Serious arrangement problem

AYYG33

New member
Hello, I primarily make Hip hop and am sitting on way too many unfinished beats. The loops I make sound great but when it comes to piecing together the entire song arrangement, they get ruined. I get overwhelmed with possibilities and thinking if parts need more or less etc. I do good on the intro to verse then to chorus. But after that it just sounds boring to me like it’s copied and pasted. I end up thinking if I need more sounds? I know how to drop things out etc. but it will still end up sounding too predictable. I notice the good hip hop beats are hard to predict while being predictable. There is a formula I cannot figure how to keep things moving. Any videos/ tips somebody can think of would help. The research on my own has gone nowhere.

Thanks
 
Hello, I primarily make Hip hop and am sitting on way too many unfinished beats. The loops I make sound great but when it comes to piecing together the entire song arrangement, they get ruined. I get overwhelmed with possibilities and thinking if parts need more or less etc. I do good on the intro to verse then to chorus. But after that it just sounds boring to me like itÂ’s copied and pasted. I end up thinking if I need more sounds? I know how to drop things out etc. but it will still end up sounding too predictable. I notice the good hip hop beats are hard to predict while being predictable. There is a formula I cannot figure how to keep things moving. Any videos/ tips somebody can think of would help. The research on my own has gone nowhere.

Thanks

Analyze other songs and take notes.
 
Sometimes copy-pasting the verse-chorus part a second time isn't a bad thing. You can always throw in a 4-bar breakdown section, or add in an extra layer or two for the second verse to build tension.

Cyko is right though. One of the best ways to learn is to buy an mp3 of some of your favourite songs and then tempo match them into your file and add markers to see where the verse-chorus-bridge-etc. are and then do your best to emulate.

Lastly, it takes many years of practice to get arranging down pat. Don't feel bad if you're still working on it. The best thing to remember is that when you finally do get the hang of it, you'll have a huge supply of "almost finished" beats to arrange and release.

Good luck!
 
If you make beats for artists take into account that they should contribute to the song too, and its the artist that has to shine on it, making it more generic helps, then when u get recorded lyrics u can rearrange it even further to make it more interesting, but dont go too crazy in the early stages
 
If you make beats for artists take into account that they should contribute to the song too, and its the artist that has to shine on it, making it more generic helps, then when u get recorded lyrics u can rearrange it even further to make it more interesting, but dont go too crazy in the early stages
This....:victory:
 
aren't most songs in the pop-section following a set formula with alot of copy-pasting tho? they have smaller changes in adding and removing sounds, changing drums etc. but they do repeat themselves over and over. It should be predictable, but yet not too predictable.

I would also think breaking down some of your favorite songs, and trying to emulate a song the same way, but with your own beat. It could be time consuming, but I think that is the best way to get that stuff figured out
 
I make a loop then only take one element like the chords and then completely switch the rest and then continue with just the melody and change the chords up and so on and then I go into Ableton session view and play around till I get an arrangement I like
 
Best thing for me is to study top 10 charting songs and really focus in on every element to see how it changes over time. Ex/ starts with pads, 4 bars later a high hat and clap come in, then a kick and strings comin, and the chorus adds a faster hi-hat and 808, etc. Then compare the second half of the song to the first half. Ex/ Second verse repeats the solo pads from the first verse, but also has the 808 and the clap, etc etc.

Honestly intensely studying popular music is the best education there is.
 
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