Year 10 - Music
Arranging for an ensemble
Fundamentals of composition: extended
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Unit Summary
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Lesson Summary
You will learn to arrange a melody, bass line and harmony effectively for a string quartet.
Key Notes
- When arranging a composition for an ensemble we must consider the strengths of the instruments in the ensemble.
- This includes instrument ranges and possible techniques (such as pizzicato).
- In a string quartet, the first violin normally plays the melody and the cello plays the bass part.
- The second violin and viola play harmony, splitting the remaining chord tones between them.
- To arrange chords, consider voicing, move by small intervals, and make sure all chord tones are played in each chord.
Vocabulary To Learn
- string quartet: a common western classical ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello
- harmony: how different notes and chords work together
- range: the range of pitches that an instrument is capable of playing
- voicing: how the notes in a chord are spread out on an instrument or between instruments
- pizzicato: a string technique in which the performer plucks the string with a finger
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- As long as the chord tones in the chord are played, it doesn't matter how these notes are split between the 2nd violin and viola.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
When arranging a composition for an ensemble we must consider the strengths of the instruments in the ensemble. This includes instrument ranges and possible techniques (such as pizzicato).
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'string quartet'
a common western classical ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: As long as the chord tones in the chord are played, it doesn't matter how these notes are split between the 2nd violin and viola. Correction: This does matter. The voicing of the chord makes a big difference to how it sounds. Avoiding large intervals between those instruments, and making sure that the chords aren't very low or high pitched makes them sound effective.
More Lessons In This Unit
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