Whether you’re arranging for a student band, writing jingles, composing film cues, or crafting horn lines for pop songs or directing your school band, knowing how to write for both small and large ensembles is crucial to your success as a bandleader or music educator. Arranging for Horns equips you with the tools to write for a five-piece horn section plus rhythm, while offering an in-depth exploration of the trumpet, trombone, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones. The techniques you’ll learn in this course are easily adaptable to a wide range of ensemble sizes and student ability levels—and they will also give you a professional-level understanding of how to write for horns as a cohesive section.
In Arranging for Horns, you will apply writing techniques for two-, three-, four-, and five-part horn combinations, using both live instrumentation and sampled or synthesized sounds. The concepts you’ll study go beyond instrumentation—they can be applied to everything from rhythm sections and jazz bands to large ensembles and orchestras. And because effective sequencing starts with knowing what real musicians would actually play, you’ll gain insight into writing that translates across genres, performance contexts and educational settings. By the end of this course, you’ll have a greater understanding of how a horn section can elevate your arrangements and how you can bring that knowledge into your classroom, rehearsal room, or creative work.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Identify vertical chord stacks and the chords within each structure
- Understand trumpet and trombone idiosyncrasies
- Understand the range breakdown of saxophones - where is the “sweet spot”
- Transpose the key to fit a specific instrument requirement
- Understand the writing process and how to move your music to a climactic point
- Understand melodic development - the lead sheet is simply a guide
- Create two to five-part soli sections
Syllabus
Lesson 1: Chord Symbol Identification and Rhythm Section Writing Review
- Major Chords
- Minor Chords
- Dominant Chords
- Augmented Chords
- Diminished Chords
- Half Diminished Chords
- Minor - Major 7th Chords and Symbols
- Listening Practice: "The Goodbye Look"
- Assignment 1: Transposing the Chord Types
- Drums: 3-Part Notation
- Drums: Stop-Time Notation
- Drums: "Kicks Over Time" Notation
- Bass: Written Out Pitches
- Bass: Rhythmic Notation with Slashes
- Guitar: Notation
- Guitar: Melodic Lines
- Guitar: Comping Parts
- Keyboards: Melody Parts
- Keyboards: Comping and Solos
- Listening Practice: "Toasted Hop" Rhythm Section
- Assignment 2: "Innocent Wonder" Rhythm Section
Lesson 2: Melodic Development
- Eighth-Note Anticipations - Melodic Development
- "What If" Eighth-Note Anticipations
- Quarter-Note Anticipations
- Eighth and Quarter-Note Delayed Attacks
- Eighth and Quarter-Note Delayed Attacks: "Samba Novo"
- Listening Practice: Anticipations
- Assignment 4: Rewriting "Foggy Day" using Anticipations
Lesson 3: Brass and Saxes
- Trumpet
- Trumpet With Concert Pitch Melody
- Breakdown of Ranges by Area
- Trumpet Mutes
- Tenor Slide Trombone
- Pedal Tones
- Trombone Range Breakdown
- Slide Positions
- Listening Practice: Trumpet and Trombone
- E-flat Alto Sax
- Alto with Concert Pitch Melody
- Breakdown 1 of Ranges by Area (Part 1)
- B-flat Tenor Sax
- Tenor with Concert Pitch Melody
- Breakdown of Ranges by Area (Part 2)
- E-flat Bari Sax
- Bari Sax with Concert Pitch Melody
- Breakdown of Ranges by Area (Part 3)
- Listening Practice: Saxophones
- Assignment 3.1: Trombone and Trumpet Appropriate Keys or Not
- Assignment 3.2: Determining Horn Ranges
Lesson 4: Unison Writing
- Writing within a Given Specific Key
- Transposing to Fit a Specific Instrument
- Combinations of Horns on Unison Melodies
- Unison Melodies Example: "The Long Wait"
- Unison Melodies Example: "Katherine"
- Two Octaves Playing the Melody
- Three Octaves Playing the Melody
- Listening Practice: Unison Horn Melodies and Lines
- Assignment 4: Midterm Project Lead Sheet
Lesson 5: The Arranging Process and Two-Part Couplings
- Considerations Before Writing Pitches
- The Arranging Process
- Lead Sheet Stage
- Lead Sheet Stage Demo
- The Sketching Stage
- The Sketching Stage Demo
- Scoring/Orchestration Stage: Full Score
- Scoring/Orchestration Stage Demo
- Part Extraction Stage (Copying)
- Assignment 5: Midterm Project Draft 1
Lesson 6: Harmonizing a Melody With Triads
- Harmonizing A Diatonic Melody with Triads
- Diatonic Approach-Chord Harmonization
- Chromatic Approach Chord Harmonization
- Applying Triadic Voicings To 4-Part Chords
- Listening Practice: Three-Part Soli
- Listening Practice: "What If" Harmonization
- About Your Final Assignment
- Assignment 6: Second Draft of Final Project
Lesson 7: Advanced Three-Part Voicings
- Tension Substitution
- Omit 2, 3, or 4 Technique
- Harmonization with Diatonic 1 Major and Minor Triads
- Special-Case Voicings
- Low Interval Considerations
- “Make Me Smile" Horn Applications
- "September" Horn Applications
- Assignment 7: Final Midterm Project Submission
Lesson 8: Adding a Fourth Voice - Mechanical Voicings
- Mechanical Voicings - Close, Drop-2, Drop-3 and Drop 2 & 4
- b9 Intervals
- Special Case Voicings
- Low Interval Limits & Assumed Roots
- Assignment 8: Mechanical Voicings
Lesson 9: Independent Voice Development
- Score Setup
- “Gin and Dominant” Analysis
- Subdividing the Horns
- “Lincoln Park” Analysis
- How to Approach Solo Sections
- Assignment 9: Original or Published Final Project Lead Sheet
Lesson 10: Spread Voicings
- Four-Part Spreads Below a Given Melody - Top Down
- Spread Voicings to Support a Vocalist or Solo Instrument
- Four-Part Voicings From The Bottom Up
- Five-Part Voicings From The Bottom Up
- Adding Rhythm Internally to Spread Voicings
- Assignment 10: Final Project Draft 1
Lesson 11: Background Lines
- Voice Leading Background Lines
- Common Tones in Background Lines
- Background Lines: Leading to the Target Note
- Background Lines: Using 7ths and 3rds, Rising Lines
- Applying Background Lines: "What If" Solo
- Applying Background Lines: "Slammed"
- Assignment 11: Final Project Draft 2
Lesson 12: Professional Score and Part Preparation for Performance
- Contemporary Instrument Order
- Orchestra
- Big Band
- Small Ensemble: "The Man"
- Small Ensemble: "Toasted Hop"
- Small Ensemble: "Innocent Wonder"
- Working with Unusual Instrumentations
- "The Other Side" Full Score
- "Tangarablé" Full Score
- Individual Player Parts
- "Slammed" Piano Part
- "Innocent Wonder" Alto Flute Part
- "Innocent Wonder" Piano Part
- "Toasted Hop" Drums Part
- "The Man" Guitar Part
- Hand Drawn Individual Player Parts
- Assignment 12: Final Project Due
Requirements
Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements
Prerequisite Courses, Knowledge, and/or Skills
Completion of Arranging 1: Rhythm Section or equivalent knowledge and experience is required. Recommended experience in a DAW of choice.
- Ability to write scores and record for the rhythm section
- Basic understanding of music and music theory including intervals, chords, major and minor scales, and key signatures
- Ability to read both treble and bass clef notation
Textbook(s)
- Recommended: Arranging for Horns by Jerry Gates (Berklee Press, 2015)
- Recommended: Modern Jazz Voicings by Ted Pease and Ken Pullig (Berklee Press, 2015)
Recording
- Students are required to submit MP3 files based on their scores which can be produced using either notation software, recording live musicians, or MIDI sequencing in a DAW of their choice.
Software
- Students are required to produce scores and submit them in PDF format. Note that handwritten notation is required for the first assignment. Options for the other assignments include:
- Notation software (recommended option), such as Sibelius (Artist or Ultimate), Dorico (Elements or Pro), MuseScore (free), etc.
- Handwritten notation captured by a digital camera or a scanner can be used in lieu of notation software.
Hardware
- Scanner or digital camera to convert handwritten notation into PDF format
- Printer or staff paper
- Recommended: One (or both) of the following studio monitoring options:
- Studio monitors (pair), such as JBL 305Ps or better, as well as an audio interface and necessary cables
- Over-ear studio headphones, such as Sennheiser HD 600, Sony MDR-7506, Philips SHP9500, Audio-Technica ATH-M50x, etc.
Student Deals
After enrolling, be sure to check out our Student Deals page for various offers on software, hardware, and more. Please contact support@online.berklee.edu with any questions.
General Course Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements to access the course environment and participate in Live Classes. Please make sure to also check the Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements section above, and ensure your computer meets or exceeds the minimum system requirements for all software needed for your course.
Mac Users
PC Users
All Users
- Latest version of Google Chrome
- Zoom meeting software
- Webcam
- Speakers or headphones
- External or internal microphone
- Broadband Internet connection
Instructors
Author
Composer, producer, educator, orchestrator and arranger Jerry Gates has been a music industry professional for over thirty-five years. At Berklee College of Music, he teaches in the Contemporary Writing and Production Department and has taught most of the core classes in that major. He has authored Arranging For Horns through Berklee Press and Hal Leonard Publishing and has self published All Twelve: Dodecaphonic Sources For Contemporary Composition.
For Berklee Online, Jerry has authored several arranging courses. Additionally, Jerry teaches writing techniques such as contemporary composition, orchestration and arranging privately through his website, www.jerrygatesmusic.com. He is is one of four directors of the large ensemble recording orchestra at Berklee College of Music and at the rank of Professor teaches Contemporary Arranging techniques, Directed Studies in Arranging, Contemporary Twelve-Tone Composition, Orchestration, and Writing and Production in the Recording Studio.
Over a period of many years in the industry, Jerry has acquired skills that allow him to work in a number of different capacities. He finds that this variety of skills allows him to be valuable to a client. This also keeps his job challenging as he never knows what role he will work in next. Working globally, Jerry's most recently completed projects include symphonic treatments and arranging original music for the Polish/German jazz quartet Poetic Jazz. He has produced, orchestrated and conducted string sessions for noted Egyptian producer/Arab Idol judge Hassan El Shafei. Jerry has also produced, composed and arranged music for Nestlé’s "Wonk Your Room" online promotion and Wonka.com’s "Loss For Lyrics" online Web promotion. Finally, Jerry composed the score for a documentary retrospective of Florida's poet laureate, the late Edmund Skellings titled, "Ed Skellings – In His Own Words."
His television and radio credits include Bank of America, Log Cabin maple syrup, Scope mouthwash, Marlboro cigarettes, and music preparation for "The Dennis Miller Show," jazz great Bill Holman, and film composers Jack Smalley and Richard Band. Read Less
Instructor
Mark Costa is a professional electric bassist who has performed and toured with numerous Australian and international artists. This list includes The Temptations, Tom Jones, Leo Sayer, Go West, Chris Isaak, Debbie Reynolds, Thelma Houston, Maxine Nightingale, Marcia Hines, Margaret Urlich, Shannon Noll, Guy Sebastian, Wa Wa Nee, James Morrison and John Foreman among many others.
Mark is also a professional music arranger whose work can be heard on television and major live and theatrical productions such as "The Voice", "Young Talent Time", the NSW Schools Spectacular concerts, and "Priscilla - Queen of the Desert". Between 2003 and 2009, Mark was the resident bassist and one of the music arrangers for the hit television series “Australian Idol”.
Mark's academic studies were completed through the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he received a Master of Music in Composition (Jazz) degree under the supervision of Bill Motzing in 2011 and an Associate Diploma in Jazz Studies in 1997. He is currently a PhD candidate majoring in Composition at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music under the supervision of Prof. Matthew Hindson and Ross Edwards. Mark has also completed several courses in arranging, jazz composition, jazz improvisation, counterpoint, orchestration and digital music production through Berkleemusic. Mark spent many years at the Australian Institute of Music (AIM) where he lectured classes in bass, music theory, arranging, songwriting and digital music technology. Between 2011 and 2014, Mark was the full-time lecturer and course coordinator for the Contemporary Department, and then Head of the Academic Studies department at AIM. Mark’s other educational achievements include weekly lectures in contemporary music arranging at the University of Western Sydney (UWS) between 2010-2011, and an arranging seminar at Macquarie University in 2007. Read Less
Instructor
Gail McArthur-Browne is an assistant professor in the Contemporary Writing and Production department at Berklee College of Music. She is a saxophonist, composer, and arranger originally from Glasgow, Scotland. She has performed with many great musicians, including Benny Carter, Gerry Mulligan, Grover Washington, Don Cherry, Jackie McLean, Antonio Sanchez, Christian McBride, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, Maria Schneider, The Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, Vital Information, Dave Weckl, and Horacio "El Negro" Hernandez.
McArthur-Browne has won many awards, including The Princes Trust Award, STUC James Milne Award, Scottish International Education Award, The Cross Trust Award, Mary Patton Rowan Award, and the Cosmopolitan Magazine and American Express Performing Arts Award. She has made several television appearances, including U.K. Channel 4 Television, "Down the Line," CNN's Berklee Special, WBZ4 News, and CN8 "Nitebeat." In 1999 and 2000, she was commissioned by the Scottish Arts Council and composed pieces for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. Read Less
What's Next?
When taken for credit, Arranging for Horns can be applied towards the completion of these related programs:
Related Certificate Programs
Related Degree Majors
Related Music Career Role
Employers look for skills learned in this course, when hiring for the following music career role:
Questions?
Contact our Academic Advisors by phone at 1-866-BERKLEE (U.S.), 1-617-747-2146 (INT'L), or by email at advisors@online.berklee.edu.
