.....the song starts, the guitar plays 8 bars,
the second guitar plays 8 bars,
the drums come in, and before you know it...
your 45 seconds or a minute into the song and no vocals yet....
The listeners attention has already gone somewhere else and it's going to be pretty hard to get them back.
Lets look at what many think is the proper way to arrange commercially.
Intro, Verse, Pre, Chorus, Verse 2, Pre 2, Chorus 2, Bridge, Breakdown, Chorus out.
Sometimes you'll put a little "interlude after the first chorus, modulate the chorus out, and many other variations, but if I would have to pin point the average arrangement, that would be it.
Here are just some basic tips that could help make your listener stay with you through the whole song, which in some cases in just good writing , but lets look at it from the arrangment stand point.
1. Keep the intro short and sweet, people wanna hear the singer and his/her's message as quickly as possible.
2. Think of your song as mountains and valleys. If you would drive through a texas 500 mile straight, how long until you loose interest? What if you would drive through the mountains , up and down, curves and all....pretty exiting right? Well, it's the same with your song. Create some highs and lows, or spaces in your arrangement that will pull your listener back in. Stops, extra instrumentation, background vocals, guitar slides, reversed effects, extra keys or strings and many other things can keep the average A.D.D. human interested in your music.
3. We all suffer from it.....showing off. But Radio proves everyday that simplicity works. Keep it simple. That's the key. Your Drummer is probably a monster player, and your guitar and bass player can really tear it up, but there is a time and place for that. In an average 4 minute song, can you find 2-3 spots for everyone to do a little something? Hey that gets us back to point 2..... Mountains and Valleys......right?
4. Make sure the arrangement matches your lyrics or message of the song, unless you are comedians, which works too. This is rather a simple concept, but I believe that people forget about this sometimes. If your song is dark, arrange it dark. This could mean lots of space and really gory, or whatever dark means to you. We are all influenced by somebody which brings me to the most important point.....
5. Learn and Steal. Yep. Thats what made me successful in this business and helped me produce on records selling over 50 million. Your favorite artists, the top 10 on the radio and your cd collection are the best place to start from. See, we all forget that even if you would do the exact same arrangement of the exact same song as someone, that it would still be YOU doing it. That is all the difference. So, listen to similar music and really analyse it. Take a piece of paper and write down the length of each part, make little notes for little effects they did, and do that for 10 songs. Now compare the notes and see which of the ideas you gathered hit you the most and implement them into your arrangement.
6. Voicings, yes I gotta talk at least one technical term... I've heard such amazing things done with the most simple chord progessions like a 1-4-5-1 , that you would think they were playing minors over majors.. For example, you can create tension by NOT exposing the whole triad on the guitar. Why guitar? Well it seems to me they always come up with the best voicing because of how the instrument is layed out. Hard to explain without playing it for you, but i'm sure you get the point. The same counts for strings or keyboard parts.
Veit Renn
With more than 50 million records sold worldwide, Veit Renn has made a remarkable impact in music. But let's start at the beginning. He was born and raised in Augsburg, Germany. At the age of 8, Veit's parents fulfilled his desire to learn an instrument by buying him a keyboard. Inspired by his nine year older brother who played guitar and sang in different bands, he started to write his own songs. While still studying keyboard with a private instructor, he taught himself guitar and bass.
Inspiring artists of his youth were soul and jazz musicians like Al Jarreau, George Benson, and Stevie Wonder. The combination of R&B and jazz fascinated him and was soon recognizable in his original songs. He started singing in bands that soon played mostly his songs and in 1986 he received his hometown award for "Most Promising Musician." With this band he also toured Germany, Czechoslovakia and other European countries.
Veit always had a dream to study music, but first had to fulfill his parents wish to do an apprenticeship in order to have a more sec
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Veit_Renn

I tend to agree with most of what Dae is saying here although I am a bit different in my song writing than she is. I try to write more comercially friendly material to get to more people in an easier way .. air play. The radio is what you are reaching for when you write a song so that people can hear what you have to say. Therein lies the hard part .. telling a story, a movie if you will, in 4 to 5 minutes.

It's hard to do, and not everyone is cut out for it. Some people cant write a tune to save their ass, then there are songwriters like Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Some people have it and some don't. Which are you? Here's how to find out .. in my opinion ..

Write your song and after you play it for you boyfriend/girlfriend and all your relatives that are gonna tell you how wonderful you are, grab your guitar and go out to a venue and play it for people that really don't care about you at all. I don't mean to sound mean here .. I am being honest. Strangers are who you are hitting to buy your material in the first place. If they boo you off the stage, then guess what .. you might not be as good as you think you are. If they give you some applause there might be hope. You grabbed their attention and they listened to you while you where performing. If they go freakin' out of their minds for you then you are the next John Lennon. Here's how this breaks down ...

Most of us aren't getting booed off a stage once we put our heads above the crowd. People arent that rude .. usually. They will pay some sort of attention to you, even if you suck. Once you have gotten their attention the trick is keeping it. Here's where you find out if you have what it takes. If they are watching you from the first note to the last then you might have something. As long as they aren't snickering while you are playing, there's hope for you. After you are done singing your song, and hopefully you can sing, or you better be good at writing it out note for note. Otherwise, there's no way to get the melody across to another person. I know one person that has been lied to her whole life and thinks that she is a great songwriter, when in actual realaty, she isn't. Anyhow .. the response of the audience is what determends how good a song is. It all depends on what other people think of it. If you get a good response, then keep up the good work and write your little hear out. If people are laughing at you then you might want to consider working at Wal-Mart.

I am by no means saying I am a great songwriter. I am not. But, I do have my songs being played on World Wide Internet Radio and have gotten good response from playing them. People understand what I am trying to convey in the 4 to 5 minbutes that the song may last.

Get the attention, keep the attention, and tell the story as quickly and as efficiently as possible. There's my advice. Good luck .. and write on!!

I tend to agree in general with the previous postings. Sandi, A fellow song writer who has been performing and writing all of her life and I were discussing the whole songwriting thing a couple of weeks ago. Sandi's opinion was to introduce originals at venues which are "originals freindly" so to speak and she sighted the Mill Top Lounge here in St Augustine as an example and I agree. Another example was the open mic at the old Senior Frog's that was in Bridgeville or Caliope night at the Bloomfield Bridge Tavern in Bloomfield. Unfortunately (and fortunately) the Senior Frog's atmosphere was like family and although it was easy to do originals due to the generally receptive atmosphere the criticism tended to be sugarcoated.....sort of a bittersweet situation...almost like playing in front of a girlfreind or family member. Unfortunately, "original freindly" places are far and few between everywhere. Its been my experience that from L.A. to N.Y.C. and just about everywhere in between audiences want to hear covers ....and covers done well ...especially during a paid gig. A string of well done covers, that are done energetically, and are familiar as well as popular (past or present) is one of the main things that hooks the audience. After the audience is hooked then I'll do my best original ...the one that I am most comfortable with and was well recieved in the past by other audiences (and not the new original) but before I do so I announce that this song is an original, sort of asking their permission. This also lets the audience know that I have been known to write a song or two sort of an introduction to what else I can be about onstage. Unless really pressured by the audience to do back to back originals, I'll go back to another string of familiar covers before introducing the new original. One song won't break a night, however, one song introduced at the wrong time might ruin the whole night.

I agree. The most important parts of any performed song are the beginning and the "tag" ( the ending)....espectially in a band situation. Unless its a dramatic instrumental type song ya lose em after 30 seconds (max) and if the tag is not dramatic or even if it is sloppy you have the audience saying to themselves ..."huh ???"....& as we all know....if they say to themselves "huh???" more than twice in a night, you've lost them, no matter how good the rest of the night seemed to be going.

In response to the comments posted by my distinguished Colleague Brian as to prep.{look it up}.......The initial Post by Dae entitled Don't loose them in the first 30 Seconds.......I do agree to some degree with the fact that Most People are not generally rude, However Some can tend to be even if they intended not to be at the initial start of said situation.......These people are easy to spot if one knows what to look for; Subtlety can hide much, but when one lacks in character, one tends to see another as "Sucking" only because they do not, or for what ever reason, can not, understand the initial circumstances which led the person that they say sucks to write or express themselves in the first place, and in that non understanding, in an attempt at subtlety in regards to their feelings about the other individuals Skill or Talent they succeed to only diminish themselves in the fact that they fail to realize, that truth be told , No one who writes in any form, be it poetry, stories, songs, and the like, as well as in any medium, be it personal, professional, or commercial, truly sucks.......
I mean if you think about it, at one point everyone who is now considered Mainstream or Commercial at some point Sucked, and we must remember that Creative Expression is by its own definition: That which is Expressed Creatively, and when done so by any individual who feels the urge, or dare I say the need, to express themselves in any form simply because they feel that they have something to say, and that it needs to be said, That individual, at that moment of thought conception, ceases to suck, simply because they have tapped into the true nature of Mankind, Which is to create, or at least endeavor to create a previously unseen and unique way of looking at the bigger picture of Life, and in doing so, they have begun to move in a direction which by its own design is void of sucking on any level and disproves the point as to the Judges concept of the said
Commercialization of the topic, the point of the Critic at that stage in the game becomes moot because not all of those who hear the message are going to receive the intended blessing brought forth by the vision created by the words written by the individual that they believe sucks in the first place.......I'm Sure that Mr. and Mrs. Jones, who lived next door to Mr. and Mrs. Hendrix, probably thought that Lil Jimmy Sucked, Now they eat Crow every year For Thanksgiving.......My point is that when an audience, or for that matter, an individual, begins to judge or to criticize the creative endeavors of another, at that point they cease to be an audience and become a reviewer, and in doing so, aren’t they in a sense, forgetting that at one point in their lives they too sucked at something that they now excel at.

In a reply to Mr. Snake's last point ...
Getting back to the point of some people have it and some people don't there are one's that will excel and one's that will fail in this business. Not that I am either, or saying by any means that I am better than anyone else .. I am not! But I do have an opinion just as anyone does that has been in this hard ass business for well over 20 years. You become alittle jaded, I guess .. Anyhow ..

If one is "tone def" and no one tells them and the "suck" because of this, which by the way is out of their control, then they are fooling no one but themselves. If one can not carry a tune vocally on a silver platter then they should find another avenue to travel and save the rest of us, please. I mean, if my ears are bleeding, and dogs are howling, then maybe a career at McDonalds would be better.

And now lets talk rhythm. If one can not keep a beat, or strum a rhythm on a guitar, then one should not be playing that, or any other, instrument. Maybe that is a bit harsh, but facts are facts. Snake, you and I both know people like this and agree on most points that I am brining up. Although you feel that they should be credited for trying, and yes I agree with that to a certain point, but they should not be concidered a professional, or even a true musician because of their lack of said talent. To be a musician of any sort, you have to have a sense of rhythm to a degree. If one looks like, and plays like Elaine, from Sienfeld, on the dance floor then one should maybe concider not dancing. Am I making any sense to you at all? hahahaha. I am not mentioning names here, due to not wanting to embarrass anyone because I do have personal respect for people, but lets face the facts my friend. Looking forward to your reply.

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Brian Boone
DJ BLAZE
Smokin Tunz Radio

I'm afraid I have to agree with David on this one. Many good musicians at some point in their life were not so great. It was through pure will and determination that they became great. Some may have the will and determination, and never break through their own personal barriers. Many do though. It is unfortunate though that some can criticize so harshly. That could kill a person's self esteem , and kill a potentially great artist. I know a person who is not such a great musician, and not such a great singer. What this man excels at is songwriting. He writes the songs and pays musicians to record them in a studio. he then goes on to sell them in Nashville where artists buy his tunes and make them their own. He may never be the greatest musician himself, but he sure has found his niche. If someone had told him he sucked, he might not have pursued his talent as a songwritier. See what I mean. The music business is broad. A person could go on to work as an engineer in a recording studio, or be a talent scout for a record company etc.etc. But in order to get there, they have to discover within themselves where their talent truly lies and follow their heart. Keep writing, keep singing, keep trying. That is my philosophy.

Ok Dae, I can agree with the fact that one has to find what area they WILL excel in, if any. I mean, yes, there are many different areas of this lovely industry that we all adore so much. There are other avenues to follow, other than performing, and I guess that what I was trying to say in the first place. Making my ears bleed and the dogs in the back yard howl just isnt what I get into. Ok, instead of McDonalds serving Happy Meals, or Wal-Mart greeting people as they walk in, maybe picking up the phone and being a booking agent is for that certain individual. But then again, there lies another talent .. you got it or you don't.

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Brian Boone
DJ BLAZE
Smokin Tunz Radio

hahah and you are such a wonderful and absolutely talented booking agent hehehehe

I agree with My distinguished Colleague on the whole issue from a certain standpoint, That anyone with enough dedication and commitment for something can be trained if surrounded by the right bunch of individuals who will not only share their expert Tutelage{I love that word} Tutelage hehehe} but also criticize when it is called for I mean Pavorati may not have always been able to hit that High shit until a good a swift kick in the nads in jr high....hahaha...But it is possible that he was born to do what he does
Some are just Blessed....... this is true.......
We may never truly know the essence of, or for that matter the circumstances surrounding his rise to the top rung of the operatic ladder but one thing is for sure, He has a god given Talent and that is one thing that my good friend and I can agree on....... A human being can learn to do just about anything, and do it with some initial skill, But to truly be able to excel at it one must have it from the start.......and yes.......Diane on the dance floor definitely needs work.......See ya soon Brother