Making arrangements: Involving guitarists in group music-making

The guitar features too rarely in ready-made arrangements for mixed ensembles. While another instrumental part can be used, results may be unconvincing. Guitarists generally have too little opportunity to gain ensemble experience, so frequently lack in skills that such involvement boosts (notably listening to others while playing and good ensemble rhythmic fluency).

As with any instrument, specialist knowledge of its capabilities and quirks will help in arranging for guitar. As with any compositional skill, the best way to learn is to do, try out, evaluate results and feedback from players, learning from errors and successes. Remember the octave transposition (guitar sounding an octave lower than written): because the interval of transposition means the note name doesn't change, this is easily forgotten – even by guitarists themselves!

The guitar is not loud (unless amplified of course). It has a percussive attack with an immediate drop in dynamic and little sustain (the sound has been called the ‘beautiful death’). These characteristics can be manipulated almost limitlessly if processed electronically. It is an expressive melodic instrument, often adding a softening quality to an arrangement. Its harmonic possibilities are vast, but knowledge of its peculiarities is necessary in order to exploit the huge amount and range of voicings and tone colours (especially over wider intervals). Harmonics are effective, not loud or forceful, but can cut through an ensemble, adding effect. While texture is limited there are many possibilities.

If given a chord chart, many guitarists will be able to improvise their own part. Broken or arpeggiated chords often contribute better than cloying strums, suitable only when this denser sound is desired. Results can be smoother if busy passing harmony is left to other parts. Paying attention to the guitar's compass and the ensemble's tessitura will reward the arranger.

Many non-classical players prefer tablature over clef notation so, if the arranger is not conversant with the six-line graphic stave, it may be wise to give the part to the player (or their tutor) in time for them to make a transcription. And being realistic helps. Leonard Bernstein's seven-note chords (for a six-string instrument) might have showed the composer's creative intentions but do not provoke enormous respect from the player!

Try not to patronise: guitarists may be lacking in some musical skills but many possess a heightened sense of harmony and good aural skills, so home in on the advantages. Think about notation: guitar music can have a huge amount of information on one stave (often three, sometimes four parts as well as expressive and dynamic markings, position indications and suggested alphabetical and numerical fingering for two differently-used hands), so attempts towards a clean page will go down well.

Joining in

How can guitar teachers help their pupils to join in when there is no specific guitar part?

Encourage guitar players to learn to read an octave higher, which can be particularly useful for reading jazz Real Books, for example. Violin and flute music is often playable at an octave lower (I use Telemann violin and flute fantasias as wonderfully effective sight-reading pieces). Viola parts are also excellent for guitar – a few of my pupils have taken an interest in the alto clef, very much enjoying the experience. Viola players seem to enjoy the respect too.

Bass clef is well worth learning as the guitar's range with a scordatura to low D brings it within a tone of the cello range. For the more adventurous, a low C tuning – with harder tension strings – can sound fabulous on guitar.

Guitarists often have good key sense as well as some experience of improvisation: encourage this to extemporise parts. The guitar is a great continuo instrument, and continuo need not be limited to Baroque music.

Encourage your pupils who are tablature fans to learn enough clef notation to be able to transcribe; it will benefit them in many ways.

As guitar teachers we should encourage our students to play in ensemble situations: use duets in lessons, and find opportunities to gather a few students together for trios and quartets. These pieces can then be used for larger groups, several players to a part. My regular sight-reading guitar chamber orchestra for mixed abilities gives me the chance to arrange pieces that interest me, as well as to compose original music with a ready-made group to try it out.

I run ‘club’ sessions for intermediate players (anyone between Grades 3 and 7) in which we explore scales and arpeggios. Simple material lends itself to quick technical and harmonic games, and we play pieces together, encouraging the reading of bass lines or top parts only, as well as solo playing, listening to each other.

Work hard against creating barriers. Our pupils can surprise us, exceeding not only their own but also our expectations, the most important of music-making being: to listen.