I’m staring at my Winamp player, waiting to hit play on a new song that I’ve been asked to arrange. The group is a returning favorite of mine, so I’ve got all the necessary information (number of people, approximate ranges, preferences, etc.). But I confess, I’m having a little trouble getting motivated to arrange. It’s 80 degrees outside right now, sunny, and my pale legs haven’t seen much sunlight this summer what with living in a van for a month and then stifling in an office job all day.
However, I’ve decided to kill 2 (or 4) birds with one stone. I’m giving y’all a multi-part blog, complete with the “to be continued…” at the end. And the subject matter is the arranging process, from beginning to end and including all the speedbumps in the middle, of a song called “Every Season” by Nichole Nordeman. If this works, I’ll do another one later in the year with a different style of song. If not...eh, sue me. Either way, I’d really love feedback, as I know we all have our own distinct arranging styles, using different tools and processes. Let us learn from one another!
As I type this paragraph, I’m just listening to the song for the first time. Here we go:
First things first, a listen-through. So I have a clue what I’m working with. It’s a ballad, starting off very softly with strings and her sweet voice. The piano joins in on the second verse, bringing things up a bit in volume. And then a bridge of just strings and piano – no percussion anywhere to be heard. This could turn into one gorgeously lush piece of “instrumental” work if I do it right. Ooh, key change. Very exciting. Big build-up…and then it all softens down to a breathy string fermata. No drums anywhere in the piece.
(Okay I admit it, I couldn’t resist the sun. You know it happens. I went for a 25-mile bike ride and then stayed out late posing for pictures on large cow sculptures with friends – it is now the next evening and I’m sitting at my desk with a Starbucks Doubleshot Espresso & Cream, ready to go!)
I’m a visual learner. I like to see things laid out in an orderly fashion and work from a structured outline. I was the girl whose notes everyone copied in school – all the way through college. So when I start with something as complex as a song, with all of its dynamics and textures and sections and emotions, I have to break it down into manageable pieces, and I do that by creating an outline of the song on paper with which to build the skeleton of the arrangement in Finale (my arranging software of choice).
The song is in 4/4, so I count (either in my head or out loud, so as not to get distracted – which, as per above, is a valid concern) along with the entire tune as I take notes. The introduction is 4 measures – I note that it’s basically the same 2 measures repeated, which will save me the time of writing it all out twice (copy, paste, done) later. My notes look like this:
intro: 4 (2 rpt)
I’m always looking for ways to break it down even more, to give myself more guide points on the map. Verse 1, for instance, starts out with 8 measures that are basically the same as the intro, but with a slight variation (additional piano lines, some strings). After that first 8 measures, though, there’s a change in chord structure, and while it’s still part of the verse, it’s a distinction I can reference later. My notes look like this:
V1: 8 + 8
After the verse are 4 measures of instrumental. Call it what you want, but I’ve gotten into the habit of calling anything that doesn’t clearly stand out as a verse, chorus, bridge, introduction or outro simply “inter” – short for “interlude.” This way I know to listen for something new and different without feeling the need to give it a lot of weight. After the interlude comes another verse, following the same 8 + 8 pattern, and then a clear instrumental bridge.
This is a pretty basic song, form-wise, so I’ll show you what my notes look like after a full listen-through. Again, these are just the bare bones that will dictate my Finale Wizard – I’ll fill in details on texture later:
intro: 4 (2rpt)
V1: 8 + 8
inter: 4
V2: 8 + 8
bridge: 10
V3: 8 + 8
(key change) V4: 8 + 8
outro: 4
One variation that I use frequently in the outline is the “repeat” note to myself. Often, especially in pop music, we let the group repeat the same background parts while the soloist sings different lyrics – it makes learning and memorization easier, and is easy to listen to. This song has some really gorgeous orchestration that I’d like to incorporate, though, so I think I’m going to let every verse stand on its own. Another quick listen-through to be sure I got all my counts right, and I can move forward.
I always use the Finale Setup Wizard to create my documents – it asks all the necessary questions in a hurry. I also keep a separate folder on my hard drive for every group I’ve ever arranged for, including a text file with group information (parts, ranges, numbers, percussionists, etc), word of text files of lyrics for each song, and the final arrangements. This particular group is SATB and I know I can break them up into 5 or 6 parts if need be. I create the document, set the key (Eb to start), and then once the basic staff paper is in front of me, I figure out how many measures I’m actually going to need (Finale always gives you right around 30 to start with) and I add them on.
Now I can take the structure I’ve created for myself and lay it out on the document. I type “intro” over the first measure (using the text tool), and then after the fourth measure I insert a double bar line and type “verse 1” over measure 5. After measure 12, I insert another double bar line to give myself a reference point for the verse’s textural shift; after measure 20, a double bar line again, and “inter” typed in above measure 21, etc, until I’ve made a basic outline for the whole piece. In this case I also went ahead and added the key change in at measure 67; in a more complicated song, when I think I might end up using repeats or organizing things differently as I go along, I might wait to put the key change in until later (it’s been known to make a mess of things for me in the past).
The last thing I do to create the basic layout is to add the melody line. It’s the one part of the song that’s a total given, that you don’t have to alter or blend in or figure out syllables for (unless, of course, you’re working the solo line into the parts, which we’ll do some other time). So I’ll go ahead and enter the solo line, minus the lyrics. Again, an issue I’ve discovered with Finale is that when I need to copy and paste something that’s already got lyrics attached to it, the lyrics get all shifted down and around and in weird positions, so I save the lyrics until close to the end when I’m sure my form won’t be changing again [If anyone has a solution to this issue, please post it below in the comments - I’d be grateful!]. I do, however, toss in the ties and slurs so I can use the melody as a reference point.
My caffeine has now worn off and I’m tired of staring at the laptop. To be continued…
 Add as favorites (79) |  Quote this article on your site | Views: 3666
Only registered users can write comments.
Please login or register. Powered by AkoComment Tweaked Special Edition v.1.4.6
AkoComment © Copyright 2004 by Arthur Konze - www.mamboportal.com
All right reserved |
