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PIANOSCORE  BlOG

lead sheet arrangement challenge

5/17/2018

1 Comment

 
For the Jazz Tune All the Things You Are  by Jerome Kern
For this challenge, I tried arranging from a lead sheet in two different ways:  
  • 1) a quick improvisation as you would from a fake book and
  • 2) working out an arrangement  in steps using a more methodical approach from material learned in the lessons of harmony.  

1) In the Quick Improvisation . . .
Initially and almost immediately, I developed a hook in the left hand and repeated the arpeggiated hook throughout the piece in the chords found on the lead sheet.  This was a rough improvisation, but it provided structure for the arrangement. 

2) The Steps Used in Working Out the Arrangement from the Lessons in Harmony . . . 
I wanted to see what would happen if I arranged the piece using what I have learned from the lessons in harmony.  So I played as simply and accurately as I could.
  • the first step was to play a basic left hand accompaniment using the chords given. 
  • in the next step I added 7ths and extended chords and called it the basic extended chords accompaniment. 

Comparison 
Finally I compared the improvisation with the basic extended chords accompaniment. I was surprised to find that I had instinctively added not only 7ths, but 9ths, 11ths and 13ths to my  improvisation.  I'm not sure I could have created this improvisation without some understanding of harmony.
​
Fueled with this information I spent some time perfecting, among other things, the voicing and voice leading of my improvised accompaniment.  

Anyway, I provide the lead sheet;  both the basic left hand accompaniment and the basic extended chords accompaniment; and finally the improvisation, which was actually my first effort cleaned up.

THE LEAD SHEET
Picture
BASIC LEFT HAND ACCOMPANIMENT
I played a very basic left hand accompaniment using the chords given on the lead sheet-probably something anyone could do. Here it is.
Picture
BASIC EXTENDED CHORDS ACCOMPANIMENT
Next, I added 7ths and a few extended chords anywhere I could. If it sounded good I added it. Here it is.
Picture
NOW, BACK TO MY ORIGINAL IMPROVISATION AFTER CLEANING IT UP A BIT
Initially I felt the wistful mood of the piece and heard a simple phrase in my head then played it.   I added this phrase as a hook in the form of an arpeggio in the introduction and brought that theme back throughout the piece. ​I got the idea down fairly quickly and recorded it on Logic, then printed it. Logic does a poor job of notating, but I took that copy from Logic and with a pencil at the piano corrected and rewrote the score in readable notation. From the corrected hard copy I entered the notes in Musescore and began the editing process- that is fixing all the little things that made it awkward to play. Where I hadn't already, I spread out the notes and got rid of doubled up notes with a few exceptions like melody notes, and the parallel octaves in measure 18.

​Shown below is the final product. 
Picture
1 Comment
kurt
6/2/2018 04:03:15 pm

I need some feedback!

Reply



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  • Home
  • PianoScore Blog
  • Playbook of Arrangements
  • Lessons in Harmony
    • Language of Harmony- Intro >
      • Assignment
    • Primary Triads Part 1
    • Primary Triads Part 2
    • Examples of Primary Chord Progressions >
      • Review Assignment
    • Secondary Triads
    • ii-V-I Progression >
      • Review Secondary Triads/ ii-V-I Progression
    • Introduction to 7th Chords
    • The Diminished 7th Chords
    • Chord Shells LH Voicing
    • Three Note Voicing Formulas
    • I7 ii7 iii7 Progression
    • I7 ii7 iii7 Progression- Part Two
    • ii7 V7 I7 Progression
  • My Recordings
  • Contact