Arrband

Ronaldo Tomas
Instructor
Introduction

What is Arranging?
 What is Arranging?

adapting a piece of music for performance by a

particular set of instruments which involve
adding, omitting or replacing details in the work.

reinterpretation and/or expansion of a piece of

music into a different context.

the process of deciding what instruments and

genre you want to use in a piece.
What are the skills necessary to successfully arrange
a piece of music?

ability to change a piece of music to a specific vocal

and/or instrumental combination.
ability to change and apply one’s style to an existing
piece.
ability to organize musical ideas and combine them to
form a cohesive, balanced and pleasing product.
ability to do some composition.
 Basic Principles

Balance

Economy

Focus

Variety
 BALANCE

Tonal Balance

Formal Balance
Tonal Balance

• the proper distribution of tones to

achieve the best possible sound with
any given combination of instruments.
Formal Balance
• the meaningful and well-coordinated manipulation of
melody, instrumentation and time.

Melody

-the usage of melodic ideas derived from the song itself or

composed in contrast to it.

-restricting oneself to as few melodic ideas as possible in

order to achieve unity and lessen or eliminate the
possibility of confusion.
Instrumentation

-the judicious distribution of instrumental

sounds throughout the score or sequence.

-not using everything available in the first chorus.

Time

-The demands of a typical 3 minute song is

different from a 35 minute free-form
composition. Knowing this fact and the demands
of the project will dictate the choices of the
arranger/composer.
Economy

It is the art of omitting

from your score anything
which is not absolutely
necessary.
Every note in an
arrangement should be
there for a specific reason
making a legitimate
difference to the score or
the sequenced track as a
whole.
 Focus

• At any given time, your arrangement should have no

more than 3 focus groupings.
• The levels are as follows:
1. Primary Focus Level or Foreground- soloist
2. Secondary Focus or Middleground- pads, fills,
comps
3. Tertiary Focus or Background- Rhythm Section
 Variety

It is the art of maintaining listener interest

throughout the song/composition.
They are achieved in three ways namely:
A. Timbre or Tone Color Variety
B. Harmonic Variety
C. Melodic and Rhythmic Variety
Elements of an
Arrangement
Form
Instrumentation
Style
Timbre
Melody
Harmony
Rhythm
 Song Forms
Song Formats and Format Identification
Why Are Song Forms Important?

The very first tool an arranger must have is

knowledge of forms.

An arrangement is usually made up sections.

 Typical Song Forms

AABA or the 32 bar song form. e.g. “Somewhere

Over the Rainbow”

12 bar Blues Form

AAA- “Blowing In The Wind”

ABAB- “Fly Me To The Moon”

ABAC- “Moon River”

ABCD- “You’ll Never Walk Alone”

 Parts of a song
Typical sections are Intro, Verse, Refrain, Chorus, Pre-chorus, Bridge.

Verses tell a story and have typically different lyrics in

every musical repetition though the melody and
harmony stays the same.

“Fields of Gold”- Sting

Refrain are at the end of the verse. The lyrics for the
refrain will always be the same or similar and are used
to present the hook or the title of the tune.

“I’m Beginning To See The Light”- Ella Fitzgerald

 Transitional Bridge or the pre- Chorus connect a Verse to
the Chorus.

“After the Love Has Gone”- Earth Wind and Fire

Bridge is a stand alone section provide contrast musically

and lyrically to the verse and the chorus.

“Biggest Part of Me”- Ambrosia

Choruses stand alone and are used to present the title or the
hook of the song. They are different from the Refrain as they
may not come after every verse and they are also much longer
typically lasting about 8 bars.

“Penny Lane” – Beatles

 More Examples

No. 1

“Girl Is Mine”

No. 2

“Big Yellow Taxi”

 Assignment

• Listen to the song assigned to you and analyze the form.

Describe the parts of the song by their function. e.g.
Verse, Chorus, etc.