Your first arrangement won't be ambitious as this one.

A reader wrote in requesting some pointers on arranging for his high school a cappella group, and I thought I’d post a few here: advice for writing your FIRST arrangement.  These tips do not necessarily apply to ALL arrangements and are not general rules, but are good ways to make sure nothing goes too haywire from the start.  Enjoy!

• The best advice for somebody who hasn’t tried it before would be 1) to map out the structure of the piece, 2) to figure out the chords and make the arrangement conform, and 3) don’t write women’s parts — even the sopranos — higher than an an A or B.  Things can get very messy very fast.  Exceptions exist, of course.

• Make sure vowels match between parts.  Have at most two different vowels happening at once, but really writing a homophonic texture is good.

• The way I arrange is by singing first.  So, sing along to the original song, improvising a line that you think might belong in the arrangement.  Then, I go back and expand it through harmonization, and/or fill in the chord with other parts.

• More specific to the song you’re working on, try to find a midi of it with a decent piano transcription, or find piano sheet music.  This can help take a LOT of work out of the project.

• Your first arrangement will probably have lots of repeats in it, and that’s okay.  You can repeat a section COMPLETELY and just instruct the choir to sing different vowels, and it’s a good quick way to make the piece sound like it’s growing.  Sustained oos can turn into sustained ohs or ahs.

• The most important part about writing a good arrangement is making it FUN for everybody to sing, since that makes all the difference in how well they do it.  So, make sure you sing every single part of your written arrangement on your own, and see if you enjoy it.  If you don’t, fix it.

This is a definitely a CD recording: you’ll be hard pressed to find a hall with such wonderful echo-y acoustics, and tuning tight soprano parts is something that is pretty tricky to pull off live. Good voice leading and being very aware of the other parts can help pull off a delicate arrangement like this, as well as sharp singers. Something to notice, though, is the use of ostinato patterns- once someone is on a groove on one part, it stays locked in. It also is a cinch to learn and good way to thicken the texture.

A beautiful wartime doll.

Oh, you’re such a beautiful doll!  This 1911 hit was a wartime favorite that shows how Barbershop harmony, ragtime, and popular music overlapped.

This is sung by Bill Murray and The American Quartet in 1912.  Fantastic stuff here, very vintage.  It’s hard to imagine this being the height of popular music, but here you have it.

Now, for a more modern extension by some very talented ladies:

While we’re listening, you SSAA arrangers out there should take note of the general low tessitura of everything here, and the overwhelming strength of the lower voices — this is such an exercise in the beauty of chest… especially in the masterful placement of the sustained tonic note in the tag.  For these ladies, a chest-heavy belt works much better than a high soprano might.  Bravo!

Try to imitate drums in heavy metal songs. Let out your secret love for Linkin’ Park and Metallica, and just give your mouth a go. Put on some Emperor and see what noises you can make in an acoustically delicious shower. Let people stare while you rock out to System of a Down and make goofy mouth noises.

Also, heavy metal is underappreciated by a cappella dorks, as is punk rock. Builds character.

“Punk rock isn’t dead: it’s only comatose.”

You're a winner if you like it quick and dirty!

So maybe you don’t want to peruse the multitude of articles right now, and you just want fast and easy directions of how to do an a cappella arrangement. Will do, but here’s the caveat- this is just one way of going about an arrangement. I would recommend reading the other articles on this website when you get the chance, as well as be aware of what works and doesn’t work for you.

So here we go!

Also, take a listen to all the unison used, and the way things are arranged.  The piano licks are also quite perfectly suited.  Listen for the bass voice occasionally peeking out!  Good stylistic lessons here.

Good wholesome music.

If you’re lucky enough to scrabble together a handful of boys and girls to hold productive rehearsals amidst incredible sexual tension, creating unique and engaging arrangements are going to be a piece of cake. Co-ed groups not only have the advantages of a ready pool of datable singers, but the vocal range and palette of effects are astronomical. You get the best of both worlds- girls who can sing crazy high and guys who can sing crazy low. What’s not to love about that?

Before you get carried away on a cloud of dreams, the cost of having so many possibilities is that…you have so many more things to worry about. This guide is here to help elucidate the headaches of co-ed groups (such as range concerns and balancing) as well as the perks (composite parts and really cute choreography). However, if you think about it, just mesh together the assets of an all-male group and an all-female group and add a little soap opera drama.

However, here are some general points to keep in mind when you do your co-ed arrangements.

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Also plays songs that people know, like Sweet Home Alabama.

Song selection is tricky business. It might not make or break your group, and each individual song choice might not matter that much, but a group’s audience and reputation are largely determined by the catalog of music they present. So before you decide on your group’s lineup for the year, or the semester, mull over your priorities.

Who are you singing for?

As a case study, when I was in my second year with the UNC Loreleis, we won a great battle: Major Sponsorship. The UNC General Alumni Association decided to sponsor us, giving us a lump sum of money every year, full access to their printer, free labor of their webmaster, and rehearsal space. In exchange, we would sing at many GAA-held events for “free.” This meant singing for a lot of old people with old memories and deep pockets. It was in our interests to make them smile, so I tried to include a couple songs in the set list that they were feasibly familiar with, as well as a few newer songs that would at least make them smile.

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The pants may be the secret.

If you don’t already know, the first track on Van Halen’s first album features a thrilling vocal performance by lead singer David Lee Roth. In fact, the first sound you hear from David Lee Roth in the entire Van Halen catalog is his opening multi-tonal wailing in “Runnin’ With the Devil.”

Through the good fortune of the Internet, now you can have the isolated lead vocal track from this song. It is really worth a listen even if you’re not familiar with the song itself. David Lee Roth’s voice is, quite simply, courageously inspiring.

Moreover, an individual named Tyser has created a soundboard out of this vocal track. Now you can have this vocal performance at the push of a button!

What a fantastically talented guy — comedian, singer, author, asshole.  And now, Senator!