Course Description

This course includes three hours of instruction and a study guide with classwork and examples.

Ever sit down to face the daunting task of creating a piano arrangement? In the past, traditional teaching has instructed pianists to cobble together a few ideas, tack on an introduction, and hope for the best!

Arranging should be more than that. A piano arrangement is an opportunity to communicate big ideas and impact people at a very deep level. In this instructional course, Greg Howlett shares the importance of the big decisions needed to be made before he ever starts playing in this 3-hour course.

This unique approach can’t be found anywhere else. In it, you will go over seven concrete steps to achieving a memorable and high-impact piano arrangement.

Here are things you will learn:

  • How to choose a song to arrange.
  • How to choose a shape and storyline for the arrangement.
  • How to develop the form and length.
  • How to develop hooks (unique ideas that tie the arrangement together).
  • How to document your arrangement through the process.
  • How to develop each section of the arrangement.
  • How to infuse inspiration through dozens of technical treatments and creative ideas.
  • How to polish your arrangement for performance.

This course does not teach reharmonization (fancy chords, substitutions, etc). If you are interested in that subject, you should consider purchasing Reharmonization. Also, you might consider purchasing the course on Modulations.

Suggested Prerequisites

We suggest that you know the following to be able to understand this course:

  1. How to read music (general basics such as naming notes, counting, key signatures, etc.).
  2. Basic theory. You need to know how to play a major scale. Ideally, you can build simple chords such as major and minor triads. If you need help in this area, consider purchasing Theory for Church Pianists.
  3. How to identify chords and chart a song. You should be able to work through a typical song in the hymnal and write in the chords you see. If you need help in this area, consider purchasing the course How to Chart a Song.

You must log in to submit a review.