“You nurture every song to make it as good as possible, but a single has to be attrac-tive in a more obvious way,” says Steve Lipson. “You don’t always need a gimmick.
The arrangement has to be exactly right, unquestionably. I learned a lot about that from Trevor [Horn].” Given a strong song and artist, infl uence over the arrange-ment is one of the most powerful tools a producer has and can spell the difference between success and failure.
There are two parts to an arrangement, the orchestration and the form or struc-ture. Orchestration is the combination of instrumentation (real and virtual) and the way those instruments work together rhythmically, harmonically, and melodically.
The term dates back to the early 19th century, referring to the scoring of parts for an orchestra. The dynamic development or ebb and fl ow of the track through the addition, subtraction, and changing of parts or voices, including stops and break-downs, develops the piece. In a recording context, orchestration is often achieved through programming, electronic treatment, and balancing or mixing, rather than by being scored and played. Equalization and the use of reverb, delay, panning, techniques affecting presence, and other effects can be considered part of orches-tration. A good orchestrator considers not only the range of the instruments, but also the timbre to maintain clarity and interest. Too many instruments or voices
centered in one frequency range can make a mix bottom-heavy, muddy, unclear, harsh, or too bright. Level adjustments, equalization, and other electronic treat-ment can resolve the problem.
Good orchestration maintains clarity in the mix. It ensures that each element of the track occupies its own space in the audio spectrum and does not compete with other parts. For creating the immediacy needed for a widely popular track, after the song and the vocal performance, the arrangement is paramount. The term
“arrangement” denotes a version of a piece of music, 17 and it is possible to regis-ter an original arrangement of a public-domain song for which you can receive royalties. Sometimes arrangements are part of the songwriting process, but often melodies, chord sequences, and lyrics are written, and it isn’t until the arrangement is fi nalized that the song has that compelling “play it again” quality.
We do not tend to think about the orchestration of popular music in the same terms as that of a symphony orchestra, but the number of instruments, sounds, and parts on a pop record can match or exceed that of an orchestra. Dr. Luke told ABC’s Steven Baker that Katy Perry’s song “Teenage Dream” comprised 182 tracks. 18 Even though many of these parts may be nonessential, they contribute to the overall effect and impact of the record and must be blended as any composer, orchestrator, and conductor would.
No matter how beautiful the orchestration, if the structure or form of the song is less than optimum, the track will meander, confusing the listener and thwarting the potential for a hit. The terms “form” and “structure,” while being the best we have, are problematic because they have many defi nitions in music theory. In popu-lar songs, form often refers to the song form, such as blues (often but not always 12 bars with a I, IV, V chord sequence), AABA, ABAB, ABAC (often four eight-bar sections that are then repeated), multi-sectional, or multi-strain, etc. These are usu-ally 12, 16, or 32 measures embodying the basic material that repeats several times in the course of a three- or four- minute version.
Regardless of the underlying song form, recordings usually comprise addi-tional elements: introductions, interludes, breakdowns, instrumentals, outros, etc.
that are not part of the song form. They are part of a production and signifi cant in imparting a satisfying fl ow to the record. The order of these parts along with the repetition of the basic elements of the song is what I am referring to as structure.
How these sections fl ow from one to another is vital to a successful production.
In summation, the structure of a recording is the combination of the underly-ing song form, additional elements, and the order in which they occur. If you think of a song as being a museum or art gallery full of interesting objects, the structure works like a curated tour. If you wandered around the museum without guidance, you might leave before you found the best part. Good structure gives a recording maximum impact on the fi rst listen, helping the listener learn the song as it unfolds, with some surprises. It must then hold the listener’s interest through repeated lis-tens. Balancing immediacy with repeatability is a major challenge of popular music production.
Artists’ demos are rarely structured or orchestrated in their best form. The artist or writer who can optimize a piece may not need a producer, and we see this with artist/ producers such as Gotye, David Guetta, and Calvin Harris. Developing bands often write some appealing parts, such as a verse and chorus indicating potential for a hit, but these usually need additional treatment and organization.
Producers often have to generate new sections including intros, outros, instrumental sections, stop sections, breakdowns, and sometimes bridges or middle eights (even when they are not eight bars). These parts may be able to be co-opted from ele-ments elsewhere in the song to create a section that contributes to the fl ow of the recording.
Intros are usually short instrumental setups, using material from the body of the song. Outro is a relatively new term (replacing “coda”) for a section that mostly uses elements from the song to create a satisfying conclusion or fadeout to the piece.
As in jazz and blues, instrumental sections, stop sections, and breakdowns usually conform to the harmonic structure and, most often, the tempo of one or more of the parts of the song. Bridges, middle eights, releases, B sections, pre-choruses, and channels are terms confusingly used somewhat interchangeably to indicate vari-ous parts of a song. The bridge is usually a single, non-repeating section of a song that contrasts with previous material, moves the song forward and, in many cases, introduces new lyrical information. Bridges may be forged from permutations of chords and/or melodic fragments that occur in the song but sometimes modulate to a related harmonic and melodic place, occasionally changing the rhythmic empha-sis and/or tempo signifi cantly. Not all songs need a bridge, but a well-constructed one lifts a song to a higher level of experience for the listener.
Producers often have to change the order and/or length of song sections and sometimes the transitions from one to another. Arrangement or structural adjust-ments of this nature can vastly improve the appeal and commercial impact of a song, and most producers regard this kind of contribution as part of the produc-tion. Writing a new bridge or original musical or lyrical material can constitute a co-write by the producer.
Overly long introductions and verses (A sections) are common arrangement problems. A rule of thumb says that the fi rst chorus should begin in under 60 sec-onds; this is not a strict rule but rather a guideline. Radio program directors receive a plethora of new material, and they tend to stop listening if the intro does not command their attention or if they have to wait too long to hear the main hooks.
Exiting the song on a strong hook, even if it is not the main chorus line, leaves lis-teners wanting to hear more. Thomas Alva Edison is credited with saying, “Genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration.” 19 Strong bridges generally indicate good songwriting skills and a work ethic because they are rarely part of the initial inspiration and demand additional creative effort. Regardless, all sections need to be strong and to fl ow well from one to another if a hit record is the objective.
It can be diffi cult to maintain objectivity when assessing a song that has good component parts but exhibits structural problems. In a competitive market, a
lukewarm fi rst impression means no second chance. The more often you listen to a song, the more your mind accommodates a convoluted arrangement. For this rea-son, producers need to act on fi rst impressions. A well-organized structure makes it easy to appreciate a song on the fi rst listen. The intro commands attention, the verse sets the scene and draws you in, a B section or channel lifts you from the verse to the chorus, and the chorus embeds itself in your brain melodically, harmonically, and with the emotional affect the song wants to elicit.
Bridges are often a respite from the reiteration of chorus and verse sequences and may contain a lyrical variation or conclusion. The outro might simply repeat choruses, mix and match content from the body of the song, or be a completely new section that leaves you wanting more. Instrumental sections offer relief from the vocal and can supplant or augment a bridge. When there is one, a lead solo instrument may ad-lib throughout the outro, ratcheting up the intensity to the end.
These rules still apply in formats where the track may not have a conventional melody (such as hip hop) but where there are melodic and rhythmic vocal elements that change and develop from one section to another. Although there are signifi cant differences from one genre to another, a track’s dynamics must evolve in a satisfy-ing way to inspire a listener to add the song to their playlist. The producer is really the last resort for a song. If poor structure, uninspired orchestration, unmemorable melodies, or inconsequential harmonic sequences slip through into the mix, that track will be doomed to obscurity.