Recently it occurred to me that I should have a checklist to remind me of the things that I need to do when putting together notated scores. I’ll add more as I think of them, but this is a good start.
Title & composer name
Font type
BPM/Tempo
Measure #’s
Correct Time Signatures
Expressions
Dynamics
Chord symbols
Harmonic Analysis
Position of systems on/across pages
Spacing between staves & systems
Spacing between notes/chord symbols/measure #’s
Zoom level
Rehearsal Letters
Double Bars for each new section
Synth patch used
Drum key/Berklee drum notation rules
Use 2 layers for drum parts for correct direction of stems (upward for parts played with the hands, downwards for parts played with the feet)
“Enchantment” is the first song from the upcoming “Equinox” album. It is also the first symphonic piece that I’ve done in a long time.
Video footage taken while visiting Mt Tamalpais (Marin County, CA), Municipal Rose Garden (San Jose, CA) and the Pulgas Water Temple (Redwood City, CA).
Here’s the backstory…
I had been wanting to do an orchestral/symphonic piece for many years now. Fortunately some of the tools available nowadays makes it possible to create something that sounds pretty compelling in terms of authenticity.
This song started as a simple chord progression with me humming the melody. Here’s the original sketch:
Once I had decided that I was going to work on this song idea for the concert, I made a full chart with lead melody and chord progressions:
While working on pre-production of the song I watched two very helpful video courses on Groove3:
I know that countless musicians have said this, but I love The Beatles. Their music is part of the soundtrack of my life. This week I chose to notate the melody of their song “Norwegian Wood” as part of my ongoing “Hearing and Writing” studies.
Long before I became a fan of Pink Floyd, the guitar riff in “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” echoed in my mind all on it’s own. Somewhat like a half remembered dream, familiar yet foreign and mysterious.
Recently I decided to take a go at notating it as part of my “Hearing & Writing” studies and ended up doing the full arrangement of the song’s main theme, right about where the band first comes in. This version is based on the live recording found on the “Pulse” album. While this does not reflect all the various nuances of each individual’s playing (slides, vibrato, bends, etc.) it does capture the main rhythms, chords and melodies.
Today I chose to notate the bass part of this classic jam by The Police. I love this riff. As I think about it, the bass line _is_ the song. There’s a lot that happens in the way of other parts being introduced throughout the piece (vocals, horns, guitar solos, drum fills, etc.) but the bass line never varies. It’s very hypnotic and beautiful in it’s simplicity. When you got something this cool why mess with it?
I love Michael Landau’s playing. He comes up with really unusual melodies and chord voicings that sound amazing to me. His playing can be fluid and gentle and then suddenly powerful, fierce and raw.
I decided to notate the main theme of his song “I’m Buzzed” as part of my Hearing and Writing studies. While this does not reflect all the various nuances of his playing (slides, vibrato, bends, etc.) it captures the main rhythms and melodies. To be honest I’m a bit buzzed that I am able to even do this much. Looking forward to what’s next.
Found out about this fantastic open source music notation app through one of Adam Neely’s videos. So far I’m loving how easy and intuitive it is to use. It’s really well thought out and implemented. Did I mention that it’s free?! Wow. Big thanks to the MuseScore community for making this available to everyone.
Was trying to decide which song to notate for my next “Hearing & Writing” assignment and remembered how much I love the bass line of Chic’s classic hit “Good Times”. First I wrote out the bass part and programmed it into Logic. I then added some drums, guitar and piano. Afterwards I notated all the parts on one sheet of paper and put together this video.
