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Arranging 3

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Alan Coady

Tuesday 10 October 2006

There can be few composers/arrangers who use pencil & paper in preference to software. There are many reasons for this:

  • having written the score (conductor’s version showing everyone’s notes), the parts (what each individual player sees) are extracted automatically and do not have to be written individually – when writing for a large ensemble this is a saving of dozens - if not hundreds - of hours
  • ease of rewriting sections or fixing errors
  • use of cut/copy/paste to save time especially where many people are playing the same notes or rhythms
  • the possibility of making several versions of the same work*
  • the fact that an audio version is created at the same time and does not have to be recorded in real time once the arrangement is finished
  • a change of key requires only “select” and a few clicks rather than a complete rewrite
  • page layout considerations are can be juggled right up until the last second before printing parts e.g. to facilitate page turns while playing
  • electronic beats tangible when it comes to storage, retrieval and distribution of scores/parts/audio files

The default choice of most writers is Sibelius and can't be many departments in Scotland who do not have it loaded onto several computers.

It’s undeniable that many traditional skills are being lost as a result of software. The question is - do we still need them? To be honest I remain uncertain. I belong to the generation which grew up with the skills** which are now evaporating. Were we to have no access to computers we could survive, although it would be a massive chore. Without access to software many young people might struggle. However, the same is true of all professions. Crimean-style surgery remains an option to this day, but few would choose it.

The arrival of a cut-price student version of Sibelius means that more and more pupils have the package on their PC at home. Many, whose first instrument is guitar, are likely to try and write a guitar ensemble piece in the inventing component of Standard Grade. Perhaps, as part of their training, I should give them arrangements of pieces they have played in past concerts, with passages deleted and see if they could fill in the missing parts. One skill to be learned here is that compositional economy comes through adapting existing material. Pieces which have this feature tend to sound more organic and coherent. As a defence against the temptation of plagiarism in their course work, it might be better if a copy of such exercises was also left in the department for staff.

* Ken Johnston's website will allow you to see a good an example of this. Ken, a music teacher at Knox Academy, is an extremely gifted and much sought after choral writer.

** e.g. transposition – changing key - either by rewriting or even while playing, which is known as transposing at sight. Club band keyboard players and church organists tend to excel (no pun intended) at this.

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