Workshop 1 — Build a Real Arrangement from Level 1 to Level 16

Now we switch from course mode to workshop mode.

We’ll take one actual tune and build it gradually, making musical decisions at every stage.

For the first workshop, “Happy Birthday” is actually ideal—not because it is musically sophisticated, but because you already know the melody perfectly, so all your attention can go to:

• harmony,
• voice leading,
• texture,
• reharmonization,
• counterpoint,
• style,
• phrasing.

We’ll do it in C major first.