The Writer's Corner

Hi everyone,

Something that doesn’t get talked about enough (but is incredibly crucial to the success of how your music is performed) is how the individual parts are laid out for the players to read. I’ve uploaded several examples of various instrumental parts for you to use as models (you might even recognize the titles big. I like to think about creating individual parts as though every situation is going to be a “sight reading” situation because there is really never enough time to rehearse and teach a player their part. To this end, I make sure the part is very legible in the following ways:

First, print out the pdf’s I’ve uploaded on 8.5 X 11 inch paper (or something close because what you see on the computer screen is normally not what you REALLY see when printed). Then, when looking at the newly printed pages, note the following:

• Generally 3-5 measures on a line works well. If you have an 8 measure section (extremely common), then I would use 4 on each system. Generally, think of it this way – beginnings of sections start on the far left (like a paragraph of text), and end on the far right. As much as possible, place double bar lines on the far right as well.

• Rehearsal numbers, placed at the beginning of each section, can be the measure number that starts that particular section. Although you could use consecutive letters instead (A, B, C, D etc), when using computers to record with live musicians the measure numbers are consistent between the computer and the live player (computers don’t read letters).

• Measure numbers are easily placed below the clef at the beginning of each system. If you place measure numbers below each measure, the numbers easily collide with ties, notes and other dynamic information.

• I find that a percentage of 100 (% tool in Finale, then click on the upper left side of the page) with respect to the size of the image is a bit large when printed, so I reduce it down to about 94% or 95%. This also allows a little more space on the page. Be sure that the “hold margins” option is checked or else the image will shrink within the page.

• Lastly, when lyrics are involved (a vocal part), it might be necessary to have only 2-3 measures on a system because the lyrics do take up space. The bigger the syllable or word, the more space that is needed.

• All pages should be taped edge to edge with an individual part – not overlapped. Tape both the front and back of the page to avoid pages sticking together.

ALWAYS AVOID the idea that if you put more measures on a page it will save page turns (and you’ll be doing something “green” by saving paper). True, it DOES do that. But, if the player has a hard time reading the notes it won’t matter how many pages of paper you saved because it will sound terrible due to difficulty in reading. The player is reading from roughly three feet in front of their eyes in most cases (and shouldn’t have to be closer), so they need it to be large enough to read it.

If you ever have questions about this in the future, feel free to e-mail me anytime. Also, there is a great guide to score and part layout in the Berkleemusic Bookstore called, “Music Notation: Preparing Scores and Parts” by Matthew Nicholl and Richard Grudzinski – it’s a great resource for for this unheralded, but extremely important part of the writing process.

I hope this helps!

Jerry

Harp_Memory_Cb
Innocent_Wonder_Piano_Rev
Innocent_Wonder_Tpt
Soprano_Sax
Violin_2

Hi everyone, I hope you are enjoying the exploration!

In previous posts I’ve presented a couple of different techniques for putting together an ordered 12-pitch series of notes (also known as a “row”), using your name or any other group of letters that are important to you. I also presented a technique to restrict the notes you compose with to a scale of your choice (Diatonic Restriction). This resulted in composing with seven notes and putting the other five aside.

Now lets go further and include the other five notes as well as the previously restricted seven notes. The pdf below describes the technique. If you are new to this blog you might want to go back and work through the previous two posts first.

Adding The Remaining Five Notes

The audio for the examples in the pdf can be found at:

classes.berklee.edu/jgates/CW255

The examples are listed as Ch. 3 Ex 2.mp3 etc. If you have any questions, certainly feel free to ask.

Enjoy, there’s more to come!

Jerry

Hi everyone,

In the last post I mentioned that creating your personal row was a way to simply generate some notes, in a given order, to work with. In the pdf below I’ve outlined an easy way to extract notes from the initial row to get a simple, but no less useful, phrase. The process is called, Diatonic Restriction. Simply put, you decide what key area you want to work with (normally seven notes) and put the other five pitches to the side – for now (7 + 5 = 12). We’ll get back to those remaining five soon

The audio can be found at:
classes.berklee.edu/jgates/CW255

The examples are listed as Ch. 2 Ex 2 etc.

Diatonic Restriction

If you come up with a short phrase or melody you want me to look at, certainly feel free to send it my way. Most of all, have FUN!

Hi everyone,

For awhile I lived in Los Angeles and was very fortunate to study with the likes of Jack Smalley, Allyn Ferguson and Dick Grove. Jack introduced me to a system of composition called “12-tone” in which all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale are available to create melodies and harmony (as opposed to the normal seven note scales). Although composer Arnold Schoenberg is credited with inventing this technique in the early 1920’s, Smalley investigated ways to use it in a much broader way. Below is a pdf file that illustrates the beginnings of this technique.

Creating Your Personal Row

The first thing that needs to be created is a source (and order) of notes to work with. This is commonly called a “row.” The pdf above walks you through two different ways to achieve this. In subsequent weeks I will show you how we can make your row sound very diatonic. In the meantime, let me know what you think. Any feedback is welcome.

Hi everyone,

There are times when writing music when we don’t want people “tapping their feet” to the music. We don’t want them to know where beat 1 is. “Why,” you might ask, “would we want to do that?” One reason is so that the music sounds more natural and human instead of the regimented feeling of a predictable beat occurrence. To feel like it was conducted instead of sounding like the players were following a click in their head phones. Another reason is to give the listener a “suspended” feeling so that they can’t anticipate what is coming next (or at least where it will be placed at least!). This is often done in film scores and dramatic writing in general. In my case, I used the idea of suspending the forward movement and dismissing the sense of where beat one occurs in an orchestration of a song I recently recorded.

The name of the piece is called, “Memory.” The song it came from was written by Chee Yih Lee. Now, one could simply conduct the section in question and while doing so use “rubato” (no steady time) and a lot of accellerandos and ritards to achieve this illusion. With the recording of “Memory” a very real problem presented itself though that is unfortunately all too common – not enough string players because of a limited budget. The way writers often get around the problem of “not enough strings” is to hire a small section and then record several “takes” or “passes” of them playing the same notes each time but on different audio tracks. In the mixing stage they are combined to get a fuller sound. So, in theory, if you have ten string players and record them three separate times playing the same exact material they will sound like thirty players, right? Not quite. Nothing can replicate the sound of thirty strings in the same room. BUT, it sounds far better than ten, that’s for sure. On with the story….

Since I only had ten strings (6 vln, 2 vla, 1 cello, 1 bass), I needed to record them three times for a fuller sound. Each “pass” or recording of those ten strings would have to be recorded with the same exact timing to be able to layer them on top of each other correctly. The problem is that you can’t conduct exactly the same way twice. This is where the click comes in. By using several meter changes, I was able to keep the listener from having a sense of where beat one occurs. Take a look at the pdf below to see how I laid out the measures in the intro.

Memory Intro

Note that the measures are staggered in this case between 4/4 and 5/4. The entrances happen in the same spots except for the last one. By the time the listener has a chance to get a sense of predictability, the last entrance occurs. This technique allowed me to place a specific, even click through the intro (easier to conduct) and yet it still feels natural – like the music is floating.

Another contributing factor to the sense of suspension/ floating is in the high pedal point, also known as a “wire.” This high pedal point also holds the energy in one place and keeps the music from moving forward to quickly. I’m sure you’ve heard this device used in films quite often – typically creating mysterious, or even scary, feelings in the listener.

Below is the full score for “Memory.” Feel free to post any questions or comments you have.

Memory Score Final

The audio can be found at:
www.reverbnation.com/jerrygates
or
www.myspace.com/compjgates

Additionally, there is a solo piano version that you can listen to to get a sense of where the basic song came from – very pretty.

Until next time,

Jerry

Hi everyone,

Thank you to those of you that alerted me that the links and downloads weren’t working. After a little investigating with the tech people involved with maintaining the site, I found out that the files attached to the posts did not migrate to a new version of the editing software that had been recently installed. The tech people said they were going to look at why this happened, but instead of waiting for an answer I re-uploaded the files. They all seem to be working.

The site is a little “clunky” in that when you click on a link, usually highlighted in red, it takes you to a “comments” page. If you click on the red link again, usually at the top of the page, you are then either taken to the audio file or the pdf is then downloaded.

Thank you for subscribing to the site. I’m hoping to put something new up this weekend as I just thought of a couple of ideas to present. If any of you have topics you would like me to explore/offer my thoughts (opinions!) on, please feel free to post them here or send them directly to my e-mail:

jgates@berklee.edu

Have a great weekend!

Jerry

Hi everyone – a belated happy holidays!

Here is a link to the mix for “Innocent Wonder,” written in part for my daughter Annette and performed/recorded live on 10/27/09 at the Berklee Performance Center here in Boston. If you know anything about live production, you know that concept of mixing tracks that were recorded live, is fraught with many perils and situations to try and get out of – like a video game! (if you can).

The audio can be found at:

www.myspace.com/compjgates
or
www.reverbnation.com/jerrygates

Here is the final score:

Innocent-Wonder-Final4

Happy holidays and may 2010 get off to a safe and enjoyable start!

Jerry

Hi everyone,

I have finally gotten the score completed – just in time too because the concert performance is Tuesday night (10/27). I’ve uploaded the score for you to look at. It is in concert pitch, which is my preference.

In particular I think it would be helpful if you download the lead sheet (several posts ago), the sketch (last post) and now the final score to see the progression of things. Most of the voicings and lines are the same between the sketch and score. The thing to observe is how I orchestrated them in the final version (which instruments are playing what notes).

The concert is being recorded and I will upload a mix as soon as I have it. If you have any questions, certainly post them or send them to:

jgates@berklee.edu or jerry@jerrygatesmusic.com

Until then,

Jerry

Innocent Wonder Final

Hi everyone,

Since my last post I have gotten a lot of work done – I can see the “light at the end of the tunnel!”

Below, I’ve uploaded a pdf of what my fairly complete sketch looks like for “Innocent Wonder.” Again, the idea is to work “small” and gradually add staves as you need them. In the case of this sketch I only have 5 staves and it could’ve been done on 4. When reviewing this sketch, please note the following:

• Form is indicated (verses, choruses, interludes, intros, endings solo sections etc)
• Measure numbers, double bar lines and rehearsal numbers/letters are included
• Chord symbols are included
• Specific instrumentation at any given point (to play melody, solos etc) is indicated
• Tempo, style & feel changes are indicated
• Articulation and dynamic information indicated (crescendos, volume etc)
• Specific notes/voicings are indicated where you have worked them out
• Background lines included

As I’ve mentioned before, for me, the sketching is the really difficult part. It is the point in the whole writing process where you have to really focus on arranging, composing additional foreground and background ideas, and to some extent orchestrating the piece. The more work you do at this stage, the less you have to do when you are fully scoring the arrangement (one staff per instrument) because most of what you will be doing is copying and pasting (or exploding) already worked out ideas to their appropriate staffs.

Let me know what you think of this process! The next step will be to develop the full score which for me will be in concert pitch. Until then,

Jerry

Reduced Sketch (v2)

Hi everyone,

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts it is always a good idea to have reasonably clear idea of where you want the music to go BEFORE you start writing lots and lots of notes. The more you know up front, the better your chances of having a clear, concise arrangement or composition. I firmly believe in “sketching” out your ideas before opening a score template and trying to fill up the pages. This way, you only have to look at 2-4 staffs at a time and you don’t get locked into a particular orchestration.

To this end, I have uploaded a pdf of my song “Innocent Wonder” as it currently stands. As you’ll see, it is in “sketch form” with no apparent orchestration. The song has been written, so now I have to arrange it. Some “construction oriented” questions to ask yourself:

• How long might my intro be?
• How long is each verse and how many shall I have? (double bar lines)
• Are there to be any solo sections? If so, how many, where should they be placed and how long should they be?
• After a solo section, how will I get back to the song? What part of the song will I re-enter at?
• Do I want a long drawn out ending or a short one? What material can I use for the ending? (and intro too).

I W Reduced Piano

IW Piano Sketch Sound

At this point I’ve figured out that I would like the piano to do a rubato introduction. The material for the intro will be the second half of the song. The form on this song is A-A-B-C, so that means the piano introduction will be comprised of the melody and harmony from the B & C section. The nice thing about this approach is that the harmony at the end of C leads directly to A, so it should be a pretty natural thing to do. I didn’t invent this approach as it is often heard in jazz standard “head arrangements.” In this case, an introduction could be the last 8 measures of the lead sheet which again leads directly to the beginning of the song. No creativity on my part, just applying the “craft.”

By looking at the pdf you can see that I’ve laid out a reasonable form of where things will go. There is still a lot of space to fill up but I feel really good knowing that a major part of the construction is out of the way – the foundation is pretty close to finished. I’ve still got to figure out who will play where, but that’s easy compared to writing the melody, chords and form.

I’ll be uploading more versions of this as it expands into the instrumentation I mentioned in my last post.

Until then, happy writing!

Jerry

Hi everyone!

In my last post I mentioned that I was considering the possibility of including a clarinet player on this song. And then as I thought about it some more, I decided I wanted to try and use a bass clarinet as well.

I contacted a couple of players I know and they both agreed to do the show! So now, the instrumentation is as follows:

1. Alto sax, soprano sax, flute
2. Tenor sax, soprano sax, flute
3. Clarinet
4. Baritone sax, bass clarinet
5. Trumpet, flugelhorn
6. Trombone

7. Acoustic Piano
8. Keyboard synth
9. Electric bass (4/5 string)
10. Guitar
11. Drums
12. Hand percussion
13. Drums

The band is certainly getting bigger! Note that the bass clarinet player also plays bari sax. This will be a big help later in the piece where I will place the biggest statement. The bari sax is at it’s best in it’s lowest octave – the sound can absolutely fill up a room a lot better than a bass clarinet. I’ll use the bass clarinet for color. There is about a week to the first rehearsal (10/5), so I’m not going to add anything else – I’ve got to “settle” for the instruments I’ve got!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program – the writing!

As I mentioned in my last post, I feel like I got a good chunk of ideas down on paper (well, actually into the computer) this past Wednesday. I worked up to what will be the first solo section (clarinet solo, I think). The beauty of getting that far is that a lot of ideas for background lines, fills, voicings etc will come in quite handy later in the piece. I’m a big believer in “recycling” ideas – either exactly the same as previously stated or with a small variation. In this way, one adds cohesiveness and consistency to the writing. After all, if Maurice Ravel can repeat an idea 17-18 times without the listener getting bored (“Bolero”), I think I can repeat something a few times as well. Keep in mind that in Ravel’s case, he kept changing the orchestration of the main melody as well as some other underlying rhythms in the percussion – I’ll do the same and hope for the best!

I’ll be posting some initial sketches soon. Until then, have a great weekend!

Jerry

Hi everyone, an update on “Innocent Wonder:”

Since I have now made the decision to go with an instrumental arrangement of this song, I need to determine how I want the song to flow and who will play melody (and when). I’ve been listening to a lot of Eddie Daniels lately (clarinet) and decided that this song would sound nice with a clarinet playing the melody. As I mentioned in my previous post, I also know that I’ve got other woodwinds in other parts of the group (on the alto and tenor chairs) to compliment that instrument. One problem – There is no one to play clarinet in this band (minor “details,” right?). I do I know someone though, I’ll check their schedule. While I’m at it, I know someone that plays baritone sax and bass clarinet – I think I’ll send them a note too.

Meanwhile, while I’m waiting for a response, I need to start putting together the arrangement in a “conceptual” view. In other words, I can make a lot of decisions about the song and how it will unfold by simply thinking seriously about it and putting my ideas down on paper (text) to keep a record of them. I’ve posted information about this in past writings so you can view more detail there, but I need to decide where the whole piece of music is going to go BEFORE I start writing the pitches, voicings, background lines, fills solos etc. It’s kind of like taking a trip – it’s a lot more organized to know where you’re going BEFORE you leave right? You don’t need to necessarily know where you are going to “eat” on the trip (this would represent pitches, voicings, background lines, fills solos etc.), but we do need to know where we’re going to sleep along the way and where we’re going to finally stop. You could call this the “contour” of your arrangement or as Berklee also calls it, your “routine” of the arrangement.

I expect to work on this during the day today, so stand by for an update!

Until then,

Jerry

Hi everyone,

I managed to get a good chunk of the arrangement worked through yesterday (Wednesday). The downside however is that I found out that the lyricist for the song will not be able to sing it at the show due to scheduling conflicts. With less than two weeks before the first rehearsal I’ve decided to arrange the song as an instrumental. This is mostly because I wanted that specific vocalist – not all lyricists are great singers, but this one is. I’ll record a version with the lyrics at another time.

So, at least I know that bit of information and can move on. I had a pretty good idea of what the instrumentation would be for this show, but now it is verified – it is:

1. Alto sax, soprano sax, flute
2. Tenor sax, soprano sax, flute
3. Trumpet, flugelhorn
4. Trombone

5. Acoustic Piano
6. Keyboard synth
7. Electric bass (4/5 string)
8. Guitar
9. Drums
10. Hand percussion
11. Drums

Where there are multiple instruments listed, this means that one player can play all of the instruments listed. For example, the alto sax player can also play soprano sax and flute within the course of the arrangement. To have these “doubles” is a real benefit for an arranger because it allows him/her to work with some additional textures that might not otherwise be possible.

The writers can add vocalists to this lineup if they choose to. Beyond that, I think I’ve got all the instruments that I will have access to listed.

More to come, and thanks for reading!

Jerry

Hi everyone,

Continuing along with this project:

The song so far has no title. I hadn’t worked on any projects specifically with lyrics lately so soon after writing the original song, I enlisted a great vocalist by the name of Sharon Broadley-Martin, also a faculty member at Berklee, to write some lyrics for me. The lyrics will certainly give me a title. Hopefully she would be able to set some time aside to sing it in the concert as well. An aside:

To me, writing lyrics is a bit like walking around naked in public. Not that I’ve experienced that myself, but I can imagine the feeling!. Writing music certainly shows your emotions, but writing TEXT, for me, exposes more than I want to – or maybe I just figure I’m not very good at that aspect of writing music. In any case, it’s always best to get people involved in a project that can do an aspect of the project better than you. It can only make the overall project even better.

Back to the lyrics: I gave Sharon some basic background to the music (listed in my previous post), but told her she didn’t have to stay with that. About a week later she sent me the following finished lyrics:

Lyrics

Sharon wrote these lyrics keeping the idea in mind that the basic rhythm section idea is Brazilian (Samba Cancao). To this end she supplied some Portuguese lyrics as she speaks that language as well. Until now I didn’t know this! She also kept in mind the fact that my daughter was involved in this song (albeit after I wrote it). Sharon has a daughter of her own about the same age so was able to relate very easily to the parent/child relationship that I had described to her – the same as my previous post.

I looked at the lyrics and immediately liked them – Perfect! The lyrics are complete. I’ve decided to use the title “Innocent Wonder.” Now that I know that there WILL be lyrics, I need to get back to work with the arrangement.

The first rehearsal (a whole 30 minutes!) is two weeks from today. The picture is getting a little clearer though and the “fear” of not having something to perform is leaving (of course, having something to perform and having something GOOD to perform are two different things aren’t they? The fear isn’t completely gone!).

Until next time,

Jerry

Hi everyone!

In this installment I thought it might be fun to blog about a project while it is in progress. I might interject some other issues along the way, but over the next 4-5 weeks I’d like to relate to you my process of working on a specific project and let you see/hear the various aspects as they evolve – for better or worse!

Background to the project, Part I:

Every year, the department that I am assigned to at Berklee College of Music (Contemporary Writing and Production) stages an all faculty concert for students to attend. This means that the writing and playing is all done by faculty here at the college. The main reason for doing this is to show students that we can DO what we teach – that is compose, arrange, orchestrate etc (or at least that is our hope!). This year the concert will be on Tuesday night, October 27th at 8:15PM, at the Berklee Performance Center. It will be recorded live with state of the art digital equipment.

I normally take the opportunity to be a part of these concerts because they give me an opportunity to write music that a client might not normally request. Also, the players in the band are usually people I know and deeply respect so the outcome is usually quite good – at least from the playing end

Background to the project, Part II:

This past summer, knowing that this concert would be coming up, I sat down and wrote a song. There was no particular inspiration other than that I wanted to write something “inside” that was fairly diatonic in nature. The beauty of this particular session of writing was that it took less than two hours to write – some days the music just flows out. More often than not though it is like “pulling teeth without anesthesia!” I put together a quick demo of it with bass, piano and drums in Logic Pro to get a better idea of horizontally what I had just written.

A related side story:

A number of years ago, also for one of these above mentioned concerts, I wrote a song for my son. It is called, “The Man.” He’s now 13. An mp3 is posted below. He was 8 or 9 at the time and I was beginning to observe that he was moving away from that “little boy” image. As every parent knows, this is a bittersweet time because as much as you want your kids to grow up and be independent people – you don’t. This is probably because it also means that YOU, the parent, are getting older (and teenagers can be hell!).

The Man

My daughter, knowing that I wrote a song for her brother, of course wants me to write a song for her too. She thinks it should be called, “The Girl!” (she’s now 9).

Back to Background to the Project, Part II:

As it turned out, while I was listening to that early demo my daughter happened to be nearby and declared that this particular song was “nice” and that it should be called, you guessed it, “The Girl.”
I don’t know….I just wasn’t thinking of THAT title when I wrote it. I’ll keep it in mind though.

Below are links to the first lead sheet that I created for “Song With No Name,” and a rough audio representation of it. On the lead sheet, the large letters denote the form (A, A1, B, C, A, A1). You’ll note that the “A1″ and “A” sections are very similar but are different enough to be considered different section.

Original Lead Sheet

Here is a simple melody only MIDI file:
Un-named song Melody

Here is a MIDI file with melody, harmony and a simple bass line:
Un-named song rev

There is lots more to come! Feel free to comment and a ask any questions you may have.

Until next time,

Jerry

Hi everyone,

If anyone is having a hard time creating moving lines within a voicing (instead of constant long tones), I have an idea that might give you a spark. The basic idea is that you can create small lines/melodic ideas inside of the voicings naturally by either starting with a tension tone and resolving it or starting with a chord tone, moving into a tension tone and then resolving that. The concept I am about to explain follows some standard ideas about naturally occurring tension substitution/resolution. They are:

On major chords:
9 naturally goes to one, but can go to 3
6 naturally goes to 5, but can go to 7
#11 naturally goes to 5, but can go to 3

On minor chords:
9 naturally goes to 1, but can go to 3
11 naturally goes to 3 or 5
6 naturally goes to 5 or up to 7

On dominant chords:
b9, 9, #9 naturally go to 1
#11 naturally goes to 5, but can go to 3 as well
b13, 13 naturally go to 5

Let me illustrate how these resolutions can be applied by viewing the pdf’s below:

1 – Beginning Chord Progression

PDF 1 Audio

Looking at the pdf 1, I’ve given a four measure example of whole note voicings according to the given chord symbols. At Berklee we call these “spread voicings.” Listen to the audio as well if you don’t have a chordal instrument handy. What you see and hear could actually work fine and is certainly playable, but maybe we can do better. Please down load the files below:

PDF 2

PDF 2 Audio

Starting in measure 1 in the second voice from the top, the 6th degree resolves to 5 (A-G) and the 3rd degree moves down to 9 (E-D). Being a bass player at heart, the bass voice moves to the 5th (C-G) and conveniently voice leads by 1/2 step to the next root (Gb).

In measure 2, the #11 in the 3rd voice moves to 5 naturally (C-Db) and then up to the 6th (Eb). On beat three in the bass, the #11 of GbMaj7(C) is set up on beat 3 and resolves downward naturally to the third (which is a common tone to the next chord). Additionally in the second voice, the 7th of the chord )F) is moving down to the 6th (Eb).

Continuing on, in measure 3 on top, the 11th (Eb), moves naturally down to Db (the third degree of Bbmin7) and then moves down by 1/2 step to the third of the next chord (Amin7). On the 4th beat I just happened to sound the root again (Bb) that moves naturally to the next root (A). Also in this measure on beat 4, the F that is sounded on beat 1 (5th degree of the Bbmin7 chord) now moves down to Eb (11th degree) and then the D, which is the 11th of he next chord (Amin7).

Although this second four measures probably isn’t the most incredible sounding thing you’ve ever heard, I think you’ll agree that by incorporating some tensions and their resolutions into the composition, forward motion and a little more interest is added.

With these mechanical thoughts in mind, you can create inner lines that work effortlessly to get you going. You can then be creative with the lines once the juices start flowing!

I hope this helps and I’m always curious as to your thoughts on this or any other subject!

Jerry

Hi everyone!

Recently, I worked on a project that was originally written in the key of B. On the surface of it, not a major issue. It is a fine key for piano, guitar and many other instruments – much music has been written in this key. In fact, the song was originally written on, and for, piano. However, this particular song was now to be arranged and orchestrated for a good sized ensemble – a small orchestra! Personally, I find larger ensembles easier to work with than smaller ones because there are more “horses” available for power and more colors/textures available to “paint” with. However, the larger ensemble was going to make things a little tricky because of the original key (B).

Knowing that there were to be transposing instruments such as English horn, trumpet, clarinet and French horn in this ensemble, a potential problem was presenting itself. Basically, the following:

• English and French horns would be reading their parts in F# (up a 5th from concert pitch)
• Trumpet and clarinet would be reading their parts in C# (up a whole step from concert pitch)

Now in a perfect world, with great professional players that sightread daily, this shouldn’t cause a major problem. However, in a more realistic situation where the players are very good, but not great, and the amount of recording time allotted is minimal at best (a challenge for even a great player), I immediately started to pursue other possible keys to use besides the key of B.

My thinking was that if the concert pitch could be brought either up or down a 1/2 step, this key/transposition problem would go away. For example:

Option 1 – Concert key of Bb:
• English and French horns would be reading their parts in F (up a 5th from concert pitch)
• Trumpet and clarinet would be reading their parts in C (up a whole step from concert pitch)

Option 2 – Concert key of C:
• English and French horns and would be reading their parts in G (up a 5th from concert pitch)
• Trumpet and clarinet would be reading their parts in D (up a whole step from concert pitch)

I brought this issue and possible solutions to the attention of the songwriter (the person who is paying me to orchestrate and arrange his music). After less than 24 hours of thinking it over he told me that the key of B would have to be the concert key because it “sounded” better to him. He understood my concerns, but felt that to be true to his song and his art, we would have to find players that can deal with the key signatures. Fair enough, the client is always right! (but I had to try!)

There was an “ace up my sleeve” though – enharmonics. So…

Instead of the trumpet and clarinet reading in C#, they could read in Db.
Instead of the English and French horns reading in F#, they could read in Gb.

Flatted keys tend to be preferable for wind oriented instruments (especially brass instruments). Much of the literature they read in is flat keys. This is probably due to the overtone series that each is built on. There is much information written about this available through books and the internet.

At the recording session for the piece the players had no problems with these keys and we only had an hour to record the basic tracks! I write using concert scores so the trumpet part was notated in B within the score, but Db on the players part. Same issue with the other transposing instruments mentioned above. I’ve included both the original piano version and my orchestral treatment. The songwriter’s name is Chi Yih Lee from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Memory – Piano Version

Memory – Orchestra

To sum things up, try to recognize potential problems within the scope of the project and try to find ways to solve them – often there is a simple solution. If one idea doesn’t work, try another. Also, the client is always right – unless you can change their mind!

I’d love to hear of any issues that you’ve had along these lines (problems of any kind within a project from beginning to end) and how you got past the issue or solved the problem.

Until next time,

Jerry

As promised, here is Bill Elliott’s version of “Fools Rush In,” as sung by Michael Feinstein. I’ve also included the score in pdf format.

Note that right from the very beginning, Bill lets us know what we are in for with his use of woodwinds. Also note where Bill places the fills and how the strings have a very lush sound because of the range he puts them in.

Enjoy, and feel free to post comments as to your own listening/writing experience.

Fools Rush In Audio

Fools Rush In Score

Well…so much for trying to do a better job in 2009 with this blog!

In this entry I’d like to discuss writing for vocalists. I’ve included a song called “Fools Rush In.” Originally written by Johnny Mercer and Rube Bloom in the 1940’s, it is sung here by Michael Feinstein and arranged/produced by Berklee Professor Bill Elliott for the album “The Sinatra Project.” You can find video regarding this project at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZb_R2GbaI0
(Bill is on the piano)

Fools Rush In

After listening to it a few times, try to pin point what some of the main characteristics of the arrangement are. Try to answer the following:

• Can you guess what previous writer(s) Bill was modeling this after? (to a point).
• What is the instrumentation?
• Does the chosen instrumentation and style fit the message of the lyric?
• Where do background lines typically enter?
• Does the arrangement have a climactic point?
• Does the chosen key work for the vocalist?
• Does it sound like the music was recorded with a click?

Here is another song called “And You Don’t Remember,” that features a “restrained” Mariah Carey

“And You Don’t Remember”

Post your thoughts on these questions and any others you may have. I’ll put up the score for “Fools Rush In,” and the vocal score for “And You Don’t Remember” in my next post (I won’t wait 5 months, I promise!).

Until then, happy writing!

Jerry