Harmonizing Sax Soli - Block Voicings

Using "the lick," we learn about some of the basic concepts of harmonizing saxophones in a big band context. Block voicing are the simplest way of dealing with harmony, and can yield some very nice musical results.
If you like this video, please be sure to like and subscribe!
Adam

[@MrHestichs]

Please do long like 30 min videos on just harmonizing and writing sheets for big bands etc, i love it!

[@ApplepieFTW]

agreed, this was really awesome and fun to watch, and instructive even though I didn't come here to learn (which means you're doing a lot of things right)

[@markuskoivisto]

A really good book is "arranging for a large jazz ensemble"

[@tpickles]

Tom Kubis has just started doing this as a paid thing (he's got a KZbin channel with previews), though not investigated them yet...

[@shermanthompson871]

plz

[@ChrisMarx]

I've taken the course at berklee that uses that book and read the entire thing. this was way more fun to watch him build it in the program than the book!

[@korhonenmikko]

"Jazz is fun, that's what they told me in school." :)

[@pwkotor47]

ii-V-fun is my favorite chord progression!

[@ihH6053]

Lil Will yep

[@pixelking2000]

I was questioning my whole life untill the end where the bass part came

[@FilmsterStudios]

*graduates from berklee* So what did you learn? *plays lick*

[@091Cash]

dududuru duu ru du

[@ploopybear]

*looks directly into eyes and slowly moves hand to play lick*

[@MusicFreddy]

but in all 30 keys!

[@maxalain9948]

burk li

[@Qermaq]

Heh Berklee '89 and never learned this lick. But I did learn to wake up early hung over and still pass conducting class.

[@chewondoggy]

your music abilities are one thing, but your ability to throw in references and memes is what makes you a true treasure

[@arckanon13]

Great lesson! Please do more lessons on harmonizing, big band writing/arranging, etc

[@michaelmyers4837]

As a classically trained person who thinks with a jazz mindset, these simple rules that "break" the rules help me tremendously on a day-to-day basis with sectional part writing. Thanks so much for making it clearer than the books.

[@CJB1103]

This whole video I was looking at the Bari part going "it's all wrong tho" and then I realised it's in bass clef.. yay for concert scores

[@mia-luca8775]

Im just asking why it is in bass clef

[@cameo2277]

PHANCO!!! Lmao imagine the Bari player just taking out the music for first rehearsal and just saying *well I’m mortally fucked* I know this joke wouldn’t happen but the concept is there

[@cameo2277]

C4pt41nN3m0 yes I know you can transpose but that sounds like cancer to me

[@cameo2277]

If you were to learn the part using the bass clef sheet music, that is

[@anon8740]

@@cameo2277 transiting is fine once you're used to it. It is cancer for a little while though. It took me a couple of months to get used to it.

[@jerrodshackelford6773]

This was the first time I ever learned about writing tutti horn sections and now I am a professional big band arranger. Thanks, Adam!

[@AndyChamberlainMusic]

I've calculated that 2% of the time when I try to like a video I accidentally dislike it. Assuming this is close to the norm, any video with a 98% like ratio or higher actually probably has a perfect like ratio. (this video: 2000/12 = 99%+ like ratio) *thumbs up*

[@njamofficial]

Andy Chamberlain Music too much math for me 😩

[@manuelninogarces9574]

You earned an accidental dislike sir.

[@dhu2056]

Assuming people never accidentally like videos?

[@godhimself568]

Damn how do you accidentally dislike 2% of likes. That's concerning

[@mus1cal4ddict76]

If you teach composition i would like taking lessons.

[@Jefferson-ly5qe]

8:29 "Pressing play right now!" *We are number one begins*

[@fionabegonia7802]

Even I, an old lady piano teacher, often learn new things from your wonderful videos. Thanks, Adam! P.S. I wish I could match your facility with SIBELIUS program!

[@mpettymusic]

Binged most of your channel a few months ago to start learning harmonies and the idea of chords flew over my head, but with a bit of high school level theory class and jazz improv under my belt, this video and many others on your channel are starting to make much more sense, and have helped me tremendously with composition. The style of video where you turn a musical meme into a legitimate theory and composition lesson that could pass as a college lecture has done more for me inspirationally than any music class I've taken, as the results always sound great. Keep the spice turned up and the chords rootless, thanks a ton!

[@topiporkka8413]

This is so funny and useful at the same time xD

[@slimyelow]

Wow. I learned some stuff. The "Lets ignore this and leave it out" part comes as sort of a revelation.

[@ksooshinka]

Diction, mimicry, humor and the stave - and I forget that I barely know English. Dude, you're incredibly cool! Thank!

[@noahgalbreathmusic]

Wow this is a great video! Arranging anything can be scary if you look at it from a really broad perspective but this really broke it down in a way I could understand

[@steadyrhythms9571]

love you adam i needed this so bad and of course you came in clutch

[@portineoo]

I can't believe I was searching for a video to help with a minor issue I had on my composition class and Adam Neely saved me

[@haizesax]

great explanation! I love your sense of humor indeed , keep on posting videos!!!

[@qehn]

Thank you. I have just recently ventured into the world of jazz arranging, and this was very helpful.

[@elianherrera5322]

As a sax player this is really cool man I appreciate this

[@thebigbison9949]

This is quite helpful Adam thank you for sharing and keep up the great work

[@maxvanhoutum]

This is my favourite Neely video! Such usefull content!

[@mvcork]

Great tutorial Adam. Love it. Thank you.

[@Barukh]

Amazing lesson! I hadn't seen it yet, since I discovered your channel in late 2016. "Cool!"

[@ChronicalV]

oh my god thank you so much, I needed this for my jazz assignment and I was struggling with making the soli not sound abysmally dissonant with accidental tritones appearing everywhere due to my severe lack of arranging ability

[@xtruthunfiltrd1192]

Awesome tutorial, I'll be sure to keep this in mind!

[@marcusdurand5387]

Do more of this stuff! I'm not very good at writing music,and I bet others are in the same boat as me, so this is really fantastic!

[@lucasglenn3079]

omg I'm learning about all these embellishing tones and feel so smart calling out what type it is before you say it.

[@ploopybear]

This is actually a big help. Thanks!!!

[@leonsibum]

Bummer!! I just arranged some close harmony vocals for an EP the other day. It worked out, but if I saw this earlier... Thanks for sharing your knowledge!

[@GreatFlamingEyebrows_]

Love how you end up talking in the key of the note you just play

[@boralustral4663]

I don't know why, but this kind of voicing makes me think about a casino.

[@dylancleverdon486]

thank you this is amazingly usefull i greatly appreciate it!!

[@averyshumway2345]

I like watching the clock as he shoots the video in one take and then spends 2 and a half hours editing or doing whatever else before recording the final/intro clip

[@Elintasokas]

Good stuff. I'd love to see more.

[@harilubovac9155]

Thank you for this great lesson.

[@daveyewart4289]

i knew nothing of this when i started . i know a little now . thank you

[@ryanmooncat3949]

Great video! Thanks.

[@thebigbison9949]

And people say music theory is pointless🙄

[@OfficialRomeM.]

TheBigBison right

[@ihavegcc472]

who says that lol

[@leotao4650]

@@ihavegcc472 ngl bare people think it's pointless unfortunately. A lot of people don't like the idea of thinking hard about music 😔

[@ihavegcc472]

@@leotao4650 ahh yeah i see now what you mean lol... some of my friends are trying to make metal music and think music theory is useless.. i try getting them to at least learn a little bit but we'll see

[@musical_lolu4811]

Theory is pointless if you don't know how to use it.

[@IainMBB]

Excellent!

[@catalystdrums123]

I know this is an old video, but I want to say I appreciate your work

[@Shuzies]

Great.................The college of Adam....thank you......rc

[@tylereberts7354]

Hi Adam, Great video! I love this kind of stuff, and would like to learn more about this kind of harmonization, specifically as applied to a larger section of a tune for a sax soli; for example Thad Jones' "Three and One," or Jerome Richardson's "Groove Merchant." If one were to carry out this process for a longer section, should the same principles be applied? Does the bari always double the melody of the lead alto? Any other fine-tuning kinds of things such as keeping the smaller intervals such as 2nds between the altos out of the equation? Is it a coincidence that both of the examples I mentioned use a soprano as the top voice rather than alto, or is that more of a stylistic choice that the composers wanted the color of soprano instead of alto? I have a feeling this is the kind of thing that I would just need to dive into and learn as I go along, but I'd love to get your input for how the process should work for a longer section in the context of an actual arrangement for a big band, rather than simply an exercise like you've demonstrated here.

[@waxmax001]

Pls more about the process of harmonizing!

[@ChrisMarx]

this is great!

[@Reyes78]

This was extremely helpful and concise. Also, “2five… Fun“LOL

[@ajadrew]

Now I really do know I know nothing.... Love it!

[@i8tweak]

Itd be cool to see this melody employed with other techniques too!

[@LukeBeadles]

Awesome!

[@alieninstallation50]

sounds like you figured out music.

[@mattiameis3300]

Great channel!!!

[@arara513]

This is jazzing magic.

[@ZipplyZane]

Also, interesting on changing that chord to a minor 6 chord. I find that I have to change the major 7 to a major 6 in the traditional version of "A Christmas Carol" to get it to sound right, also because of that clash. I'm glad to know this is a normal substitution. (The only time it sounds like a Cmaj7 is when I extend it, particularly at the end, where I make it a Cmaj9 for that "jazz chord" ending.)

[@liriosanz]

Buenisimo !!!! gracias

[@TedHadges]

Great tutorial!

[@pasonnosapwang6025]

Cool , you are logical and a great teacher

[@MartijnHover]

I could actually follow that. Nice.

[@rillloudmother]

great video!

[@BenjaminMorrenMusic]

Almost 6 years later and the licc is still alive and well.

[@knifevsspoons]

I love you thank you

[@MrPhibbz]

awesome video

[@morganherring6958]

I found it... the place where it began... the video that started it all... the day this channel became Adam Neely and the Lick.

[@berxsol]

I like this kind of gameplay

[@johnnynoirman]

NICE!

[@santiagoa98]

More videos of jazz arranging please!

[@pzdipuing]

Bro u r awesome i wis i had a fren like u who is professional

[@SeanBailey1]

This is so cool! In what sorts of ways can you mess around with the rhythm of the harmony parts while still keeping the voicings clean?

[@man04321]

this was cool and different but still interesting

[@aguztinalvarez]

great video...itll really help me if you do an example with trumpet,alto,tenor,trombone!!

[@johnathanpietz8482]

You can also play diminished chords for passing tones and not worry about what the relationship is to the next note.

[@jasondavisjazz]

Nice

[@judeholloway8595]

Can we please have more videos like this for big band please, I'm trying to write my own big band piece and struggling at best

[@meezerpocalypse6651]

this helped me.....in some way. thank you

[@FrancoGrimoldi]

it sounds like jazz!!

[@duetchops3768]

Pay attention!

[@wendolienkrulmuziek]

Thanks for the lesson! Personally, I would've also liked to see how it would look for the players (instead of concert pitch) at the end. Do you consider making a lick practical for the instruments that actually play them or are you only focusing on the sound you want to hear?

[@DerzkoePetro]

Hi, Adam, I'm mostly occupied with strings, so this video is quite useful, but there is one other technique, that i struggle with. I'd refer to some of your videos where you with "sandman" arrangement for vocal quartet, that uses extremely close voicing of the chords (lots of repetitions, seconds, diminished chords). I've also heard that it may be called nashville harmony. Could you cover that technique in your next videos?

[@johnny141093]

Hi Adam, I'm currently writing a tune for my Riot Jazz Brass Band (a la Youngblood/Hackney Colliery etc) which I may or may not submit to How To Not Suck At Music, I'm pretty happy with it but the only thing I'm wanting to add is interjections around the main tune as well as backings for solos. Any tips for these things? I guess in a big band/brass band context. Thanks!

[@ronbarzilai5705]

Could you please do a video on spread voicings? That would be very helpful.

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Can you do a video on this sort of thing, but for trumpets?

[@connorlearmonth665]

Nice video, I've never heard that lick as a major 251 though. Maybe it would've worked out a little better as a minor 251 or 151 in A.

[@tanhongzhi2637]

The melody is from 'the lick' video.

[@MarkMarxonsBassChannel]

Total badass

[@mikeb6572]

I'm new to this so excuse me if this sounds uninformed. There is no D in the D7. On beat three, why not have the bari sax play D? Or would that clash with the Eb tenor 1 is playing?

[@evanwilliamson8338]

+Mike B It might clash a little, but given that it's an octave below it would probably sound fine. That would be the very nature of a flat 9 chord. However, the reason there isn't a D there is because the root of the chord is stable, bland, and rather uninteresting. A lot of the time, it is preferable to add other tones and substitutions to make the sound more colorful.

[@mikeb6572]

+evan williamson Cool. Thanks.

[@evanwilliamson8338]

no prob

[@SteffenThole]

In addition to that, he chose to do a block voicing and one of the key elements of this kind of voicing is to have the top and bottom voice play the exact same notes, just an octave apart. The other voices just sort of mingle in between them to harmonize the chord. At least that's the definition that I know.

[@jasonsavory9748]

That's what the rhythm section is for :)

[@alexchubb6266]

Okay but in ii-V-Fun is the fun major or minor?

[@vaclavmichalekmusic]

Alex Chubb major - the last chord was Gmaj7

[@benjaminmarks8765]

Fun°(b9 #11)

[@TomEyeTheSFMguy]

Fun major

[@Qermaq]

Fun = I = what mode you're in man.

[@stevemanning8411]

Major.

[@tonyhakston536]

I learned

[@robertjones9598]

Is it possible to go from a low-key New Orleans blues ensemble into a full swing band within the space of a single passage of 12-bar blues? Or are there technical reasons why you can't harmonise a blues shuffle similar to the melodies of a swing band? I'm totally confused about the distinctions between various styles, would love for you to do a longer video on the different approaches, particularly on the voicings for the blowy instruments! Cheers.

[@Ardeact]

The lick in the intro killed me

[@eruptionfreak]

HI Adam, do you have any recommendations for books and resources for studying these types of Harmonizations/Voicings and arranging?

[@farnaztabatabaee]

Please do more of these videos!like piano harmonizing for a big band!

[@yehudalichtenstein574]

You could have use the diminished chord on two occasions here- especially on that g towards the end, i think it would have been better. Another option is a chromatic neighbor to each note of the solution. Overall it's a good demonstration of the "4way close" technique.

[@laurentw650]

Sure could do with diminished chord, but it's old school. Now, it's up to the arranger to choose the right path... And there are many paths to choose from...

[@musical_lolu4811]

You can do whatever you want, there's no law says you must use the diminished.

[@yehudalichtenstein574]

@@musical_lolu4811 I never said anything about any law... You can reread my comment and see that I was only suggesting that it would have been better sounding if he used diminished. Not that it was some kind of law...

[@stephenleebrownsr5521]

OMG. You were young.

[@Salsuero]

And if this were the end of a passage, I might take the last two notes for the bari and double the bass... so A B C D B -> D -> G (down from B to D, then down from D to G). Now that's saxy phatness! The only thing I might've written differently is the labeling of the Am7 to actually be Am6. The chord really only has one instance of the 7, but three of the 6. Sure it can be considered natural chord tension or even a 13 for a technical interpretation, but I'd rather just make it the Am6 in this case. If I were providing the chords for a comp, I'd probably also mark the D7 as D13(b9) and the Gmaj7 as Gmaj9 (personally), but I'm ok with them being what they are for simplicity.

[@juanframirez-villegas4806]

1:34 message from Justina :3 ... Great voice :)

[@i.c.25aprilecormano42]

Hi many compliment for your work. I have a question. how harmonize in block position when the lead is low. ex f in first space E and f etc. in Eb key. is too low for normal disposition... thanks a lot

[@AntonAndreevComposer]

How would you harmonize a large melodic leap in jazz? Do all the voices move by leap or just a few like in classical harmony?

[@zacharyholmes2600]

Now that’s jazz