Brass-section

[binary]

Ok, I'm gonna make this question as simple as possible and hopefully I get a simple answer

When creating parts for brass-section, say for a funk-song or 70's style disco, does all the instruments play in melodic unison or do they have some sort of harmony?

I know it can vary, but in general, to make it as easy as possible?

For instance if you have a melody-line in C-major, do the saxophone, trombone and trumpet play exactly the same notes, or do they have different ...notes (or something)?

Pardon my beginner level of English here I know how to ask the question in Swedish, but I guess that doesn't help much, does it?

 

[Giannis]

The brass section which usually consits of 4-5 parts all together plays different notes. To make it as easy as possible you could compare the entire section with a piano where each instrument is playing a different note of the chord which is being played at the moment. So if the top note, or melody note is C for example and the chord is a Cm7 the trumpet would play the C as it is the highest pithced instrument, the alto sax might play the G, the tenor sax Eb and the trombone playing the Bb, thus creating the Cm7 chord together. When the melody note changes so does the parts of the other instuments. This is called arranging and it acquires some knowledge in jazz theory.

 

[geedubbee]

I recommend getting a hold of some jazz charts, and checking out the horn sections. You might also want to check out arrangement tips for choirs, as well.

It's very rare that a horn section is playing unison runs. If you really want to keep things "open" you can stick to octaves and fifths. However, you can really liven things up with the 3rds, 7ths, and 9ths.

Have fun. Don't be afraid to try something that looks weird on paper. It just may be the note you're looking for.