Arranging is just as crucial as writing the music itself. Correctly filling a song with elements can turn ordinary musical sketches into real hits, while bad arrangements can kill even the best ideas. We have prepared some advice on working on an arrangement, which will help you make the right decisions, diversify your current projects, and make you think in the right direction.

Learn from the professionals

Listen to your favorite tracks and think about what gives their arrangement that very charm. When the list of favorites ends, listen to something completely different. The main thing here is not to drive yourself into the framework of one style. The more different music you listen to, the easier it is to work with the arrangement: at any given time, this knowledge base will tell you what can be added to the current project.

Be self-critical

There are times when we add some new element to the arrangement and experience a powerful emotional uplift from this. At times like these, it is helpful to take a couple of steps back and review the work already done. Most likely, innovations spoil the arrangement.

When it seems that some element is necessary for a track, sobriety of mind and lack of pride are essential. Try to realistically assess the benefits of the latest changes and throw away everything unnecessary without a twinge of conscience. Yes, the idea was excellent, but not for this song.

Sometimes, it’s better not to be zealous with unusual moves when working with an arrangement but to do something predictable. Let only bass and drums play in verse, and all the instruments enter the chorus – people are waiting for something of this kind. Sometimes disappointment caused by unjustified expectations can seriously ruin the impression of a song, no matter how cool it is. When applying non-standard solutions, you need to be sure that they will resonate with the listener.

Study music theory

Having at least basic knowledge of musical theory is a great idea. With its help, work on the arrangement will become easier: you will quickly find everything unnecessary and make the right composer decisions.

Knowing music theory hasn’t hurt anyone yet. 

Give your vocals more independence

The vocals are an essential part of the whole track. Why not focus more on it? Try to start or end the song with only vocals. Create vocal islands in which all instruments fade away, leaving space for the voice. Often, such things have a powerful effect on the listener, so the vocals should be more independent.

Be careful with the rhythm

Working with rhythm requires a thoughtful approach. The instruments should be reduced to one rhythmic pattern, sometimes giving them the freedom to play in different rhythms. The main thing to remember is that different or identical rhythms should not spoil the overall picture of the arrangement.

The same rhythm can make a song boring. Working with different rhythms can make it too difficult for the listener to perceive the music. Look for balance, but do not focus on this point: the rhythm should only complement the overall picture.

Diversify the chorus

Even if you have a one hundred percent catchy chorus, you don’t need to use it all the time. Each track should have its own feature, but its constant repetition will quickly bore the listener.

Arranging is about variety, but it’s not about making a disco verse but an acoustic techno chorus. Change parts, experiment with the sound dynamics and shuffle the lyrics within one part of the song. Arranging is a way to guide the listener through the story told by the song, so do everything to make this journey as interesting and unusual as possible.

Pay particular attention to the introduction

The cruel truth of modern music is that most listeners rate songs by intro. If the song does not hook a person in the first five to ten seconds, he will most likely not listen to the song to the end.

Creating an arrangement involves working on its parts, but you should pay special attention to the introduction. The intro is not just a beat; it is an important part that should hook the listener and cause interest.