5.2 Arrangement Basics
Learn how to build on the foundational skills you’ve developed so far to create a full length song.
Terms
Arrangement: The way in which musical elements are organized together to create an engaging song.
Section: A musical sentence that is usually 8 bars long, made up of 4-bar phrases.
Structure: The sequence and pattern of musical sections.
Repetition: Repeated patterns in the drum, chord, bass, and melody parts within and between sections to make music predictable.
Variation: Small changes every 4 or 8 bars to keep things exciting.
1 | Set Up The Structure
2 | Copy Clips
Copy the groups of clips from your idea pool to the different song sections, following your song’s structure.
3 | Intro & Verse
Arrange the intro and verse by starting with lower energy sounds and gradually adding energy throughout the first half of the verse. Increase the energy even more throughout the second half of the verse.
4 | First Chorus
Build a chorus by copying over the clips. Create variation by removing drum energy in the first half and adding a melodic element in the second half.
5 | Drop optional
Turn the heat up in the drop, if you have one, by using the highest energy drum, chord, and bass parts. Add an ostinato melody in the second half to create variation.
6 | Break Optional
If you have a break or bridge, make it sound different from the section before and after it by using lower energy drum patterns, lower energy bass, and use an ostinato melody to keep the rhythm moving.
7 | Create The 2nd Half
Copy the repetition and variation from the first half of the song to the second. Add variation by using some medium energy drum options. Create a lower energy outro by using only chordal parts and melodies.
8 | Listen To The Shape
Listen to the overall shape of your track and determine if you should use any more variation.