84BDsop Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 If this is your first or second book, I wouldn't charge a lot. Get the experience and a few hundred bucks and then work your way up. Kinda what I was thinking... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jomusichn Posted June 26, 2007 Share Posted June 26, 2007 Sam. For your first book, I would recommend that you use a canned show and tailor it to your group. Its not just the keys of the instruments but the timbre as well. Learn which voicing work. Writing a show is not as easy as it sounds. JW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted June 26, 2007 Author Share Posted June 26, 2007 Sam.For your first book, I would recommend that you use a canned show and tailor it to your group. Its not just the keys of the instruments but the timbre as well. Learn which voicing work. Writing a show is not as easy as it sounds. JW Oh I understand that....using a stock arrangement was a suggestion by the director as well. The problem is...we have NO idea of the line's makeup...and won;t until after band camp. Besides....my arranging style is more of a transcription of the original anyway....with some reordering of parts for effect (on "Wouldn;t it be Nice," for example, I was going to start backfield with the slow refrain near the end, then turn front and start at the beginning of teh chart), so working from a canned version is not an issue. I really don't believe in over-arranging when the source is perfectly acceptable. (I really need to get a new version of Finale....i don;t think the kids would have a lot of fun reading my handwritten stuff) one thing I did REAL well in Nightfire, however, was adapt to changes...which happened every rehearsal.....I'm still amazed we fielded at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiniSopGuy Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Just a suggestion...... With all the hoops we have to jump through now, it would be easier to use stock charts. There are plenty to choose from, at amny different ability levels, for a beach theme show. That eliminates a bunch of headaches. However if you do decided to custom arrange it, since it is your first time for a HS band, go for just little money that you would consider equal to a handshake and thanks for your help. If it works out, then the following year you can start getting a more substantial amount. I have done it like this in the past, and the gratitude from the group meant a lot to me. It also got me back in there every year for a long time until the director changes. As for drill/form designing.........How competitive do they want to be? If they are going for easy and first year type of marching experience, maybe try it. If not, or they really want to jump in head first and go for it, pass this job off to someone experienced. The worst thing that could happen would be to give them something that is not going to be at all successful, the kids have no fun, and the following year could suffer. In the hands of someone experienced, they should be able to satisfy the first year type of design but still make it a very entertaining show. If you havent done it before, you can get messed up real quick, but if they understand it is your first forray into designing and want to accept that, go for it. Back when I was starting out, I did it real cheap to get my foot in the door, impressed the heck outta them, and am now in my 16th year with one school and doing others too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomnoise Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Don't try to do both music and drill. Just say no. Unless you can build in a HUGE time cushion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skluyuk Posted June 27, 2007 Share Posted June 27, 2007 Sam, Key has some real nice shows for various levels of performance (http://www.keypoulan.com/). Camarillo HS played his 'Labyrinth' show last year and just wrote the drill. For the amount of time left between now and the beginning of band camps, that might be the most realistic option without getting swampped. The band director is most likely going to be running the lines while you are teaching the drill, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darkman Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 You'll find everything at Hal Leonard Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 Ohhh, boy. Lots of good suggestions. I'll try not to repeat them. Here's my additions... First, get copyright clearance!!!!! This is not a small matter and if you don't do it, the school and you CAN be held liable for infringement. I'd get on this right away. Of course, if you use a published package, you may only need performance clearance. Next, arranging for a school band isn't a slam dunk. I've done alot of corps arrangements and I could never see myself just transposing a part and expecting it to work. You must consider the practical ranges of the instruments, the capabilities of the players, the tonal characteristics of each instrumental voice (as noted by others) and a host of other things. If you can't get a published package that meets your needs, at least ask the band director what level of music arrangements he purchases. Then ask him/her to give you the conductor's copy of something in that level. This will at least give you a feel for what the kids can handle. There WILL be re-writes. Knowing this up front is important because to deny the need is a recipe for failure. Finally, at least for this project, I'd pass on doing both the drill and music. Pick one. As for how much to charge? That's really subjective. All sorts of formulae can be used. For this project, it would not be unreasonable to ask for a few hundred guaranteed and then an additional bonus based upon satisfaction with the product. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idontwan2know Posted June 28, 2007 Share Posted June 28, 2007 At the very least, I'd get my hands on a few canned arrangements to familiarize yourself with common voicings and the generally acceptable ranges for the instruments...simply arranging for a G line and then transposing/copying parts into other instruments is not going to yield a good result at all. I think canned arrangements with as much editing as you feel necessary is probably a better route to go at this point, rather than starting from scratch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-horns Posted July 10, 2007 Share Posted July 10, 2007 So, Sam, what did you end up doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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