Advanced Explorations

After learning a few general concepts about arranging, it’s time to dive right in and start playing around with ideas, and practicing in a truly hands-on sandbox of musical grit. It’s a dirty job, arranging is, and the only way to truly get going is to have people nearby who are willing to sing your arrangements… or obligated to. As you work through this process, specific topics in this section will help guide the way by infusing your brain with new specific ideas — new ways to arrange, new textures to try, and new paths to forge, if need be. Each will be specific and targeted; as you bumble your way through, you’ll have resources of many years of experience to consult in the pages below. Again, we subscribe to a principle of non-linearity, since a step-by-step guide would beat the creativity out of aspiring young arrangers faster than grade school. If you have any questions or comments, please post them, so we all can benefit — we’ll field any questions at the bottom of the page.

Contents

The Art of Song Selection 1: Genre and Audience
The Art of Song Selection 2: Mechanics and Logistics
Arranging for Co-Ed Groups 0: Before You Begin
Arranging for Co-Ed Groups 1: Range + Voicings
Arranging for Women’s Voices 0: Before You Begin
Arranging for Women’s Voices 1: Range Limits
Arranging for Women’s Voices 2: Range Compensation
Arranging for Women’s Voices 3: Common Challenges
Arranging for Small Groups 0: Before You Begin
Arranging for Small Groups 1: Consovowels and Suggestion
Arranging for Small Groups 2: Handling Harmonies
Case Study 1: Subdivision, Basslines, and Memory in “Get Ready”
Case Study 2: The Power of the Bassline to Establish Style
Arranger’s Toolbox 1: Bell Chords to Try
Arranger’s Toolbox 2: Bell Chords in Transcriptions
Arranger’s Toolbox 3: Bell Chords to Embellish
Arranger’s Toolbox 4: Vocal Percussion