Myths about teaching can hold you back
- Year 10
- Edexcel
Arranging for an ensemble
I can arrange a melody, bass line and harmony effectively for a string quartet.
- Year 10
- Edexcel
Arranging for an ensemble
I can arrange a melody, bass line and harmony effectively for a string quartet.
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Lesson details
Key learning points
- When arranging a composition for an ensemble we must consider the strengths of the instruments in the ensemble.
- This includes instrument ranges and possible techniques (such as pizzicato).
- In a string quartet, the first violin normally plays the melody and the cello plays the bass part.
- The second violin and viola play harmony, splitting the remaining chord tones between them.
- To arrange chords, consider voicing, move by small intervals, and make sure all chord tones are played in each chord.
Keywords
String quartet - a common western classical ensemble consisting of two violins, a viola and a cello
Harmony - how different notes and chords work together
Range - the range of pitches that an instrument is capable of playing
Voicing - how the notes in a chord are spread out on an instrument or between instruments
Pizzicato - a string technique in which the performer plucks the string with a finger
Common misconception
As long as the chord tones in the chord are played, it doesn't matter how these notes are split between the 2nd violin and viola.
This does matter. The voicing of the chord makes a big difference to how it sounds. Avoiding large intervals between those instruments, and making sure that the chords aren't very low or high pitched makes them sound effective.
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: Arranging for an ensemble, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 music lesson on: Arranging for an ensemble, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 music lessons from the Fundamentals of composition: extended unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
File needed for this lesson
- String quartet composition template blank 2.71 KB (MXL)
Download this file to use in the lesson.
Equipment
DAW or notation software, keyboard or other suitable instrument as a composition tool.
Licence
Lesson video
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