In almost all things in life, I’m extra. I could just plunk out some chords on the piano and spend 80% of my time finessing the vocals, but that wouldn’t do. The songs needs drums, bass, atmospheric synths. All the things that make an Annie Lennox or Kate Bush joint burn like a smoldering fireplace. Is it too much? Maybe. I find it fun, though, and when I find the right sonic combo, my whole mind and body vibrate with excitement.
More than that, it makes me a better musician. I’m a firm believer that to learn musical theory and harmonics, you should compose or arrange. It links the theoretical and the practical learning parts of your brain which solidifies the concepts more than pure rote memorization.
So here are FOUR reasons why musical arrangement is a great skill to learn:
Make ANY song yours
There are so many great songs out there that I can’t sing because I’m not a belter or screamer, but I’d still love to sing those words and melodies in my voice. Likewise, most repetitive one-note “melodies” make my voice sound lifeless. As long as I keep the same melodic shape and tonality, I can get away with making a song more bluesy or jazzy.
Sometimes, too, I just wanna get weird with it. Sing Happy Birthday in a minor key or modal key.
Scale Music
I don’t mean changing the key, but the instrumentation. As a soloist, I often only have my keyboard and maybe some backing tracks to help me. But what if I was given the opportunity to have a full band? Well, through the power of arranging, I can turn my song into an orchestral piece, a marching band piece, a jazz trio song, and so on.
Communicate with Band Mates Better
Singers are often maligned for being bad at music. I take that too heart. Many of us are super into ourselves and don’t care so much about other parts in a song because we’re vibing with the sound of our voice. That sounds narcissistic, but it’s an actual phenomenon. We are our instruments, so our bodies vibrate with sound and resonance the same way violins or tubas do. But, we need to be better musicians overall. Learning arrangement helps me understand what a saxophone is capable of playing, and if I want someone to riff, I can give them better direction.
Write Songs Holistically
Sure, 90% of writing credits goes to the melody and lyrics. However, I know that many of you have bigger ideas. Sonic ideas. I sure do! Synths, synths, synths, synths all over synths! If a song comes to you in one go, wouldn’t it be great to do more than say, “I want the drums to go do-do-duh-duuh-dododo-CRASH!” You could notate that or at least sketch it out on a DAW to give a producer or percussionist a more than vague sense of what you want.
Those are just some reasons why arranging is a good skill to have. If you crave independence and freedom to write like I do, arranging will help you get there.