In this music arrangement for beginners’ guide, we will discuss the importance of music arrangement, music arrangement techniques, the difference between composing and arranging a song, and so forth.
For sure you have seen the name of a song arranger next to its composer, and if you were curious enough, you wondered what is song arrangement and how it is different from music composition. Well, music arrangement is a common and long-standing process that requires a good deal of skill, knowledge, and taste. Whether you are a music enthusiast or you want to start arranging a song by yourself, you are at the right place!
The Art of Musical Arrangement in Music Production
Basically, when a musician picks an existing piece of music (from his/her own work or another musician’s) and takes it apart, and puts it back together for a new presentation, he/she is doing a song arrangement. In other words, reworking a song to achieve a new artistic adaptation.
A musical arrangement can include
- Adding new elements to a pre-existing piece of music.
- Breaking down a song then reordering and rearranging those building blocks,
- Changing and substituting the harmony (chords),
- Making a longer or a full score from a composition,
- Taking a composition and adapting it for new instruments.
So, a song arranger might paraphrase the melody, reharmonize it, rework it for an orchestral performance, or make a formal development.
Different Types of Musical Arrangements
There are three main types of musical arrangements.
Structural Arrangement
Moving and reordering different parts of the structure, the energy, and the transitions.
Instrumental Arrangement
Making notes, harmony, and melodies suitable to be played with a new instrument.
Position Arrangement
Deciding the position of the sound. This includes its volume and depth, panning, and how ‘present’ the sound is.
Song Arrangement vs. Music Composition
A composer has some new ideas and he/she turns them into an original song composition, but an arranger takes a music notation and reworks an already existing song and gives it a new style. Any composer can be an arranger as well. Many famous composers used to rearrange their own work or other musicians’ pieces.
Music Arrangement Importance
In music theory, music arrangement is an important process that makes it possible to play a piece of music with different instruments, other than the original ones. Therefore, the main purpose of musical arrangement is to enable musicians to play any song on any instrument (or a combination of instruments).
Moreover, arrangers can create a full score from a piece for ensembles and orchestras. Therefore, orchestration is one of the main purposes of arrangement.
Another factor that makes musical arrangement essential is that through rearrangement, a music producer can bring out the best features of composition and draw attention to them. That is why it is crucial for a music producer to have the necessary skills as an arranger.
Generally, whenever there is a need to make some changes to a piece of music to fit it for a new purpose or situation, arrangement comes into play. For example, in music arrangement for film soundtracks, the arranger adds a new theme, transition, etc., to match it with the context of the movie or a specific scene. The core of the soundtrack remains the same, but each new version is suitable for a specific part of the movie.
How to Arrange a Song
Well, reordering the building blocks of a song is not as easy as it sounds. One cannot simply shuffle them and call it a new arrangement. To achieve an impressive song arrangement, you need to have a goal in mind. For example, are you doing this for orchestration or do you want to give the old song a new artistic style?
Whatever the goal, the key is the original piece must be still recognizable after all the rearrangements. The spirit of the song should not be lost in the new version; otherwise, people find it difficult to accept it. That is why, the arranger must study the piece intimately and gain a deep insight into that.
Once these preliminary steps are done, you have to use a few song arrangement techniques to accomplish your goal.
Practical Music Arrangement Techniques
A musical arrangement can be achieved by playing with different features of a song. Based on this approach, the following four techniques will come in handy, even for song arrangement beginners.
1. Change the Chords
Creating a little change in the harmony can make people interested in listening to a song they have always heard but now with a new twist. For example, you can change the G major to the E minor.
2. Play with the Rhythm
Make some changes in the repetition, progression, transition, time signature, etc., to create a new impression. For instance, you can change the time signature to 4/4 to make it more suitable for dance.
3. Reorder the Structure
The structure of a song refers to its intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, and bridge. Any change in the order of these parts, their repetition, length, and so forth, can give a song a new color. For example, you can emphasize one part by looping it to make a certain point.
4. Arranging Music for Different Instruments
Adapting a piece to be played with a new instrument or a combination of instruments is one of the main purposes of arrangements. The notes, chords, and melodies should change to fit a new instrument. You should keep in mind that a melody that is pleasant on a certain instrument, can sound awful on another one.
Tips to Arrange a Song Like a Professional
Use technology and techniques to rework and rearrange songs professionally. Consider the tips below for a better outcome.
- Your DAW might offer non-linear composition technology, such as Arranger, Arrangement, and Blocks. Use it to divide the song into different sections and then play them in different non-linear orders.
- Make different versions and try various arrangements. Consider your target audience when choosing the final version.
- Start the hook soon enough.
- Don’t forget to end the track properly.
- Don’t make it too complicated, keep it simple.
- Use a second pair of ears to listen to your arrangements for an honest opinion.
- Adding some human elements, such as clapping or whistling, can be a good idea to make the listener relate better to the piece.
- You don’t have to arrange sections of a song in their linear order. If you have an idea for the bridge first, why start with the intro?
- Adding some vocals can create some variations. These vocal harmonies don’t have to be words, they can be ‘aah’ or ‘ooh’.
- Listen to music a lot to get new ideas.
- Listen and analyze professional arrangements to learn a few things.
- Change the time signature and tempo to make the track more interesting.
- Don’t forget to add variation. Your track should not get boring by repeating the same element for long.
- If you think the final outcome is not pleasant, let it go. Don’t stick to it just because you have spent a lot of time on it.
Easy-to-Use Music Arrangement Softwares for PC
Nowadays, almost everything can be done on your PC, and arranging a song is no exception. Here are some of the best and most easy-to-use music arranger software to help you explore the world of arrangements.
Magix Music Maker
Great software for anyone! Whether you are a professional or just began arranging music. It is user-friendly and has a number of good features that allow you to start your work immediately, including a built-in equalizer, supporting instruments and MIDI controllers, and sound effects.
FL Studio
A budget-friendly and user-friendly software that even offers a free version. This makes it suitable for beginners who are not still sure if it is the right path for them. Although the software is simple, it supports various plug-ins and offers many editing and mixing tools.
Pro Tools
If you are ready to spend a bit more on software for a more professional outcome, Pro Tools offers many virtual instruments, tracks, and effects, and supports almost any plug-ins and tools. It is available for both macOS and Windows users.
Soft Arranger
This is a famous and great tool to create any arrangement. It is also available for macOS users. It offers 16 MIDI channels, a MIDI editor, many patterns, and supports a wide range of plug-ins and tools. It is simple but you can arrange your music in any way that you wish.
ChordPulse
A light software that can even run on older systems without a problem. You can also enjoy a free-trial period to decide if this software is for you or not. You can make any arrangements, customization, modification, composition, etc.
Logic Pro
Another great music arrangement software that even gives you the music notation of the track to make arranging songs easier. Although it is a bit expensive, you are in for a wide range of professional but simple features, such as MIDI controller support, complete audio editing tools, effects, plug-ins support, and more.
vArranger 2
A complete but simple software to customize any features, such as tempo, melody, chorus, etc. It supports many plug-ins and tools, MIDI monitor, MIDI guitar, and bass modifier, and offers auto fill-in. Although it is perfect software, many beginners prefer to use a less expensive one.
Song Arrangement and Its Copyright Issues
Whether there will be a problem with the copyright or not depends on the song you choose to arrange.
If the song, beats, etc., is in the public domain (it does not have a copyright owner or the ownership has expired), you are allowed to arrange it and you will be credited as the arranger.
However, if the song you choose is owned by someone else, first you have to get legal permission to be able to arrange it. Besides, after the arrangement you will not be credited and all the credit will go to the original owner.
Custom Music Arrangement Services at D Man Productions
At D Man Productions, we offer any music-related services, including custom music arrangement services, at affordable prices. Our competent song arrangers and producers are ready to handle any custom arrangements with any size and format. You can get it in printed sheets, digital tracks, karaoke tracks, mixed media, you name it. As pricing depends on the project size, to discuss the details and get a quote call us or fill out the form below.
