SKU: GI.G-9124
Step-by-Step
Instructions and
Exercises. Composed
by Blake R. Henson and
Gerald Custer. Music
Education. 278 pages. GIA
Publications #9124.
Published by GIA
Publications (GI.G-9124).
ISBN 9781622771745.
English.
Need to
adapt an SATB work for
your small SAB choir?
Have sopranos who
can’t sing
divisi…but know a
great trumpet player who
is happy to help out?
Need to simplify a viola
part for a beginner? In
straightforward,
step-by-step fashion,
authors Blake Henson and
Gerald Custer show how to
take a piece of existing
music and craft a
workable, polished
arrangement that meets
the needs of your
ensemble in the real
world. Arranging: A
Beginner’s Guide
is full of ideas,
examples, and exercises
to try out and adapt,
grounded in the belief
that arranging is not
only a necessary skill,
it is one that is
relatively easy to learn
and master. This book is
written for conductors,
church musicians,
teachers, and students at
all levels. Learn how to:
• reconfigure a
piece to fit your choral
circumstances •
translate your ideas into
practical, performable
music • turn a solo
song into a choral piece
• write a descant
• transform a piano
part into an arrangement
for band or strings
• extend a hymn
into an anthem with
introduction, interludes,
and coda • create
within copyright law With
numerous examples and
helpful tips—plus
humor and
insight—this
engaging and practical
workbook is designed to
make the arranging
process simple and fun.
“We are generally
familiar with an endless
supply of songs and
sounds. However, as
performers and as
listeners, we need ways
of experiencing this
information and
inspiration in fresh and
new ways for insight,
understanding, and
sometimes for the
important and practical
reasons of accessibility.
This is at the core of
Arranging: A
Beginner’s Guide:
Step-by Step Instructions
and Exercises, and the
tools we need to approach
informed creativity are
systematically outlined
in this comprehensive
guide to
arranging.â€
—Tim Sharp,
Executive Director
American Choral Directors
Association Sought after
for his choral, solo
vocal, and orchestral
work, Blake Henson has
received numerous
commissions from choral
and instrumental
ensembles of all kinds.
Dr. Henson is an
experienced and popular
teacher of theory and
composition. A
Grammy-nominated,
award-winning composer
and arranger with more
than 95 works in print
and two CDs, Jerry Custer
teaches music theory and
composition at Wayne
State University in
Detroit. Also by Blake
Henson and Jerry Custer,
available from GIA
Publications, Inc.: From
Words to Music: A
User’s Guide to
Text for Choral Musicians
(G-8728) and The
Composer’s Craft:
A Practical Guide for
Students and Teachers
(G-8533).