A World in Kaleidoscope

A Brief intro to Song Composition & Arranging 1

Composing & Arranging•The concept of arranging does not exist in classical music

•Musicians has developed this concept over centuries of performance & practices

•Exploration of music forms without affecting the main melody & content

•The composer & arranger in modern POP music are usually different

•Composer draws the main idea V.S. Arranger expresses music as a whole

•Composer gives skeleton V.S. Arranger adds on flesh & blood

Arranging – Function & Value•Set the genre, taste and instrumentation type

•Same song can have different arrangements

•A good arranger is a good story teller

•Express fully the emotions in the music

•Good music (conventionally) – aesthetically pleasing appropriate emotional expression and resonates with listeners

Arranging in POP•POP music is easy to find, plenty of reference, a good starting point

•The genre of POP music is getting blurred, more choices of arranging

•Folk(Guitar), Classical(String, Brass & Woodwind), Rock(Electric Guitar, Drum, Bass) etc.

*Having a good knowledge of the characteristics of each music genre is a must

Be an Arranger•Imitation is the best teacher, listen to Intro and EndingAnd not just lyrics or melody

•Study the relationship before song parts: relevancy, Contrast, similarity, cohesiveness of instruments, genre,nature of verse, chorus, interlude

•Repeating a song, get the main point, look for elements

•Music theory, chord building, instrument knowledge,sensitivity to arrangement

•Originality~~~

Music Genre………………Too many……囧

Some of Them

Rock Jazz POP Folk

R&B Rap Electronic New Age

How to arrange for a song（ I）•Read the score/music notes（ Study）•Understand the lyrics

•Try to get lyrics when arrange for a song or it will be difficult to fully understand the music

•Memorize the melody, define the genre and proceed with arrangement design

Practicing Arranging

How to arrange for a song（ II）•Define Music genre (Most important step)

•Choose instrument and even full ar-rangement(Band, orchestra, synth)

-guitar, bass, piano, string, drum-set, brass, woodwind, percussion etc.

•No shortcut, long term commitment

Practicing Arranging

Basic POP Band Structure Analysis(I)

•The introduction of keyboard & synthesizer broaden the horizon of instrumentation

•Tonal range & playing technique has been expanded, greater rooms for exploration

•Several instruments can create similar ef -fect of an orchestra with the help of mod-ern technology

Practicing Arranging

Basic POP Band Structure Analysis(II)•Basic band layout – 1 electric guitar, 1 electric bass, 1 drum-set, 1 keyboard(rock band sometimes do without a keyboard)

Practicing Arranging

Basic POP Band Structure Analysis(III)

•Electric guitar/keyboard – melody or rhythm

•Electric bass – usually gives support, define root note, de-fine beats with drum, occasional solo can add more di-mension to the music

•Drum-set – bass drum, snare, hi-hat, cymbals, toms, it defines rhythm and beat, links all parts and enhances emotion changes in the music

•More instruments can be added: more guitars, saxophone, trumpet etc.

•Choose instruments according to the song requirement, know the characteristics and make good use of them in mu-sic arrangement

Practicing Arranging

Music Appreciation

陈绮贞 - After 17 Chinese Folk(guitar)Kings of Convenience - Cayman Islands European Folk(guitar)范晓萱 - 我要我们在一起 Piano Waltz陈珊妮 - 情歌 Piano POP方大同 - 爱爱爱 R&B张雨生 - 后窗 Chinese Style张震岳 - 自由 POP PunkMC HOT DOG - 九局下半 Chinese Hip HopPet Shop Boys – Minimal ElectronicsRobert Miles - Children TranceSARA VAUGHAN - MISTY Vocal JazzThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five Cool Jazz (Early)Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles Indie Folk(Fusion)Queen -Bohemian Rhapsody Rock Opera

陈绮贞 - After 17 Chinese Folk(guitar)Kings of Convenience - Cayman Islands European Folk(guitar)

范晓萱 - 我要我们在一起 Piano Waltz陈珊妮 - 情歌Piano POP

方大同 - 爱爱爱 R&B张雨生 - 后窗 Chinese Style

张震岳 - 自由 POP PunkMC HOT DOG - 九局下半 Chinese Hip Hop

Pet Shop Boys – Minimal Electronics

Robert Miles – Children Trance

SARA VAUGHAN - MISTY Vocal JazzThe Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five Cool Jazz

Katie Melua - Nine Million Bicycles Indie Folk (Fusion)Queen -Bohemian Rhapsody Rock Opera