![]() 1st and 2nd time repeats are common here to get into the more climactic B section. Just be sure to write ‘backgrounds 2nd time’ on the horn parts. Hits in the band and/or bigger backings.Ī - Keep the energy up with backings, but winding back down to repeat the solo section.įor the repeated A section with horn backings, you don’t need to write out the entire section again, repeat symbols will do fine and are very common. The soloist introduces their ideas.Ī - Repeated section with horn backings added.ī - Climax of the solo. The sections might be broken down in the following way:Ī - Rhythm section only. If a break is used, it should be the first 4 bars of the solo changes. To get into the solo, check out my article here, but a break or bridge is common. It is usually about the same length (in this case, 64 bars) and repeated at least twice. The solo section usually follows the same form as the melody section. The material could be new or based on recurring themes that you’ve set up so far. A bridge could be 4,8, 16 bars or even longer whatever seems proportional to the track as a whole - you don’t want to get to the solos too early. More rarely, a bridge is used from the intro into the melody section. We see a very long one in the example above. There’s then a lengthy bridge made from the intro material leading into the solos (not shown here):Ī bridge is sometimes used to get from the melody section into the solos. The B section then plays and there is a C section which modulates and uses developed material from the A section. The saxes state the main phrase and the A section is repeated twice with trombone backings the second time. There is a lengthy intro and the main melody section starts at 00:43. Here is an example of a classic AABC form from the chart High Maintenance by Gordon Goodwin. It’s common for each section to work in the following way:Ī - The first A section introduces the melody, maybe in unison or as a soli.Ī - The next 16 bars adds more instruments to the harmony or includes hits.Ī - Same as the second A section but maybe more intense toward the end. Sometimes, bridges are found before the melody section or at the end, leading into the solos. This is most often AABA but could be ABAC or a 12-bar blues. This can be effective if you have a strong A section and you want to jump straight in.Īs previously mentioned, the melody section or exposition, which might be 64 bars for example, is often broken down further into an internal structure with 16 bars each. Sometimes, an arranger will decide to start the chart right away without any intro. This is a pretty old-school approach and it’s rare to hear this in more modern charts. Sometimes, a soft chorale is used that is often conducted by the band leader before the A section hits. This is probably less used but is still an effective way of getting into the A section. Improvised solos on other instruments aren’t found as often.Īnother option is to do whatever you like - just set up the key and mood correctly. Drums are always a favourite candidate for high-energy intros, but piano is also common for ballads. Having a solo is a good way to start tunes more sparsely. Vamps also benefit from having instruments layered on top of each other to build until the A section hits. ![]() This is often done by the rhythm section and setups up a groove that the horns are added to in the A section. ![]() It’s usually big and loud to get the audience’s attention.Ī repeated figure is also very common, especially in funk, rock and latin tunes. This the melody at its peak and bookends the arrangement in an effective way. There are a couple of effective ways to set up an intro to a chart:Ī very common way to start a chart is with the last 4-8 bars. The orchestration usually differs from the A section and it sets up the tonality or modality for the A section too. It sets up the vibe, is usually 8-16 bars long and is either quite impactful or deliberately sparse. You can find a Spotify playlist with them in in the resources article: I’ve given examples of tunes to check out. Let’s break each of these sections down in turn. If the melody section is AABA and 64 bars long, the solos should be roughly the same length - not 16 bars for instance. The most important thing is that the arrangement is proportional. The AABA structure could be replaced with AABC, a blues, or a more unconventional structure. ![]()
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