Daniel Menjivar

I have worked on numerous projects with a myriad of professional musicians and diverse bands across the globe. I specialize in arranging for Latin Jazz and fusioned styles, as well as Cuban and Latin dance genres (salsa, merengue, etc.). I take great pride in delivering good-sounding, clear arrangements and exceptionally easy-to-follow charts, and apart from arranging custom material, I also do full-band transcriptions, etc.

If you are interested in knowing more about my arrangements, transcriptions, lead sheets and/or chart writing services, please scroll down to the bottom of this page for more information. And please, do not hesitate to contact me. Thanks!

Salsa Latin Jazz Timba Charts & Religious Music Arrangements (sheet music) by Daniel Menjivar in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, formerly of Toronto, Ontario. Daniel Menjivar is a big band arranger, composer and copyist and offers transcription services specializing in son, salsa, cumbia, merengue, rumba, flamenco, bachata, reggaeton and other Latin and Cuban music rhythms.

Música Religiosa evangelista partituras solfa arreglos arreglista salsa compositor transcripciones ritmos latinos Cubano

Here's a small sample of other songs I have also arranged or transcribed (in alphabetical order):

• A Fonte Secou - Monsuet Menezes, Tufic Lauar & Marcleo - (Brazilian Jazz Arrangement)
• A Mi Que - Jesús Guerra - (Salsa Arrangement)
• Barrio Sound Intro - Berriel/Menjivar - (Timba Arrangement)
• Black Magic Woman - Carlos Santana - (MIDI Background Track)
• Cachita - Rafael Hernández - (Salsa Arrangement)
• Di Lo Como Es - Daniel Menjivar - (Latin Jazz Arrangement & MIDI Background Track)
• Duele - Piloto/Vera - (Latin Jazz Arrangement)
• Esta Noche - Billy Carrión - (Salsa Transcription)
• Fuistes Mala - Kumbia Kings - (MIDI Background Track)
• Juan en la Ciudad - Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - (Salsa Transcription)
• La Bala de Billy - Pupy y Los Que Son Son - (Timba Transcription)
• Las Avispas - Juan Luis Guerra - (Merengue Transcription)
• Levántate y Anda - Angelito Villalona - (Merengue Transcription)
• Libre - Victor Hugo Fernández - (Cumbia Transcription)
• Los Dinteles - Juan Luis Guerra - (Salsa Transcription)
• Mambo Influenciado - Jesús "Chucho" Valdés - (Latin Jazz Arrangement)
• Oh Carol - Neil Sedaka - (MIDI Background Track)
• Para Ti - Juan Luis Guerra - (Merengue Transcription)
• Que Bello - Agua Libre - (Cumbia Transcription)
• Que Manera de Quererte - Luis Ríos - (Salsa Arrangement)
• Samba for Carmen - Paquito D'Rivera - (Latin Jazz Samba Arrangement)
• Soldado - Juan Luis Guerra - (Merengue Transcription)
• Somos Novios - Armando Manzanero - (Latin Jazz Bolero Arrangement)
• Ten Misericordia - Franklin Valverde - (Bolero Transcription)
• The Farmer in The Dell - Traditional - (Latin Jazz Arrangement)
• Timoteo - Richie Ray & Bobby Cruz - (Salsa Transcription)
• Twinkle Twinkle Little Star - (Latin Jazz Arrangement)
• Un Coro - Israel "Toto" Berriel - (Latin Jazz Arrangement)
• Yo No Sé Mañana - Luis Enrique - (Salsa Transcription)
• Various Cuban & Latin music Lead Sheets
• ...etc...

Frequently Asked Questions

I've decided to include the information below in response to numerous emails I've received, all asking pretty much the same questions. If you don't find the answer to your question below, please don't hesitate to contact me - thanks!

I want to buy an arrangement or transcription listed above.

A lot of people ask me about the charts/arrangements listed on my site assuming that they are "good to go" but this is usually not the case as people's instrumentations change quite a bit. Some of the charts/arrangements listed on this page are written for four horns, some for five, some for only two, etc. So even when I have the transcription or arrangement already done, it almost always still requires a little re-harmonizing or re-writing of some parts to accommodate your band size or needs (4 horns vs. 5 horns vs. 2 horns, etc.) The good thing about this though, is that you'll have the charts that meet your needs exactly.

How long will it take to have a transcription in my hands? What about a custom arrangement?

For all my charts, whether I'm just modifying parts/harmonies, doing a new transcription, custom arrangement, or whatever it may be, my turnaround time depends on how many other projects I have on-the-go at the time, but it's very reasonable. I can normally have the first arrangement to you in less than a week, but that fluctuates up and down from time to time... (Yes, I can sometimes accommodate last-minute or short-notice emergencies.)

What format will I get the charts in?

I'll start by saying right off the bat, I don't provide Finale files of the charts, so please don't ask. I do, however, provide PDF files. I zip all the parts together and upload them to a secure, very fast server where you can download them and print them at will. It works really well and is super easy, much better than trying to email all the parts to you. For all my local clients, I also provide high-quality, laser-printed (and taped) parts on 24lb heavy parchment paper in a heavy black folder. (I can also provide this to non-local clients, upon request.) They are definitely very professional looking charts. For custom arrangements, I'll also provide you with a high-quality AAC audio file of the arrangement.

What will the charts look like? Can I see some samples of your work?

Feel free to click on my sample arrangements above for samples of the charts in PDF format. The samples above are based on a template I created using Finale 2010's "Broadway Copyist" font. I'm not a fan of the popular "Jazz" font that a lot of people seem to use, since it's not very legible nor easy to sight-read, in my opinion. I also created a "sans-serif" template years ago that I used to use as my main template (see the sample chart from "Los Pollitos Dicen" above) which I can still use to create your charts, on request.

One of the biggest differences you'll find with me compared to other arrangers is that I spend a lot of time laying out and formatting pages to make sure they are easy to sight-read for live performances. (Some other arrangers will do this for you, but they'll charge you a lot extra.) I've had a ton of compliments on the quality and presentation of my charts and a lot of clients tell me that they are so straight-forward that it takes very little rehearsal time to get them sounding tight. I do take a lot of pride in what I do.

What are your rates for transcriptions, and for custom arrangements?

The prices for my arrangements depend on a lot of factors (like band size, transcriptions vs. arrangements, complexity, length, genre, etc.). Most arrangers these days are charging $35+/hour, but I prefer to bill per tune rather than by the hour. Depending on your band size and requirements (do you need a vocal part? percussion parts? written out bass lines? etc.), I charge a minimum of $150 for transcriptions and a minimum of $225 for custom arrangements from scratch. Again, depending on your requirements... If you're interested in any of the charts already listed on my site (above) though, I can re-harmonize/re-orchestrate any of those for significantly less - please contact me and we can discuss...

I know my rates aren't the lowest out there, but they're also definitely not anywhere close to being the highest either. There are a lot of things that differentiate me from other arrangers. I won't work for cheap, but I do take an immense amount of pride in my work (I'm very much a perfectionist) and I always make sure that my clients get a lot of value for their dollar. Also, I'm a musician first, and an arranger second. I've played in tons of large salsa bands (mostly Cuban Salsa and Latin Jazz) and I've done a ton of professional-level sight-reading gigs. Too many. I know what works on charts, and what doesn't. My charts can be very easily sight-read on the gig and rehearsals are a breeze with my charts (in comparison to most other arrangers.) For the last twelve consecutive months, (as of March 2010), I've had a constant demand of at least four arrangements per week, and normally much more than that, so I know my prices can't be all that bad, no?

How do I place an order, and how do I pay you?

All you need to do is contact me and I'll get all the information I need from you via email. In the event that I need an audio file from you, I'll provide you with a link to upload the file (via Apple's extremely-easy-to-use iDisk service) as well as a link to send payment via PayPal. Don't worry, it's all straight-forward and very easy to do and I'll even provide step-by-step instructions too (just in case). Easy.

If you are interested in knowing more about my arrangements, transcriptions, lead sheets and/or chart writing services, please do not hesitate to contact me.