Arranging Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

The New York Trombone Conspiracy

I found this wonderful article by Pete McGuinness in my 2007 JAZZed Magazine. I found it very relevant for today. Let me know what you think. Oh, you might want to read more information about him at, www.petemcguinness.com

Arrangement Fundamentals: Reinventing Melodies

 Some of the greatest experiences an arranger can have are the opportunities to lovingly "mess with" someone else's melody. It is also the one aspect of arranging which I've found that less experienced musicians are the most intimidated by. However, altering aspects of a song's melody shouldn't be looked upon as something that is taboo. Rather, the process can be thought of as actually paying tribute to what makes a work great in the first place.

Selection and Approach

When picking a melody I want to reformat, I always try to select a tune I feel a strong personal connection with. But even when working with lesser material, it is important to find something to love about the given tune and to deeply understand the song's structure and history. This will keep you inspired and informed, helping creative ideas come more easily.

If the selected tune is one the average listener is generally familiar with, then the way an arranger treats it can act as a window into his or her creative thinking and personal style. Whenever possible, it helps to start by listening to a recording of the original version of the song, or at least a version done in the traditional manner. This will help make clear the tune's original intention as a composition. Assuming there exists plenty of freedom to alter various aspects of the song (melody, harmony, style, meter, etc.), the most crucial choice the arranger first makes is with respect to the new overall "feel" of the composition. This decision should be allowed to evolve very generally, by choosing basic things like tempo, overall level of tension, and so on.

Then, the arranger should pick a rhythmic style that best addresses those overall ideas. For example, if I want to turn a standard-sounding ballad into something "fast" and more "tense" in mood, I might select a samba for the groove, with a heavily syncopated treatment of the melody, perhaps adding some unusual re-harmonizations as well. Maybe
I would also incorporate some kind of underlying rhythmic vamp figure, which could possibly enhance the feeling of tension. Not every change of groove or tempo is going to work for the arranger, personally. He or she must sit with the tune for a while and play around until something feels right. It's really a matter of taste. 

The idea here is to convince the listener that your new arrangement of the tune could, in fact, be the originally intended version - very tricky to pull off! But, if the arranger is familiar enough with the rhythmic and stylistic language of many styles of music (underlying drum patterns, bass lines/comping patterns, traditional rhythmic treatment of melodies), he or she will have more options, and the music will sound authentic. Personally, I find this to be one of the most fun parts of the arranging process.

I suggest trying lots of approaches out. You may find that you can hear the tune in more than one new context, so you should give yourself time to find the "right" one. Most importantly, pick one in which you can hear the melody work within the rhythmic style. Remember, it is generally the melody that is the most important aspect of any song, so deal with it first. You can worry about re-harmonization, orchestration, and everything else later. They are the icing on the cake in comparison (the exception being a more conservative alteration of the melody in favor of other changes, such as more heavy reharmonization, vamps, etc.) Regardless of the style chosen, let it be one that is familiar to you. I often start by listening to classic recordings, typical of the genre I've chosen for my chart, in order to get my head into the specifics of the style. Then, I'll think about the structure of the melody I'm arranging in relation to this chosen groove.

In some situations, this may seem like putting a square peg into a round hole, but if you think about the original rhythmic design of the tune's pitches, and compare that to traditional melodies in the chosen style, you may see rhythmic possibilities leap out at you. Trust your ear and your knowledge of the style. Remember, there is some reason you first chose this approach for the tune (or more likely, it chose you). Start by experimenting with the layout of the pitches. If the song has lyrics, even if the arrangement is to be an instrumental, try to hear the lyrics of the song as you restructure the pitches. Do the words still seem to have a grammatical flow and logic? Melodic structures working with lyrics are often composed with this in mind. How about rhythmic sequences in the original's phrases? Where's the tune's climax (usually the highest note somewhere towards the end)? The arranger must thoroughly understand the important features of the tune's original melodic structure, and use technique to "comment" on them.

Interpreting a Smile

If you look at the notation examples, I've prepared, you'll see various re-working of a song near and dear to my heart, "Smile," by Charlie Chaplin for the soundtrack to his film Modern Times (1936)...

In the examples below, I've tried to come up with several possible contexts in which "Smile" might appear, while trying to retain as much of the tunes original character as possible. Example 1 is simply the straightforward, unaltered presentation of the song's first four bars (for reference). Notice that the first note is a longer time value (half note) than the notes that follow.

Arranging : Rhythmic Context Change

Ex.1) Original, unaltered version (first four vars)

4/4  C  D E / D C B A / B  C D / C B A G

If you clearly establish what the tune is early on, you will have more liberty to stray further from the tune later on... Notice the various grooves and styles that have been chosen, and how the melody has been made to fit rhythmically. In examples 2-6, only the original pitches were used, nothing extra.

Ex. 2) With common swing-type phrasing (various tempi)

4/4 rest C D E D /  tie C B A B / tie C D C / tie B A G

Ex. 3) As a bossa-nova
4/4 rest C tie D E D / tie C B tie A / rest rest B tie C D C / tied b A tied G
Ex. 4) As a samba
2/4 rest C D E D / rest C rest B rest A B / tie C tie D C / tie B A G A
Ex. 5) As a jazz waltz
3/4 rest C rest D E / D C B A / B rest C D / C B A G A
Ex. 6) Light swing - playing around drum brushwork (i.e. "Soft Shoe")
4/4 C rest rest D E D / rest rest C B A / rest B C D C / rest rest B rest A G

Ex. 7) With embellishments around melody's original pitches
                                                            
4/4 C rest D E D B E D / rest G C D C B C A tied / rest rest B C D C / rest G D E B A B G tied

In Closing

... The key is to have enough of both reused and varied material to keep things interesting. This is part of the game of arranging - the fun of pulling the listener along, giving them something to guide their ears through the chart, such as reuse of material, as well as offering surprises along the way. Good luck. I hope you will feel more confident that it is okay to "mess with" other people's music, even famous tunes. If your arrangement is done well, you may find that the composer will be very flattered!

Great article, thank you!

You may be interested in Backpocket Band Software
Back Pocket Band is a unique best metronome like product that is much more than a traditional metronome. Back Pocket Band provides a track-like experience including a drum beat, base, or cool slamming grooves!

Here's one example, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfoCBgQLcXk

All the best,






"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Related articles

• What Are Blue Notes?
• The Art of Piano Chord Voicings

Reharmonizing V as II-V

Let's continue with reharmonization.



Reharmonizing V as II-V

Many of the standard tunes in the jazz repertoire were written in the 1920s and 1930s. Those tunes consist largely of V-I progressions. II-V and II-V-I progressions were used only by the more sophisticated songwriters of that time. One of the first reharmonization techniques used by the jazz musicians of the 1930s was to proceed a V chord with its II chord to create a II-V progression. Reharmonizing V as II-V  makes a tune sound more modern, and expands the improvisational possibilities.

Here's 2 examples of 2 measures from the song "I Remember You", written by Victor Schertzinger. The V chord (E7) has been proceeded by a II chord (B-7).

F/ AE
E/ G#DE 

Then Play:
F/AE
B/ADE
E/G# 


Tritone Substitution



Reharmonizing can mean replacing one chord with another, or using a substitute chord. A substitute chord is just what it sounds like: a chord that substitutes for the chord written on the lead sheet.

Here's four bars of "All The Things You Are" by Jerome Kern. I"ll substitute the A7 for Eb7. 

F/EbAb
Bb/AbDb
Eb/DbG
Ab/CG


Then Play:


F/EbAb
Bb/AbDb
A/C#G
Ab/CG


Now Try This:


F/EbAb
Bb/AbDb
E/DG
A/C#G
Ab/CG


Listen for the chord progression and tell me, does  it sounds smoother? More modern? Do you like it? This is the sound of tritone substitution.

Jermaine Griggs has a very nice theory course book that I refer back to many times. He has a section on altering chords that is very good. For more information, visit Playing Altered Chords By Ear.

Here's the II-V-I in the Key of C.

D/CF
G/BF
C/BE


Then hear how the Db7 for G7 creates a chromatic bass line: D, Db, C.


D/CF
Db/CbF
C/BE


Here's how tritone substitution works: As you have learned before, the two most important notes in major, minor, and dominant 7th chords are the 3rd and the 7th. These notes determine the quality of, or differences between those chords. 

Let's review some rules: 


1. A major 7th chord has a major 3rd and a major 7th.
2. A minor 7th chord has a minor 3rd and a minor 7th.
3. A dominant 7th chord has a major 3rd and a minor 7th

Tritone Substitutions

You may be interested in Jamal Hartwell's Tritone Xtravganza Dvd, especially if you like tritone sounds and are an intermediate-advanced player. For more information, visit Tritone


Advanced players, take a look at this advanced reharmonization technique chord chart and video of Thelonius Monk Round Midnight

Here's another great site for reharm practice with midis:
Mallet Jazz
 
Next time, I'll list various combinations of altered chords.

Until then,
-- LadyD


"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Basic Piano Reharmonization

 I just got back from a trip and I am pleased to announce that I have a new granddaughter! I was thinking of the song "Someone to Watch Over Me" and immediately this video came to my mind and the idea to do a series of posts on reharmonization. So, a big thank you to Curtis, George, and Deo for asking me about phat chords and reharmonization... stay tuned in the weeks ahead.



Special announcement... drum roll, please! Here is our princess:

 Basic Reharmonization:



Most jazz pianists tend to play voicings without the root of the chord on the bottom but I will list many examples of simplified piano voicings in root position.



Reharmonizing a tune makes it more interesting. The individual part is very important. The ultimate goal when harmonizing a tune is to make it sound as much like your tune as the original songwriter's.

Reharmonization is a form of compostition. You don't have to reharmonize an entire tune. Sometimes just changing a single chord completely alters the way a tune sounds, and stamps it as your own unique version. You can reharmonize the chords to a tune both ahead of time and in the heat of the moment, while soloing.



Here's the last two bars of "On the Sunny Side of the Street."


D/ CFC
GF/ ABF
CG/ EGC

Let's replace the last chord:



D/ CFC
GF/ ABF
DbAb/ FGC




Reharmonization can take several forms:

* Altering the chords
* Increasing the number of chords
* Decreasing the number of chords
* Substituting a chord (or chords) for the written chord (or chords).


I'll be posting more on altering chords later on in the month. Remember that any chord, whether major, minor, augmented or seventh can be modified or altered thereby changing its character or 'color'.

Next time, Reharmonizing V as II-V


-- LadyD

Someone to watch over me - Piano Reharmonization Chords 

"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King