![]() Once the trombone enters, the wire now serves the purpose of holding the music in one place. On cue, the solo trombone answers that request while focusing the attention on the soloist. Its use isĪs an introduction to a music arrangement I wrote to Jobim’s “A Felicidade.” Note how the initial wire in the strings presents the emotional need to hear more, as it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. In the strings, and a solo trombone playing a melody against it. This next example is an illustration of how I used a wire (high pedal point) When this happens, what is the effect? Does it feel like the harmonic pad is still there (or at least the effect of it)? Wire in Antonio Carlos Jobim’s “A Felicidade” Also interesting in this piece is that at about the halfway point of the introduction (1:12), the held notes go away completely so that just the violin soloist is playing the cadenza-no other instruments are sounding. It also takes the edge off the rhythm of the cadenza. ![]() The held notes in the strings add glue or harmonic support to the cadenza. While this is occurring, the rest of the string section is playing long tones (literally tied whole notes) using an E Minor Add 9 chord for what seems like a very long time. In the introduction to this composition, a solo violin plays a fairly rhythmicĬadenza or solo section. ![]() “The Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams One that comes to mind right away is the introduction to the Ralph Vaughan Williams piece entitled, “The Lark Ascending.”ĮARN YOUR PROFESSIONAL CERTIFICATE IN MUSIC ARRANGING FROM BERKLEE ONLINE There are examples of this in orchestral literature. Again, the long tones (pads) take the edge off of the overall forcefulness of the rhythm. There are many examples of this in funk music where the bass, drums, percussion, and horn lines can be very rhythmic, but there is also a keyboard playing long tones called “pads” (often string or brass sounds) that in a very real sense “glue” the sound together. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing it’s just another textural choice. (very rhythmic music), the long tones will take the edge off the syncopation, making it less forceful. One other thought about line shapes: If long tones are added to syncopation Over a period of time, line shapes (as in an ostinato) will fade into the background, as the repetitiveness will let the brain register that idea, and then focus on other melodic ideas as they are introduced.Line shapes are great for introductions to a main idea-they are not the main idea themselves.Rather, they “set up” action or musical movement to come. Line shapes aren’t complete thoughts in themselves. ![]() After careful listening, we can come to the following emotional (or dramatic) responses: The three examples above are all line shapes. If this continues over a period of time, will it be enough of a statement for us, or do we want something else to happen as well? In the example below, I have composed a simple two-measure phrase that repeats over and over. As the question was posed in the previous paragraph, is this a complete idea? Are we satisfied, or do we want something else to happen, musically? The next example is what is often called a “wire.” I’m sure you’ve heard this technique used in many films. When playing or singing this example, does it seem like the melody is a complete thought, or do you want something else to happen? Note that there are many repeated notes, particularly at the beginning of each measure. The example below illustrates a line shape. As the group of notes repeats itself over and over, a “line” shape is formed. An ostinato also falls into this shape classification. The main characteristics of this shape are repeated notes or notes held for a long period of time, as in a pedal point high above or below the staff. All three shapes are not necessarily contained in one melody, but aspects, or parts, of these shapes are. There are three fundamental shapes that melodies contain. The line will determine whether we are suggesting adventure or not. The pitches themselves won’t really matter as much, because the shape of In other words, if we figure out what type of melodic shape sounds the most adventurous, from a conceptual point of view, then it will be much easier to write the actual notes that fit that idea. If a client asks you to write a theme that suggests adventure, where would you start? What kind of a melody could represent adventure? What kind of a melody wouldn’t represent adventure? There are conceptual ideas we can explore to help us narrow down our choices-that of melodic shape. This can save a great deal of time during the writing process by keeping me focused on my main point. Īs a composer, I’ve become a firm believer in the value of spending time thinking about what I want to musically say before I try to say it (write the pitches). The following is excerpted from the Berklee Online course Arranging: Woodwinds and Strings by Jerry Gates.
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