2 | Getting Started

If you booked a ‘big band’, who would you expect to turn up and play? Unlike the vague term ‘orchestra’, writing for a big band is a little more specific with regards to the instruments and number of players at your disposal.

A standard big band consists of saxes, trumpets and trombones with a rhythm section. The size could be anywhere from about 12 to 30 players.

I’m loose with these numbers because any smaller than 12 and you’re looking at words like ‘octet’, ‘dectet’ or more commonly ‘jazz combo’ or ‘jazz band’. Any bigger than 30 and you might as well say ‘big band with strings’ or ‘orchestra with big band’. Technicalities aside, if I asked someone to fix a big band and couldn’t give them any further instructions on player numbers or instruments, they’d probably book the following:

5 Saxophones (2 altos, 2 tenors, 1 baritone)
4 Trumpets (always in Bb)
4 Trombones (number 4 playing bass trombone - not doubling)
Guitar
Piano (or Electric Piano/Keyboard)
Bass (Electric, Double or both)
Drums

This is sometimes referred to as an 8&5 layout, referring to 8 brass and 5 saxes. Other variations could be 7&5, without the bass trombone or 5&5, with 3 trumpets and 2 bones.

Collectively we call the saxes, trumpets and trombones ‘horns’, and the guitar, piano, bass and drums the ‘rhythm section’.

Some variations are common, like removing the guitarist (no jokes here…), adding a percussionist, and adding a 5th trumpet, either as a bumper or an independent part.

Other variations in instrumentation like using French horns or tubas are common in earlier big band writing as well as in theatre pits. Adding strings is somewhat common too, as are voices.

SEATING

When I was still in school, I remember playing tenor sax in a big band. We were all put in orchestral seating positions, where I would have been the equivalent to a back desk 1st violin. The trombones were make-shift cellos and the trumpets were in the position of the orchestral winds. Weirdest of all, the piano was where the conductor should have been.

This was not good.

Not only did it look very strange, it was incredibly hard to balance and tune. For the (in that context, elderly) audience, the relatively weakest instruments, the saxes, were faced inwards, while giving the trumpets open season to blast directly into 75 hearing aids simultaneously.

A strong, blended sound comes from the following layout, with trumpets standing (often on risers) and trombones and saxes sitting:

This helps the saxes project, fits the trombones within the texture as they’ll rarely have to sing out while the other sections are still playing, all while keeping the rhythm section together. Notice that the 1st players of each section are all in a line and can all hear each other clearly and players most likely to take a solo (solo or jazz chairs - we’ll come to this in a bit) are seated nearest the rhythm section.

The seating is usually tiered so the trombones are a little higher than saxes and the standing trumpets project over the band. It’s also not uncommon for the bass and drums to be swapped around here, with the bass closer to horns, usually depending on the space available. The amps for the guitar and bass are always behind them so they can control and adjust their sound.

Some variations on this are common, especially with the seating of players within a section. Saxes, for example, sometimes like being swapped around so the bari sax is closest to the rhythm section, although this takes the bari away from the bass trombone, so it would depend on context. Other changes to this are usually based on space, but most bands would usually like to perform live in this setup every time.

In the studio, I’ve seen a lot of layouts, including the one above, but the one I seem to find most frequently is with an isolated rhythm section, (piano, bass, drums etc. in individual booths), and horns in the live room arranged as follows:

Big Band - Possible Studio Seating Arrangement

Notice the order of seating in the horn sections is the same. They’re used to playing in this line and can hear and blend their sections in the same way. The rhythm members are ideally placed in live rooms of their own or at least isolated in some other way - acoustic screens, just by distance, recorded as overdubs etc. Balance and tuning are somewhat easier to fix in the studio when everyone has headphones, click and a backing track.

The other benefit of this setup is that it can also be scaled down for smaller horn sections, even down to just 3 horn players and would still work, keeping them with the trumpet in the middle with the sax and trombone on either side:

HIERACHY

Calling this section ‘Hierarchy’ sounds a little dramatic but in a big band there are specialised roles for each player. A big band is a tight-knit group and it relies on each player being equally strong and comfortable within their roles.

Before looking at individual instruments, there are a few general roles throughout the horn section:

Lead roles
- The 1st Trumpet, 1st Trombone and 1st Alto are Lead players. 1st Trumpet is the leader of the entire horn section while the Lead Alto and Lead Trombone are responsible for their sections matching the Lead Trumpet in terms of balance, phrasing and intonation.

Solo (jazz) chairs
- These are the players expected to play improvised solos around given changes (chord progressions).
Section players
- No less important, they constitute the majority of the horn players and support the band’s overall sound.

Again, as a general disclaimer like with pretty much everything I’ll say in all these articles, these roles can be relaxed with really good pro players. Professionals are really versatile and nobody would be a noticeably weak link in terms of technical facility or soloing capability, although it’s nice to maintain some kind of structure in the band.

SAXES

Alto Sax 1

Alto 1 is the leader of the section. It’s the other saxes job to make sure they support Alto 1 and their decisions with phrasing. Other saxes will balance to Alto 1 in volume and look to match their tuning. Alto 1 will make sure the section is supporting the Lead Trumpet and balancing to their level. Alto 1 is a solo chair.

Alto Sax 2

Alto 2 is a section member and supports Alto 1. They’ll have the same range and technical facility as Alto 1, albeit maybe not be as comfortable with solos. It would be strange to make your Alto 2 play solos instead of Alto 1 if there’s to be only one Alto solo.

Alto 2 is sometimes referred to as Alto 3 in older charts, where the saxes are often labelled Alto 1, Tenor 2, Alto 3, Tenor 4, Bari 5.

Tenor Sax 1

Tenor 1 is another section member and supports the section as a whole. Due to the nature of arrangements, they’ll often be within the sax texture or playing together with trombones or trumpets without the altos, so Tenor 1 should also be a confident player with regards to style and phrasing, but one that can also melt into the background to support Alto 1 when needed.

Tenor 1 is also a solo chair and is called upon to take solos slightly more often than Alto 1 so is therefore seated next to the rhythm section.

Tenor Sax 2

Tenor 2 is another section member and finds themselves in a similar role to Alto 2. They support the section at all times and will very rarely find themselves playing on their own. When the bari sax isn’t playing, or is playing independently to the saxes, it is often down to Tenor 2 to have dependable tuning and timing for the bottom of each chord.

Baritone Sax

The Baritone (Bari) Sax is often used to play an octave below Alto 1 in sax section solis, so the ability to blend, phrase and tune with the section is vital. The Bari sax player is also called on to play basslines either as part of the whole texture, doubling Trombone 4, or solo. A good confident sound in the low register with clear, crisp articulation is definitely required as the bari is also often exposed.

A strong sense of groove and timing can’t be overstated as in a bari-heavy tune, lacking these elements can topple the sound of the whole band.

TRUMPETS

Lead Trumpet

The 1st Trumpet is known as the Lead Trumpet. Like Alto 1, they’re responsible for the phrasing, tuning and timing of the line. A big part of being a great Lead player is consistency. They set up the phrasing and tone for the horn section and in general the whole band so need to establish solid principles.

Lead Trumpet is also the trumpet player with an extended top range and is responsible for those high trumpet notes (screamers) you hear in modern big band writing. These can be seen as flashy and poor taste if done inappropriately - playing the trumpet isn’t all about who can play loudest and highest - but its the Lead who will have the chops to do it if required. On that note, make sure not to wear the Lead out with too many written extended high passages.

2nd Trumpet

2nd Trumpet plays the ‘jazz book’. This is just another way of saying that the player is a solo chair and are therefore seated closest to the rhythm section. They support the Lead Trumpet and good 2nd Trumpets will be checking with the Lead exactly how to phrase; where the section should end notes, what kind of articulation is appropriate and how much to swing by.

In some ways this is at least equally important with the Lead. 2nd Trumpet often has non-triadic harmonies and needs to have a good ear and all-round sensitive musicianship to balance and support the section.

In some cases, like in the US Navy Bands, the 2nd trumpet may play ‘split-lead’ with the 1st. This is to take some of the strain of the 1st player and will stand to their left, rather than closest to the rhythm section. In this case, if they see any jazz in their part (chord progressions for improvised soloing) they would pass this to the 4th trumpet, who would be the solo chair instead and closest to the rhythm section.

3rd Trumpet

An all-round section player, the 3rd Trumpet is responsible for supporting the section and sometimes playing bumper to the Lead if they’re confident enough. Playing bumper or split-lead means doubling the part occassionally, or taking over some lines to give the Lead player a break. (This happens in orchestral music too, where the 1st French Horn player will sometimes have an extra 5th player as a bumper to take the strain off of tiring passages, especially before solos.) It’s the easiest position to blend in and become part of the texture.

4th Trumpet

4th Trumpet is an important role because like Bari and Alto 1, will often be playing octaves with the Lead. Good support and intonation is required with a good low register sound. 4th Trumpet will also have to blend and listen to the trombones.

4th Trumpet is sometimes called on to play solos in some charts, and wil lalways be the one playing solos in the US Navy Bands mentioned above, in which case the player should be a strong improviser. In these bands, they’re usually closest to the rhythm section, rather than 2nd.

TROMBONES

Lead Trombone

The role of Lead Trombone is similar to that of Alto 1: they ensure their section works together, decide phrasing and support the Lead Trumpet. Lead Trombone is played on a small-bore tenor trombone, resulting in a clearer high-register. Because of this, the Lead Trombone will not have a trigger. We’ll talk about why that matters for our arrangements later on. Lead Trombone is also required to play high a lot of the time and extended high passages, like for Trumpet, can be a workout on the chops.

2nd Trombone

Like 2nd Trumpet, 2nd Trombone plays the jazz book and is the solo chair of the section. This allows the Lead Player to save their chops and let the 2nd Trombone, seated closest to the rhythm section, to take the solos. The 2nd Trombone is also sometimes called the ‘ride’ player.

2nd Trombone will also want to play without a trigger for a better sound if the arrangement allows them.

3rd Trombone

3rd Trombone is a tough chair. They have to match the broadness of sound from the bass trombone while supporting the Lead and 2nd smaller bore sounds. The intonation of this part is also often quite tricky, playing upper extensions and chord tones such as the 7th while sat in between a lead part and bass note.

The 3rd Trombone part will usually be played with an F trigger so we can be a bit more flexible in our arrangements for 3rd Trombones as they provide the bridge between the Bass Trombone and 2nd Trombone part.

4th Trombone (Bass)

The 4th Trombone part is a Bass Trombone part. Some amateur players or non-pros may use a tenor with a trigger if they don’t have a bass trombone, but they won’t double and will have to play a lot of the part up the octave. Like the bari sax, it’s role is to blend with the section while also playing independently sometimes.

A good, confident sound with excellent intonation is required. The Bass Trombone part will often be playing with the bass player and bari sax so a good ear is required as they’ll have to blend from across the band.

GUITAR

The guitarist in a big band often ‘comps’ (accompanies) chord changes as well as joining in on some lines with the whole band. They also sometimes provide an extra colour on top of soli lines or take solos. Guitarists will usually be amplified and play with a clean sound - no added distortion or overdrive, unless the chart specifically calls for it.

They support the harmony by filling out upper extensions often not covered by the pianist and frequently play ‘rootless’ voicings among others to stay out of the way of the bass and piano.

PIANO

The pianist in a big band is a vital member of support. They fill out harmony as well as sometimes act as bandleader, cueing entrances and deciding solos on the fly. Being a good big band pianist involves knowing how to play with restraint, as well as identify exactly how the rhythm section needs to support the band harmonically and texturally at any given moment.

Pianists can also double on electric pianos, keyboards, synths or organs depending on what the chart asks for, and in some horrifying cases, keytar.

A dedicated conductor for a big band is rare outside of educational settings and unless other substantial sections such as strings are added, or the music is quite complex, isn’t really necessary.

BASS

A bass player will generally play double bass in most jazz charts, but will double on electric for funk, latin and rock tunes, or unless specified. They will have a strong sense of timing of course, and support soloists particularly. Ideally, the double bassist can project without an amp.

Jazz double basses are usually ¾ the size of an orchestral one, have 4 strings, do not usually have an extension and very rarely played arco. Pizzicato is assumed without writing it. 5-string electric basses are common (on pro gigs, they’re expected) and writing for notes below the low E is fine - the player will put them up the octave if they don’t have a 5th string. Fretless and 6 string basses are not commonly written for in big band charts but might be available depending on what the player owns.

DRUMS

Alongside the Lead Trumpet, the drummer is arguably the most important/influential member of a big band’s sound. The drummer of a big band has to obviously have a great sense of timing and groove. A great drummer will also have a strong sense of melody and will often be involved in setting up figures, lines and stabs that the whole band play, so needs to match their phrasing while supporting the whole drive of the band.

The actual kit the drummer plays on will be a personal choice, as will cymbals and size of sticks. Drummers in jazz are also often called upon to play with brushes although these are more common in smaller ensembles because of their limited carrying power.

Here’s a recap of each instrument in a big band, it’s role and transposition for quick reference: