A Crash Course In Big Band Voicings
& The Rhythm Section
Writing for a big band can feel extremely overwhelming, especially if you’ve never been introduced to any specific techniques, and even then it is still a monumental task! There are so many instruments and so many approaches to consider, as many notes as you want to voice on top of one another, and over a hundred years of established methods to think about. Fortunately, there is some sort of logic behind it all, or at least enough to help you feel comfortable when starting out. Don’t worry if you feel out of your league, that’s completely normal and once upon a time I was sitting right where you are, not having a clue what to do but having the courage to try anyway.
I remember when I first heard a big band back in grade 7 at music camp. Up until that point I had only really been exposed to the commercial hits on the radio and various drips and drabs of concert band material over the years. Nothing prepared me for the feeling of swing and the excitement of a 13 piece horn section blowing through a shout section. Even though the ensemble I was hearing was just a school big band, at the time it seemed like the best thing ever. Within just a few minutes I was hooked.
In a few years I found myself playing bass in the exact same senior big band. Definitely a personal accomplishment for me at the time. As I nervously anticipated the first rehearsal I had no clue what to expect. Even though I had now been exposed to jazz for a few years, I really didn’t know anything, I mean at the time I still hadn’t been introduced to any of the heavyweights like Miles or Coltrane, let alone know who Count Basie or Duke Ellington were. That all changed when the director walked in and introduced me to the Atomic Basie album. For the first time in my life I heard what a pro big band sounded like, and not just any pro band, but one of the premiere groups that defined the sound of the entire genre. It’s safe to say that my mind was blown once again.
With my limited musical knowledge, at that stage of my life I couldn’t comprehend ever being able to write for such an ensemble let alone play the music accurately at the time. Every now and then a fellow student would bring in a chart they wrote and I was baffled by how anyone could organize that many different parts into a single composition. Of course when you’re young and don’t know any better, everything you see and hear seems like the best thing so I have no clue how good the arrangements by my colleagues actually were but that’s besides the point.
As I got older, that initial passion for big band kept growing and when it came to choosing a pathway after high school I decided to drop out of an engineering degree for a chance at studying jazz in the USA. I was very fortunate to be accepted into the only college I applied for, the University of North Texas. An institution I had fallen in love with due to their large big band program as well as the possibility of learning bass from Lynn Seaton, a previous bassist of the Count Basie band. However, on the side was the knowledge that North Texas also had a well established arranging program. Up until that point I had always discarded the idea of writing for big band because I thought it must be insanely complicated but with such an opportunity available I knew I’d be dumb not to at least give it a shot.
Inevitably I ended up falling in love with arranging, so much so that I changed from a jazz bass emphasis to jazz arranging and composition. I couldn’t get enough of all of the techniques I was learning and I had the luxury of being surrounded by so many wonderful musicians who had the patience to put up with my first couple of charts. Eventually I found myself at my senior recital, the crowning achievement of the degree where I performed a number of my own big band charts. In fact they were my first full big band arrangements as I had mainly focused on small group writing up until that point. Although I had now been surrounded by big bands for years, when I had the chance to stand in front of my own band and run my arrangement of A Night in Tunisia that night, I finally understood what each of the voicing techniques I had used felt like. There really is nothing quite like the wall of sound the band creates when you voice each section out just right. Even now, over 10 years on I can remember that feeling as if it was yesterday.
So why take all this time to tell you about my journey? Well I want you to take away two things. Everyone starts from somewhere and it doesn’t matter how much you know or don’t know, it just matters that you take the first step. The other being that the content on this page has literally changed my life. Some of the most treasured musical moments I have experienced were a direct result of applying the knowledge on this page. It truly is an amazing feeling to fine tune an arrangement and have it performed, and even more so when you can bring happiness to those around you through the process.
On this page I’ll lead you through each of the four different sections found in a big band, the common voicing approaches, and then how to integrate them with one another. It’s a whole lot of information but if you take the time to understand it, you’ll have everything you need to create the same experiences that I’ve been fortunate enough to have. A lot of the content on the page builds off of the page on 2-5 horn voicings, so if you haven’t given that a read you can check it out here.
Saxophones/Woodwinds
The sax section is the most diverse horn section in the big band because in its simplest form it has three different instruments and at its most complex it can have any mixture of close to a dozen different woodwind instruments. Due to the large collective range encompassed by the alto, tenor, and bari sax as well as having access to five voices instead of the typical four in each of the brass sections, the sax section is able to cover a considerable amount of ground, making it a wonderful place to start. To simplify the available options, I’ll begin with voicings for the standard sax lineup before moving to a few options for integrating woodwind doubles. Hopefully that will make it feel a little less overwhelming to begin with.
In general, when looking at a voicing on a grand staff, we associate the voices in score order from a top down view. For example, if the voicing top down is E C A G E, then the top note (E) will be Alto 1, the second note (C) will be Alto 2, the third note (A) will be Tenor 1, and so on.
Before diving in, it should be mentioned that when you apply voicings you should aim to use the same type of voicing throughout a given phrase. That way the inner lines will feel consistent and not take away from the melody note. Of course there are many cases where you may choose to break this rule and I only suggest it as a starting point for your voicing journey.
One last thing to mention is that I often refer to a “melody note” in a lot of the voicings. To clarify, this is not necessarily the top note of a voicing but simply just whatever the given melody note at that point is. For example, if you were voicing out the melody of a standard it would be obvious what the melody note was. However, when we look at voicings in a zoomed up fashion like on this page, it can be hard to know exactly what the melody note actually is. When voicing out a horn section by itself, the melody note is typically the highest note in the voicing, but when we voice out multiple sections together (e.g. saxes + trumpets) or when voicing out a section behind a soloist/vocalist who has the melody, then the melody note may not be top note of a voicing.
4 Note Closed + Octave
Up first is the classic four note closed voicing with a doubled melody down the octave. This voicing operates exactly the same way that I explained in the 5 horn voicing resource, however we now have the context of a sax section. To quickly recap how to create a four note closed voicing, you stack four chord tones within an octave, ideally including fundamental notes such as the 3rd and 7th if possible. There are many variations to what a four note closed voicing looks like but most include the melody note, usually two fundamental chord tones, and a color tone. To add a 5th voice, you simply take the top note and double it down the octave.
This may be one of the most common voicing techniques used in big band arrangements and you’ll find the saxes voiced in closed voicings in hundreds of scores. The main reason behind its success is down to the fact that the voicing is able to convey the sound of most chord symbols while also providing stability to the section.
In A Mellow Tone
Arr. Frank Foster
Drop 2 & Drop 2+4
Following on from the common closed position voicing, we have the two equally common variations: Drop 2, and Drop 2+4. These both start in the exact same way as the previous technique, however Drop 2 voicings take the second voice from the top and voice it down an octave, with Drop 2+4 voicings doing the same but with the addition of the fourth voice.
These voicings really only get used for saxes when the lead alto starts pushing into its higher range. If the section was voiced using a closed voicing, the rest of the saxes also get pushed higher which can lead to quite a bright sound. If this isn’t a sound we want, by dropping the second, or second and fourth voices, it lowers the registers of the inner voices which results in a more balanced section sound. Drop 2 and Drop 2+4 voicings are also popular when using sections with a lead clarinet or soprano sax, both of which can go substantially higher than an alto sax.
The Groove Merchant
Thad Jones
Blue Goose
Duke Ellington
Independent
Instead of doubling the melody note down an octave we can also allocate it to a unique chord tone. In doing this, the name of the technique changes to being called an independent voicing. This type of voicing is fantastic for adding more color to a given moment, whether that be through adding a more stable fundamental note like the 5th or root, or an additional extension or alteration.
Don’t Git Sassy
Thad Jones
Utilizing The Bari Sax
Independent sax voicings also have a special trick up their sleeves in the form of the bari sax. When you look at the various horns in a big band, the bari sax stands out as it is the only singular instrument in the horn section. Whereas every other instrument has at least two or more. Alongside its low register, this gives the bari sax a slight advantage in being heard in both the sax section and in full tutti horn passages. To take advantage of this phenomenon, we can assign interesting chord tones to the bari sax to help them stand out within a voicing. For example, in an independent voicing you could choose a color tone to be the 5th voice knowing that it would cut across the section a little more. Whether that be an extension or alteration, having the bari play the note will help bring more attention to the note.
Bojangles
Duke Ellington
The bari can also be used as a bass voice where it doubles the bass movement of a chord progression. As a result, the sax voicing will feel quite a lot more full due to the bari being in its low register.
April In Paris
Arr. William “Wild Bill” Davis
As mentioned in the 2-5 horn voicings resource, we need to be aware of the bass register when voicing instruments like the bari as well as the low end of the tenor sax. Typically when you are starting out I would suggest avoiding voicing any note other than the bass note when going lower than the middle D of the bass staff. However, there are a few other common options that can be used due to the timbre of the saxophone. For example, the bari sax can play melody lines when in the bass register and most often doesn’t feel that muddy due. The tenor sax can also be voiced on the 5th of a chord while in the bass register without too much repercussion.
Minor Walk
Gil Fuller
Doodlin’
Ernie Wilkins
Spread Voicings
Another common option when voicing saxes is to use spread voicings where the fundamental harmony notes are in the lower octave and the color notes are in the higher octave. As the overall range of the three saxes can span multiple octaves easily, the sax section becomes one of the safest places to use spread voicings compared to either brass section. When approaching spread voicings, the checklist of chord tones includes: melody, 3rd, 7th, color tone, additional tone, where the additional chord tone could either be a repeated melody note, an extra color tone, or a fundamental note.
Big Dipper
Thad Jones
Doubles
Things start to get complicated when we look at the possibilities of using woodwind doubles within a sax section. Unlike any other instrument, sax players have a higher expectation to be proficient on other woodwind instruments including soprano sax, flute and clarinet. Sometimes you may also have access to bass clarinet, alto flute, piccolo, and in rare cases double reed instruments. As you can imagine, this adds a considerable amount of complexity into voicing for the section. Due to the numerous possible combinations, I have restricted the options to the most common and will leave the others for another resource.
Using soprano sax within a sax section may be the most likely scenario you’ll come across. It is typically a go to double for the lead alto chair and is generally used when you start voicing the lead line a bit too high for the alto sax. You can treat this like any other saxophone and due to the high likelihood of voicing the soprano in the top half of the treble staff, you will most likely pair its usage with drop 2, drop 2+4, and spread voicings.
The Groove Merchant
Thad Jones
The clarinet is also a common double and can be voiced in a number of different ways. The two techniques that seem to come up the most is to treat the clarinet in a similar fashion to a tenor sax as an inner voice with a slightly different timbre, or as a lead voice for the section where it shines on top of the saxes. Due to its very large range, the clarinet is a highly versatile instrument and can be placed almost anywhere in a voicing.
Blue Goose
Duke Ellington
Flutes are where the most issues take place. Not only do they have a higher range than any of the saxes, they also do not have the same projection. We need to be very careful when using flutes, if we voice them too low, they will get buried by any other instrument in the band. Not to mention that most sax players who are doubling on flute often are not at a professional standard on the instrument so may find intonation difficult if using more than one flute in a voicing. What I would suggest is to double the melody line from the sax voicing up the octave so that the flute has reinforcement from one of the lower instruments. Otherwise, another option is to use it as an independent instrument and orchestrate outside of the sax section.
Almendra
Tito Puente
Trumpets
Although quite different to the sax section, the trumpets do share some similarities when it comes to voicings. However, the main difference is that we need to take stability into account far more with trumpets due to the fact that the section is often voiced in the upper register in big band writing. As the trumpet section goes higher, the voicings will become simpler, to the point where it may be voiced out purely in octaves due to range.
4 Note Closed
Starting in a similar place to the saxes, trumpets can also be voiced in four note closed voicings. This is the most common approach in the low to mid registers but often is not used in the upper register as the voicing structure is not as stable as other options. Due to the range of the trumpets compared to the rest of the ensemble, we typically will voice extensions more readily in the trumpets as they sit above the other sections. When looking at a four note closed voicing, this may mean prioritizing a color tone over a fundamental note. For example, with a G13 voicing you may choose to use the 13th instead of the 7th.
Hay Burner
Sammy Nestico
Triadic + Octave
When entering into the higher registers, triadic voicings are favored due to the stability they bring to the trumpet section. Although more simple than other voicing options, we need to remember that when the trumpets enter the upper limits of the instrument that we should try to make their job as easy as possible. Yes there are professionals who can harmonize almost any voicing in the upper register, however they are not the norm and even they would prefer to have an easier time where possible. As mentioned in the 2-5 horn voicings resource, just because the voicing is a triad doesn’t mean it has to be made up of the fundamental notes of a chord. There are many combinations of extensions and chord tones which can create a triad, and where possible if you can use color tones it will result in a more lush sounding voicing.
Corner Pocket
Ernie Wilkins
Upper Register Voicings
Writing for a blazingly high trumpet section is always one of the major draw cards to big band arranging. There’s something about the sheer power of the instrument in that register which is enticing for us writers. However, it brings a lot of challenges that we need to be aware of. Although some pro players can play extremely high notes, we need to take into account the context of when a high note occurs in an arrangement or even a whole set, before we commit to writing in the upper register of the trumpet.
Playing a high note on the trumpet is like running a 100m sprint. There’s only so much energy which can be given before a player becomes tired. As such, we need to be careful when we utilize high notes to make sure we aren’t depleting too much of the player's chops. A few of the major factors to be aware of are: how long is the duration of a given high note or phrase of high notes, was there a gradual build up into the high notes which helped warm up the player, how big are the interval jumps once in the high register, how often has the player been expected to play in the high register so far? Being aware of each of these points will help you get the best results when writing high lead trumpet parts.
Now that you have a well placed lead trumpet line, you have to know how to voice it appropriately for the section. The general rule is, the higher you go the simpler the voicings get. It becomes far more difficult as the note goes higher to accurately tune close intervals. In general, up until the C-E above the treble staff I’ll voice in triads + octave voicings. Above the E there are a few more options depending on the context but the most common are: an octave between the 1st and 2nd trumpet with voices 2-4 being in a triad, a 6th between the 1st and 2nd trumpet with voices 2-4 being in a triad, and using a mixture of octaves and unison. These are also fantastic options if you are dealing with a student ensemble and have one standout player but the rest of the section is still developing their range.
Low Register Voicings
On the other end of the spectrum we also need to be aware of how to voice trumpets when they start entering the low register. Unlike the saxes and trombones which are naturally cut off by the bass register, the cut off for the trumpets relates more to the usable timbre of the instrument. In general, I cut off harmonizing the trumpets at the A below the treble staff to avoid the texture feeling too dark and croaky. For example, if I was voicing a C6 and the melody note was a C below the staff. I would only voice out C and A, with both notes being doubled if using four trumpets. If the melody note was the A, I would voice it in unison.
What To Do With A 5th Trumpet
Every now and then you’ll be faced with a fifth trumpet in a section. Fortunately, voicing an extra trumpet isn’t overly difficult and can be done in a similar way to the other four horn techniques. What I have done in the past which works rather effectively has been to build off of either a four note closed or a triadic voicing as a base and then double one of the notes down an octave. This will lead to the melody being doubled 8vb for the closed voicing, and in the triadic voicing it will lead to both the melody and the second voice being doubled down an octave. You also have the option to do an independent voicing with no voices being doubled.
Trombones
Last but not least is the trombone section, the harmonic backbone of any big band. Due to the range of the instrument, the trombones often get assigned the fundamental harmony notes of a chord symbol. Practically, what this looks like is some combination of the melody note, 3rd, 7th, and an extra tone which could be the root, 5th, or color tone. These notes can be presented in a number of different voicing shapes depending on the overall stability you are looking for (e.g. closed or spread). However, if the trombones are playing alongside other sections (saxes/trumpets), often we prioritize note selection over the particular shape as it helps provide notes that may be missed elsewhere in the horns.
Tiptoe
Thad Jones
Hay Burner
Sammy Nestico
Independent Bass Bone
As we explored with the bari sax, the bass trombone can break from typical voicing shapes and be assigned to the bass note of a chord. Although this reduces the number of options we have to choose from in terms of additional chord tones, it provides a considerable amount of depth and can help reinforce the lower EQ of a horn section.
I Remember Clifford
Benny Golson
Upper Register Voicings
Similar to the trumpet section, when the trombones start going higher we need to think differently about voicings. The rule I was introduced to by my old arranging professor Rich DeRosa, is to keep two notes above middle C and two notes below. That way you are able to have a balanced sound. To achieve this there are two approaches I typically use: spread voicings, and drop 2 voicings. If using the bass trombone to double the bass note of a chord, this can lead to some seriously large voicings that can often span over two octaves!
Lower Register Voicings
Like the saxes, we must be aware of the bass register and try not to voice notes other than the bass note below the middle D of the bass staff. Sometimes you can get away with voicing a 5th within the bass register, however this is dependent on the context. If the top note of a voicing is close to the start of the bass register, we can double certain notes instead of extending the voicing lower.
3 vs 4 vs 5
Depending on your ensemble you may have the chance to write for 3, 4, or 5 trombones. Up until now we have been looking at four note voicings but nothing much changes if we reduce or add a trombone. If using three trombones, you would generally rely on triadic voicings which land on fundamental notes. If using five trombones, you can use every technique already covered but have an additional voice to use how you wish. That could look like a bonus color tone or using the bass bone on the bass note while also having a four note voicing above.
Voicing As A Collective Horn Section
Voicing an individual section is one thing but when you start wanting to combine the horns together into one large section, there are a number of other factors to be considered. When approaching a tutti horn voicing, my goal is to make sure each individual section can stand alone if necessary. What this means is that regardless of which section I pick, whether it's the trombones, trumpets, or saxes, when isolated the voicing of the section would feel full and not need any other horns for stability. That way you can guarantee a full ensemble sound.
It is likely that you will double a number of notes when utilizing all of the horns, just be aware that by doubling notes you bring more attention to them. This can be great to help a melody standout across the different sections, or can be used to bury a melody if needed.
Hay Burner
Sammy Nestico
Lead Instruments
When we hear a big band play, not every horn is equal. The most prominent voices are usually the lead instruments, e.g. trumpet 1, trombone 1, and alto sax 1. As we hear them more than the inner voices, we want to make sure that the relationship between these notes is not adding any unwanted dissonance. In a similar manner to how horn voicings act as their own entity in small group arranging, we can think of the trio of lead instruments operating in a similar manner. What this looks like is that we need to be considerate of the intervallic relationships between each lead instrument. We can do this when we start our section voicings by selecting lead notes that work with one another.
For example, let's say we have a G7 chord and the lead trumpet is a D. The easiest option would be to voice the other lead instruments in unison or octaves. Alternatively, you could use 3rds or 6ths, or a triadic approach if you want the lead instruments to be stable with one another. Sometimes this simply wont be possible so know that it won’t make or break an arrangement, it is just something to think about when voicing out a whole horn section.
Similar Voicings
One of the quickest ways to voice a whole horn section is to use the exact same voicing shapes in every section. This was a popular technique used by the arrangers for Basie’s band such as Neal Hefti and Sammy Nestico and is a very efficient way of writing. Sammy would often use the same four note closed shape across the three horn sections, making minor changes such as octave displacements where necessary. As you become more familiar with four note closed options over each different chord symbol, this type of approach to writing for a full big band can give wonderful results while also speeding up the entire writing process.
Li’l Darlin’
Neal Hefti
Brass Overlapping
Sometimes when voicing for the brass, we come across moments where the lower trumpets are in parts of the register which don’t speak that well. In order to reinforce the trumpets, we can use the higher trombones to double the notes. This creates a slight overlap between the two sections and strengthens the lower part of the trumpet voicing.
Cute
Neal Hefti
Unique Sax Approaches
When voicing all of the horns together, there are a few extra options the saxophones have access to. The first of which is to use them to fill any holes that may be left between the trumpets and trombones. To do this, first look at how the trumpet and trombone voicings relate to one another and if there are any breaks or missing notes. For example, if the trumpets are voiced high in the treble staff and the trombones in the middle of the bass staff, there would be a large gap in the middle of the treble staff that the saxes could be voiced in. Alternatively, sometimes there are notes that are unable to be voiced due to lack of instruments in the trumpets and trombones, so the saxes can pick up those particular notes.
Another approach is to use the saxes as an equalizer where they can make a brass voicing feel darker or brighter. To do this you simply voice the saxes in either the high, middle or low register in a tutti section and it will emphasize those qualities in the overall horn section sound.
The Rhythm Section
Unlike the other three sections of a big band, the rhythm section operates in a completely different manner. Each instrument has a unique role and drastically different timbres yet somehow they all come together as a unit to establish the underlying groove and harmony of a piece. The instruments generally take liberties when reading music, and it can be quite confusing to know just how much information to give them. Even as a bassist myself, I remember stumbling along published bass charts for many years back when I was getting started. Not to mention that my school big band director didn’t really know anything about rhythm section instruments which made the learning process a bit harder. So that doesn’t happen to you, I’ve broken the role of each instrument down and explored a number of different approaches that they can play.
Piano
To start things off, let's jump into the world of piano. Having access to so many notes right at your fingertips, pianists are considered the harmonic backbone of any rhythm section. By having access to any note possible, the piano’s primary role is to outline the harmony of a progression. There are what seems like an infinite number of ways for pianists to do this but the core in jazz is to have the fundamental harmony written in the left hand, leaving the right hand to do just about anything.
It is important to understand that every pianist has a different sized hand and may not be able to stretch as far as others. In general, I suggest keeping all written voicings within an octave and restricting it to three voices per hand. You can of course break from this, but it offers a nice foundation to build from.
Some of the most common types of jazz piano parts include: block chords/pads, rhythmic comping, and stride. For block chords/pads, the piano part is rather straightforward and simply includes held chords over a bar. These are great for establishing harmony while staying out of the way of other instruments.
Rhythmic comping is a bit more complicated as a pianist will generally react to the musical situation and play ideas which fit into a given context. However, one of the most used rhythms with this approach is the charleston which can be augmented to fit into a number of different rhythmic ideas.
Stride is an older type of comping which is particularly associated with early jazz and the swing era. Although not as popular today as it once was, it was used by legendary big band leaders Count Basie and Duke Ellington. Stride focuses on the left hand which plays the bass note on beats one and three while voicing out the chord on two and four. It becomes quite the work out over time and at fast tempos but leaves the right hand to do as it wishes.
When we write out a piano part we have three options: notate everything, slashes, or a mixture of both. Notating everything is usually not necessary as a pro pianist will be able to interpret the part and play something suitable in most cases. I typically only fully notate lines when I want the player to perform a part or voice a chord in a certain way.
Slashes on the other hand give a considerable amount of freedom to the player, leaving the part completely up to what they can come up with. This can be very handy in solo sections where they might be comping behind an improviser, or in general sections where nothing specific is needed. Just make sure you use accurate chord symbols that reflect any color tones you are using in the horns, otherwise the pianist may play certain notes which clash with what you’ve orchestrated. If you want the pianist to play in a certain style, you can simply write in text above the slashes “stride” or whatever type of comping you desire. Depending on the context, this may not be necessary
Finally, a mixture of both slashes and notated parts work surprisingly well as it gives a layer of freedom to the player but also slightly more information than slashes alone. As I am not a professional pianist, let alone a good amateur, I tend to trust the players I book far more than myself. As such, I often write out single note lines and use the text “voice from top” so that they can pick the voicing they like best for the situation. I also never assume that the pianist knows every single type of comping pattern for every different style, so I will typically write out a bar or two of a default pattern and then mark “sim.” so that they have a general feel for the groove that I am after.
Guitar
Similar to the piano, the guitar is also responsible for outlining the harmony of a piece. However, as you are likely already aware, the instrument sounds completely different to a piano and generally can't play as many notes at once. Although the guitar can play up to six notes at a time, in jazz settings they often play voicings with three or four notes which articulate the 3rd, 7th, and a color tone. When playing with a pianist, the role of each instrument needs to be defined so that they don’t stand on each other’s toes. Whether it be one instrument playing more rhythmically, or taking certain notes of the harmony, when we utilize both harmonic instruments together it is important that we are aware of where possible clashes may arise. It is common to only use one instrument at a time, or more strictly define each of their roles if playing together.
In big band settings there are two primary types of comping that guitarists use: chunking and rhythmic comping. The latter being exactly the same approach as the one we covered above with the piano. Chunking on the other hand is mainly associated with the great Freddie Green who played for decades with the Basie band. When a guitar chunks, it plays steady crotchet/quarter notes and harmonizes the chord symbol usually outlining the fundamental notes (including the 5th in many cases). The general idea is to maintain a consistent driving pulse in a similar manner to a walking bass line or a ride cymbal. Fortunately, notation is rather simple on our end as you just have to write “Chunk” above a given line or use slashes with stems.
Interestingly when writing for guitar, it isn’t common to actually write out voicings. Most guitarists learn in a different environment to other instruments which starts with chord symbols. So when writing guitar parts we emphasize slashes with chord symbols over written parts. You can still write notated lines and say “voice from top,” however we generally avoid fully notated voicings.
Bass
Moving over to my own personal instrument, the bass covers a unique space in the rhythm section. As the name of the instrument implies, regardless of it being an upright bass, bass guitar, or even a tuba in early jazz settings, the primary role of the instrument is to outline the bass movement of the given harmony. However, the bass can also create rhythmic drive by approaching the bass line in different ways. For example, bassists often play notes other than just the root of each chord to help create motion within a bar. In jazz, this most commonly takes the form of a walking bass line.
There are many ways to approach writing and playing a walking bass line but the simplest way is to think about connecting the root note of each bar through a series of notes. You can connect bars by arpeggio, scalar/diatonic motion, chromatic approaches, and other types of patterns, with the main rule being that on beat one of each bar you land on the relevant bass note of the chord.
It is also equally common for bass lines to be played with a two feel where instead of a driving four note line each bar, you have two notes. In which case you can still think about connecting the root notes but it is far more common to emphasize the root and 5th in each bar.
When it comes to notating out a bass part we can take a similar approach to piano, where we either fully notate everything, use slashes, or some combination of both. Fully notating everything is really only useful if there is a specific bass line or part you have in mind, otherwise unless you are a bassist, you will likely restrict the options the bassist has. However, if you are writing for a beginner player what I would suggest is a combination of a notated part with accompanying chords. That way when they are just starting out they have a written line which works but as they develop they can start creating their own lines with the chord symbols.
Like all other rhythm instruments we can use slashes for bass parts. They are particularly useful to give freedom to the player which can be a problem in some circumstances. Personally, I mainly use a mixture of slashes and notated parts where I give a brief template idea of the bass part I’m looking for and then give them slashes. The more complicated the groove or part I want them to play, the more notation I use.
Drums
Unlike any of the other rhythm section instruments, the drums offer a purely rhythmic role to the rhythm section. As such, their main job is to provide a rhythmic foundation for an arrangement. By having two sticks and two pedals, there are a wide range of time feels a drummer can play at any given moment, and like the other rhythm section instruments, they often take a number of liberties when playing an arrangement. This can make it quite difficult to know exactly what to do from a writer's perspective but there are still a number of common grooves that they play.
Before we jump into the specific drum parts, let's break down the components often found in every drum part. Up first is an ongoing time feel or pattern. Most commonly played on a cymbal, one stick is usually assigned to a repetitive rhythm which drives a groove. That could be on a ride cymbal like the typical “spang-a-lang” type pattern you’ve likely heard, or perhaps on the toms like Gene Krupa’s drum groove on Sing, Sing, Sing. It could even be used on the snare drum with brushes for a common ballad approach. In the Kansas City approach to jazz in the early 20th century, the bass drum would also articulate consistent crotchets/quarter notes alongside a cymbal, introducing the original 4 on the floor time feel.
Another hand or foot is tasked with reinforcing the backbeat, specifically beats 2 and 4. Initially this was played on the snare drum and with the high hat pedal. However, after the bebop era and particularly due to drummers such as Max Roach and Kenny Clarke, the snare drum didn’t articulate the backbeat nearly as often in small group jazz styles. In counterpoint with the backbeat, it is not uncommon for drummers to emphasize downbeats on the bass drum.
Finally, that brings us to the reactive component of drumming. Bebop impacted a lot of elements to jazz and in terms of drumming it removed strict elements found in earlier types of jazz to allow for more reactionary playing. As such, drummers now often comp on the snare and bass drum in response to improvisers or band figures. What this means for us arrangers is that we can expect a level of interaction from drummers similar to the rhythmic comping of a piano or guitar.
With all of that in mind, let’s now shift to some specific examples of notating drum grooves. Up first is the standard swing pattern found almost everywhere in jazz. The ride plays consistent crotchet/quarter notes, sometimes playing two quavers/eighth notes on beats 2 and 4, with the backbeat played by the high hat pedal. You can add other elements if necessary, however this is the bare minimum for most swing feels.
A variation on the swing feel is to swap out the ride cymbal for high hats. This is an older approach and can include open and closed hats for a unique sound. As the hats are now being used as the main ongoing pattern, the back beat is not played by the high hat pedal. You can also partner this with a feathered bass drum where it plays on all four if you want to capture the early Basie/big band feel.
If you are wanting to emulate the classic Sing, Sing, Sing drum part, you can take the same swing pattern but move the ongoing pattern onto the floor tom.
Finally, if you are wanting to add a time feel to the snare drum it is typical to use brushes as it provides a lighter, more transparent aesthetic. To indicate this in the drum part all you have to do is write “Stir Brushes” and the drummer will know what to do. Another way is to reassign the ride cymbal pattern from earlier onto the snare drum and mark “Brushes” above the rhythm.
As you have now seen multiple times with the other rhythm instruments, writing for drums incorporates the same approach of either notating everything, using slashes, or a mixture of both. Due to the complex nature of drumming making use of so many different limbs, written notation can become quite difficult to decipher. To keep it simple I would suggest using the same template model explored previously, where you write a brief bar or two of a time feel you want the drummer to capture and follow it with slashes. However one difference with drum parts is that you also have the ability to have them articulate band figures and fill into sections. To capture this in notation we use a simple shorthand where you mark band hits as cues above the slashes if you want them to maintain the groove while accenting a certain rhythm, or as slashes with stems if you want them to stop playing time and only play the written rhythm. To mark a fill, you simply write “fill” above a given section.
The Takeaway
Voicing for big band is always a fun endeavour as it is one part creative and one part problem solving. I hope that through this page I’ve helped introduce you to a number of different strategies to approach each section, whether that be by diving into voicing shapes for the horns or unpacking each instrument in the rhythm section. Of course there are many more approaches to voicing than those found here but these will point you in the right direction and sound great when you have a chance to hear them in person.
Now that we have covered a number of voicing techniques we have to start looking at actually applying them! Whether that be in melodies, counterlines, shouts, solis, or any other type of section, seeing how voicings move between each other will give us a better idea of when to use certain techniques and when to avoid others. Like always though, that will be covered on another resource because you no doubt have a headache after reading all of the content on this page.