Roger Aldridge
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A Big Band Misconception

7/12/2016

 
There is a common understanding that each saxophone, trumpet, and trombone player in a big band has an individual part. However, that is a misconception with regard to harmony.

​Traditional big band arrangements -- with 5 saxophones, 4 trumpets, and 4 trombones (13 horns) -- typically use 4 or 5-part harmony. This means 2 or 3 horns could play the same note, with unison or octave doubling, in a given harmonization.

As an example of harmonic doubling, the following is a traditional way to harmonize a melody in top-down, close-position writing for 5 saxophones: The 1st alto plays a melody note, and the three chord tones below the melody are played by the 2nd alto, 1st tenor, and 2nd tenor; then, the baritone doubles the 1st alto an octave lower. While there are 5 saxophones, the chord voicing is actually 4-part harmony. 

Close-position 4-part harmony can also be used for the trumpets and trombones when they play together as a brass section. The 4 trumpet parts are often written first and then the trombones double the trumpets an octave lower.
 
Open or spread voicings can go beyond the 4-part harmony used in close-position writing. In spread vocings, the trombones and/or lower saxophones often play essential chord tones (such as 1-7-3) and the trumpets and/or higher saxophones play chord tones and tensions. Using tensions (natural or altered 9, 11, 13) makes it possible to have 5-part, 6-part, or 7-part harmony. This gives a greater amount of richness to an ensemble sound than with 4-part harmony. However, unison or octave doubling still occurs when even 7-part harmony is used in concerted saxophone & brass passages.

Given the extent of harmonic doubling in big band music, I have an idea to offer to big bands: Try playing my mid-size ensemble scores with doubled players on a part. As I envision it, this will give a fresh sound to a big band.​

Of prime importance is having lines with individual tone colors instead of harmonized saxophone, trumpet, and trombone sections. To do this, an expanded palette of tone color is created by having the brass as individual colors in different mutes & open with a mix of saxophones and woodwind doubles. If they are available, including instruments such as soprano sax, flugelhorn, bass clarinet, and tuba is a good way to add more color. With this palette of color choices, each wind instrument is taken out of its customary role in a section and combined with another instrument(s) to produce a distinctive sound for a given line in the score. Creative combinations of instruments are encouraged. 
​
As a way to begin, I recommend my piece Fanfare for big bands to try. It is reasonably easy to play, and its page on my website has a suggested assignment of parts.

Bands are encouraged to experiment with my music and ideas. The Mid-Size Ensemble page has more about my approach to a jazz ensemble along with a score video that serves as a sample of my writing. 

A Gift

4/25/2016

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I was reflecting on how music has been a gift to me. At times I think of it as a language that enables me to express myself in a deeper way than I can with words. Many things in life are of interest to me and I have a natural curiosity. There are times when I am having a discussion with someone about life and I am told, "You should write a book". My reply is always the same, "All of this is in my music". I feel a deep happiness when people tell me they understand.
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About Rich Pulin

3/1/2016

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Rich Pulin
I want to give a thank you to Rich Pulin. When we met through the Jazz Arranging group on Facebook in 2015 I was not familiar with him. However, I quickly realized that Rich is a world-class composer-arranger/trombonist. He has worked with many of my jazz heroes. Here is a link to his biography at All About Jazz. 
 
Happily, Rich took an interest in my music and invited me to be on his Pulin 4 Jazz radio show. It became clear that he runs with the big dogs when I shared the show with Bill Crow (whom I have admired for many years
). I had a great time on Rich's show and we decided to make it a monthly program.

​I feel a deep gratitude to Rich for how he connects with my music and brings it to his international audience. According to Rich, his show has listeners in 196 countries.
​
In addition to the various music projects that keep Rich busy, he is devoted to The Early Childhood Music Education Foundation. Please visit its website and, if you are so moved, give it your support. 
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A Shift In My Music

3/24/2015

1 Comment

 
It feels to me that a shift is happening in my music. Over the years I have seen how I go in cycles. For many years I focused much more on writing (in particular, writing tunes) than playing. For around 7 years it turned around and I focused almost entirely on playing and did very little writing. Then, around 5 years ago it was like a creative dam burst open and I focused heavily on developing concepts and writing for mid-size ensemble. Now, I am feeling a shift back to tunes. 

While I like to write for ensembles, it has been my feeling for quite a while that my most creative work is in my tunes -- in particular, the ones that defy a conventional genre classification.

David Arivett is going to make demos of some of my tunes that have not been recorded. We are going to start with "Samba da Aguia Pescadora". I will add the recording to my site as soon as it is ready. Stay tuned....
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Woodwind Quintet Jazz

1/22/2015

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Looking For: A woodwind quintet to collaborate with a jazz group for the purpose of creating fun and adventurous music.

I have been a fan of the woodwind quintet for many years. One reason is I like how each instrument in the ensemble -- flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, and bassoon -- has an individual tone color; however, they blend together beautifully as a collective. With this perspective of a woodwind quintet, I used it as a role model when I developed my concepts for mid-size jazz ensemble.
​

My vision for a woodwind quintet is to use it as a horn section in a mid-size jazz ensemble along with a featured soloist and rhythm section. While my scores are written for flexible instrumentation, to enable the music to be played by many combinations of instruments (including saxophones and brass), I often hear a woodwind quintet in my mind as I am working on a new piece. 

My article on Mid-Size Ensemble has more about my concepts for this kind of an ensemble. The page also has several recordings as a sample of the music. 


If the members of a woodwind quintet would like to explore these ideas, please write to me from the Contact page.  
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CSIC Project

1/8/2015

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One of my first projects in 2015 is to help promote Composers & Schools in Concert. This organization brings together contemporary composers and high school musicians. It is an honor to be a part of the CSIC community.  

In 2013 I was contacted by Lisa Oman, CSIC Executive Director, and Nick Benavides, Program Director. They expressed an interest in my composition Salt Marsh Rag and asked for my permission to have it added to the CSIC Score Library. I was not familiar with CSIC. However, after Lisa told me about the organization I quickly became inspired by its mission. 


Composers & Schools in Concert provides high school students with hands-on experience in the professional field of music composition through composer commissions, workshops, and a contemporary score library for young performers.

The CSIC Score Library is an online catalog of contemporary music, of diverse genres, geared toward young performers. The aim is to promote awareness of contemporary music and help educators easily locate contemporary pieces for their ensembles to perform. The CSIC Score Library is a searchable directory which lists scores created by composers –- including those commissioned by CSIC — that are particularly suited, yet challenging and innovative, for youth ensembles. 

Composers & Schools in Concert is a worthy organization for your financial support and for promoting it to musicians and schools in your community.

For more information, visit the CSIC website: 
http://www.composersandschools.com/
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Building An Online Audience

8/25/2014

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Being primarily a composer and not having a performing band, I have given considerable time & effort to building an online audience through my website and other music sites I use. Along the way, I picked up a number of tips from musician friends and website developers. Following are several basic tips that have been helpful to me:

Cast a Large Net

There are many music sites on the internet. To name only a few: Youtube, Soundcloud, Reverbnation, Vimeno, BluesJazzRadio, All About Jazz, Last.FM, Hardcoremix Radio, Jango Radio, Fandalism, (the list goes on and on). Having your music on multiple sites is a good way to reach out to a broader audience. In addition, when you have your own website the other sites you are using can have a link to your site. This enables your website to be the hub of a network of music and social media sites. 

Your Own Website

Having your own website is one of the most important things that one can do to have an online presence that stands out. The site layout and features can express who you are and what your music is about. There are a number of free or inexpensive site builders that are easy to use (using drag and drop icons). Talk with musician friends to see what they are using, look at their sites, and see which site builder is the best match for you. 

When you have your website, think of it as being like a restaurant. What does a successful restaurant do to bring in customers and retain a loyal base? Take a similar approach with a website. 

Here is an important tip: Do not let your site become stale or inactive. Do new and creative things with your site on a regular basis to keep it fresh. This includes adding new music, posting news and blogs, making improvements to the site, etc. Active sites typically have more weight with search engines than inactive sites.

A Personal Domain Name

A personal domain name for your site is highly recommended – in particular, using your name. A domain name can be purchased from a website builder or companies like Namecheap. A developer told me that one’s name (with a .com extension) makes it easier for people to remember your site and find it with internet searches.

Facebook

Without question, Facebook brings the greatest amount of traffic to my site. However, it is my understanding that only 7% (or less) of the people in one’s friend list actually see the messages posted on a timeline. In my experience, one of the best things about Facebook is the groups. With groups, you can find a collection of people who share an interest in music with you. Posting a link to your site within a message to a group (or multiple groups) will usually bring more people to your site than by only posting it on your timeline. 

It is also important to have a music page on Facebook in addition to a personal timeline. I have been told that having a Facebook page gives more weight to your name in search engines. 

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Beyond Notation

2/21/2014

3 Comments

 
Whenever people ask me to describe my music, I often include the words fun and adventure. These qualities are expressed in how I encourage musicians to think of my written music as a point of departure, to discover their vision for it, and find ways for the composition to be a fresh experience each time it is performed.
​
For that to happen, I rarely compose music that is completely notated. The amount of music that I notate is on a sliding scale. At one end of the scale are extended pieces, like Donut Music and Buzzards In Love, that incorporate improvisation within a highly notated work. At the opposite end of the scale are minimalist pieces, like New Tango No. 1 and Smaller Ups And Downs, with a small amount of written music and focus on a particular concept for an improvisational framework. By having a sliding scale of notation, ensembles interested in performing my music can choose the pieces that are a match for the amount of improvisational freedom they want to have. 

I understand how music can have different expressive interpretations given to it by directors and performers. However, I go beyond that to embrace a spirit of "Let's see where we can go with this." That is, for performances of my music to be a journey of discovery -- a collective creative process between the composer, performers, director (if one is used), and the audience in which the music is alive, spontaneous, and continues to evolve with each performance. I think of this creative process as being like a jazz solo. 

I enjoy being surprised when performers take my music in directions that I had not thought of. There is an element of risk with this approach. However, that is part of the fun and adventure.  
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    Roger Aldridge, jazz composer in Olney, Maryland.

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