songs as a production exercise, some mixing ideas and mixing tips, and communicating with others in the music business.
- EAR-TRAINING-GYM: We explored ear training through deep listening to a single contemporary R&B track, using it as a lens for examining background vocals as independent instruments, arrangement and layering strategy, mix placement and reverb use, vocal delivery and articulation, and song form. The session was open dialogue throughout — students brought their own observations and we used them to go deeper into production craft, melody writing over static harmony, and how a song's emotional arc can be built through stacking and restraint rather than harmonic movement.
- OFFICE HOURS: So many audio questions today. alot about recording and mixing with busses
- OFFICE HOURS: We welcomed a new resident, Hind, who shared a compelling a cappella vocal work-in-progress featuring layered harmonies and an unconventional phrase structure (alternating bars of three, four, and five). The session became a wide-ranging conversation about developing a production ear — listening deeply to music you love, building shared vocabulary with collaborators, and honoring the raw energy of first ideas. We also touched on the unique perspective drummers bring to production, and how to communicate effectively with musicians when your vocabulary is still developing.
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Resident Events
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  Apr. 30, 5am (PT) | 8am (ET) | 1pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Jam Phelps
  Apr. 30, 2pm (PT) | 5pm (ET) | 10pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Nathan
  Apr. 30, 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
- Office Hours: Cinnamontal
  May. 03, 1pm (PT) | 4pm (ET) | 9pm (UK)
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  May. 04, 7am (PT) | 10am (ET) | 3pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Nathan
  May. 04, 9am (PT) | 12pm (ET) | 5pm (UK)
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Apr 19, 2026 Theory: Musician Basics
- Apr 22, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Apr 27, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Apr 27, 2026 FL Studio
- May 23, 2026 Logic Pro 1-Day Intensive
- Jun 10, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 8, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 12, 2026 DAW Core Skills
See All Courses
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