Wednesday 17 August 2016

Herbie Hancock - Chameleon

I think you can't fully appreciate the modern funk or pop music which was heavily influenced by funk, if you don't know a bit about the roots.
So, my goal was to familiarize my pupils (9 to 15 years old) with a classic funk groove and to put the focus on brass instruments outside the marching band, in a more fun & groovy context.
The song was composed by Herbie Hancock, has a characteristic bass line and is set to a funk beat. For the most part, the song is built on a two-chord vamp.
  • First, this is a transposed version, so it's easy for a beginner/ medium level to play it. This started as an example for the bass player, so, the groove was transposed to have open strings.
  • Second, the arrangement is made for kids, so, some notes were changed in the unison and the theme passes from one instrument to another. The kids have a limited range of notes they can play.
This is how I intend the arrangement to sound:
You may download the music sheet as PDF, or in MuseScore format, so you can edit, transpose, transcribe and customize it to your own needs.
Click the image to download the format you want:
        
Here's the original:


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Cheers and happy learning,
Mihai