HURDLNG THE HAZARDS OFTHE BEGNNNG ARRANGER By CHOOSE A SONG TO ARRANGE Select an EASY one so you will have a success expeience. Simple melody that's singable Not much moe than an octave span Chod changes that ae logical and expected Appealing stoy KEY SELECTON Select a key whee the melody is in singable ange fo you LEAD singe. (between A below middle C to the C o 0 above) Find the fist TONC majo tiad in the chous, and find the chod voicing that woks. Whee is the bass? Look at highest note and find the chod that fits it. Look at the lowest note and find the chod that fits it. TRANSPOSE MELODY AND CHORD SYMBOLS TO YOUR SELECTED KEY. Wite scale lettes of the existing key. Beneath, wite scale lettes of you selected key. VOCNG THE CHORDS Refe to you handout of THE ELEVEN CHORDS and follow the ules of voicing. Keep in mind the voice ange of you singes. This is whee you skill with cosswod puzzles comes in - while each chod must be coect vetically, the hoizontal sequence of pat lines must make sense. Get a good ease! ADDNG EMBELLSHMENTS My definition of an embellishment would be: "Any musical notation beyond the vetical choding of the melody line."
Appopiate embellishment establishes the style o chaacte of the aangement, and the intended hythmic motion. An embellishment is usually used when thee is a space in the song whee the melody is sustained - the embellishment seves as accompaniment, to enhance the mood of the song. When each "line end" occus, the aange then has seveal questions to answe: (1) What can do in this space to keep the established hythm/mood going? (2) What is the intended dynamic patten to be duing this space? (this will influence the voicing selected) (3) Will the singes need a beath duing this space? (f not, whee will it be?) NTROS AND TAGS An NTRa is an embellishment that pepaes the audience to listen to the song... it gives a hint of what is to come. NTRa ideas: Line fom vese o chous Oiginal melody/lyics Oiginal vese Reveal identity of song Conceal identity of song "nstumental" into No into - is it okay? And when? A TAG is an embellishment that waps up the song to give it a sense of finality. t can be exhilaating o tende, depending on the mood you wish to leave with the listene. So many ceative things that can be done with a TAG! You need to listen and analyze the tags that gab you - imitation is the sinceest fom of flattey. The tick is to make it such a pat of the song that the listene doesn't even ealize it S a TAG. We can listen to a few of my favoites if thee is time...
S'vveet Adelines ntenational, ES Choosing a Song to Aange Handout Page 1 \VtfAT'S N A SC9t.JG?? MELODY STORY LYRCS 1) How many scale notes does it span? 2) Whee does it lie in the scale? 3) How would you descibe it: Ascending? Descending? Chodal? Smooth? Jumpy? Chomatic? Appealing? Singable? othe? 4) s thee a "hook"? Whee? 1) What is the stoy? 2) s it inteesting? 3) Will it hold the attention of a listene? 4) s it easy to follow? 5) Does it have depth, o is it tite? 6) Will it evoke an emotional esponse in the listene? 1) Easy to aticulate at appopiate speed? 2) Follow the hythmic patten of the melody? 3) Mostly singable consonants and ingable vowels, especially at phase endings and climactic points? 4) Rhyme patten okay? 5) Does lyical climax coincide with musical peak? 6) Any lyics that wouldn't be appopiate today? f so, can they be alteed?
Sweet Adellnes ntenational, ES Choosing a Song to Aange Handout Page 2 RHYTHM 1) What kind of hythm does the song suggest? a) Dive b) Swing beat c) Ad lib ballad d). Swing ballad e) Othe? 2) Could it be appopiately pefomed in a diffeent hythm? 3) Could it be appopiately pefomed with moe than one hythm in the same pesentation? CHORD PROGRESSONS 1) Ae the chod changes logical and expected? 2) Ae thee enough chod changes to ceate inteest? 3) s thee a pedominance of stong chods/ i.e. majo tiads/ dominant 7ths/ dominant 9ths? 4) Ae the seconday stength chods well-placed to add vaiety but not ovewhelm the oveall? 5) Does the chod stuctue equie the use of dissonance (melody not in the basic hamony)? f so/ can appopiate substitute chods be appopiately used? Would a melody change be appopiate to avoid the dissonance? FORM 1) Does the chous contain a standad "popsong" patten of oganization? AABA ABAB ABAC ABCA 2) How many measues ae in othe pats of song/ such as vese, vamp, patte? 3) What fom would you suggest to ceate an inteesting aangement fo ou use? NTRO-VERSE-CHORUS-2HALFCHORUS-TAG
COMPOSTON OFA BARBERSHOP ARRANGEMENT NTRO t Substitute fo what the ochesta would play to intoduce the vocalist t Gives a hint about wh~tthe song will tell you t Not equied - sometimes the Vese does the job t Usually 4 to B bas - but sometimes 2 woks! VERSE t Sets ';Jpmessage that will be told in the Chous t Usually 1 6 bas. sometimes 24...0de songs sometimes have 32 Not all songs have a Vese...pimay featue of "ou" song is tempo so we don't need a Vese to intoduce tempo CHORUS t Main pat of the song t All songs have it t Memoable hook line t BBS songs ae like poems... they hyne...they have poetic mete t Usually 32 bas, sometimes 40 t Vaiety of fomats: AABA [this song) ABAC [Baby Face/Goody Goody ABACA [Toot Toot Tootsie) TAG t Substitute fo closing accompaniment an ochesta would play to finish song. t Usually 4 o B bas - sometimes MORE. t The wap-up...can be exhilaating o tende.
Tem Definition Ad Lib Augmented Mete loosely intepeted; take atistic libeties. A majo tiad with the Sth aised Yz step (, 3, S+) Babeshop 7 th Dominant seventh chod. (, 3, S, 7b) Baline Bid's Eye Bidge Chat Chinese 7th Chod Spelling Chod Chomatic The vetical line on the staffat the end ofeach measue. Slang name fo femata. A section ofmusic that connects veses and chouses. Anothe name fo musical manuscipt. An open voiced BBS7th with the inteval ofa 2 nd at the top. Coect components ofa chod based on its oot A goup ofthee o moe tones intended to be head as a unit, built on intevals ofthe thid. Pogession ofhalfsteps. Clock Anothe name fo the Cicle offifths. (12 o'clock =tonic, o'clock= dominant) Closed Voicing Contay Motion Countepoint - Patte Diatonic Scale Diminished Dominant Duets Echos Enhamonic Fom Glissando Hamonization ntelude When all fou voice pats ae within an octave. Two o moe pats moving in opposite diections. Sets oflyics in diffeent hythmic pattens, sung concuently. Ou most common scale. 1-1-1-112 - 1-1-1-112 (2 tetachods) A fou note chod:, 3b, Sb and 7bb. Neve double anything. The fifth tone ofa scale, o chod build on the Sth ofa scale. Two pats moving hamonically. Repeated passage - usually sung as an embellishment. Same tone, notated diffeently (A#-Bb) Constuction ofa song (example: AABA) Like a slide o slu; sung hitting all notes between the fist and last. Chods selected to hamonize a given melody. Connecting segment within the fom ofan aangement Page of3
n '', : Q~;."~ '\' "--"i:~''- ~ ~.- ;', l,.'\}.::\j /_.'.-." "..,.~, ~. - -' 9:'.: nteval nteval _ 2 nd nto nvesions Majo 7 th Manuscipt Measue Numbes Measues Modulation (Key Changes) Mete Natual Notation Oblique Motion The distance between two notes. Two notes next to each othe, a whole step apat (C-D ). Also known as F'net, Chinese, Ca hon, Chopstix. Shot segment ofaangement that pecedes a Vese o Chous Repositioning ofthe notes in a chod. 7 th tone ofa scale. nteval of 1 to 7 in a majo scale. Witten aangement. Numbes placed at beginning ofeach measue. Goups ofbeats. A pogession ofchods leading logically fom one key to anothe to affect a key change. GoupinglMeasuement oftine (3 beats/measue = % time) Natual (q) cancels a shap (#) o flat (b) in the key signatue. Witten music on a staffindicating two popeties oftone; Pitch and Duation Two voice pats moving in the same diection, but at diffeent speeds; o one voice emaining constant and the othe moving. Octave An inteval of 1 to 8. Open Voicing Ovetone Paallel Motion Phase Pogession (Chod Pogession) Pythagoean Refain Relative Mino Relative Majo Resolve (Chod Resolution) Rhythm Oute voices in a chod ae beyond an octave apat. An unsung tone poduced by a fundamental tone. Two o moe pats moving in the same diection with the same inteval patten. A section ofa song. Sequence ofchods. Mathematical system oftuning. Anothe name fo a "chous" - the main body ofa song Mino tiad built on the 6 th note ofmajo scale. Majo tiad built on the 3 d note ofa mino scale. Chod sequencing to 'home', o tonic An element oftime detemined by accent and duation Page 2 of3
Ringability Root Rules ofdoubling Seconds Slu Solfeggio Spead to the loth Sweet Adeline Aange's Guide Sweet Adeline Home Study Couse Swipe Tag/Tag Out Tempo Tiddley Tonality Tonic Tiad Tios TunAound Vese Voice Leading Unison Walking Line Oppotunity fo ovetone. The tone on which a chod is built What to double in a majo o mino tiad. An inteval ofa whole step between two notes. Two o moe notes sung on a single wod o syllable. The system ofmusical language utilizing the syllables ofdo, e, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do. A chod invesion with an inteval of 10 notes fom the highest to lowest note. nstuction Manual available fom SAL Advanced Couse fo the study ofbbs aanging. Two o moe chods used fo embellishment ofa single wod o syllable. Final sequence ofmusic to end the lyical and musical essence ofthe aangement. talian wod meaning "time". (Allego = fast) Tiny swipe sung by one pat. A musical popety which ceates a sense ofgavitation towad a key cente. The fist note ofa diatonic scale. The tem is also used to efeence a chod built on the fist tone ofa diatonic scale. Basic components ofa chod. Thee hamonic tones played o sung concuently, usually the oot, thid and fifth notes ofa scale. Thee pats holding with one pat moving o the evese. Method ofetuning to a potion ofa song. Sets up the chous ofa song musically and lyically. The manne in which the individual pat lines move hoizontally fom note to note. Two o moe pats singing the same note. Notes sung in a scale patten by a single pat. Page 3 of 3
Sweet Adelines ntenational ARE YOU AN ASPRNG ARRANGER? Page 1 ARE YOU AN ASPRNG ARRANGER? Self Evaluation Cjcle those answes that apply. 1) ( have an ea fo hamony. Only one ea. Two eas. t huts when it's wong. What's hamony? 2) 've got hythm. 'm a footpatte. should've been a dumme. have two left feet. think 've head that song.., 3) listen to babeshop tapes/cd's. Occasionally. Often. 'm an addict. 4) can hadly wait fo the next quatet/chous eheasal. The music goes thu my think about it occasionally OH.... head, ove and ove... between eheasals. it's tonight? 5) (like cosswod puzzles. enjoy the challenge of poblem solvlng. Once in a while. 'm too impatient fo games. 6) ead music. Sot of One clef Two clefs Petty good Excellent What's a den 7) have keyboad skills. One finge One hand Two hands No hands 8) 9) have studied music theoy. Extensive Some Alittle None have detemination. 1:wlJ.. might if it's not too had. was vaccinated but it dldn't take. dunno 'm not vey talented. 10) can handle citicism. No poblem. Please be moe tactful about my wok. But JKE it that way... 11) 'd like to lean to aange because: Thee ae songs my qttelchous would like to sing, would enjoy leaning moe about ou music, think may be able to do it. want to be ich. want to be famous.
Sweet Adelines ntenational ARE YOU AN ASPRNG ARRANGER? 2 QUALFCATONS 1. NATURAL MUSCAL ABLTY (ea and hythm). This is not an absolute necessity, as thee ae those who aange solely by theoy and logic. But it is much moe difficult to achieve without these natual gifts. 2. MUSCAL BACKGROUND. A backgound in music study, such as piano o othe instument, is a shotcut in leaning to aange. But this is ACQURED KNOWLEDGE... and can be acquied DOYt, if you ae willing. 3. MUSC THEORY. ~ music theoy is a MUST. But this can be acquied though self-study and egional classes. Classes ae also available in all communities of any size. Aself-study couse in aanging babeshop hamony is available fo puchase fom Sweet Adelines ntenational. 4. ENTHUSASM AND DETERMNATON. These must come fom YOU.. Confucious say: "He who sit on piano bench longest becomes finest aange." 5. PATENCE. You don't lean to aange ovenight. t is a gadual pocess of leaning. The moe time you devote, the faste it wilt happen. You should take advantage of all leaning oppotunities that come you way. Seek a mento to help you ove the humps. Take it one step at a time and ejoice at you small successes...they will ADD UP to BG SUCCESS when you hea you ceation pefomed by a quatet o chous!
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 1 Why 4-Pat HamonY Babeshop Style?? We sing one of the most demanding kinds of vocal music in existence -- BARBERSHOP HARMONY. ~ ; «~ WHAT S T? 4 notes, 1) popely STACKED 2) TUNED 3) BLENDED 4) BALANCED - RNGNG CHORD!!!! (LOCKED CHORDl A [;09;09 chod is poducing OVERTONES!!!!! TRADTONAL VOCAL + TECHNQUES pope use of the vocal appaatus, fully esonated & pojected 20th CENTURY + POP SOUND low melody ange, fontal focus & esonance BARBERSHOP STYLE HARMONES & TECHNQUES stacked tuned blended balanced TODA Y'S BARBERSHOP MUSC Fo women, it is an appealing vocal sound which has neve befoe existed!! we must ecognize ou accomplishment & take pide in it.
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 2 OVERTONE PATTERN cps =cycles pe second C#_1100 cps 9th Hamonic C# B 990 cps 8th Hamonic B A 880cpS 7th Hamonic A G_770 cps 6~h Hamonic G E_660 cps 5th Hamonic E C#_550 cps 4th Hamonic C# A_440 CPS 3d Hamonic A E_330 cps_2nd Hamonic_E F1JNDAMF,NTAT, A
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 3 MAJOR TRAD ~ 1, 3, 5 of the scale. A 3-note chod. Almost always doubles the oot. Double the 5th when equied fo ange o voice-leading; neve on sustained chod. NEVER double the 3d. BARBERSHOPSEVENTH ~ 1, 3, 5, 7b - a 4-note chod. Neve double anything. MAJOR SXTH 1, 3, 5, 6 - a 4'note chod. Neve double anything. MAJOR SEVENTH 1, 3, 5, 7 a 4-note chod. Neve double anything. AVOD when possible. MAJOR NNTH 1, 3, 5, 9 - a 4-note chod. Neve double anything. NNTH CHORD 1,3,5, 7b, 9 - a 5-note chod. Eliminate the oot (1). Occasionally used with the 5th omitted, but has an "unbabeshop" sound. MNOR TRAD 1, 3b, 5 - a 3-note chod. Double anything! (doubled 5th is weake) MNOR SXTH 1, 3b, 5, 6 - a 4-note chod. Neve double anything. MNOR SEVENTH 1, 3b,5, 7b. a 4'note chod. Neve double anything. DMNSHED SEVENTH 1, 3b, 5b, 7bb - a 4'note chod. Neve double anything. AUGMENTED TRAD 1, 3, 5# - a 3-note chod. Double one pefeably the oot.
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE THE ELEVEN BARBERSHOP CHORDS Page 4 and thei stongest voicings Majo tiad x Babeshop (dominant) seventh ",. J. Babeshop (dominant) ninth <Omi t the oo to the fifth,} *Majo sixth OJ,.J J.
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE *Majo seventh ~ Page 5 *Majo ninth (ALWAYS ORli [ the seventh) Use spaingly in babenhop aangements. Mino tiad "' 1 J Mino sixth ~ j " Mino seventh ~ v ~ Augmented tiad f Diminished seventh iii
Sweet Ade\ines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 6 SWEET ADEUNES VOCE RANGE ~. Lead. Bass RANGE COMFORT mgh ZONE f. 1\ Teno ~J, ~1 LOW i 1 ej. Bali J LJ J J E=EDGE C--eOMFORT H=ffiGH L=LOW CE L L H C H H H c CE H C L c H H C C C C C C CD:lO SOOND AREA. l ----:-------- MENAND~ tf l AdditiOllll.ootes in msn s :ange Middle C j 1J Additicnal Ptes in wnnen s anee
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE CRCLE OF FFTHS (alias, The Clock) Page 7 Thee is much infomation about ou music in this diagam. The fist thing you should know is that YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW THS N ORDER TO ARRANGEllll Let this infomation seep into you awaeness gadually, as you pogess in you wok. ts fist use should be to give you an awaeness of the elationship of chods, and'a language in which to descibe chods and thei elationship. F 12 TONC o
Sweet AdeJines ntemational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE ntemational Education Symposium Page 8 MAKE YOUR MANUSCRPT MEANNGFUL 1. Use manuscipt pape designed fo ou kind of music. Packages ae available fom Sweet AdeJines sales fo a easonable pice. We wite the LEAD and TENOR on the teble clef. BARTONE and BASS ae witten on the bass clef ONE OCTAVE LOWER THAN SUNG. (This keeps them out ofthe space whee the wods go!) Babeshop aangement fo male voices ae witten with the LEAD and TENOR on the teble clef one octave HGHER than sung; BAR and BASS ae witten on the bass clef exactly as sung. 2. Fo the final copy of you aangement, use a good black pen fo easy eading and clea epoduction. You will want to leam to wite compute manuscipts eventually, but this is not a necessity... especially in the beginning. That is anothe complete leaning expeience. 3. The KEY signatue appeas at the beginning of each line. The TME signatue follows the key signatue on the FRST line only. 4. Keep you pats vetically aligned - staight up and down in the same chod. Lyics should appea unde the appopiate notes. 5. Wite the same numbe of beats in each measue. All measues have the same numbe of beats UNLESS the time signatue indicates a change. 6. Clealy mak pats of the aangement, such as NTRO, VERSE, CHORUS, TAG, etc. 7. nclude the TTLE and PAGE NUMBER on each page. Copyight infomation goes on the fist page only, at the bottom. Name of compose(s) and aange should appea below the TTLE ofthe song as a pat of the heading. 8. Make evey effot to use coect chod spelling, on a CHORD by CHORD basis. Fo instance, thee isn't an A-flat in an E-majo tiad (E-G#-B). 9. When melody tempoaily leaves the LEAD pat, use a dotted line to follow it to the new melody pat. Be sue to indicate the melody etun in the same way. 10. When one voice holds a note and the othe voices ae singing lyics, be sue to wite the wods beside each pat that is to sing them. 11. A slu is used in vocal music when the same wod o syllable is sung fo two o moe notes. Think of it as a "tie", since we do not "slu" - hopefully! 12. Clealy mak key and time signatue changes with a double ba. f you choose to use a epeat, be sue it is coectly indicated in all the necessay places. 13. nclude as much intepetive infomation as is pactical in ode to assist the singe.
Sweet Adelines ntemational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 9 KEEPNG THE COMPOSER HAPPY! A good aange woks with the compose to enhance the existing melody, Lyics and implied hamony. Thee ae times when it is pemissible, necessay and desiable, fo any numbe of easons, to make slight adjustments. Leaning WHEN TO and WHEN NOT TO is vey impotant... and HOW TO equies even moe cae. RHYTHM t TEMPO CHANGES The pefome/aange fequently changes the tempo o the hythm of a song. THS DOES NOT ALTER THE COMPOSER'S WORK...it is still totally ecognizable. We've sung ballads with a beat - and conveted uptunes to ballads with geat success. This is OKAY, if done in good musical taste. Pofessional musicians do it all the time. LYRC CHANGES An occasional Lyic change is acceptable. You might consideit fo one of these easons: 1) The meaning is obscue. 2) Wod usage has changed. 3) Lyic is awkwad o weak. Take cae not to indisciminately change familia lyics. MELODY CHANGES Hee we tead on saced gound. Yet, thee ae easons why you would conside a sl.iib1 melody alteation: 1) To impove the melodic flow (especially in a fast passage). 2) To bing the melody line into ange fo the singe. 3) To impovise on a epeat chous (often the fist chous acknowledges the compose's oiginal melody, as in UP A LAZY RVER.. Some angy melodies have been impovised so much that we and the compose - accept vaiations fo the song. SUNNY SDE OF THE STREET is an example. Again, caution and cae should be you guide. A good ule of thumb: "CHANGE ONLY F YOU THNK THE COMPOSER WOULD WSH HE/SHE HAD THOUGHT OF T FRST".
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE KEEPNG THE COMPOSER HAPPY Page 10 2 MPLED HARMONY Please get the sheet music/lead sheet/fake book/ecoding BEFORE you begin. You may THNK you emembe the coect implied hamony and melo~y but - this is news.- you ae not infallible! Find the esouces in you community fo old sheet music. You libay is often a good souce. The SPEBSQSA Old Songs Libay is second only to the Libay of Congess and they coopeate! Now you have the sheet music. Remembe, it was witten by anothe aange! Sometimes that aange "simplified" the music so much that the hamony pogession is ove-abbeviated. Sometimes that aange was attempting to tanslate the music into a pogessive jazz style and has ove-complicated it. Nothing tells you like you EAR. A good piece of sheet music will indicate chod stuctue at key hythmic points in the music. n between those key points, it will geneally allow the melody to ceate dissonances on passing notes. n babeshop aanging, this is a NO-NO! We want and insist upon a complete chod fo evey melody note--and then a few moe to substitute fo accompaniment at the ends of phases -- RGHT? The mak of a good aange is the ability to wok within the famewok of the intended hamony povided by the compose. f the intended hamony is "iffy", then as new aanges, pick anothe song. The wost thing you can do to youself is select complicated music and defeat youself befoe you begin. Keep it SMPLE until you've masteed the basics. C-R-A-W-L befoe you RUN! Remembe...as a beginning aange, you musical taste is fa moe developed than you aanging skills. Choose some vey simple songs fo you fist effots... and enjoy the thill of completing you FRST ARRANGEMENTS!! LAST Mt{1!TE PAt'll(....
Sweet Adelines ntenational BEGNNNG TO BEGN TO ARRANGE Page 11 HOW TO BEGN TO COMMENCE......by 1) Select a song. Fo you fist aangement, don't handicap youself by selecting one that is too difficult. You taste is moe advanced than you skills...lean to cawl befoe you walk! 2) Find the music. f you can't locate it, be SURE you know the coect melody, lyics and chod stuctue. f you aen't POSTVE, select a diffeent song. 3) Detemine key the song will be aanged in. Then wite out the lead line and wods on you manuscipt pape. Leave oom fo embellishments (to be added late). This will usually equie TRANSPOSNG...EASY! 4) Pencil in the chod names fom the sheet music. f you tansposed, you'll need to tanspose the chod names also. EASY! 5) The sheet music usually tells the names of the pimay chod o chods in each measue; you will need to detemine the est. Figue out the chods called fo in the fist line o two of you song (as many as you can), and pencil the chod names above the melody notes. UP TO THS PONT YOU MGHT BE ARRANGNG FOR A SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, A WESTERN BAND, OR THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOR. NOW COMES YOUR SPECALZED KNOWLEDGE OF BARBERSHOP HARMONY ARRANGNG 6) Taking one melody note at a time, wite a babeshop vojcing of the chod you believe should be used. Keep the oot in the bass as much as possible. f necessay put it on the 5th of the chod. The bass will be on the 3d o 7th of the chod only on ae occasions fo a special eason. REFER TO THE DETALED NFORMATON ON CHORD VOCNG N "THE ELEVEN CHORDS". 7) Poceed with each melody note, being awae that the hoizontal line you ae ceating fo each pat should be logical, easonable and simple, if it is to be sung effectively. REFER TO "SWEET ADELNE VOCE RANGE" NFORMATON ON THE ENCLOSED HANDOUT. 8) Finish it off with an NTRO and a TAG...and you'e in the ARRANGNG BUSNESS!