 |
 Instrumental Parts > Home
A note from arranger Don Chapman:
I've designed HymnCharts for praise bands: drums, guitars and keyboards. However,
they also sound great in a more acoustic setting with additional instruments. Each HymnChart
arrangement comes complete with these additional
parts:
 primary part: flute, oboe, sop. sax
secondary part: trumpet, clarinet, alto sax
secondary bass: trombone, bass clarinet, baritone sax
synth string: for synthesizer, violin and cello
Take a look at these parts on our free arrangement page.
These are NOT "Camp Kirkland" -
type full orchestrations. Although Mr. Kirkland is one of the finest
church orchestrators in Christian music,
his arrangements work best with a full ensemble.
Who has a full ensemble? Well, Super Church
down the street does, but I've always had
an odd assortment, like flute, trumpet and
cello. The last ministry I worked with had
up to 18 instrumentalists at a time and I
still had to tweak the store bought orchestrations
to make them sound right.
I've developed a concept that will work in
many situations. I believe in building a
solid rhythm section (even just keyboard
and acoustic guitar), providing the "meat"
of the song, then adding other orchestral
instrumental parts for color. The HymnCharts instrumental parts will not
carry the arrangement - that's what your
band is for!
I'm calling this instrumental technique modular orchestration. I have a primary part with a main theme, useful if you have a
single instrument (a flute or two, clarinet
or even trumpet.)
I also have a secondary, supporting part that would be suited for
additional instruments (clarinets, trumpet,
trombone, sax, etc.)
 |
|
from one of our customers: [read more]
"Your arrangements are so accessible,
so easy to play and sing. And the added parts
for C instruments, Bb instruments, synth
strings, etc., have made a huge difference.
Using a combination of only three instruments
- guitar, keys and drums - we've managed
to do some truly memorable and wonderful
hymns."
Bob Castelline
Prince of Peace Lutheran
Des Moines, IA
|
|
 |
Keep it simple: I've worked in ministries where the director
tried to get his amateur instrumentalists
to play the studio arrangements with less
than desirable results. I believe in keeping
it simple - HymnCharts aren't performance
pieces (although you're free to use them
in that way if you want!) They're meant to be learned quickly for congregational
accompaniment. You'll get great, professional results using
the HymnCharts instrumental arrangements
with musicians of average skill. I arrange music for regular people, not studio
musicians!
All the parts are on one page, so have fun
mixing and matching! If you have a flute and trumpet, put the
flute on primary and the trumpet on secondary.
If you have a trombone and 2 clarinets, put
one clarinet on primary, one on treble clef
secondary and the trombone on bass clef secondary.
If your players are weak, put them all on
one part to build strength.
The synth strings part can be given to an additional keyboardist
and string players. I love to have strings
participate, but intonation is usually poor
with the typical few players you'll find
in a church setting. A synth string player
fills out the sound and keeps the group in
tune.
All parts are available as Finale files (as well as Acrobat) so you can tweak, transpose
and tailor the musical data to suit your
needs.
Back to Hymn List.
|
|
HymnCharts Videos:
 |
|
Tutorial: He Hideth My Soul
Adam Fisher shows how he plays the guitar on the arrangement "He Hideth My Soul." |
 |
|
Be Thou My Vision (Lord of My Life)
Watch the new HymnCharts pop arrangement of "Be Thou My Vision." |
|
|
