Amos Clarke - 36 Song Arrangement Tips for the Small Recording Studio

Song Arrangement Tips

For the Small Recording Studio

Amos Clarke

First publication November 2016

36 Song Arrangement Tips for the Small Recording Studio

Copyright 2016 - All Rights Reserved Amos P. W. Clarke

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any informational storage or retrieval system without express written, dated and signed permission from the author.

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Im giving away my FREE Arrangement Tips Graphics Ebook to my readers. It contains detailed explanatory graphics, printable posters, templates, and a checklist for using with your own song arrangements

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Introduction

W ho is this book for ?

If youre a mixing engineer who still finds that your songs arent sounding the way they should, even after youve sunk loads of cash into gear and plugins, then this book could be for you.

If youre a songwriter who struggles to put the polish on your songs that they deserve, then this book could help take your songs to the next level.

If youre a music producer who feels like something is missing from your production process, then this could be the book that enhances your skills and helps reshape your entire approach to production and arrangement.

W hat is this book about ?

This book is about crafting great songs. Its about transforming existing compositions into song productions that will keep your audience listening and coming back for more.

At a more detailed level, this book focuses on song structure, managing repetition, and the manipulation of a songs musical patterns. It delves into designing a songs dynamic energy flow, the contrast of song sections, and how to leverage artist performance to improve the overall song production. And theres so much more. The intention of this book is to provide you with new tools and ideas, and a fresh perspective on how to transform almost any song into an engaging listening experience.

36 Song Arrangement Tips for the Small Recording Studio, is a summarised version of its big brother book, Song Arrangement for the Small Recording Studio. The most salient topics have been extracted and summarised into bite-sized chunks, along with some brand new content. If you want more in-depth information, explanations, and examples about each of the tips in this book (and more), I suggest getting hold of my other book, Song Arrangement for the Small Recording Studio.

H ow this book can help you!

This book is deliberately written to be short and concise so you can start implementing the ideas and concepts into your own song productions as soon as possible. Its an all meat, no filler approach to getting the most information to you in the shortest and quickest possible way. Each tip has a clear explanation of what it is, how it works, and why its important. Included is a short summary with practical ideas for applying the tips. Terms shown in italics include a definition in the Glossary.

I sincerely hope that this information expands your knowledge and helps you get more from your music endeavours.

L ets get going.

1
Structure

Deliberate focus on the structure is a critical aspect for the success of any song

T he structure of a song is commonly shown in a format where a letter is used to denote each song section. Each section commonly relates to an 8 bar length (although this can vary). An entire song structure can be shown using a format, like in this typical rock song:

A A B A B C B

A = verse, B = chorus and C = bridge.

This song structure is:

Verse 1, verse 2, chorus 1, verse 3, chorus 2, bridge, chorus 3/outro.

T he AABABCD structure has the following features:

a) It starts with two verses, but only has one verse after chorus 1 to increase the perceived pace and avoid listener boredom.

b) Its typical of a rock or pop radio hit format.

c) It will likely have a total duration of around 3 4 minutes depending on the tempo.

Simpler song structures can incorporate a Refrain (hook) and exclude an actual chorus section, such as the AABA format in, Aint No Sunshine (Bill Withers) and, Just The Way You Are (Billy Joel). Another simple and effective pop structure is the ABAB format used in Material Girl (Madonna) and Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic (The Police).

Its easy to fall into the habit of composing songs with little consideration for the structural arrangement. This is common if youre the sole songwriter and your focus is on, say, recording or mixing. Paying attention to the structure by applying this format will almost certainly improve the finished song.

Careful attention to a songs structure allows manipulation of the pace , energy and duration of the song, to name a few. For example, changing the format from AABABCD to ABABCD removes verse 2, gets the song to the chorus quicker, and gives more momentum: perfect for radio airplay. Alternatively, your song could immediately capture listeners with the hook, by starting with a chorus, like in Animals (Maroon 5).