Arrangement

In a recent session we focussed on arrangement, and how it is an important aspect of creating a composition that keeps the attention of the listener, and helps create a interesting and coherent piece that still changes in it’s melodic sections throughout.

One of the techniques to add variation that can be used to do this is binary phrasing, where a melody line, chord sequence or section is copied and altered, so that the overall shape and dynamic of the line is still fairly similar, however slight tweaks to the timing or the melody is applied to the repeated line.

This can be used in a number of ways depending on the instrument which the technique is applied to, eg drums / lead lines / backing chords. In a melody line it may be used to create a call and response effect which can be worked to the lyrics to create a cohesion between the musical backing and the vocal message, this also is a way of introducing tension / release into a composition and can be expanded on by integrating more instruments which cay play off each other.

Other methods of breaking away from the usual 4 / 8/ 16 bar loops is through using steps / leaps in the melody lines which can be aligned as an ana crusis, coming in at unsuspected timing to create a none predictable composition.