Creative Arranging
by James McFadyen

In just about every band up and down the country, there is at least one member of the band who is the resident-arranger; churning out quick and easy arrangements for the bands next concert. But while this method produces arrangements that ‘work’, they do very little more, except perhaps being sound in the knowledge that the audience is kept happy.

It is in this short but direct article that I wish to explore the crafty art of arranging and perhaps bring forth a more balanced and intellectual thought into the design of a modern Brass Band arrangement.

The Rules

There are three basic rules as follows:

• Form is the key to creating a dynamic arrangement;

• Harmonic flow creates atmosphere and supports form;

• Correct technique and commonsense ensures correct duplication of performance.

Each of these rules must combine to form the following aim: The boundaries of traditional arranging should be pushed as far as they can go without alienating the listener.

I shall now go through the objectives in how one can ensure the above rules are adhered to. In passing, I would just like to say that although many see rules as a bad thing, you should notice that the rules I have constructed are free of terms of technique or personal opinion. I urge everyone to stick to my three rules to ensure a creative arrangement is always (at the very least) sought for.

There is a common misconception that musical form is not as important as it once was. If anything, it is more important now than ever before and it’s a concept that an arranger must make suitable judgement.

Before you even put pencil to paper there are a few things you should do: 1) Listen to the original several times; 2) Sit down with the sheet music to learn its inner workings and determine its form.

It then may be a good idea to sit at the piano and work out how to rearrange the form. For example, you should not necessarily feel compelled to do verse – chorus – verse – chorus. However should you wish to stick to the form try to break this down into shorter forms. For example the verse can be broken down into 2 forms (or 2 contrasting styles of writing.)

So how does this work? You should allow the arrangement to become free of its original and embark to search for a more classical approach, however this does not mean it can’t be rock music. It could even be considered to be a kind of Prog Rock, almost like Pink Floyd in reverse, although I in no way presume that this title should be applied but I hope will serve to demonstrate my point.

Most people tend to go wrong in the harmony department. However, this may be a personal perception of mine since my own arrangements make all available use of the harmonic language. Nonetheless I really do believe that good harmony can really lift an arrangement in quite a major way. It is important to note that when I say good harmony I do not mean that a chord is well balanced within itself. I am assuming you can correctly balance a chord with effective doubling, etc. Good harmony to me is about the actual harmonisations and chord progressions you choose.

For example a typical pop song can have a chord progression of | 1 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 1 | - lovely! Well, perhaps not really all that lovely. You see, the Brass Band doesn’t lend itself very well to these types of chord progressions; it is far more successful at providing a more sophisticated sound.

It doesn’t take a genius to work out suitable chord substitutions for the above progression. One might go | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 6 | OK, so we’re getting there but it still needs more work, what about if we start on chord 3 and then go to chord 1? From this you can construct and entirely new chord structure.

Of course, this is all melody dependant, but in my experience, you shouldn’t go wrong if you follow some commonsense and remember the absolute basics of diatonic harmony. You may even want to jazz things up with some ‘major 7 th’and ‘minor 9 th’ harmonies in addition to the other modal extensions although this takes a lot of practice to get right.

The application of proper scoring technique and commonsense allows us to be more pedantic about how we put our music across. First thing to remember is the short comings. Inconsiderate high register writing, especially for extended periods is not recommended. Extended playing should be adequately written to accommodate breathing. Cutting a note short by a quaver is enough, but ensure this is done tastefully and not to the detriment of the music.

Always think about the fingers; running scale patterns can be very effective, but arpeggio phrases, especially at a quick tempo are more tricky and may leave some of the lower section bands without the pleasure of being able to play your arrangement. However, if an accompaniment is being scored, more thought must be made into the accompaniment parts. The melody will take care of itself. Of course harmony plays a big part here. Don’t be afraid to load on 3 horns, 2 baritones and 4 basses for an accompaniment and perhaps a Euphonium and Trombone to supply some counter-melodic phrases.

This configuration won’t work for everything, but you must think about the sound you want. If you want a big sound then using just 3 horns and 4 basses is never going to cut it. Similarly if you want a lighter sound, perhaps a Flugelhorn, 2 Horns, 1 Trombone and 1 Euphonium (or Eb Bass) will suffice. You might even substitute one of the horn parts for a Baritone for added depth of colour.

I will now list the most common faults that a would-be arranger would do best to avoid:

1) Excessive demands on upper register playing;

2) Overall band sound weak and lacking ‘body’;

3) Scoring for percussion has been misunderstood and/or is impractical;

4) Irrational use of pedal notes in the Basses;

5) Not enough time given to players to comfortably put a mute in.

It may be said that all this can be controlled by commonsense and yes I would certainly agree with you. But the problem is, I see these kinds of problems a little more often than I like, so while it may be like teaching people to suck eggs, one must really ask oneself about how much commonsense is actually used when arranging. Sometimes, some arrangers can be too caught up in the moment of creating a sound that they forget what is actually possible and practical. It is little use writing a cool timpani passage if it can only be practically played on 5 timps, despite you thinking that it would probably be possible to do it on 3.

Pencil to Paper

It can be very daunting sitting at the piano with nothing more than blank manuscript to keep you company. The only real solution is to start working on it.

Play with a few ideas on the piano and test the water a little. Your performing ability is of no concern and don’t worry about filling all the harmony or counterpoint. Get the basics on the page and then this will put harmony and counterpoint into the equation. In fact, once you get some basic ideas, you may not need the piano for a while, except perhaps to try out a few ideas.

I have never been an advocate of writing directly on the computer; I find it a huge hindrance and just disjoints my creative thinking. I do urge you to use pencil and paper. Goff Richards and Alan Fernie still write in this way. Besides, if you do become a well known composer or arranger, your original manuscripts may set your family up for life, believe me; in 100 years finding original manuscripts will be like finding gold. Computer notation has no historical value. Let your legacy live on I say!

Never rush the process of arranging. There always seems a need to finish an arrangement the day before yesterday. There is no sense in worrying about getting it finished when you have barely started. Give the music time to mature. In a few days, you may feel differently about a whole section of the music. It is important that you allow time for your brain to take in what it has been processing. It is only by stepping back from something we see it for what it truly is.

Final Notes

Arranging for band is fun and exciting but it must also be rewarding. Every arrangement you do must be approached in this creative way.

Never again should you be writing dull arrangements; all it takes is a little time, patience and a feel for musical drama.