Weirdest thing that you've ever arranged for sax quartet

[J.Max]

I thought that it might be fun to see what some people have arranged for sax quartet. (Someone in the classical forum said that they had arranged "Kyle's Mom is a Bitch" from South Park). I did an arrangement of "Bohemian Rhapsody" in high school that even had the guitar solos...not sure what happened to it...Anyone else do anything odd?

[Harri Rautiainen]

"Hindustan", is it trad.?

I found a piano sheet music in the WWW and made a SATB instrumentation out of it. The guys loved it.

[Randall]

Fleetwood Mac's "Tusk", when I was in high school.

Don't go there....

:confused:

[Brian The Hornman]

I haven't tried anything that crazy (yet), but one of my friends last year did a Super Mario medley for SATB quartet.

[J.Max]

I haven't tried anything that crazy (yet), but one of my friends last year did a Super Mario medley for SATB quartet.


Heh. I did that one too...I think there's even a commercial arrangement out there.

[saxymanzach]

The Theme from the Mortal Combat game... and I hate video games.

[Brendan Muse]

I haven't tried anything that crazy (yet), but one of my friends last year did a Super Mario medley for SATB quartet.
I threw that together last week. It was... interesting.

At the moment, I'm playing around with Send in the Clowns. I don't know why, but I am.

[pianoman]

I have done several arrangements for the sax quartet i play in. Pieces include, from when I just began arranging, Gauglione (the guinness advert), The Gladiators March (circus music!!!!!) to The Simpsons Theme Tune. Many of these could probably be altered to improve them now but they were good fun to do at the time!!!!

[Razzy]

Sadly, nothing weirder than Bach's Air #3. That sure was a challenge, though. Mostly transcription as opposed to actual arranging.

[Steve P]

I arranged the orchestral opening to the Ibert Concertino da Camera, and right where the Saxophone enters, it went into the Simpsons theme song. It worked really well, and we used it as an encore. I have a great recording too. Good times.

Steve P

[Harri Rautiainen]

If you sax quartet arrangers would like to share your creative work, weird or not so weird (for free) with other SOTW'ers, I could possibly create a space for it. Let me know your interest in this.

[pianoman]

That sounds like a good idea as i have recently been requested one of my arrangements. A space for members to share their work could be useful for any members wishing to "show off" their creative abilities.
Thanks

[Harri Rautiainen]

There are (at least) two ways to implement this:

1, A “open for all” FTP upload and download area. The problem is that first I have to figure out how to do it. Especially how not to risk the SOTW site security.

2. As long as the volume is fairly reasonable I am leaning toward a web page where I am the chief-editor.
I will receive your arrangements via e-mail (mailto:admin@saxontheweb.net?subject=saxquartet). You will categorize your arrangement based on what sibeliusmusic.com is using:

Category:
• Classical
• Jazz
• Pop/Rock
• Educational
• Worship
• Other

Also the difficulty. (I do not necessarily understand the grades, but) sibeliusmusic.com is using:
• Easy (Grades 1-3)
• Moderate (Grades 4-6)
• Difficult/professional (Grades 7-8+)

You will suggest the Category and Difficulty, and I will use my final judgment based on my experience of more than 40 years of saxophone playing and ten years of quartet playing.

Also, please mention the original composer.

The format of the arrangement is based on whatever tools you have available. It would be nice to have both a notation SW output AND a printable format (.pdf, .jpg, .gif). Both SATB and AATB are fine. If you provide a notation SW format or a MIDI-file, the users will be able to do their own transpositions. Otherwise you may want to consider alternative configurations (SATB and AATB). However, because this will be a free service, the takers have to be happy with what ever will provide. It is really up to you, the arranger.

Let's see if we can make something useful out of this. My sax quartet, Sax4fun is always looking for arrangements to supplement the repertoire.

[G-dawg]

Harri,

I think that would be a wonderful idea! A link to a webpage with downloads sounds easier as well.

:cheers:

[thejoyofsax]

I did Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" a year or two ago. Took me awhile to do, and it has never been performed (few other collegiate saxophonists seem to dig Billy Joel as I do ... )

[SaxxMan]

I did Billy Joel's "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant" a year or two ago. Took me awhile to do, and it has never been performed (few other collegiate saxophonists seem to dig Billy Joel as I do ... )

I'm totally with you JOYOFSAX....I love the sax work on all of Billy Joel's work.

The sax on "New York State of Mind" is probably one of my all-time-favorite rock sax solos! You can feel the intensity and emotion...

Remember "you may be right" from "glass houses"??... that solo was very inspiring to me when I was a kid!

And let us not forget "It's still rock and roll to me"....and "I love you just the way you are"...(which was more difficult to play than I thought it would be...)

You GOTTA get your work on Italian Restaurant out there and in people's ears...

:D

[Matt Kaesler]

I haven't tried anything that crazy (yet), but one of my friends last year did a Super Mario medley for SATB quartet.

On 'The Making of Two Shoes' DVD that came limited edition with the Cat Empire's Two Shoes album for a while there is this short clip of the keyboard player Olly playing the super mario theme song on a little toy keyboard that came from a little sister of another of the band members. He was driving everyone mental with it, it's funny though because it's actually quite hard to play on a tiny keyboard like that.

As for me, I wrote a polytonal blues in 5/4 for piano...

Sorry, that was quite irrelevant.

[km]

I saw this in the latest threads earlier in the week & was intrigued at the idea of a web page with arrangements posted - did it happen?

I can't see a link anywhere

km

[1stchair]

Well,
I arranged Magnificat by J.S. Bach for a saxophone Orchestra. 4 sopranos,4 altos,3 tenors, and 2 baris.

Very cool, Even have a mp3 of it.
http://media.putfile.com/Magnificat-Saxophone-Orchestra-By-JS-Bach-ArrBrian-Honeycutt

If anyone wishes to have the sheet music to this email me.

[stefank]

Teddy Bears' Picnic - although I must admit it's a rehash of my recorder arrangement, which can be found at http://members.iinet.net.au/~karpiniec/freemusi.htm (http://http://members.iinet.net.au/~karpiniec/freemusi.htm)

Stefan

[Harri Rautiainen]

I promised earlier opening up an area for the SOTW member arrangements.

Do not ask too much why I arranged this piece by Richard Eilenberg.
in my childhood the music broadcasting by the Finnish Broadcasting Company did not include 24 hour popular music. This piece, sort of light-headed Vienna style was played every Saturday evening. When found it in the net I was compelled to arrange it for a SATB (Soprano, Alto, Tenor and baritone Saxophone).

There is a PDF file and a Sibelius file.

[rjm23]

Harri

Did you ever open a site of sax quartet arrangements? If so, where could I find it?

Ron M

[Harri Rautiainen]

Harri

Did you ever open a site of sax quartet arrangements? If so, where could I find it?

Ron MRon,
I am sorry that fell through the cracks.

I may want to poll for the need again sometime soon.

We are due for a major upgrade of this forum SW platform soon, and after that it would be a good time for implementing new features.

[Pete Thomas]

I haven't done many quartet arrangements, but the oddest is Liberty Bell (Now often known as the Monty Python tune) which I did for a quartet who wanted something whacky for an encore. It started fairly normally and ended up with some very jazzy harmony. If anyone wants a copy I'll see if I can find it.

[Henshaw]

Me and a few sax buddies of mine put together a pop covers saxophone quartet together a few months ago. We all did a few arrangements of various covers songs ranging from Stevie Wonder to Billy Joel. The most unusual arrangement I've done for this group so far has been Michael Jackon's "Billie Jean".

[stefank]

Ron,
I am sorry that fell through the cracks.

I may want to poll for the need again sometime soon.

We are due for a major upgrade of this forum SW platform soon, and after that it would be a good time for implementing new features.

This seems an excellent idea. In the past I've contributed to the Choral Public Domain Library (which now is run as a Wiki), and it would be nice to have something similar (on a smaller scale) for saxophone music.

One does have to be careful to give due regard to the copyright laws - arrangements would need to be of public domain works, or alternatively (along with original pieces) submitted by the copyright owners.

[Pete Thomas]

One does have to be careful to give due regard to the copyright laws - arrangements would need to be of public domain works, or alternatively (along with original pieces) submitted by the copyright owners.

OR

With permission of the copyright holder/owner.

Unfortunately there is no easy way to get a licence to distribute arrangements in the same way you can with audio tracks. I recently brought this up with MCPS in the UK and they told me that it is necessary to go direct to the publisher/author for permission to sell arrangements.

My problem is how difficult this is on a small scale basis. when I tried to contact Sony to get permission to distribute an arrangement of a Sydney Bechet tune, I couldn't get through to anyone who would answer my my question about how to get permission. So much for trying to do things properly and legally.

[stefank]

Yes - and it's complicated by copyright laws not being quite the same in all countries, despite various conventions.

Life gets more difficult when a third party (eg Harri) hosts these scores - he is in a difficult position when it comes to knowing who may or may not have permission to make an arrangement, and he is liable to be subject to legal action if there is a copyright breach. I suspect this may be why Rafael Ornes (the founder of the Choral Public Domain Library) basically restricted the works to the two categories I mentioned previously.

[falcon1131]

Well this year for one of my High School's concerts I arranged Soul Man for Alto,Tenor, and Barri. (4 First Altos, 4 seconds, 2 Tenors, 1 Barri, and a Tenor who played the Barri's bass line and the Tenors melody)

[Al Stevens]

Unfortunately there is no easy way to get a licence to distribute arrangements in the same way you can with audio tracks.A close reading of US Copyright law reveals that it isn't a license for distributing arrangements that's difficult to get. It's a license to write them in the first place, distribution notwithstanding. An arrangement is in the category of a "derivative work," and you need permission from the copyright holder of the original work before you can "make" a derivative work.

Distribution doesn't enter into it. If you can't make it, you can't distribute it. If you are given permission to make it, the terms under which you can distribute it are usually a part of that agreement.

An exception is when you have purchased a license to record a copyrighted work (a "mechanical" license). The license includes an implied right to make an arrangement of the work to be used on the recording. Such an arrangement is not deemed a derivative work, and you have no other rights with respect to the arrangement.

[Al Stevens]

I've written several SATB arrangements, but none of them are particularly wierd. Unless you consider Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" to be wierd.

I wrote some Christmas song arrangements using jazz harmonies and voicings. And I've scored for SATB my own composition titled, "A Big Easy Christmas."

If a section was set up for user-written arrangements, I would contribute mine. It would be nice to also provide for recordings of the arrangements. I'd like to hear mine played by a really good quartet. Ours is kind of mediocre.

We'd have to collaborate on a format for uploads. PDF and/or MusicXML would be good formats. The former allows you to print the charts. The latter allows you to import the arrangement into your favorite MusicXML-aware notation program (Finale, Sibelius, etc.) to make changes.