From the course: Remixing Techniques: Arranging and Song Form

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A general overview of musical arranging

A general overview of musical arranging

From the course: Remixing Techniques: Arranging and Song Form

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A general overview of musical arranging

When we speak of musical arranging we are referring to the organization of musical ideas contained within a song: How should a song, how should it end and what is going to happen in between those two points? All of these questions are eventually answered as a musical arrangement unfolds. It's important to understand that arranging the song is not the same thing as writing a song. An artist or songwriter can sit down and write a song on a piano or guitar and at that moment a marriage of harmony and melody occurs. But before the age of computers and desktop recording, musical arrangers were brought into recording sessions to work with the studio musicians in crafting the perfect parts for the song. Maybe the bassline is too busy for a certain section of the song, so the arranger might work with the bass player in simplifying the part. An arranger's job can entail working with the entire song structure or just a specific part in a specific section. When you take a look at some of the…

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