Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble (Berklee Methods) Review

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(More customer reviews)Arranging Jazz for Large Ensemble gives the readers the necessary skills to write for big bands. Although it is an advance subject in the Arranging area, the book starts with writing for unison and octaves. There are also great chapters about background writing with riff and guide tone lines. The Shout Chorus chapter provides beginners writers to fully understand the arrangement "big picture". All levels of arrangers can benefit from these chapters and their musical examples. They will help you memorize sound texture and effects as well as the writing techniques. As you go over the other chapters, you can easily assimilate their content and apply them successfully. It's unique and well written book, one of the best of its kind.

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Product Description:
Create arrangements with texture and style with this complete guide to arranging for large horn sections! Now, for the first time, learn the same jazz ensemble arranging techniques taught by renowned Berklee College of Music faculty, and studied by the best and brightest arrangers working today. While the book focuses on classic big band and jazz styles, the core information about horn harmony and arranging can be used for any style, from hip-hop to ska. Arranging for Large Jazz Ensemble includes all the information you need when creating horn charts, fueling and inspiring you with the charts of esteemed Berklee professors Jeff Friedman, Ted Pease, Scott Free, Greg Hopkins and Bill Scism. The play-along CD includes more than 60 demo tracks and arrangements written in the style of masters such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington and Gil Evans, and performed by Berklee faculty. Covers: writing and voicing techniques; soli, background and shout choruses; special effects; creating your own style; and more.

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Finale 2010 Review

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(More customer reviews)I've used Finale since 1995, producing hundreds of arrangements and compositions, engraving music for other composers and arrangers, and even creating a theory textbook.Generally speaking, Finale has been an excellent product, and I've never found anything that couldn't be notated using this program.However, recent updates have become less and less stable as the program has gotten more complex.Even with a new computer, Finale 2008 and 2009 were having trouble playing back large scores and would occasionally crash for no reason.Finale 2010 reorganizes many notational inputs and is much smoother graphically, but after a few months' use, I found a terrible problem:Finale 2010 would crash when I tried to open complex files created on earlier versions of of the program!That means I can't access some of my older work to make changes or even print out a new copy.After the crash, Finale 2010 wouldn't start again until I restarted the computer.

I contacted MakeMusic about this and sent them one of the files that wouldn't open.They agreed that Finale 2010 crashed when trying to open the file and acknowledged that the file still opens well in Finale 2008.Their advice was to identify all files with this problem, export them as XML files and import them into Finale 2010.The problem is that I have so many files (thousands!) that it would take weeks to attempt to open every single file, especially if the program keeps crashing and I have to restart the computer over and over.The other option was to keep older versions of Finale on the computer, but that would take up a lot of hard drive space and file managing could get problematic.So, at the moment, I'm considering downgrading to Finale 2009 and never updating again!

Since the Sibelius notation software has emerged as competition for Finale, my impression is that MakeMusic is releasing more and more "upgrades" that aren't thoroughly tested, and this issue is simply a deal-breaker.In concept, the program is still very good, and if you're just getting started, it's still the standard in notation software, but I cannot recommend this version of Finale to longtime users.

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Product Description:
The best tools are designed by the people who use them. Introducing Finale 2010 - theworld standard in music notation software. Compose, arrange, notate, and print engraver-qualitysheet music that plays back with world-class sounds. Finale continues to lead the way, helping you reach perfection faster. - Streamlined user interface is more efficient, intuitive, and consistent - Setup Wizard configures your score beautifully in seconds. - Enter your music into Finale using a MIDI keyboard, computer keyboard, mouse, mic, or scanner. - Scan existing sheet music directly into Finale. From there you can change the key, edit, and save as a Finale file. - Linked Parts - intelligently links your score and parts to save you time. - More than 300 customizable and printable Music Education Worksheets. - Video Support - import video, plus send and display SMPTE time code. - TempoTap™ - conduct your own tempo changes. - Playback - here are just a few reasons why Finale's sound is unsurpassed: - Record or import an audio track for unprecedented realism. - More than 350 world-class Garritan instrument sounds - and more. - More than 100 sounds from the acclaimed Tapspace Virtual Drumline. - Human Playback® makes your music sound like live musicians are playing it - even if you entered your notes with a mouse! - Integrated Garritan Aria player. - Full support for VST/AU instruments AND effects. - Powerful Mixer (real-time control of volume, panning, patch, and more). - Save Audio Files (including .MP3) to create CDs or save to an iPod. - Document Styles let you instantly personalize the appearance of new documents. - Colored Noteheads and integrated Boomwhackers tuned percussion tube sounds.

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Arranging Concepts Complete: The Ultimate Arranging Course for Today's Music (Dick Grove Arranging Series) Review

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(More customer reviews)A very detailed mathematical aproach to band arranging. Useful tables to cover all practical situations, mostly from the point of view of horn section arranging. Somewhat light on in terms of rhythm section arranging. This book doesn't aim to teach you WHAT to write, but if you already have some experience in band arranging and are familiar with extended chords and basic harmonic and melodic concepts, it will help to guide you through the labyrinth of endless musical possibilities. Band arranging from a jazz (thus also blues/rock/pop/show music etc) perspective, not so much concert band or wind orchestra.

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Product Description:
A comprehensive text that covers the characteristics and ranges of each instrument in the stage band; analyzing and arranging many musical styles, voice leading, passing chords, modulations, intros, endings, turn-arounds and orchestration.

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