Learning to arrange my tracks

ChiefBigpeep

New member
Hello guys..
First off I wanted to thank the guys that P.Med me with a question I had before.
So I'm new to music and I know how I learn is alittle unorthodox I see music in shapes and I'm in need of structure of my tracks.
Usually I'll have the usual kick, bass ,hihat ,open hat percussion etc. Lined down on my tracks in Fl studio I create my melody usually 4-8 bars sometimes a counter melody sometimes I'll just layer the melody with another synth or instrument so I have something that adds to my chorus I know it's usually 4 bar intro, 12-16 bar verse 8 bar hook back into the verse 12-16 then another hook then I get kinda lost I finished my last song which 90% of the time it is double time 125-160 bpm and to keep it around the 3:20 range. So I have a few questions
1. What is a pre chorus? How can I use it in my hiphop and trap production?
2. What are some other arrangements that are normal. You can list them out like 12 bar verse - 4 bar bridge and so on I'll write them all down and try them out.
3. If you have something really repetitive how can you keep the energy and people interested?

Thank you guys for all your help.!!
 
Hey,

Nice questions! So before I answer I'd like to say this: I mostly record my instruments live and don't use loops that much. I do know quite something about how to build up a song. I am mostly into Pop, jazz and funk music so maybe my opinion is a little bit colored :)

Here are my answers:
1. A prechorus is a little piece (like 4-8 bars). You can mostly hear a change with the verse and a build up to the chorus. Think about songs like: Castle on the hill (Found my heart...), all of me - john legend (My heads under water...) and more. You'll hear that there is a different part between the verse and the chorus. That part is called the pre-chorus (how did they think of that name :)).
2. I would like to challenge you to stay away from the standard arragements. The most important thing is that there is somekind of repetition (people do love repetition). But the rest is really free. You can make each verse different when you have a really sticky refrain. It's really just experimenting and not caring too much about how it 'has to be done'. The most important thing is how it sounds, then how it is theoretic correct :).

But if you do want some examples, here they are. I don't care that much about how long each part has to be because that really doesn't matter that much (as long as it sounds good... again)
- Verse/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/chorus (modulation?) chorus
- You can also start with a totally different peace (like 24k magic or just one of those things by Jamie cullum)
- Verse/prechorus/chorus/verse/prechorus/chorus/prechorus/chorus/chorus
- Only verses and instrumental (hanging tree, pulaski at night, house of the rising sun or my own song: Time - Danny Yellow (sprinkled a little selfpromotion there :))
- Verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/verse/chorus/chorus

This is just something but really, really, really feel free to do your own thing. As long as it sounds... well, you know.

3. So thats really difficult sometimes. Here are some things you might consider:
- Change a part totally than you thought you wanted it. Like the second verse a lot quieter or a different instrumentation.
- If you are rhytmically good you could try a different rhytm in e.g. the bridge or the prechorus.
- Remove some instruments on some parts to make it more dynamic
- Add some instruments on some parts to make it more dynamic :)
- Add stops (places where all instruments stop for a few counts)
- Avoid loops what are constantly the same
- Consider adding another instrumental melody hook so you can switch them sometimes or let them play together.
- Layering, by layering instruments you can really increase the power of an instrument. When you listen to my song Time you can clearly hear a build up in instruments:
Verse 1: One guitar and one vocal
Verse 2: Extra guitar layer and a bass guitar
Instrumental: Organ and extra vocal layers
Verse 3: Only one vocal left

In my new song Book of Love I changed the dynamics by only adding backing vocals. Backing vocals can be very powerful, expecially to separate the chorus from the verse. Also a voice double works very good (or multiples of them).
- Do something weird somewhere in the song. The bridge is really the best place to do weird stuff. I think that it's important to sometimes do something that is not usual. That keeps the listener interested. If they already know what is coming they can be easily distracted.
- Or just don't care that it is repetitive. Some songs are nice because they are repetitive. Funk music is sometimes really extremely repetitive. And repetitive songs are also songs that are easy to remember and to wistle after you've heard it.

So that are my thoughts. If you have any questions or something you don't understand or don't agree with, feel free to ask!

Good luck with musicing

Danny Yellow
 
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