So you’ve just finished writing a new song. You’re super excited. You’re feeling like it’s one of the best things you’ve ever penned, and you’re just about...
So you’ve just finished writing a new song. You’re super excited. You’re feeling like it’s one of the best things you’ve ever penned, and you’re just about to text your band mates, “Hey, forget the bars tonight, you degenerates, meet me at the practice space!”
But WAIT! ...
Before you drag your drummer away from his Jägermeister or you book studio time, ask yourself this question: Have I thought about an arrangement?
Sure, you could show up to the studio with chord chart and lyric sheet in hand, allowing your players to come up with their own parts. Or maybe you could leave the arrangement and instrumentation ideas in the hands of a producer and it all might turn out cool. But then again, you might also end up with a 32nd-note cowbell part dancing across your oh-so-quiet bridge.
Why leave the arrangement to chance? Outside input from band members and producers alike is extremely valuable and should be accepted and encouraged; but remember, this is your baby after all. Why not take the bull (sans bell) by the proverbial horns and view arranging as an extension of your songwriting process?
To ease you into the mindset of choosing instrumentation-arranging, and to help illustrate all the cool ideas you can dream up to enhance your song during that process, I thought I’d put a microscope on an arrangement I did for a recently released tune of mine called, “Not That Guy.”
For clarity’s sake, I’ve broken the song down (below) into sections, giving you a little background on the instrumentation and arrangement ideas I came up with for each segment. I’ve also included the YouTube stream of the tune so you can listen as you read along.
INTRO
Since the main, rhythm instrument that plays