Question How to Make an Arrangement of a Song?

[Scarlet Illusion]

So... basically what the title says. I've been wanting to make an arrangement of the song "Meltdown" for a while, but I keep finding that my instrument choices are relatively lackluster and that I'm totally overwhelmed because I really don't know anything about making a proper arrangement. (Also my arrangements that I have done tend to sound very incomplete because the MIDIs I find are intended to be played on the piano.)

I tend to really get stumped at identifying what types of effects were used on the instruments in the original songs so I feel like my arrangements end up lacking a certain "oomph" because of that.

(Also, it probably doesn't help I'm a total noob at music making! )

So just any tips/advice/etc. are appreciated!

 

[parallax_fifths]

I don't think you can easily teach arrangement on an internet forum, especially because it's more art than science. (Although there is a small science element to many arrangements.)

However, if you're using a piano-based MIDI file as a basis for your project, it's likely that the piano arrangement is missing the bass notes. Or rather, they're likely transposed up an octave to make performance simpler for intermediate players. Although bass guitars, double basses, contrabassoons, etc. are notated on a bass clef, they sound an octave lower than written. In contrast, the bass clef notes found in most beginner and intermediate piano music sound as written. The lack of "oomph" that you describe could be the lack of a bass. (Although I'm only guessing because I haven't heard your WIP.)

To fix this, just copy the bass notes from the piano arrangement onto a separate bass track and transpose down an octave and take a listen without changing the piano part. This might be a good first step.

 

[Scarlet Illusion]

Ohh! I’ll have to try out your suggestion and see if it does the trick!! Thank you!!

 

[uncreepy]

I am really curious, when you say you want to make an arrangement, what do you plan on changing about the original song?

When I think of an arrangement, I first think about the instruments. They will probably be different compared to the original song and the number of instruments will probably be different, too. For example, maybe you play the cover with a single acoustic guitar or maybe you play it with several unconventional instruments (like hand clapping, a banjo, and a flute or something).

Next, I think about the playing style. You can change the tempo to be faster or slower. You could turn it into a jazz cover, or a fingerstyle arpeggio type cover, or even a metal cover.

Since there are many different ways to play one song (since you're focusing on the singing melody and the background chords, maybe even the drum beat in some way), it would be helpful to know what genre you are trying to cover the song in/what type of vibe you are trying to achieve compared to the original.

Here are examples of arrangements. I am sure everyone is very familiar with like 10 million different versions of the same songs that play at Christmas time in stores. Those are arrangements!

Original:


More country/guitar-y:


Peppy version:


Techno:

 

[Scarlet Illusion]

I just realized I'd never replied to this!! Whoops!!
Uh, as far as making an arrangement I've only thought about changing the instruments, admittedly!! Hehe.
(To be completely honest, I didn't even consider what genre I might be going for so I suppose I really did not think this through all the way and just "winged it".)

I suppose I ought to think a little harder on what genre I'd like to do... (I wonder what a Eruobeat version of Meltdown might sound like... or maybe trance style... hmmm...)

In terms of "vibes", I'm trying to maintain a chill, atmospheric kind of vibe for the arrangement!

Oh, and thanks for the examples! I somehow forgot Christmas songs are great examples of arrangements!!

 

[Cyana]

The most important thing for starting an arrangement is to work out what "key" elements will need to be maintained in order to preserve the character of the song. These are probably things like the main melody (both instrumental and vocal) and the chord progression. Beyond this, the changes you make will largely be determined by the style of arrangement you're trying to make.

For example, if you wanted to make a jazzy style version of meltdown, you might change the meter from simple to compound time to give some "swing", give the lead melody to a saxophone or something, and have the vocals generally be softer or more "lounge-y". Piano chords, but played in a different rhythm to the original, to match the swing.

Using arrangements made for piano is very helpful, because you'll easily be able to see what the chords are, as well as the important melodies. From there, it's a matter of spreading the sounds out to instruments that fit your chosen genre/style, and that cover enough of the frequency spectrum to be exciting. I'd recommend just making a track with the plain chords on them for reference (deleted in the final version), so you can make sure you follow the right progression. Beyond that, it really depends on the style you're going for.