Berklee Jerry Gates - Arranging For Horns
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Berklee
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Summary of This Book
Writing for a horn section is not just about stacking notes over a chord progression: it involves understanding the personality of each instrument, its range, projection, and how it fits within a rhythm section (drums, bass, guitar, keyboards). This book guides you step by step to add saxophones and brass to an ensemble, detailing the capabilities and characteristics of the most common instruments, then showing how to combine them into effective orchestrations.
You will work on writing for alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, as well as for trumpet and trombone, with special attention to register balance, doubling, and line clarity. The book covers the possible roles of a brass section in an arrangement: carrying a theme, supporting a chorus with pads, creating responses (fills), reinforcing the groove with comping parts, or establishing more subtle backgrounds that are essential to the energy of the piece.
The construction of voicings is at the heart of the method: from simple textures (unison, octave) to multi-voice soli and open voicings that provide width. You also learn to enrich your harmony through jazz chords and advanced techniques typical of brass sections: chromatic approach, four- and five-voice voicings, tension substitutions, to achieve contemporary colors in jazz, pop, funk, or soul.
Finally, the book addresses details that make a difference in real situations, such as the use of mutes for brass, and how to develop the arrangement over time by playing with intensity, density, and melodic contour. Online audio tracks complement the study and allow you to immediately hear the impact of each writing choice.
Technical specifications
| Musical Genre | Jazz, Blues, Soul | Publication | Sheet music |
| Composer | Jerry Gates | Pages | 80 |
| Instrumentation | alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, trumpet, trombone (writing for brass section with rhythm section) | ||
Questions frequently asked
Which instruments are covered in Arranging For Horns by Jerry Gates?
The book covers writing for alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, trumpet, and trombone. These sections are studied as part of a horn section accompanied by a rhythm section.
Does this book explain voicings for horn sections?
Voicings are addressed from unison and octave to multi-voice soli and open voicings. The approach includes four- and five-part voicings, as well as chromatic approach techniques and tension substitutions.
Can one learn to write jazz, funk, or soul arrangements?
The content is based on jazz chords and colors adapted to jazz, pop, funk, and soul aesthetics. The genres indicated for the book are jazz, blues, and soul.
How many pages does the Jerry Gates method contain?
This method contains 80 pages.
Are audio tracks included with the book?
Online audio tracks complement the 80 pages of the book. They allow hearing the effect of orchestration choices, including doubles, pads, fills, and backgrounds. The use of mutes for horns is also covered among the topics.
