The Complete Idiot''s Guide to Music Theory

Exercise 17-1
Write out how you would play each of these marked-up notes.
Exercise 17-2
Add grace notes to every quarter note in this melody.

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Part 5:
Embellishing
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Exercise 17-3
Add slurs to each pair of eighth notes in this melody.
Exercise 17-4
Use phrase marks to divide this melody into four natural phrases.
Exercise 17-5
Translate the following straight rhythm into a swing feel using triplet notation.
Exercise 17-6
Compose and play a four-measure melody with a swing feel, in the key of B
.
Exercise 17-7
Write the following lyrics under the appropriate notes in the melody: “Tangerine elephants high in the
sky, crocodile tears in my beer.”

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Learn how to write for specific voices and instruments, how to create good-
looking master scores and lead sheets, and how to conduct your music in front
of a choir, band, or orchestra.
6
Part
Arranging

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18
Composing and Arranging
for Voices and Instruments
In This Chapter
◆
Learn about the different voices in the choir—and all the instruments in
the orchestra
◆
Discover the playable (and singable) ranges of each instrument and voice
◆
Uncover the best—and the worst—keys to write in
◆
Find out which instruments don’t sound in concert pitch—and how to
transpose their music
You know the theory; now it’s time to put that theory to practice.
The most common application of music theory comes when you compose or
arrange a piece of music for multiple voices or instruments. That could be a
simple presentation for your church choir, a new song for your rock band, a
sophisticated piece for your high school jazz band, or a multipart symphony for
a full orchestra.
Whatever size group you’re writing for, you have to deal with the same issues of
theory, and call on the same set of skills. You also have to know a little bit about
the ranges of each instrument or voice, and how each instrument will play the
notes you write.
This chapter deals with the particular skills necessary for vocal and instrumental
arranging. I recommend you bookmark this chapter; if you do a lot of arrang-
ing, you’ll find the information about ranges and transposition very useful!
Vocal Arranging
A vocal ensemble is probably the easiest type of group to arrange for. That’s
because all the voices reproduce exactly what you write, with absolutely no
transposition. (Well, except for the fact that the tenor voice sounds an octave
lower than written—but that’s an easy one to deal with.)
Chapter

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