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#55809 - 02/27/02 08:37 AM MOVIE MAGIC FINAL THOUGHTS
Frank Bez Offline
Member

Registered: 12/11/99
Posts: 260
Loc: Avila Beach, CA, U.S.A.
Dear Friends,

I’m sorry to be so slow with these final thoughts on arranging. It’s income tax time in the U.S.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 11

There is no telling where an arranging idea can come from. There are several interesting characters who visit the Synthzone Arranger Forum. The Grand Daddy of the forum is Uncle Dave, the ultimate song stylist who uses a Yamaha keyboard to backup his superb voice. He is an avocet of the arranger keyboard. Then there is JimJamJammin, a sixteen year old prodigy who was introduced to his keyboard kicking and screaming. He is an avocet of the solo piano. I thought it might be interesting to put these two points of view into a duet.

This resulted in the selection of the Marvin Hamlish song, “Nobody Does It Better” from THE SPY WHO LOVED ME. So the trick was to integrate the classical piano with a two fisted R&B sound. As in several other songs in this collection I built the Intro and Solo parts in the sequencer and then moved them into the Composer which will accept up to sixteen measures in each section. The Sequencer offers the advantages of step recording and track merging. And, the sequenced part can be easily transposed in the move to the Composer making the combining of songs in different keys simple.

I know that many of the pros sequence whole songs and then play along with the sequence. I’ve found this very difficult to do. For someone with my limited skills I find using short sections in the Composer to play along with and still playing the song in real time works for me.

Panel Memory 5 When I introduced the Hammond organ into the left hand part, this song took on a life of it’s own because it brought back memories of Chicago just after WW II when several clubs there had a B3 and a piano back to back. And, lots of wonderful music was played. As a result, I broke my rule of knowing where you want to end up and let the piano/organ finish up the song.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 12

Henry Mancini’s “Slow Hot Wind” has always intrigued me, but I felt I wanted more to the song. A melody kept coming to mind, but I couldn’t remember the song. I finally located it and to no great surprise it was another Mancini song, “Just You And Me Together Love”. Both written in A Minor I feel they fit together perfectly.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 13

In the Richard Rodgers song “My Romance” from JUMBO the Intro and Ending were both built in the Sequencer and then moved to the Composer. All four of the Variations in what I call the Romantic Piano are the same simple piano pattern with different string parts played in each and finally a Bass added in number four. All this was easily done in the Composer. As you know when you are putting together a pattern the tempo can be slowed down and if precision is needed with the rhythm the quantizer can be called on.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 14

After George Gershwin died his brother Ira collaborated with a number of different composer as in this song by Harold Arlen called “The Man That Got Away” from the motion picture A STAR IS BORN. This whole arrangement was just done for fun. while the bass guitar isn’t often used as a solo instrument I thought it was an interesting prelude to the funky sax. Every now and them you hear a sax player who is just on the verge of loosing control. That was the sound I was looking for in this case, all just for the fun of it.

MOVIE MAGIC FILE 15

Burt Bacharach considered “Alfie” from the picture of the same name one of his most successful songs. I’d have a hard time choosing, he has done so many wonderful ones. The simple Intro was put in the Composer playing no more than three notes at a time. Having played the trumpet as a kid I prefer Frank’s Horn to the Trumpet Soloist we have in our keyboards because of it’s excessive vibrato. However the Soloist works very well in a big band arrangement. The Sweet 8 variations were put together in very much the same way that we talked about before.

Well as they say in the movies ......

“THAT’S ALL FOLKS”

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#55810 - 02/27/02 01:32 PM Re: MOVIE MAGIC FINAL THOUGHTS
BEBOP Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 01/02/00
Posts: 3781
Loc: San Jose, California
Frank, Just awesome. Your work is truly supurb. It is really good of you to share this work with all of us.
For any newer members that don't know this, Frank is also one of our founding members of this forum. I found his posts all the way back to the beginning, along with Scotty, Bob Hendershot, Gunnar Jonny, and others I don't know. We are truly indebted to all of you as well as Nigel who owns the "STORE". My gratitude to all.
BEBOP

[This message has been edited by BEBOP (edited 02-27-2002).]
_________________________
BEBOP

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#55811 - 02/27/02 01:34 PM Re: MOVIE MAGIC FINAL THOUGHTS
Mike Harrison Offline
Member

Registered: 01/16/02
Posts: 78
Loc: Oxford U.K.
Hi Frank
Thanks for the final thoughts on your Movi Magic Discussion,as ever pure magic.
I am really taken in when I hear others play, it give me the urge to try and play better myself,I kid myself I am not to bad, but when I hear you and all the others on the forum it brings me down to earth.
Thanks Frank

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