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I play in a 9-piece dance band. This summer one of our gigs was playing a wedding. Yes, the groans are called for, we had to play the Wagner & the Mendelssohn for the outdoor service, as well as the standard reception where we could play our standard book. I arranged the Wagner for the horns while the bandleader arranged the Mendelssohn. Unlike bloke, I did have to have the piano reduction in front of me, but I got it done, it sounded great, and the band got an extra little bit of tip on top of the contract price.

Because you never know how long a procession is going to be, I arranged the first time through for saxes & bone, repeat with keys only, go to the B section with saxes, and recapitulate adding the trumpets for a good ending. This way, bits and snippits can either be added or cut depending on the venue, so the band now has a good arrangement to fit all occasions.

You know, bloke is exactly right. Due to the mid-range tessitura of an Eb alto saxophone, writing for that instrument is tough, because most melodies which sit well for voices or most other "treble" instruments is either getting up there for alto sax or you drop an octave and run out of keys to press.

PS: Wagner is my pet peeve. I loathe playing that at a wedding. And not because it is a cliche. Even Wagner himself chuckled at it becoming popular for weddings in Victorian England. After all, does anybody really know the libretto at that point? At that point, it's not a "romantic" wedding. It's a forced marriage, under false pretenses, to a man with an assumed name, to cover up extortion and murder, of the bride's brother. Then again, some of the families I've played weddings for....

iiipopes wrote: PS: Wagner is my pet peeve. I loathe playing that at a wedding. And not because it is a cliche. Even Wagner himself chuckled at it becoming popular for weddings in Victorian England. After all, does anybody really know the libretto at that point? At that point, it's not a "romantic" wedding. It's a forced marriage, under false pretenses, to a man with an assumed name, to cover up extortion and murder, of the bride's brother. Then again, some of the families I've played weddings for....

I played one where the couple wanted the Wagner Bridal Chorus... but the church forbade it because it was too secular. We played Elsa's Procession, instead.

How about, "Softly as I leave You" at a wedding?
Don't laugh, it was done and it's on YouTube, (euph duet with Lauren Veronie and Hiram Diaz). I guess it could mean "Leaving the parents" — but you won't find it searching with that title. It's a pretty piece, but I'm sure they must have used a different title.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMAWAt08Xwc

I think it's best if you just write everything in parallel fifths. It is more sophisticated that way. Or, if you want to get really exotic, you could stack thirds.

I took a composition course twice, at different institutions, and one of the professors is someone you will have heard of as a composer.

I didn't learn *anything* in either course; both were basically "composition 100" courses, but both professors expected you to already be able to structure a piece, and you would bring it in for critique. There was no instruction per se, just expectation. Probably now I'd be better able to handle that, but back then I was just baffled.

I do not need a piano to harmonize, but playback in Finale is helpful for hearing the voices you've already put in, and also helpful for deciding what to do with a particular voice. However, when I need that is for something other than the standard major and minor chords.

MA

bloke wrote:

Mark wrote:I think it's best if you just write everything in parallel fifths. It is more sophisticated that way. Or, if you want to get really exotic, you could stack thirds.

I don't much care for those - stacked or otherwise...



...but I'd be willing to try my luck with some parallel fifths.

He said THIRDS not... well I'm not going to spoon feed you the joke.

Bloke's right. I do a bit of arranging and like everything in this world, putting music on paper gets easier with practice.

What is this "harmonize" you speak of? I just roll a couple of dice and put the pitches where the dice tell me to.




Psssst...Bloke...that does sound exactly like something Mr. Barnes would say. Thanks for the chuckle and nice memory.

I know of a very self-promoting composer whose music sounds exactly as you describe: notes pulled out of a hat and put together and sold as "music." I made the mistake of buying something of his once, played it through, winced, and gave it to someone else.

I think there are three types of composers out there: ones who have just "got it" at a young age, and those who have some of it but have to work mightily to get the rest of it, and those who will never get it as long as they live. Unfortunately it is often the latter category who are the most self-promoting. They may be fine arrangers, but they are not, in my book, music-writers. (Not describing bloke; describing others I know or have run into.)

In the little orchestra I play oboe in, there is a percussionist (probably no more than 20) whose piece we are playing. I was astounded to find that I liked it a lot; despite not being full of traditional harmonies, it is pleasant to play and listen to, and well-structured. This is a kid who has "got it" from the git-go, and if I live long enough I hope to see him famous.

MA