8828 / 18210 · Workshop 71 — Countermelody and Inner-Line Arranging: Writing a Second Voice That Supports the Tune Without Fighting It← prev⊞ allnext →
71.100Apply it to “Mack the Knife”
This is especially effective in later swing choruses.
Early chorus:
melody mostly alone.
Later:
short middle-register horn-like responses after phrases.
Walking bass remains the lower counterline.
Final chorus:
some responses become block chords.
You now create the illusion of:
lead singer/horn + answering section + bass player
on one piano.