This course applies your theoretical knowledge of music to the practical pursuit of arranging songs in the barbershop style. The material is taught by arranging small sections of songs that demonstrate the principles involved. It will suit anyone looking to acquire arranging skills even if only to 'adjust' that awkward tag.

What you need

• Previous attendance on the Theory of Harmony course or equivalent knowledge.
• You should be able to construct and write down four part chords with reasonable fluency.
• You will be expected to understand the Circle of Fifths and what 'root movement by 5ths' means.
• You should complete the self-assessment questionnaire on the web site to verify that your knowledge is sufficient.

What you will learn

• The basic 'rules' of arrangement in the barbershop style. Covers chords, progressions, voicings and other issues such as singability.
• What is Primary Harmony and how to find it.
• Using the Primary Harmony to harmonise a melody line.
• What to do when a melody note is not part of the Primary Harmony chord. (Putting the Circle of Fifths and the other 'rules' of chord progression into practice!)
• How to voice chords (how to decide who sings which note).
• How to choose between a number of alternative solutions by considering voice leading (singability) and other criteria.
• The basic principles of embellishment