- Today, some checklists based on the arrangement tips from last time. After you’ve written your song, ask yourself these questions.
What do the instruments do?
How do they fit together?
- Do they change or stay the same?
- Are their parts simple or complex?
- Do the overall dynamics change? e.g. loud/soft, fast/slow, full/sparse arrangement
Does the tempo change? - Does the overall level of complexity, texture or no of notes played per bar (8ths, 16ths 32nds) change drastically anywhere?
- What layers does it have? e.g. rhythm, bass, harmony, melody
- What different textures does it have? e.g. melody and accompaniment, counter melody, polyphony (lots of interweaving melodies), homophony (block chords)
- Is there anything unusual or interesting about the way things are sung or played?
And to analyse each section, try adapting this form (see key below)
Song: Historic Placement:
Layers: Rhythm, Bass, Harmonic, Melodic
Key
- Syncopation – using off beats
- Implied harmonies – chords created by different melodies/instruments working together
- Diatonic – fitting into a major or minor key
- Chromatic – lots of sharps and flats, notes which do not fit the key
- Modal – using different scales to major minor (e.g. blues scale)
- Ascending/Descending – going up/down