The Doctor is In! - Doing the Impossible

Doing the Impossible

Speaking of his two passions, Francis Ford Coppola once said, “When someone makes a great wine or a great film he has done the impossible.” He should know. He directed one of my all-time favorite film franchises—“The Godfather.”

Think about it. In a single film, there are so many elements that have to be done well and work well together for it to become a great work of art. There is production, direction, casting, acting, the screenplay, film editing, sound editing, lighting, special effects, incidental music, songs, music editing, marketing, and the timing of the film’s release just to name a few. Even when every element is done perfectly, a film can turn out mediocre. How many times have you felt that a great actor was placed in the wrong role, or the story worked better as a novel? Or perhaps there’s a song, wonderful on its own merit, but doesn’t work in the film. 

Because the process is so vast and perhaps quixotic, there is one element that is critical for a film, or any work of art for that matter, to be better than good, reach the sublime, or achieve the impossible. It is that intangible thing that cannot be learned, acquired or controlled. It’s called SERENDIPITY or DIVINE PROVIDENCE! You may recall my description of this quality in a previous blog.

On a smaller scale, the same process is at work in creating a great song. Everyone has had the experience of wondering why a great song didn’t become a hit. A wonderful example of serendipity at work is the success of the song “I Will Always Love You.” Written and recorded several times by Dolly Parton, this song reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart twice—once in 1974 and again in 1982. Both recordings had modest success on the pop charts. Then Whitney Houston recorded it in 1992 for the soundtrack to the movie, “The Bodyguard,” starring Houston and Kevin Costner. It became one of the best-selling singles of all time, selling over 12 million copies worldwide! Dolly Parton’s earlier successes had already demonstrated the song’s viability. What made the difference in Whitney Houston’s version? Consider too that Whitney’s rendition begins a cappella, which is unconventional for pop radio and was discouraged by her record label. I submit that it was the serendipitous coming together of several elements—a great song, Whitney’s phenomenal vocal performance, a great musical arrangement, tasteful production, the association with a hit film, and the perfect timing of the film’s release as well as the single—that conspired to do the impossible.

I understand this phenomenon from another perspective when I look at the longevity of TAKE 6. It’s clear to me that when TAKE 6’s current line-up came together in 1991 that God had done the impossible. Alvin, our bass singer, once said that it was the “coming together of the tribal chiefs.” Most, if not all, of us led vocal groups of our own before joining TAKE 6. Our singing inspires my vocal arranging and then often exceeds the expectations that I have for my arrangements. Handpicked by God, the whole is significantly more than the sum of its parts. Because with God, all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).

Cedric Dent is a baritone vocalist in Take 6 and an accomplished producer and music arranger. Dr. Dent is a professor of Music at Middle Tennessee State University. He studied at the University of Michigan (B.M., Vocal Music Education), University of Alabama (M.M., Music Theory/Arranging), and the University of Maryland (Ph.D., Music Theory).

The Doctor Is In! - I'll Never Turn Back No More

I’ll Never Turn Back No More

The first decisions that should be made when beginning a vocal arrangement should deal with the big picture. This includes deciding the key of the arrangement based on the range of the voice parts. Whether the arrangement will feature a lead with background voice parts (e.g., “A Few More Miles”), or be primarily homophonic—all voice parts singing lyrics together without a lead singer (e.g., “Family of Love”)—is another big picture decision. Only after consideration of such broad characteristics should the arranger focus on more detailed elements like harmonization and phrasing.

Similarly, when transcribing or analyzing an arrangement for didactic purposes, one should begin with broad characteristics, the first of which is the form of the song and its musical arrangement. Bear in mind that the form of a song and the form of an arrangement of that same song may be different, particularly if it’s an arrangement of a commonly performed song (e.g., Christmas Carols or Beatles’ tunes).
The original melody of the spiritual “I’ll Never Turn Back No More” is comprised of three 8-bar phrases. The second phrase is a repeat of the first; the third phrase introduces a contrasting melody. Accordingly, the form of the melody can be represented by the letter scheme AA’B. Each letter represents an 8-bar phrase. The first two letters are the same indicating that the melody of the first phrase repeats in the second phrase. The melody as performed by TAKE 6 is presented below. Notice that the second phrase (bars 9–16) is not an exact repetition of the first. However, it is recognizable as a varied form of the first phrase. For this reason the second phrase has been marked as A’. The added tally mark indicates that the repetition is not exact.

On closer inspection, notice that the second part of all 3 phrases is essentially the same (i.e., bars 5–8, 13–16, and 21–24). Accordingly, a diagram of the form of “I’ll Never Turn Back No More” as performed by TAKE 6 is presented below. In the diagram there is an uppercase letter for each 8-bar phrase in the song. Subphrases are represented by lowercase letters. Notice that the second subphrase within each phrase is the same (b).

Returning to the melody in the diagram above, notice that the apex of the melody, and consequently the climax of this beautiful spiritual, occurs when the high “D” is reached in bar 17. This sense of climax is heightened by a lengthening of the bar just before the climax. The lengthening of bar 16 effectively delays the arrival of the climax, a delay that creates a sense of anticipation thereby intensifying the effect of the climax. Additionally, the contrasting melody of the third phrase, which contains the climax, adds to the heightened tension at this point in the spiritual.
Two arranging techniques were employed to compliment the structure of the melody. First, listen to TAKE 6’s performance of this piece (from our “Feels Good” CD), focusing on the use of syllables that are employed throughout. Phrases 1 and 2 are sung using an “ooh” vowel sound. The beginning of phrase 3, where the climax occurs, uses an “ah” vowel sound. “Ah” is a naturally louder vowel sound than “ooh.” In fact, it is the loudest vowel sound used in the performance and is reserved for the climax. Notice, too, that the voice parts of bar 16, where the meter briefly changes to quadruple time, utilizes an “oh” vowel sound. This sound is louder than the preceding “ooh” but softer than the “ah.” It is, in effect, a transitional sound that compliments the build up to the climax in bar 17.
The second arranging technique that compliments the structure of the melody has to do with the relative thickness of the vocal texture (i.e., the number of notes per chord). Phrase 1 employs a 4-part texture. The example below shows the texture of bar 1 from the opening phrase.

To enhance the build up to the climax in bar 17, note how the vocal texture expands at the end of phrase 2 from a 4-part texture in bar 15 to a 5-part texture at the beginning of bar 16. The texture further expands to a 6-part texture within bar 16 in preparation for the climax in bar 17. Finally, the dynamic markings show a build up to the climax, swelling to a forte marking in bar 17. 
This combination of techniques to effect the climax of the performance is shown in the following example where the guitar part is on the uppermost staff and the voice parts on the lower two staves.

There’s a lot more that could be addressed in this arrangement such as reharmonization techniques, including the effective use of a deceptive progression in bars 14–15, the variety created by the arpeggiated bass line in phrase 2, and how the last subphrase (bars 21–24) returns to the 4-part texture of the opening, effectively creating an arch-like structure in the form of the musical arrangement.

Transcribing music from recordings is the best way to internalize effective music arranging techniques. The analytical observations discussed in this blog, beginning with the form of a song and its musical arrangement, are part of the transcription process, a process that I regularly use to sharpen my arranging skills.

Cedric Dent is a baritone vocalist in Take 6 and an accomplished producer and music arranger. Dr. Dent is a professor of Music at Middle Tennessee State University. He studied at the University of Michigan (B.M., Vocal Music Education), University of Alabama (M.M., Music Theory/Arranging), and the University of Maryland (Ph.D., Music Theory).

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