Category: Arrangements

Coronation Day: more arrangement ideas

Here is the recording of Coronation Day tune with the phased rhythmic ostinato that we used in the warm up, inspired in part by Steve Reich’s Clapping Music which was in turn partially inspired by flamenco music.

Here is a video of Clapping Music with a useful graphic to help you see what’s going on. The pattern is repeated eight times before the lower part phases by one quaver.

Constant Billy

This week’s tune is English Morris dance tune Constant Billy. There are versions in most of the different Cotswold Morris tradition in various keys, though often transposed into G major to suit the commonly used melodeon. We made two different versions of the chords, the first being a conservative version that harmonises every half bar and the second a more contemporary version that harmonises every full bar. To refer back to our inspiration arrangement, Coronation Day, we have used/tried:

  1. long notes that can also be used as in a shuffle rhythm
  2. Playing the tune with a pedal G (tonic) underneath throughout, and also trying a pedal D (dominant) throughout
  3. Using a chord sequence that doesn’t resolve to the tonic of G at the end of each phrase (from the long notes pattern)

We will look at long and short ostinati next week and use these to make an intro/outro for the whole piece, also extending the tune by developing certain phrases.

Here is the video, with the second version of the chords:

Here are the dots:

constant-billyDownload

Coronation Day Arrangement

I’m not going to put up dots for the arrangement we tried last week as we have used the Nick Wyke and Becki Driscoll arrangement as a base and that is not mine to share! The elements we have taken from it to use this week are:

  1. a long ostinato that goes over two bars
  2. a short ostinato that cycles over three bars
  3. long notes that can also be used as in a shuffle rhythm
  4. Playing the tune in unision/octaves with no chords
  5. Playing the tune with a pedal G (tonic) underneath throughout
  6. Tune with chords as devised lat week, including a pedal D chord (dominant) that mirrors the tonic pedal that we also tried
  7. Extending the tune by repeating one phrase several times
  8. Using a chord sequence that doesn’t resolve to the tonic of G at the end of each phrase (from the long notes pattern)
  9. Book-ending the tune with intro and outro sections that are very similar

Set List for Gunnersbury

Idbury Hill/Sheriff’s Ride

idbuy-hill-and-sheriffs-ride-arrangementDownload
idbury-plus-harmonyDownload
sheriff-for-esDownload

Captain Leno’s/Major Mackie

captain-lanoe-and-major-mackie-arrangementDownload
clq-tune-and-chords-for-gunnersburyDownload
mm-arrangementDownload

Uncle Bernard’s/Grandfather’s Tune

gt-and-ub-arrangementDownload
UB arrangement ES marchDownload
gft-pdfDownload

Mairi’s Wedding/Peat Fire Flame

mairis-and-peat-fire-arrangementDownload
mairiwed-1Download
peat-with-harmonyDownload

Hector the Hero

hector-the-hero-arrangement-for-march-2Download
hector-for-gunnersburyDownload

Kafoozalum

kafoozalum-arrangement-gunnersburyDownload
kafoozalum-in-fullDownload

Rusty Gully/Pawkie Adam Glen

rusty-gully-arrangement-1Download
rg-for-gunnersburyDownload
pag-gunnersburyDownload

Lilting Banshee/My Darling Asleep

lb-and-mda-for-gunnersburyDownload
lb-refinedDownload
mda-with-basslineDownload

Star Above the Garter

star-above-the-garter-gunnersburyDownload
satg-gunnersburyDownload

Arrangements so far!

Captain Lanoe’s/Major Mackie’s:

captain-lanoe-and-major-mackie-arrangementDownload

Hector the Hero harmony and arrangement:

hector-w-harmonyDownload
hector-the-hero-arrangementDownload

Mairi’s Wedding/Peat Fire Flame arrangment:

mairis-and-peat-fire-arrangementDownload

Rusty Gully/Pawkie Adam Glen arrangement:

rusty-gully-arrangementDownload

On this Monday (21st) we will look at The Lilting Banshee/May Darling Asleep, Uncle Bernard’s/Grandfather’s, Star Above the Garter and Idbury Hill/Sheriff’s Ride.

Arrangement for Captain Leno’s/Major Mackie

I’ve given you three files here, the first is the complete arrangement of the set in written out instructions. The other two are the compact scores for Captain Leno’s and Major Mackie. I’ve also made a video of the rhythmic variation for the B sections of Major Mackie.

cl-and-mm-arrangementDownload
clq-tune-and-chords-2Download
mm-arrangementDownload