Writing/Arranging Horn Parts

[Andrew.Glose]

Janek,

I'm listening to your first CD right now and would like to know how you approached writing parts for the horns. Did you take horn writing/arranging at Berklee? Or are you using a different (your own) approach? And I'm guessing you used certain horn parts for different melodies simply because it's what you wanted for the part.

I have a couple tunes I'd like to write horn parts for, but haven't yet been taught how to (next semester). Maybe you can shine some light on this for me.

Thanks,

Andrew

[bassnutj]

Not to speak for Janek, but try writing a melody for trumpet and then harmonizing it on tenor a fourth or sixth below.
That's one simple way, among many others.

[HaVIC5]

Get the book "Modern Jazz Voicings" by Ted Pease/Ken Pullig (you can buy it off Amazon.com). They use it here at Berklee as the textbook for the Arranging 2 and Chord Scale Voicings for Arranging classes (parts 1 and 2 of the book). Its an incredibly helpful book that goes way beyond basic intervallic harmonization.

[janekbass]

well like with most things I do it's been picked up from transcribing someone else doing it.

Gil Evans was a huge influence on me when it came to horn writing, as were the brecker brothers, maria schneider, Vince Mendoza, and many others.

I just spent a lot of time figuring out what certain voicing were on albums that I liked, writing them down in books, and then referring back to them as and when I heard those sounds and colours on something i was writing.

Now it's a little second nature as far as certain common voicings go, and I do a lot of stuff just by experimenting with certain shapes until it sounds the way I want it to sound.

A good command of basic jazz harmony is essential I think, and makes writing voicings and scoring for multiple instruments a lot easier. Then making sure that melody is the main thing that you're serving with your writing.

Listen to an arranger like Jeremy Lubbock, Richard Niles, Vince Mendoza etc... and you'll hear beautifully supported melodies with the arrangements. that's what I'm going for and thinking about when I write for multiple horns or strings like that.

Easy,

Janek