Connecting Flytes

Effective guitar and keyboard arranging

- BY CORY WONG

"DIRECT FLYTE" IS a track from my 2022 album, Power Station, and features the great Victor Wooten on bass. The song has morphed a little bit in subsequent live performances, as we've tightened up the arrangement and have gotten very specific about the individual parts. What I'd like to talk about today is how the syncopations of the tune's primary guitar part work in conjunction with the chordal accents supplied by the keyboard, which I think is a good example of effective ensemble arranging. When you hear how the two instruments work in tandem, you'll get a good idea of how I like to approach coordinating various musical elements like an orchestral arranger.

The form of the tune is “AABA.” The three “A” sections are in A minor, and the “B” section modulates up a minor 3rd to C minor. The rhythm guitar part I play during these sections is a four-bar phrase that's fairly simple. Following the AABA form, there's a single-note ensemble (band) section, shown here in