What can we learn from the best arrangers?
A music arranger is an in-demand person in the music industry. He can take the existing track to the next level and make it sound new and different. Arrangers and audio engineers, like ekmixmaster.com, don’t usually get enough credit, but they have a tremendous amount of power over the song. Another reason why arrangers are often overlooked is that many of them play the role of producers as well. They can add parts to a track to better convey its meaning, change the key, the tempo, and the style, add harmonies e.t.c. Arranging may determine whether the track will become a hit or not. It plays a crucial role in the success of a track. The music history has known hundreds of outstanding arrangers, such as Larry Gold, Mary Lou Williams, Neil Hefti, Billy May, and many more. So let’s see what we can learn from the best arrangers of all times. What skills and knowledge do you need to become a good arranger.
The first skill you need to develop is networking. The industry is run by people, and if you want to get to the very top of it you need to have excellent social skills, be easygoing and open, not afraid of talking openly about what you do. The more people know about your skills, the higher are the chances that they will hire you. So you need to develop strong interpersonal and social skills. You should also learn music theory. And by theory we mean not only chords and harmonies but also instruments, their capabilities, the song structure, the elements that help diversify the arrangement. Don’t forget about genres and styles. You should be able to understand the distinction of one genre from another, their particularities, and unique features. This skill is very important for a music arranger.
Seeing this overwhelming list of skills may make you feel confused and intimidated, but we assure you that you don’t have to do everything perfectly from the very beginning. It will all come to you with practice and time so what you need to do is find a song you can practice with. To do that, you need to take our advice from the previous point and o some networking. Tame your ego. When you are working on a song, it might seem that you know best, that you know for sure how to make the song perfect, but remember that it is not your song you are working on. The requirements and the vision of your client should always come first when you work with someone else’s track.
There are several routes you may take to acquire the necessary knowledge. You may go to college or university where you will receive full training (ear training, instrument training, music theory e.t.c), you may study privately with a tutor. It will take less time, but you won’t be able to network. And you may study on your own using Youtube and Google. This is the most difficult and time-consuming route, but it is perfect for the start to understand whether the arranging is for you or not. But once you can afford to pay for education, it is worth it, as it will save you a lot of time. So choose the method that will work best for you.
