Arranging 101: Basics to Big Band

In the "Tension & Resolution" chapter, we dive into how dissonance defines Western harmony and creates motion in chord progressions.

The chapter begins with an introduction to Diatonic Harmony, outlining where dissonance is located in both major and minor scales, and how voice leading impacts melody and harmony.

Next, we'll explore how diatonic chords work together within a progression. We'll help you understand chord functionality and cadence points, as well as introduce chord types such as Secondary Dominant Chords, Neapolitan Chords, and Augmented 6th Chords. Through application of our resolution formula, you'll gain clarity on how to write a functional chord progression and be able to mess with the audience's expectations.

But that's not all-we'll also introduce the concept of substitution and reharmonization. We unpack the techniques of functional substitution and modal interchange to unlock hundreds of potential options that will help you choose exactly the right chord for your progression.

Lastly, we'll culminate all of the knowledge of the chapter by delving into modulation. When it comes to arranging, knowing how to modulate between sections to adapt for different instruments and emotions is vital. Through in-depth analysis examples and application tasks, we'll guide you in applying each of the techniques introduced in the chapter, helping you to associate theoretical knowledge with the emotions listener's perceive. Get ready to unleash your creativity and write compelling chord progressions.

By the end of this chapter, you'll have a clear understanding of how Diatonic Harmony operates, how to write functional chord progressions, and how to manipulate harmony to create emotions.

Now that you know how to write a chord progression, it’s important to learn how harmony in Jazz is different to other forms of music.

We’ll kick off by explaining extensions and alterations, and how to find them within diatonic keys to help you understand what makes a chord sound “jazzy.” By delving into more complex techniques, you’ll gain valuable insights that will allow you to add colour to your own progressions. Importantly, we’ll teach you how to associate emotion with chords larger than 3 notes.

But it’s not just about diatonic keys. We’ll guide you through non-diatonic scales and introduce the idea of chord-scale theory to help you utilize a more diverse palate in your arrangements. Being aware of different harmonic techniques is paramount to arranging as it unlocks multiple styles for you to write in. We’ll share practical ways and exercises to help you uncover chord combinations you may enjoy, as well as demystify the progressions on your favourite recording. By expanding your palate, you’ll create compelling and relatable arrangements that resonate with listeners. 

Next, we’ll tackle advanced substitution techniques. We all know jazz compositions are full of crazy chord changes and that replicating them can be quite difficult. We’ll teach you how tritone and symmetrical dominant substitution work, and how to pair them with extensions and alterations. You’ll gain the tools to write almost any chord within a progression and have it resolve effectively.

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be equipped with the strategies and techniques necessary to write arrangements that work within the “Jazz” soundscape. You’ll have the power to use extensions and alterations to add depth to your harmonic progressions, and a grasp of the wide array of scale sounds at your disposal.

We understand how to write a chord progression, and we know how to make it work in a jazz setting. Now it’s time for the last piece of the harmony puzzle, learning what to do with those pesky non-chord tones.

We’ll start by introducing the concept of target notes. Say goodbye to harmonizing every note with the same chord or guessing what to use. We’ll provide you with a systematic approach to analyze every note within a phrase and identify where to use a passing chord. With a consistent process for harmonizing, you’ll feel confident no matter what phrase you are up against.

Next, we will explore the five different passing chord options and how to apply them. By understanding the unique qualities of each technique, you’ll start to understand when and how to apply each chord as well as associate each option with certain eras of Jazz.  

One of the highlights of this chapter is the culmination of harmonic concepts covered in chapters 1-3. By demonstrating how techniques can be interchanged and used alongside one another, you’ll come away knowing how harmony works on a larger scale and feel equipped to mix and match methods to capture certain emotions.

By the end of this chapter you’ll be armed with a large number of options to create captivating chord progressions and know how to fix problems on the fly when your progression just doesn’t feel right.  

Writing an amazing chord progression is a great start for an arrangement, but we need to make sure we understand how to convey harmony onto instruments in order for the music to come alive. In this session we’ll unravel the secrets behind writing for all of the standard instruments found in a big band and reveal why the standard “writing at the keyboard” approach often leads to impractical arrangements. 

We’ll explore the crucial role range, register, and transposition play in establishing an instrument's timbre and how we can utilize this to our advantage. By tailoring your writing to capture the qualities of each instrument, you can impact balance, blend, and stability while only focusing on orchestration.

But what makes a playable melody for each instrument? We’ll break it down for you. You’ll learn the effect writing in different registers has and unlock the ability to slot a melody in the perfect location for every instrument. And just in case you had thought we’d forgotten about them, we’ll also be looking at the instruments of the rhythm section including the elusive drum kit.

Next, we’ll unpack other options you have at your disposal for changing the texture of an instrument’s timbre. That means looking at each mute type and how they change the sound of brass instruments as well as other techniques including shakes, falls, doits and more. By harnessing each piece of equipment and extended technique available, you’ll drastically expand the textural options at your disposal and widen your emotional association with each instrument. 

By mastering the art of writing for every “Jazz” instrument, you’ll unlock the ability to assign melodies throughout an ensemble with confidence and know exactly how your writingshould sound ahead of time.

Now that you’re writing incredible chord progressions and understand the fundamentals of each instrument, it’s time to start merging both skills together and learn how to voice chords for multiple instruments to play at the same time. Voicings play a crucial role in fleshing out an arrangement and are essential for conveying harmony in an ensemble setting. With well structured voicings, you have the power to communicate the emotion of a chord progression to your audience while also accessing another level of complexity for your Musical Palate.

We’ll dive deep into the world of voicings and explore how intervals can create stability or tension. Starting with 2-note voicings, we’ll provide insights on how instrument register, chord tone choice, and intervals work together to create compounding emotional effects in addition to the emotion conveyed by the underlying harmony. By understanding the key components of a voicing, you can elevate the emotions of a phrase and help establish an overall mood for an arrangement. 

But that’s not all. We’ll guide you on how to approach 3, 4, and 5-note voicings, introducing voicing shapes that are commonly used in different styles and explain the key to creating your own voicings. You’ll walk away with not only conventional options but also a deeper understanding of why certain structures work and when to “break the rules.”

By the end of this chapter you’ll be equipped with the skills and knowledge to craft unique voicings that can be tailored to your specific needs. The insights shared will empower you to create voicings that enthrall listeners and ultimately convey emotion in impactful ways.

So we know how to write up to 5-note voicings; now we need to know how to apply them to the sections of a big band. We’ll break down each section, looking at common ways arranger’s have taken the voicings discussed in chapter 5 and applied them. You’ll come away understanding the differences between generic approaches and how to specialize your voicings to maximize the qualities of each section.   

We kick off by looking at the trombones-the cornerstone of the horns and the location of the fundamental notes of each chord. We’ll also discuss the trumpets and saxes, exploring how to voice each as an independent section as well as what to do when they are playing together. Prepare to discover effective techniques that will allow you to voice out chords for a full big band (that’s up to 15 horns!).

Voicing out lines in the depths of the low register or the heights of the upper register is often one way to tell if an arranger knows what they are doing. We’ll look at each of the horn sections through this lens and discuss strategies about how to deal with harmonizing extreme notes.

Next, we dive into the mysterious world of the rhythm section, considered by many to be the most difficult section to write for. But don’t worry, that’s simply because most arranger’s haven’t done enough research on the section. We’ll look at each instrument's role and how they impact the ensemble as a whole, enabling you to create unique, diverse grooves. 

By implementing the techniques and embracing the insights shared in this chapter, you’ll build an arsenal of tools that can be used in any big band setting and result in stable, colourful, and interesting voicings.

Thinking about harmony in a vertical context makes a lot of sense when trying to organize so many instruments, however one of the bigger challenges we face as arranger’s is looking at the horizontal, melodic motion of individual parts. It’s time to explore the ingredients to writing a good melody.

We’ll start by breaking down the many components that make a melody standout and linger in a person's ear. By understanding how others have created meaningful lines, you’ll be able to replicate similar experiences with your own writing. Although composition can be a highly personal experience, we’ll offer a formula for the times when you hit writer’s block and need to get something on the page in a hurry.

Countermelodies are just as, if not more, important than melodies. We’ll guide you through the process of writing a strong counterline with five different approaches that will help you avoid common pitfalls.

Lastly, we will unpack how you can create emotional points in your melodies and counterlines. By understanding how melodies convey emotion and relate to harmony, you’ll add another layer of depth to your Musical Palate.

By the end of this chapter you’ll not only be able to create masterful voicings, you’ll also be able to convey motion through melody and create a story for your listeners to follow. Instead of just relying on harmony, you’ll also be able to approach arranging through a horizontal approach, opening the door to limitless possibilities.

Two of the most impactful section types at our disposal as a jazz arranger are the shout and soli sections. The first demonstrating the raw power of a big band and showcasing your harmonic prowess, the latter highlighting skillfully crafted melodies that make any ensemble stand out.

We’ll begin by defining what a shout and soli are in a big band context, looking at how the techniques associated with each section are often interwoven throughout an arrangement. By building off of the harmonic and melodic knowledge you’ve established in the previous seven chapters, we’ll demonstrate how to use the techniques in a contextual manner to create shout and soli sections. 

Next, we’ll dive into simplifying and embellishing melodies to either sound more powerful or virtuosic. Writing in a swing context can often leave us with the feeling that a phrase isn’t quite sitting the best. To tackle this, we’ll introduce you to concepts about what makes a melody swing, and more importantly, what doesn’t! Empowering you to write amazing phrases which swing the socks off your audiences.

To tie it all together, we’ll walk you through a fully fledged shout and soli section, dissecting every technique we have covered in Arranging 101 so you can see how they all work together to create amazing, relatable music.

By mastering how to write captivating shout and soli sections, you’ll be ready to write any section that you can imagine in your next arrangement.

Now that we know the mechanics of arranging, we need to address one last technical concern, engraving. It’s one thing to have written a masterpiece, and another to have musicians interpret your writing exactly how you intended. 

We’ll kick off with what makes a readable score; taking a step back and evaluating what a director may need to see when standing in front of a band. We’ll guide you through a simple checklist for formatting scores, helping you identify areas which are non-negotiables and places you can interpret more loosely in the engraving process.

Next up, we’ll jump into instrumental parts and make sure you know the conventions of each instrument. We’ll share strategies for everything between drum notation to articulations and embellishment symbols. Similar to the score walkthrough, you’ll look at parts through the eyes of the performer, enabling you to format more effectively for the people you are writing for.

Then it’s time to supercharge your engraving process by creating a systematic approach that can be repeated for every chart you write. We’ll provide an in depth look at our engraving system, walking you through the formatting process from start to finish and making sure all of the techniques discussed about score and part engraving are taken into consideration. You’ll walk away being able to format efficiently and know that musicians will be able to convey your intentions with beautifully presented sheet music.

By implementing these strategies and thinking about formatting through the perspective of those who perform your works, you’ll be formatting efficiently and musicians will rave about the well structured music you put on their stands. 

In this final chapter it’s time to zoom out and understand how to use all of the techniques we’ve discussed together to create a working big band chart. We’ll walk through the entire writing process from the planning stage through to completion.

First, we’ll look at the concept of density and discuss how it can affect every area of a big band arrangement. You’ll learn how to add interest to every part of your chart and make sure no bar feels stale. 

Then we’ll introduce you to the Event List, a simple planning technique which will help you create meaningful arrangements and save you time. By looking at a range of masterfully crafted arrangements, we’ll uncover how arranger’s are able to create interest through form and development. You’ll come away with more appreciation for the charts you already love, and more importantly, understand why they work and be able to replicate it in your own writing. 

But we won’t stop there. We’ll demonstrate how to write an arrangement from an Event List, highlighting all of the techniques discussed in the course as we go. You’ll see first hand everything in action and how all of the information gets utilized to achieve the big picture outlined in the planning phase. Every choice will be explained and you’ll have the knowledge to understand every single step in the process. Finally, we will format the chart, displaying the entire process of writing an arrangement from start to finish. 

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be equipped with all of the necessary skills to write the arrangements of your dreams, with the only limitation being your creativity. The possibilities are limitless, and we’re here to guide you every step of the way