Arranging
Arranging means selecting your chosen song or piece of music and personalising it to change it in some way. This could be by adapting any of the following:
- style
- harmony and melody
- rhythm and tempo
- texture, stucture and form
- timbre and dynamics
Think about instrumentation when arranging. Use the music you have listened to and your knowledge of music as inspiration.
When arranging, consider:
- which instruments will be best for your arrangement?
- what kind of mood do you want to create?
- what kind of tempo (slow/fast) and dynamics (volume) will you need to use to create the mood you want?
Dynamics
Tempo
| Term | Tempo |
| Largo | Very slow |
| Adante | Walking pace |
| Moderato | Moderate tempo |
| Allegro | Quick and bright |
| Presto | Very fast |
| Term | Largo |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Very slow |
| Term | Adante |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Walking pace |
| Term | Moderato |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Moderate tempo |
| Term | Allegro |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Quick and bright |
| Term | Presto |
|---|---|
| Tempo | Very fast |
Many famous musicians have reworked original pieces. It is useful to listen to the both the original and the new version to see the techniques which have been used.
Fatherson describe their process of creating an arrangement of Elton John’s 'I’m Still Standing'.
Fatherson
Sam Aaron describes how coding can be used to create an arrangement
Sam Aaron
Fazer shows how music technology can help you get creative with arranging music
Fazer
