7356 / 18210 · Workshop 56 — “Mack the Knife” Prelude: Walking Bass, Two-Beat-to-Four-Beat Escalation, Chorus Building, Modulation, and Making Repetition Grow← prev⊞ allnext →
56.84The key arranging question
Instead of constantly asking:
“What chord next?”
ask:
“Where am I in the energy arc?”
That question often tells you whether to:
- add
- subtract
- walk
- stop
- modulate
- thicken
- simplify
more effectively than harmonic theory alone.