Wedding band rhythm/3 horn charts

It’s important to have clear, readable charts for the musicians in your band. We’ve all been on a gig where there’s confusion about what key we’re in, when the horns come in, who’s playing what — and horns always sound better when they have a roadmap or plan in front of them.

Over the years I have learned several tricks to making my horn charts as readable and easy to follow as possible. I mark the section of the song by verse, chorus, etc. and give clear instructions to the musicians. My 3 horn charts are flexible, and can be used in almost any variation of horn section. I do this by creating a combination tenor/trumpet part (transposed) and a trombone part. This reduces the amount of pages, iPads, and stands on stage and also gives the tenor player the ability to play the lead parts if needed.

I also keep it simple and follow the record. Wedding band charts do not need to be Tower of Power funk-ified horn arrangements. They need to be clear, playable without rehearsal, and flexible to work in any situation.