
Composition & Arrangement Masterclass with Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas
Composition & Arrangement Masterclass with Alasdair Fraser & Natalie Haas
Musical Fluency
…transcend the technical, and tap into the essence of music itself
…transcend the technical, and tap into the essence of music itself
Join us for an immersive experience, where you’ll have the opportunity to learn from, and collaborate with two exceptionally accomplished composers/arrangers who will guide you through a spontaneously curated journey of discovery, in a setting more akin to a creative retreat than a traditional classroom. You’ll be encouraged to explore, experiment, and expand the boundaries of your fluency and expression within Music.
Imagine being able to express yourself freely, without the constraints of preconceived notions or technical limitations…
To be able to transcend the spoken word and convey the depths of your emotions, the nuances of your thoughts, and the complexity of your experiences through music that comes from within you, that you create.
Beyond mastering chord progressions, scales, or a set of techniques – we must choose to cultivate a deep understanding of the language of music. When we nurture the instinct and foundation that allows us to respond in the moment, to improvise, and to create something new and original, we unlock new levels of creativity that tap into the full range of our musical potential.
First, an idea...
the Composition
As our session commences, we will step into a space we hold, where the story in sound can begin to unfold.
Through a variety of techniques, tailored to the instruments and musicians gathered, we will create a new piece together. Starting from a drone or a groove, we will explore the foundations of tune melody writing. We start with making up a question phrase, then an answer, and let it play out from there.
Once we have an outline of a basic melody, we start to think about chordal analysis and possibilities, and then the arranging begins!
Depending on the length of the class, we demonstrate different ways of starting to compose a melody: drones, rhythm machine, etc., and talk about where inspiration comes from.
Freedom to experiment, to innovate, and to remove the box- fluency offers the opportunity to tap into the raw emotional power of music, and to channel it into something that’s uniquely yours. This is where the composition, the story in sound, is born.
Why settle for simply playing the notes on the page, when you can learn to speak the language of music and compose your own story? Join us on a journey to develop your musical fluency, and discover the music within you.
MASTERCLASS REGISTRATION
Touch an option below for session package details
MASTERCLASS REGISTRATION
Touch below for session package details
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Please select either Composition or Arrangement for your single session...
- Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
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Please select either Composition or Arrangement for your single session...
- Select options This product has multiple variants. The options may be chosen on the product page
Developing the skills to communicate with precision, clarity, and emotion, using the full range of musical elements within our existence, fluency offers us the freedom to experiment, to innovate, and to remove the box
Tap into the raw emotional power of music, and channel it into something that’s uniquely yours!
Developing the skills to communicate with precision, clarity, and emotion, using the full range of musical elements within our existence, fluency offers us the freedom to experiment, to innovate, and to remove the box
Tap into the raw emotional power of music, and channel it into something that’s uniquely yours!
Alasdair spontaneously leads a group of musicians, as they create an original tune together
Our Composition & Arrangement Masterclass is designed to provide you with a comfortable, pressure free environment that encourages the expansion of the structural and foundational understanding of music as a language. We help connect the dots, which may find themselves strategically nestled on a page, or may prefer to simply remain within the ether.
From melody and harmony, to form and structure, we’ll explore the elements that move in and through the frequencies, along with just exactly how to generate the structure that together, ultimately become the story in sound.
...and now, for the rest of it
the Arrangement
Using the subtle art of implication, in a setting where no one’s role is strictly defined – instruments can duck & dive around each other, trading melody back and forth while incorporating all sorts of arrangement techniques: parallel harmony, counterpoint, obligato, rhythmic hits, chordal substitution and variation, creating textures through different means of sound production, writing riffs & expanding through development.
In our Arrangement Sessions, we explore the use of voicings and registers to fill out the musical space. Instruments that typically play only one, or maybe two notes at a time, develop their characters in the melody, while polyphonic instruments open the spaces that create everything from the foundation and setting, to the lingering refrains and secrets held within the tale.
We begin with a melody (sometimes a bass line), a sequence that tells a story in sound, and from there, the rest is woven together, layer after layer.
Students will engage in the process of growing an arc of a concert presentation of a tune, using chords, rhythms, textures, riffs, etc.
Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of musical mastery, where your instrument becomes an extension of your being, and your emotions and thoughts effortlessly translate into captivating melodies, inviting you to explore the depths of your artistic expression