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Learn the Secrets of Arranging Songs
What Is A Music Arrangement
by Hans Hansen of The Music Arrangers Page
@ http://www.musicarrangerspage.com
“Basics of Music Arranging”

What is music arranging?
1. Definition
2. Vocal & instrumental music
3. Examples

The abilities of a music arranger
1. Musical skills
2. What is a composition?

How to make a music arrangement?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Form
Instrumentation
Style
Melody
Harmony
Rhythm
7. Examples
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What is music arranging?
“Definition”
Music arranging is the ability to change a piece of music to a
specific vocal and/or instrumental combination.
“Vocal & instrumental music”
For the non-musicians you might ask yourselves, what is the
difference between vocal and instrumental music?
In a vocal piece of music there is a “singer” (sometimes called a
vocalist) involved. An instrumental piece doesn’t use a singer
and the melody is therefore played by an instrument, such as a
saxophone.
Vocal and instrumental pieces of music may range from a single
performer, with or without a band, to a full orchestra.
Listen to the following pieces and determine if they’re “vocal”,
“instrumental”, “solo performed” (solo = one performer only)
or
“orchestral” (played by an orchestra).
“Examples”
example 1 – Symphony #40 K550 mov.1 – W.A.Mozart
example 2 – Amazing Grace – Victor Wooten
example 3 – Beirut – Steps Ahead
example 4 – I Can’t Get No Satisfaction – The Rolling Stones
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The abilities of an music arranger
“Musical skills”
If an arrangement is good or bad depends on the musical
skills of the arranger.
Techniques, good taste, and to improve the music in such a way
that it is satisfying to both musicians and listeners, are important
points to consider. Because of this, arrangers often change and
apply their own style to an existing piece. They do this to such an
extent that they are combining their own musical ideas. In that
way, an arrangement may involve some composition.
“What is a composition?”
A composition is musical work that has been created from
scratch (non-existent before). At the beginning of this post I
mentioned the term “song”. What then is the difference between
a composition and a song? They are basically the same.
However the term “song” is often used when there are words
attached (called lyrics) to the melody. The term “composition” is
more used with regard to instrumental pieces.
How to make a music arrangement?
There are several aspects to consider when arranging music.
Here are the most important tools:
“Form”
The form is the design of your song. Before starting to write your
piece, you may ask yourself, are you going to repeat certain
sections to make it more memorable. How many times are you
going to repeat these? Where are you going to change your music
in order to create some contrast? All these points are part of the
form of your song.
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“Instrumentation”
What and how many instruments are you going to use in your
song. Are you just pulling a rock-band together or does a stringquartet fits your taste better.
“Styles”
There are many kind of styles in music such as rock, pop, jazz,
funk, classical, country and western, reggae, etc. Often, when
done in the right way, changing the style of an existing song can
lead to interesting results.
“Melody”
A melody is a group of notes played one after the other. A
melody in a song is usually what people remember most. The
melody is the “tune”. There are all kinds of melodic shapes:
high, low, fluent, fragmented, going up, going down, etc.
“Harmony”
Harmony is also a group of notes, except that these are often
played together (called chords). These chords are usually behind
the melody (played softer than the melody).
Think of a piano player. Most of the time he will play the melody
in his right hand and the harmony (chords) in his left.
“Rhythm”
Rhythm is what helps make music go and flow. You can
practically listen to rhythm anywhere, e.g. the falling of raindrops,
the ticking of your watch, the tapping of your fingers on your
keyboard, etc. Rhythm is created from sounds and silences. These
are then put together to produce “patterns”. These patterns are
called “beats”. There are many different types of beats like short,
long, loud, soft, etc. In an arrangement there is often more than
one beat.
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“Examples”
Listen to the following four tunes. The first and third are originals,
the second and fourth are arrangements:
1. Fire and Rain – James Taylor (original)
2. Fire and Rain – Maynard Ferguson (arrangement)
3. A Night In Tunisia – Charlie Parker Septet (original)
4. A Night In Tunisia – Chaka Kahn (arrangement)
A recap of today’s post:

What is music arranging?

The abilities of a music arranger

How to create a successful arrangement?
I hope you enjoyed reading my first post. My next one will be
about the form of a song.
About the Author:
Hans Hansen is the author and founder of “The Music Arrangers
Page” and is always happy to share his passion for music arranging.
In addition, he is a well experienced piano & bass guitar teacher,
specializing in classical, rock and jazz. Any questions you have about
music arranging; he is the person to ask. Connect with him on
Facebook & Twitter or leave a comment on his blog.
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