Ending Chords - Big Band Arranging SECRETS REVEALED

[@cliffordgeneral8167]

I AM SO GLAD I FOUND YOUR CHANNEL!!!!! Finally a channel dedicated to big band music and arranging and actually making it clear!!!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

I’m glad you found it too!

[@johndaniel4597]

It’s bloody good stuff Elliot. I play bass with local big bands and appreciated your video on writing bass parts. I often get handed charts written by front line players who don’t play or understand bass line construction. Keep em coming and thanks!

[@oletrenner]

Thanks! Although obvious in hindsight I wasn't aware of that rule of thumb to keep the chords simpler the faster the piece moves. So many things to remember ... Cheers!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ChristopherSiu]

Thanks as always Elliot! I remember asking about this in our session :)

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Yes. And it was a great question! I feel like I only scratched the surface here.

[@samhughes1512]

Thank you for this! Very happy to find this channel after venturing into writing some big band material! Nicely done 🙏

[@MikeJamesMedia]

Thank you, Elliot. The recording of yours I have sound wonderful, and it's always fun to hear and see bits of your writing. Looking forward to hearing you publish more complete pieces! :)

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

I am finishing one up right now. Probably by the middle of this month.

[@MikeJamesMedia]

@@PandemoniumBigBand Excellent!

[@MelodeusForever]

You won me on the opening video on your page currently!! So amazing! Love the Big Band!!! WOW!!!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@myaltaccount5046]

The end! Great lesson, Elliot. I liked seeing you at the piano building the chords!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

That seemed like the best way to demonstrate the concept. Next time I will move the mic to get better sound over there!

[@derycktrahair8108]

2 musos walking down the street. PNO thrown from a balcony crashed in front of them. Muso 1: What was that? Muso 2: You got to learn to listen man. 13th is like a 6th, both smart asses. Like the personalities of some people, they can brighten up the party. Arranging = Seating order...understanding how notes react to each other..the same with people. Crazy idea but it has been a help to me. Thank YOU for sharing ideas.

[@douglasbradley7244]

Thanks, Elliot! Another wonderful video. So glad I found your channel. I'm currently working on a chart for my middle school students and wasn't sure how I would end it. Now I have some ideas. Keep up the good work.

[@Mahdi-gz3fk]

Amazing. As Always. So happy to see this channel grow.

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Me too!

[@alanhowell3646]

Elliot have you done a video on harmonising non chord tones?

[@monsterjazzlicks]

Have subbed!

[@themanzistudios7318]

Hahaha este bro es muy feliz....!!! Nice Video,

[@mimosa-music]

Fantastic channel!

[@OM-md6ki]

Gimme dat #15 #19 ending chord! Foreal I live for the deep chords, but the simple major chord at the end was sooo fuckin beautiful and heart warming. Bro thank you for this Channel God bless you! I’m making my arrangement of giant Steps I’m playing every instrument and these videos are the only thing I need

[@santiagobravo970]

bro #15 it's just minor 9th and #19 it's sharp 5

[@arthurhtbk6596]

​@santiagobravo970 In a vacuum, yes, but when the 9th and the 5th are already present, the additional layer can have 15th and 19th

[@jazzcolossus]

Another great video! Thanks Elliot!!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Cheers!

[@NCbluesman]

That was great. Thank you!

[@bar8393gm]

What great channel!

[@adrianduchniak]

Great video and advice! Thank you!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Thank you for watching!

[@giovannifranzetti6214]

Very nice series, thank you! Question: Ending options for minor chords?

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Try a minor chord, maybe with both the 9th and the 11th.

[@giovannifranzetti6214]

@@PandemoniumBigBand thanks!

[@klavierunterricht-bergstra2187]

everytime you say your name I understand "Elliot Doit", what a great name for an arranger/brassplayer.....:-) greetings from germany aka Deutsch-land....

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Ha! Good to meet you! Greetings from Los Angeles!

[@ColinDean1]

Ive been trying to vary my endings chart to chart... you know so the audience feels like we played different songs.

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

That's a good point. On the flip side of that, I usually program charts that have a nice, long, loud ending chord to use as set openers and closers... so there is a very practical reason to end charts this way.

[@ColinDean1]

@@PandemoniumBigBand Couldn't agree more....I believe you have to psychologically prompt most audiences awake to clap on the first tune... especially if its a hesitant audience. Love the content! Its really great info

[@richardwilliamsmusic]

The is a fantastic topic to talk about, I'm glad to hear your thoughts on the topic! Seems a lot simpler than I thought previously. And hearing the examples is super valuable! Other chords I've noticed that are also good are C7#9, C69, and Cm9aad or Cmmaj9 for minor chords. Thanks again!

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Yeah, those are all great choices too. You can definitely do whatever you want at the end, since the music doesn’t resolve anywhere after. I only use 69 at the end of an older style swing chart. It tends to sound like an older, less rich major 13#11.

[@richardwilliamsmusic]

@@PandemoniumBigBand I'm curious, are there any other chords you use that are of course less common? Cm11, or any others? Often these final chords seem hard for me to distinguish. Also another question I have is what note is the lead trumpet usually on on these various chords? Maybe that's an idea for a new video? :)

[@slimkickens]

What scale degree should the major 13 #11 be? I'm assuming it's either the root or the dominant?

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

I’m not sure I understand your question. Can you ask in a different way?

[@slimkickens]

@@PandemoniumBigBand like, say I'm arranging in the key of C, should the ending chord be a C (the root) or a G (the dominant)

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

That’s just a matter of taste. Sometimes I’ll end with a Db chord, or and Ab chord. I’ll usually hear which bass note I’m thinking. Then I’ll build the chord up from there.

[@slimkickens]

@@PandemoniumBigBand cool, thank you

[@prodHenryGriffiths]

How should the cmaj13#11 relate to the chord that comes before it?

[@joedinunzio1200]

If you're arranging a song that has basic chords like Ab, Eb, Fmi, Db, etc. throughout, will you reharmonize the whole song?

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

That really depend on the sound I am going for with the arrangement. Often times yes, I will reharmonize the whole song.

[@sacrificialobama8786]

@@PandemoniumBigBand Oh man I would love to hear your process for this! Cheers on another great video!

[@TennisJournal]

how would you start a song??

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

That is a much tougher question than ending a song!

[@geryvantroyen2614]

Great videos, but being a musician myself, that background music takes my attention away. It's hard to really follow what you're saying. Sorry. Anyway, thanks for the videos.

[@PandemoniumBigBand]

Thanks for the tip! I am new to producing tutorials and I think the quality of the production has gone up over time. Check out my most recent videos and see if the voice/music levels are better. I feel like the videos have a faster, more fun pace when I use my music in the background rather than silence. That said, I will never, in 100 years, use generic, free background music. The whole purpose of my KZbin presence is to share my big band music with everyone.

[@institucionsoncubano9429]

Gracias!

[@0775302464]

a lot of talking