Tips for full band arranging

Music 675

Rule #1•Think like a player!!!

•Consider what they physically have to do to play what you have written.

•It is helpful to have fingering charts available

•Think about things like dexterity, control, tone color, register, endurance, AIR!!

My Process...• 1. Pick a quality piece that could translate well to

band.

• 2. Find or Create good source material for that piece.

• 3. Analyze Harmony and Form

• 4. From the analysis, I figure out the form of my arrangement and the key it needs to be in. Remember - Band friendly keys are Bb, Eb, Ab, F, and sometimes Db, C, D, G. The ‘less friendly’ keys are probably Ok as long as you have the majority of your piece in a more friendly key.

My Process...• 5. Sketch out the piece in Sibelius/Finale. I use

an SATB set-up. I then add a soprano solo line, an alto solo line, and a baritone solo line to highlight different important voices in each register.

• 6. Put articulations and markings in the part.

• 7. Print out sketch, edit, and assign instrument colors and orchestration to each line. Be specific (ex. trpt 2, Clar. 3&4, Horn 2)

• 8. Set up your score in a new Sibelius/Finale document.

My Process...• 9. Drag/Copy/Paste/Rewrite from the sketch file

into the full score. Make sure you are copying into a transposed score. Please watch ranges, fingerings, air, ease of playing. Make adjustments to accommodate instruments.

• 10. After dragging and editing, make sure you double check harmonic usage and voice leading.

• 11. Enter in all expressive markings. Double check tempo and articulations as well.

• 12. Play back multiple times and make sure it sounds good. Fix and edit as needed.

My Process...

•12. Check every single part for accuracy, spacing and layout.

•13. Make sure score looks exactly how you want it and make adjustments in orientation and document layout as needed.

•14. Print and Triple Check the Parts!

Tips for Full Band Arranging - tutti

• Picc can double top flute part... focus on rhythmic and rest in more lyrical.

• Flute doubles melody or top voice. In upper register, split parts. In lower register... unison.

• 1st clarinet generally plays melody with 2nds and 3rds in harmony directly below

• Bassoon is great for Bass Line or lower harmony parts.

• Bass Clarinet will play Bass Line

• Saxophones fill in between the Bb Clarinets and low woodwinds.

Tips for Full Band Arranging - tutti

•1st trumpet will play melody with 2nd and 3rds filling in harmony directly below.

•Horns are the harmonic and range link between trumpets and trombones

•Euphonium is flexible - can double bass line, support lower trombones, or play inner moving lines.

•Tuba plays the bass line.

Colors•Always think characteristics and colors of

the instruments you are writing.

•Once again: Think like a player!

•Contrast and Vary! Band is capable of so many colors. Tutti is ok... but not great...

•Brass can support woodwinds. Which woodwinds can support brass?

•Color shifts must be smooth and make sense

Polyphony•Bottom line: CLARITY!!!

•Make sure texture doesn’t become too thick in places where you need the music and the texture to be nimble.

•Clarity of entrances

•Manipulate tone color, articulations, and ranges for clarity

•Check out Erickson - pages 113 - 120