The Complete Idiot's
Guide to
Arranging and Orchestration
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$21.95 US |
A
note-by-note approach to creating great-sounding arrangements
Accompanying CD includes examples of arrangements and orchestrations!
View corrections and clarifications to the text
About the Book
If you liked The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Theory and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Music Composition, you'll love The Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration. It's the next step in your musical education!
You're no idiot, of course. You know that there are many ways to arrange a musical composition. But before you set notes to paper, you need to understand how to orchestrate your music for different types of instruments.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration will show you how to create great-sounding arrangements for all types of ensembles. In this next book by popular author Michael Miller, you'll get:
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Advice on how to structure a composition for various types of music, from rock to jazz to classical
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Techniques for creating arrangements for a rock band, jazz big band, marching band, orchestra, or choir
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Practical advice on writing for all popular instruments, including range, transposition, and instrument characteristics.
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An audio CD featuring the example arrangements created for the various types of ensembles as presented throughout the book.
You're all ears -- so orchestrate the music you hear! Here's more of what you'll find in The Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration:
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Extend a basic composition into a sophisticated arrangement.
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Create more exciting harmonies with chord extensions and substitutions.
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Utilize different voicings and voice leading.
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Experiment with melodies and countermelodies.
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Adapt your arrangements for players and singers of different ages and skill levels.
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Explore modern arranging techniques by building a recording track from the bottom up.
The CD that accompanies the book contains orchestration examples for different instruments and voices -- as well as example arrangments for:
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Five-piece rock band
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Jazz big band
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Marching band
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Orchestra
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Choir
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Pop recording
What's In the Book?
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration takes you through the arranging and orchestration process, from the initial planning to writing the final arrangement. It also covers specific types of arrangements, from rock bands and big bands to choirs and symphonies.
This book contains 18 chapters that lead you step by step through the process of arranging and orchestrating a piece of music. The chapters are organized into three general parts, as follows:
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Part 1, "Essential Skills," guides you through the nuts and bolts of the arranging and orchestration process. You'll learn how to structure an arrangement, harmonize with chords and progressions, utilize different voicings and voice leading, work with melodies and countermelodies, and decide on the best instrumentation for a piece.
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Part 2, "Instruments and Voices: Ranges and Techniques," is the orchestration section of the book. I'll walk you through each of the instrument families, from the string family through the voices of the choir, and describe each instrument's range, transposition, and characteristics -- as well as offer tips and advice for writing for each section.
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Part 3, "Real-World Arranging," is the hands-on part of the book -- and a lot of fun. Here we'll work with a single composition and learn how to arrange it for different types of ensembles, including a basic rock band, big band, marching band, orchestra, and choir. We'll end the book by combining all these different types of arranging to create a popular recording, complete with rhythm section, backup vocals, and strings.
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration concludes with a glossary of musical terms, a collection of the arrangements used in Part 3 of the book, and a listing of the tracks on the accompanying CD. When you get to the end of the book, you should be ready to create your own arrangements -- and like what you hear.
How to Buy This Book
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The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Arranging and Orchestration is available at bookstores everywhere, or you can order the book online by clicking the
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