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Instruments, Ranges and descriptions. B♭ Trumpet -. The leader of the horn section, the most important instrument in the band. (in full disclosure, I play trumpet) . The trumpet usually plays the melody/top note of the voicing. High unisons very powerful. Brass (trumpets/trombones) great for punches/hits.
- Know The Instruments
- Use Rests
- Know The Chords
- Rhythm
- Complement The Vocal
- Mind The Rhythm Section
- Build Up The Energy
- How Do You Arrange Two Horns
- How Do You Arrange Three Horns
- How Do You Arrange Four Horns
First, you need to know the features of the instruments. For example, different horns have different tuning and different ranges. For example, trumpets are tuned to Bb (B-flat), which means that if you write the note “C” to the trumpet, it will play the note “Bb”. And trumpets can’t play lower than F#3. You can either learn these features, or you c...
It’s important to use rests when you write for horns. There are a few reasons for that. The same as the singer, the horns are using air to play the instrument. So obviously, they need to take a breath sometimes. They also get tired much easily. While you can play throughout the whole song with any other instruments, it’s extremely hard and tiring t...
If you want to arrange horns that play more than one voice, you need to know the chords. (Well, we can’t call it a “horn section” if it’s only one instrument.) You need to know the chord progression of the song, and the notes of those chords. This does NOT mean that the horns can only play chord notes! Most of the time, the horn arrangement follows...
Rhythm is another important element of any arrangement. If it’s a slow song, or you just want to add a simple background harmony, you can just use simple long notes in the horn arrangement. But if the song is more rhythmical, somewhat danceable, you really need to utilize rhythm. Fortunately, we have a complete formula in our songwriting course whi...
The horns section should complement the vocal melody. In other words, they shouldn’t play at once. This doesn’t mean that they can’t overlap sometimes. If there is a motif in the vocal, the horns section should react to that motif. For example, a perfect example is the song “I Feel Good” by James Brown. You can hear that there is a short motif in t...
Most of the time, horns should be independent of the rhythm section (the bass, the piano/guitar, and the drums). All the instruments are playing in the same rhythm system (the Rhythm Code), but they don’t play the same rhythm. However, sometimes there are parts when the whole band is playing the very same rhythm. In these cases, the horns should pr...
The energy level of the song should be building up as it goes towards the end. And the arrangement, especially the horn section, is one of the tools you can use to control the energy levels. Lower notes and fewer notes (or no notes at all) bring low energy. Higher notes, and more notes, more busyness bring higher energy levels. The energy level sho...
Now let’s see an example of how you should arrange horns if there are two voices. These two instruments can be two trumpets, a trumpet and a trombone, or two saxophones. It depends on what you prefer. Generally, the two voices should be moving in a parallel motion in thirds OR in sixths. Here is an example for both solutions:
When you have three horns, they really give the impression of a horn section because they can play three voices which gives a more harmonic feel. All three voices should be within an octave. The three voices should be moving in parallel. It’s OK to use triads for the three voices, but many times it just sounds better to not use them. Instead, try t...
When you write four voices for the horns, there must be four different voices. In other words, it doesn’t make too much sense to write the root, the third, the fifth, and the root again an octave higher. Again, all four voices should be within an octave. Writing four voices opens up the possibilities. Because there are so many possible variations f...
SESSION HORNS is the versatile and playable horn section that will instantly perk up your productions. The trombone, tenor sax and two trumpets have been sampled to perfection and deliver a rich, authentic sound, playable by anyone. Produced in collaboration with e-instruments, this KONTAKT Instrument features the unique Smart Voice Split ...
Colloquially, “horns” can be used to describe the saxophone section. Technically, some definitions of “horn” include instruments that use a bell-shaped tube to project sound, which definition encompasses the saxophone–while other definitions are limited to instruments that make sound via lip-vibration. So, is that it? Well, almost!
