Orchestral to Concert
I've always wanted to write a concert band transcription of Dmitri Shostakovich's Second Waltz. A video of it can be found here: https://youtu.be/mmCnQDUSO4I
Notice I said concert band. My school doesn't have an Orchestral band with strings and the sort. I asked my band director on what to substitute the strings with, and she recommended I use flutes and clarinets for the violas and violins, and other low brass instruments for the lower strings. However, the are also already existing flute parts in the Waltz. Do I just double the amount of flutes to achieve both sounds? Also, some instruments in my concert band aren't found in orchestral settings, like Bari Saxophones and Bass Clarinets (as far as I've seen. The Waltz has a Sax solo in it, however). I haven't tried writing yet in fear of the possibility the transcription is impossible. Help is appreciated!
Comments
Have a look into the field "search for sheet music". Meanwhile there a lot of transcriptions for the "Waltz number two" to get inspirations. It would be helpful if you could exactly tell all instruments they exist in your concert band.
I don't recommend something as simple as "add another flute part and give them Violin I." It will come out well some of the time, and not well some of the rest of the time. You're going to want to shuffle around, handing out pieces of the missing parts to different instruments as appropriate—so some of the time, it will be trumpets playing Violin I. Use your judgment. It's not a simple job, but it's certainly possible.