Band on the Run: Arrangement or "you can't spoil porridge with butter". So, let's analyze the main mistakes that deserve special attention.

Yes ... There is a topic that you can talk about a lot and for a long time, and at the end of the conversation you won’t budge a single step. The question "how to arrange" puts in a hopeless dead end. You begin to ask yourself - how to explain to a person how to do it, if working on an arrangement requires not just a computer with a bunch of software, and not even a studio full of synthesizers and processing. This requires something else - taste, knowledge, ear, musical background, experience ... Well, of course, a decent room, adequate control and a quality recording environment are also important.

So it is unlikely that in the next few dozen paragraphs and several thousand words I will be able to thoroughly describe the algorithm for creating an arrangement. Moreover, I cannot give unambiguous recommendations on what needs to be done so that your arrangement immediately sounds on all radio stations. But I can still tell you something. And it will allow you to avoid the most common mistakes. Well, you know, as in the proverb - it's clean not where they wash, but where they don't litter. About this will be discussed - in more not about what to do, but about what not to do.

So, the most common problems that an average arranger has to face and, accordingly, solve them.

To begin with, it must be clearly understood that an arrangement is not a work. This frame for artwork, the way to submit it. Therefore, you need to think - does the content correspond to the form that you are going to give it? For example, you take a chanson song and try to make it disco. Perhaps, of course, as a result you will get something a la disco, but for fans of chanson it will be a slap in the face, and fans of dance genres will most likely just miss your pearl past their ears and attention.

Choose the genre in which the song will be listened to as authentically and harmoniously as possible. There is no need to try to pass off a Russian round dance song as a bossa nova, it is not worth sculpting a lullaby out of heavy metal. No, if your goal is experiments, then, of course, the flag is in your hands. But here we will talk about a more or less standard, "academic" approach.

Then - understand whether the chosen material is worth spending days and nights on it, trying to lick it to a "pre-hit" state. Pay attention to the original data. Is the text good? Is the music interesting? If there are a lot of mistakes, patterns, mistakes in the text - most likely, even with the best arrangement, the final result will cause a negative for many. If the musical message is poor and uninteresting, you can, of course, practice harmonic substitutions, rewrite most of the melodic lines, and so on, but the question is - is it worth it? Maybe it's easier to take on something else or come up with a new song from scratch?

Of course, if we are talking about the fulfillment of a commercial order for an arrangement, then we will have to put up with it. And bang your head against the wall, trying to shine and pull the hit out of the sad gray sound-letter mass with pincers. You may even be able to make a hit out of a bad song, but you will never be able to make it a good one. This means that the song will “sing its own song” on the radio and at corporate parties, and will be safely forgotten. If the question rests on money - and God bless her. And if there is still creativity- it gets sad...

A lot doesn't mean good

One of the main problems of any arranger - whether experienced or beginner - Difficulty looking at your work with a clean, fresh look. Or rather, ear. We invent a party, bring it to the state of the ideal in our opinion, and then start to come up with something else. And the first batch is spinning, spinning, spinning, and over time we get so used to it that we begin to forget that it exists. We come up with more and more parties. And we get used to each of them. And it all seems to us that the arrangement sounds poor, that our skill has not been revealed, we can be cooler, more interesting, bigger! And no one will appreciate our genius unless we add one more instrument here and two or three more here.

At one point, there comes the realization that the music has nothing to breathe. We stuffed so many ideas, sounds, parts and voices into it that it became incomprehensible that music was all of it. We begin to remember - here, at the very beginning I came up with a "brilliant move", but where is he? Ah, well, it was blocked by another “magnificent passage” or it was lost among these two “wonderful sequences” or among one hundred and forty-three voices of a “mind-boggling chorale”. And it's still good if this awareness still comes. Because in most cases, without outside intervention, the arranger does not understand that it is impossible to listen to “this”.

And what to do now? It is necessary to get rid of something ... But from what? And it’s good, and it’s great, it’s insulting and pitiful, and so much time has been spent ...

Do not force him to strain his hearing in an attempt to make out what is there somewhere that sounds. Don't try to fill every gap with some sound. If you doubt the necessity of the party, then it is definitely not needed. In the end, let a couple of friends listen to your intermediate work, and ask them to criticize. And be sure to hit yourself on the hands.

Sell ​​high

It often happens that way - we came up with an interesting move, in our opinion, or designed a very beautiful sound on a synthesizer. Inserted it after the second line. Listened very well. And we think - what if someone does not hear this move or sound? Let's add it one more time after the third line, and to fix it after the fourth one. And in general - since in the verse he “sticks” like that - can they shove him in the chorus? Well, at least a couple of times? And then in the loss, in the intro, in the code...

And so - not with one sound, but with many. What do we get as a result? That nugget that we found turned out to be a piece of granite, and exactly the same ones are lying underfoot everywhere and always, and it’s too lazy to bend over after them ...

It is very important to emphasize the most successful moments of the arrangement. Bring them to the listener. But it is also important not to stuff him with carrot gruel for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week.

So, the third tip. Sell ​​little but sell high. Repeat your coup in another verse, and preferably through a verse. Let the listener play the song again from the beginning, just for the sake of hearing this very moment again.

Attract Attention

Human hearing is part of a complex mechanism, part of the nervous system. These are not just auricles with holes that pick up the pulsation of the bass and broadcast the rhythmic commands “Twitch!” to the limbs. (and many, by the way, non-rhythmic).

The task of the arranger is stimulate the listener's attention, do not let him get bored, periodically throw in delicious sound blotches, thanks to which he will not switch the song.

The human psyche is designed in such a way - attention is held for 15 to 30 seconds on one object, and then habituation occurs, and the brain begins to look for new impressions and sensations. Knowing this, use it. You have a lot of expressive means: harmony, rhythm, tempo, timbre solutions, dynamic accents and recessions, melodic undertones, special effects, spatial processing, modulation (both in the musical-theoretical sense and in sound design) and so on. Scare the listener, make them laugh, or come up with something of your own. Your task is his attention.

But here it is important not to overdo it! There is no need to make a mosaic out of music, unless, of course, such a technical task is set before you.

In general, advice the fourth. Don't go to the desert with a can of cola in the hope that after a couple of dunes on the way you will meet a stall. In short, think of elements to stimulate attention throughout the song so that the listener doesn't fall asleep from boredom.

Avoid cliches

Once upon a time, while studying as part of a composition course with a wonderful teacher and composer Polina Viktorovna Medyulyanova, I heard from her an excellent phrase that I remembered forever. I remembered a lot of things said to her, but this phrase crashed into my consciousness. "When a composer has nothing to say, he uses the chromatic scale or diminished seventh chord." Taste and musical wisdom are concentrated in this phrase. And, of course, it implies not only the primitive means of expression in themselves, which are the listed elements, but also many other template lotions. These bells and whistles can be related both to the composition and to the arrangement, since the arrangement almost without fail includes the composer's beginning.

I'll explain a little. Some template elements are very useful when there is a specific task, and it must be completed in short time. For example, they ask the composer to write a “tearful song about love” - right there it comes to the place “ golden sequence”, standard harmonic revolution (example - Dm–G–C–F–Hm♭5–E7–Am). In such cases, templates help to satisfy everyone - the customer is happy (“what brilliant composer!”), the composer is full.

But still, this is rather a special case, although quite common. And often the musician who invented the song wants to arrange it himself, which means that he treats this process not as a craft, but as creativity. But creativity must also have strict limits, and if some rules are violated within these limits, then these violations must be conscious and justified. So, you will have to make it a rule to avoid stereotypes and clichés, so as not to fall under the fire of fellow musicians who are ready to compare you with any singing cowards on TV.

So what are the clichés in the arrangement? There are many. Something, perhaps, has already irritated you more than once in the "hits" on the radio. For example, the last 3-4 words of the song, spoken in a pathetic whisper. Yes, yes, working with the voice is also an arrangement. And if each arranger will always stop before the final chord with a pause (stop-time) filled with a sugary whisper - comedy club jokers will soon start talking about this.

Another example of a template is the use of " Cher effect» on the voice. Sometime in the late 90s, singer Cher performed a great song Believe, and many listeners were delighted with how her voice was processed in places. Since then, even the most mossy provincial producer considers it his duty to shove such an effect into any song, apparently considering this a sign of hit and skill. In fact, this voice processing is nothing more than by-effect vocal tuning, and in many cases it is more of a marriage. But nothing can be done - fashion is fashion, and for all music channels in every clip, we see and hear singers with “kinks” in their vocal cords, making strange guttural sounds instead of singing. And now, after a decade and a half, this effect does not appear sporadically. Sometimes the whole song is sung with the "hard" tuning turned on.

Another possible pattern is modulation. It's about tone modulation in this case. Almost always, modulation is an admission of one's own inadequacy as an arranger. When the arranger understands that the song is coming to an end, and there are no ideas for development and leading up to the climax, he uses a hackneyed, proven technique. And what? Very good! Copy one verse and chorus, and then once - and raise everything by a semitone or a tone. Business for 15 seconds. Only everyone, for some reason, forgets that modulation is means of expression, which requires the same careful approach as coming up with a melody, developing a rhythm section, or.

There are isolated examples of the creative use of modulation in popular music.

Ella Fitzgerald, performing Mack The Knife - throughout the song she constantly stepped up and up in keys. The meaning of this is not in the arrangement technique, but in the way demonstrate vocal abilities the greatest singer.

The same was often done Freddie Mercury in the songs of Queen and in his solo work. The whole song howling on top is ugly, but it’s also a sin to keep the remarkable possibilities of vocals in check. Therefore, modulation was often used in songs, and not even by a semitone or a tone, but by wider intervals. A very good example is the song Dave Clark Time, performed by Mercury. Written for the musical, the song took into account the peculiarities of the singer's vocals, and, starting in G major, by the end it sounds on a large scale in C, rising by a fourth. Naturally, in addition to the transition to a different key, other ways were used to emphasize the tense movement to the climax - acting out, saturation with choral parts, orchestral tutti, and so on.

The song that became super popular thanks to another musical Belle is another example of excellent command of the modulation technique and fine composer's taste. Riccardo Coccante, of course, a master of his craft, every few bars takes the tonality up a minor third, closing the tonal plan in the very reduced seventh chord, which now already sounds, oh, how unbanal.

Well, by the way, one cannot help but recall our compatriots - the song "Chistye Prudy" David Tukhmanov, which became popular in the performance Igor Talkov. Starting in C#m, then, seemingly primitively, it moves to Dm. And there would be nothing remarkable here if at the very end, during the sad and dramatic accordion solo, there was suddenly an alarming pause and the tonality would not return back to C # m. How it's done - You can find and listen to this recording. It's just a masterpiece.

With modulation, it's pretty clear. Don't do it if you don't need it. It should solve artistic problems, but in no case be an end in itself.

Chromatic scales, diminished seventh chords, stop-time with a whisper - you also need to be extremely careful with all this.

I also wrote about some other cliches in an article about. The text is also part of the song, and working on the text, on its rhythm, on the melodiousness is the same arrangement. Perhaps this article will also be useful for someone.

In general, the fifth tip. Mirrors are useless in a room where there is no light.. Use available means of expression only when they are justified. Every time you ask yourself - "why am I doing this?".

Basic principles

And a little more about what basic principles should be followed when working on an arrangement.

The principle of contrasts

The principle of contrast is at the heart of any art form. Painting, literature, music, cinema - everywhere there is contrasting lines. Still life - bright fruits on a monotonous background. In films and in novels - positive and negative characters, lyrics and sharpness of the plot. It's the same in music – you shouldn't forget about contrasts.

The verse is discharged, the chorus is downhole. Does the singer have a low timbre of voice? Add a thin high solo sound in the pauses between phrases. Rhythm section? In the hi-hat verse there is a ride in the chorus, in the side-stick verse there is a fellow with a rim-shot in the chorus.

Development principle

Don't forget about Golden Section, the principles of which were most clearly formulated by Leonardo da Vinci in his Vitruvian Man. To understand how the principle of the golden section is implemented in music, it is not necessary to study the work of da Vinci (although, from the point of view of comprehensive development, it is very useful). It is enough to understand that this very point is located approximately in the third quarter of your opus. Around this point, you should do everything to bring development to a climax. It is in this part that most often occurs climax, followed by a decay of about a quarter of the product.

Also, do not forget about the gradual development from couplet to couplet. Moreover, development does not necessarily mean thickening the fabric or adding other tools. Perhaps you will find your own way of development.

Sometimes development can be almost imperceptible. Well, let's say they added one drum fill, or they gave a little more delay or reverb on vocals. Or some kind of one-time special effect was launched. In general, they took some step forward.

Often arrangers use a naked piano or guitar as an accompaniment in the first verse, add bass and drums in the second, overdriven guitar or synths in the chorus, and so on. This is also a kind of template, but it is, if I may say so, a classic, and the classics, as you know, do not become obsolete. True, this does not mean that every arrangement you have should be built this way.

One of the brightest examples of work on the development of a musical work is the song of the group Queen entitled I want it all. I quite often give examples from the work of this group - firstly, because of my Great love to their music, and secondly, because of its unique balance. It's not for nothing" classic rock”- it respects almost all the laws of classical music. However, as you have already noticed, I do not post their records so as not to violate the rights of the authors. Everyone can decide for himself where and how to listen to them, I just give tips. I highly recommend that you listen carefully to the designated composition. An example of brilliant dramaturgy, built on only three or four chords with minor deviations. There is a change of rhythms, and a smooth saturation of verses, and the use of various textures of accompaniment, and powerful dramatic guitar solos, and high-quality elaboration of the code, excellent middle part, and chorales, in general - the arrangement itself is a work of art.

Slimness of form

Also, don't forget the musical form. About the “third part”, about the “bridges” (I wrote about this in the already mentioned article about the lyrics of the song). Do not forget that sometimes after a rapid development you want something relaxed, abstract.

Study, read on the Internet what forms of musical works are. Students of musical educational institutions are taught this from a thick book " Analysis of musical works» Mazel and Zuckermann. If you find and master it, it will be a big plus. But even if not, ask at least the search engines about the main types of musical forms. The most common form in popular music is song ( AABA), couplet-chorus ( ABAB), sometimes the rondo form is also used ( ABAVAG or BAVAGA) or a simple periodic form ( AAA). Also, experienced composers and arrangers use a developed form, where, in addition to the verse and chorus, there is a connecting part - the bridge ( ABVABV). It is unlikely that you will immediately want to master the techniques sonata form, however, if you still delve into the question, this can be quite useful knowledge.

It only seems so that the form has no great importance for the listener. Actually, it's very powerful. means of psychoacoustic influence to the subconscious. With the help of the alternation of parts, you introduce the listener into a certain state of trance, captivating and holding his attention. Too long or too short any of the parts can knock you out of the right state, distract and make you lose interest in music.

In the case of the form, there is no need to invent anything. Musical minds have for centuries crystallized "working" circuits that we can now simply use. These schemes affect, first of all, the subconscious, so it is unlikely that anyone will consciously accuse you of plagiarism. On the contrary - if someone called your work slender in form - you can be sure that you heard a very flattering review from a professional.

Instrumentation

Basics instrumentation lie in another musical science- V counterpoint. Previously, when there was no such variety of instruments, most often the role of an orchestra (which, by the way, also did not yet exist in the classical sense) was either one organ, or a choir, or, for example, a harpsichord. And the parties were often divided not by instruments, but by votes, by registers. There is an upper voice, middle, lower ... Most often there were four voices - according to the chorale principle (two female voices - soprano and alto, and two male voices - tenor and bass). Then inventions and fugues began to appear, with more complex melodic patterns, and, accordingly, often with fewer voices (two or three).

Naturally, when different voices are played on the organ with approximately the same sound, it is necessary to ensure the readability of these voices. Accordingly, the parties lined up according to certain laws (strict writing), which guaranteed that each vote would be perceived individually.

Now, when musical means have become extremely accessible, arrangers corrupted by this circumstance often allow lawlessness in their creations. There are no resource limits - the internal brake is also disabled. The result is an overloaded, oversaturated arrangement.

Any instrumentation should be based on elements of counterpoint. At the same time, the following voices should sound (preferably - no more!):
- solo instrument (vocals, guitar, synthesizer);
- a harmonic instrument (piano, strings, guitar, or a neat combination of them);
- rhythm (drums, percussion,);
- bass (arrangement basis, foundation);
- counter-addition (voices, fillings, additional solo part).

To this we can add, perhaps, various special effects, and then - you need to control yourself so as not to overdo it. Backing voices should not overwhelm the vocals, they should set it off. Instruments of the harmonic group should not beat among themselves either in parts or in registers.

Some of the listed items may sometimes be missing. Occasionally, additional parties can also be interspersed - but the main fabric should not be overloaded.

Figuratively speaking, if beautiful woman hang all over with gold - not only will she not become even better, she risks collapsing, breaking her legs and suffocating. The same with music. Decorate it with a chain, a ringlet and earrings, comb it, dress it, put it on. And it will be beautiful. And if solid decorations - collapse.

Sound Engineer's View

Keep in mind that the song is not sent to the radio immediately after you complete the arrangement. This arrangement has yet to be voiced, mixed and mastered. So, while working on the arrangement, think about those who will succeed you.

If it is difficult for a vocalist to sing, a good performance will not work. Singers are fragile people, they get on their nerves a little, they worry, nothing comes out ... If the arrangement does not allow the performer to breathe, this is a bad arrangement. The singer must be comfortable. Then he will sing beautifully and with soul. Then your arrangement will be easier and more pleasant to listen to.

If it's too hard for a recording engineer to fit your parts into the mix, you can say goodbye to half of your finds, he'll just cut them out. Because a well-mixed smaller number of parts is better than a badly-mixed battery of sounds. Every arranger should have at least some understanding of the mixing process. To invent parties - to take care of what their future fate awaits.

Let's remember about the correspondence of form and content. Good song well arranged. A good arrangement mixes well. A good product is easy to listen to. The recipe, as you can see, is simple. Everything should be fine.

Get Creative

In general, as I said - at the end of a long conversation about the arrangement, you can come to the conclusion that you have not moved anywhere. In fact, I did not say anything new or secret, everyone who read this article probably caught himself thinking more than once - “ and I already knew it! Yes, everything described is logical and simple. But in this simplicity, the difficulty is sometimes the need to collect all the theses together, approach the process meaningfully and produce a predictable result.

I hope I managed to somehow systematize all the necessary information. Well, the main advice that can be given to any arranger is to listen to good music, absorb it into yourself, and, if possible, analyze it. And then no rules and laws will distract you from creativity.

Separately I want to thank the subscribers of this blog and just readers. I am very pleased that every day, on average, 4-5 hundred people look here, and the fact that the number of subscribers in just a few months has already approaching a hundred. I will try to reveal as many interesting and relevant musical topics as possible. I hope the ranks of readers will multiply. Thank you all again. Well, if you haven't subscribed yet, you can do it right now.

By the way, I also want to invite everyone who is interested in sound and synthesizers to my profile

I am also attaching to this video an old article from the first version of the course on compositions of instruments

To create the correct arrangement, first of all, it is necessary to clearly understand what function the musical instrument performs in the musical fabric of the work. For better orientation, all musical instruments are divided into several groups. The functions of each group are different.

Each group of instruments has its own, well-established rules for writing parts that sound good in any style. Since there are a variety of instrument compositions in each style of music and it is impossible to consider them all in this article, we will consider the most common compositions and groups of instruments.

The introduction of such a definition is necessary, firstly, because this type of composition has already become stronger historically. Secondly, it helps to somehow organize the huge number of ensembles that can be organized within a given group.
Now, let's look at the most common instrument groups:

The basis of most modern arrangements is the -group.
The diagram shows the classic composition: Drums, Bass, Guitar, Piano.

Of the other groups of instruments, brass, stringed, and electronic instruments are of great importance.

The main function of these instruments is the creation of pedals and all sorts of counterpoints, or soloing. Occasionally they are also involved in the organization, but, as a rule, they have a mixed function (i.e. they play the role of both a solo and a rhythm instrument)

Such groups of instruments as woodwinds, percussion with a certain pitch, etc. are found mainly in orchestral compositions of instruments, however, I would like to note that modern arrangements are very typical of the use of these instruments in an unexpected environment of chamber compositions (for example, flute, xylophone, guitar , bass, percussion).

Thus, starting writing an arrangement, determine what composition of instruments you have, or what composition of instruments corresponds to the figurative structure of the music.

This is a very important point.

As a rule, beginning composers and arrangers try to use all the instruments for which they have already learned to write. For example, there is nothing worse than inserting strings, drums, etc. in place and out of place into each one. It's like an instrumentalist who tries to show all the technique he owns in one piece.

In fact, there are no secret techniques for arranging and composing. The main secret is moderation. If you listen to the most outstanding arrangements, you can notice only one pattern - the skillful use of pre-selected resources.

Since music provides us with an unlimited number of possibilities, the ability to limit oneself is the first step on the way to creating high-quality sound.

Write on the sheet the number of instruments, their names and the role that these instruments will play in your arrangement.

Task: listen to your favorite music and try to classify the composition, groups of instruments and see what functions they perform.

Podkopayeva Oksana Alekseevna

Postgraduate student of the Institution of the Russian Academy of Education
"Institute art education»,
keyboard synthesizer teacher
GOU SPO Moscow Regional
Music and Pedagogical College, Yegoryevsk

“The development of thinking does not happen by itself, but as a result of purposeful, systematic work. First of all, for the development of thinking, it is important to create conditions that would inevitably require active mental activity from students. The best mode for the development of mental activity and independence is created by creative activity aimed at discovering something new, unknown. This new can be knowledge obtained through independent search, or methods of acquiring knowledge, ”writes E. A. Krasotina. Creative activity, built with students in the lesson on learning to play the keyboard synthesizer, serves as the basis for the development of their musical thinking. Therefore, a competent choice of methods and techniques for working with future music teachers is especially important.
Let's consider some aspects of the intonation-creative activity of a keyboardist with a view to choosing certain methods of work.
Arrangement and performance in the class of an electronic musical instrument is based on the following types of source sound material and, accordingly, creative activity:
- work on a piece of music when playing live in various modes (Normal, Split, Single Finger (Casio Chord), Fingered);
- work in multitrack recording mode;
- playing in an ensemble with an instrument (“minus one” mode), with a teacher or other students;
- selection by ear and registration of musical notation;
- composition and improvisation of music;
- work on sound (editing, creation of original sounds and acoustic space for their deployment).
The work on a piece of music can be conditionally divided into two stages:
I stage. Mental reading of the text: identifying the features of the musical language through the expressive means used by the composer, analyzing the form, texture, genre of the work, etc. On this basis, compiling a holistic impression of the text, its artistic content, stylistic features, including individual ones. At this stage, the teacher needs to use the method of artistic reading of the text, which is characterized by purposeful cognitive activity to comprehend the artistic content of a musical work, which contributes to the development of not only thinking, but also attention, memory, and imagination. The action of the method of artistic reading of the text begins from the moment the teacher selects artistically significant works for arrangement and performance by students. Before starting work on a musical score, the student must independently get acquainted with the biography and work of the composer, whose work he will arrange in the future.
At this stage of work, it is possible to play music by the student or teacher himself. There are different points of view on this matter: some teachers consider playback undesirable, since it carries a subjective vision of the work; others, on the contrary, consider listening to be an important component at the first stage of work, since it "... helps to perceive the image of the work more deeply, interests, inspires the performer" . However, it cannot be said that there is only one right way to present musical material. To achieve positive motivation, create an atmosphere of "joyful work", it is necessary to combine different approaches when working on musical works. However, it should be clarified that the teacher should play new musical material once in order to avoid meaningless imitation.
At the stage of mental intonation, it is necessary to go from general ideas about the content and form of musical material to the performance of private tasks for its scoring, which involves not only working with musical text, but also building a plan for use in the process of arranging various means(including devices for controlling timbres, patterns, and other sound capabilities), based on the available functions of a digital instrument. We are talking about drawing up a project for arranging a musical work (I.M. Krasilnikov), in the process of which the performer not only solves the tasks of translating the composer's idea, but also introduces his own vision of this idea into the sound, which gives originality and originality to the final product of the electronic musician's activity , individuality. All this involves the use of the method of intonation-creative anticipation, when at the moment of posing the questions: “What form should the work be given?”, “What means of expression should be chosen from the ones available on this digital instrument to draw the image?” etc., the keyboard synthesizer performer assumes how the score should be voiced. Such a “representation” (“the term “representation”, in contrast to “representation”, was introduced by B. M. Teplov (1985) to refer to the process of creating an auditory (musical) image) contributes to the development of inner hearing, and consequently, musical thinking, which operates with images, highlighting in them various signs and properties that are significant for a person.
The interpretation of a piece of music depends not only on the subjective vision of the text, but also on the capabilities and sound features of the available digital instrument. So, it's no secret that keyboard synthesizer models purchased at a lower cost are distinguished by weak timbre colors, "electronic" sound, little reminiscent of the sound of traditional instruments, and also have a limited number of built-in functions, which does not allow you to fully and professionally play music. Therefore, it is desirable to learn how to play a keyboard synthesizer, which has a sufficient number of technical parameters in its arsenal.
This method used in conjunction with the method of intonation-stylistic comprehension of music (the term was proposed by E. D. Kritskaya). “Intonational and stylistic comprehension of music is focused on the personal interpretation of musical speech and involves a targeted selection of works of various individual, national or epochal styles.<…>. Listening, getting used to the musical speech of this or that composer forms the need for knowledge.<…>The style is addressed to hearing in its broad and narrow sense, to musicality as the ability to experience music. Style attribution does not deal with the sum of parts, but with the experience and reproduction of integral "processes-states", which is ensured by the unity of the emotional and logical, intuitive and conscious in its perception. Intonation-tuned hearing allows you to directly perceive the semantic characteristics, the conjugation of themes-images, that is, to comprehend the logic musical composition» . This method is important in working with electronic musicians, since the experience of various emotional states expressed in sounds by various composers and reflecting the era, styles, etc., in the music of various peoples is more than relevant when learning to play the keyboard synthesizer. Great amount style patterns built into the memory of a digital instrument and the ability to perform music of various directions when playing in various modes will contribute to achieving positive results in working on musical works. Thus, the potential of the keyboard synthesizer and the competent use of the method of intonational and stylistic comprehension of music will contribute to the development of students' musical thinking.
II stage. Work on a piece of music involves the very process of scoring musical text. At this stage, the performer performs a more detailed analysis of notes, durations, rhythm, harmony, etc., sets specific timbres, playing modes, options for auto-accompanying texture (if the appropriate mode is selected), keyboard split points, etc. In the course of such activity the method of stimulating artistic associativity is used, which is aimed not only at the implementation of the planned project, but also at completion in connection with emerging artistic problems during its presentation. The performer chooses the most accurate means for a given musical image. artistic expressiveness. For example, to create a heroic, militant image, the Trumpet timbre is suitable as the main voice. But sometimes it can seem too harsh, and you have to change it to the timbre of a trombone (Trombone). Often the replacement of one timbre with another occurs due to the unnatural sound of its acoustic original in the context of this arrangement, and it cannot fulfill its expressive function here.
In the process of working on the electronic embodiment of musical works, it is important to use the method of "getting used to the timbre", when the performer needs not only to play the written notes on the electronic keyboard with the selected timbre, but also to try to imagine the acoustic prototype of this instrument and its characteristic method of sound production. So, the timbre of a wind organ (Pipe Organ) taken on a synthesizer - bright, lasting - will be better associated with the original sound, if you press the keyboard more fully, heavily, as if we really play this powerful and complex tool. Variations in the color of the sound of one instrument should also be taken into account. For example, if you use the split mode of the keyboard (Split) and in each of its divided parts expose different kinds organ, then the performer will have the opportunity to feel the technique of playing a two-manual instrument.
In addition, it is necessary to take into account the strokes indicated in the text. So, the staccato timbre of the organ will differ from the staccato performed by the timbre of the piano or trumpet. To achieve staccato on the organ, it is enough just to slightly and somewhat “shorter”, sharper touch the keys of the synthesizer with your fingertip, otherwise the sound will last longer. Another way to play the keys of an electronic instrument is to use the Voice of the Classical Guitar (Guitar). Touching the keys of the synthesizer should take into account the sound production on this instrument (pinch) and the nature of the timbre - chamber, lasting not long. To lead the legato melody (legato) with this voice, the fingers should slide smoothly, softly over the keyboard, and when moving to an abrupt jerky passage, they should play, as if imitating the playing of pizzicato on the strings. If you select a Saxophone Voice (Sax) or other wind instrument, it is necessary to imagine how the performer is gaining breath and trying to distribute it over the entire phrase, playing “on a support”. At the same time, the fingers of the performer on the keyboard synthesizer should move along the keyboard as if on one exhalation, transmitting a soft and at the same time deep sound.
The method of "getting used to the timbre" is most effective if it is constantly applied in the practice of working with students. It helps not only to comprehend the musical text and voice it with the selected timbres, but also to find ways to supply sound in order to form a specific artistic image, as well as to acquaint students with the structure of various musical instruments, ways to extract sound from them.
Showing illustrations, demonstrating works on any audio medium where this instrument is the leading one is also obligatory. In addition, getting used to the image of a performer on another instrument, the student takes on a different role, experiences and emotionally responds to it, and this contributes to his formation as an independent creative person.
Speaking about the nature of sound extraction on an electronic instrument (electronic carcass), it should be noted its great diversity, since there are not only a large number of types of mechanics, types of keyboards, key sizes characteristic of different models synthesizers, but also a sufficient number of timbres on each of them. This creates an ambiguity in the relationship between muscular effort and the sound result and does not make it possible to develop uniform pattern performing movements. In this case, “... the solution of specific technical and playing problems that arise for an electronic musician becomes possible only on the basis of the principle of auditory dominance in technical work - the main principle of the psychotechnical school of piano performance. Game skills are formed only within the framework of learning on this model. keyboard instrument specific arrangement of a particular work - in each new case they will differ significantly from those already known to the student.
Thus, work on articulation on an electronic musical instrument is no less important component of performing activity than on traditional instruments. And this work requires significant mental effort from the performer.
When arranging musical works, an important creative task is to find an organic relationship between the timbre of the melody and the accompaniment pattern. So, when choosing any style of auto accompaniment, the musician has an association with the place and time of the sound of his prototype. For example, when choosing the style "country" (Country), there is an image of the American countryside, cowboys gathered after a hard day's work in a saloon. Perhaps a musician on a small stage will play the harmonica, another will pick up the guitar or banjo, a third will play the violin or an out-of-tune piano. And there will be a whole set of instruments characteristic of this direction of music. A certain genre at the heart of the accompaniment predetermines the features of the metro rhythm of the melody, tempo and other means. musical expressiveness. And it would be out of place in an ensemble of American saloon musicians to hear the timbres of, say, an organ or a string quartet, which are associated with classical music that sounds in concert halls. Creative actions related to the ability to correctly build a correlation between the accompaniment style and the timbres of a melody in the process of performing an electronic arrangement will help to master the method of focusing on the organic interaction of musical means. This method, widely manifesting itself in the process of creative activity of an electronic musician, is an active factor in the development of his musical thinking. A particular manifestation of this method can be recognized as the focus of students' attention on "the correlation of patterns and timbres with the nature of the melodic line of the piece being arranged" (IM Krasilnikov) .
Another manifestation of the method of focusing on the organic interaction of musical means in the process of performing electronic arrangement is the task proposed to the student to analyze the relationship between timbre and texture. A performer on a keyboard synthesizer - a multi-timbre instrument - must penetrate the secrets of instrumentation - according to Rimsky-Korsakov, the "soul" of the composition, since instrumentation is directly related to the figurative sphere of the work. Taking as a basis a work, in the score of which there are no references to the performance by a multi-timbre composition, the student must independently choose electronic voices, which most adequately correspond to the features of the texture and figurative structure of the original. Similarly, organists work on registering a musical original, in which only the most general timbre reference points of organ sound are given.
Another manifestation of the method of focusing on the organic interaction of musical means is associated with taking into account the composition of the "performers" for which the electronic arrangement is performed. If we want to get the sound of a symphony orchestra, the dynamic amplification of which is largely achieved through the joint playing of a large number of musicians and the score is built according to the group principle, it is necessary to use unisons different instruments(i.e., apply such an instrumentation technique as duplication).
During the performance of the musical text, the musician works with such parameters as tempo, agogy, dynamics, articulation, which are regulated both directly in live playing on the keyboard, and with the help of various devices and functions of the instrument. For example, the tempo is both set during the performance of pieces in real time, and is set before the start of the game in interactive mode, and using the Registration Memory function (Regist Memory) allows you to save the necessary settings (as well as other parameters) for each part of the piece. Agogics are adjusted while playing live. The dynamics is built in several ways: 1) the overall volume wheel (Volume), the settings of the main (Main Volume), divided (Split Volume), double voice (Dual or Layer Volume), accompaniment volume (Accomp. Volume); 3) due to the sensitivity of the keyboard (Touch). Articulation (electronic touch), unlike traditional instruments, is controlled digitally not only by the usual strokes (staccato, legato, etc.), but also by changing MIDI messages (vibrato, portamento, etc.).
Adjusting all these parameters contributes to the intellectualization of the performer's activity on the keyboard synthesizer. The development of the relevant components of musical thinking will be facilitated by traditional methods of work in the classroom, such as conversation, storytelling, explanation, explanation, display, demonstration, as well as the creation of problem-search situations that are aimed at stimulating the creative search for expressive means associated with performing interpretation.
No less important for the development of musical thinking is the training of improvisation. The very word improvisation came into the Russian language from Latin and is understood as “suddenly, without any preparation”, i.e. composition “on the go”. This type
The creative activity of a musician is aimed at developing the ability to fantasize, create something original, in turn, develop an ear. But any improvisation is based on the knowledge of certain rhythmic formulas, the structure of a melody, the form of a work, harmonic sequences, etc. Therefore, a musician improvising on any musical instrument composes a new or interprets a well-known work, always relying on his knowledge in the field of musical language . Therefore, than more people knows, the more interesting and colorful his improvisation will turn out. Before the start of improvisation, the performer mentally intones within himself, imagining in advance what he will play in the future, and only then proceeds to direct creative work. In other words, good improvisation is one that is prepared in advance. Therefore, to conduct this type of creative activity in the classroom, we can offer a method of pedagogical guidance of improvisation. Applying this method in working with students studying in the keyboard synthesizer class, the teacher sets the task of teaching the student to think first “to himself” and then “out loud”.
The development of musical thinking is also facilitated by such a type of intonation-creative activity as playing by ear. This activity can take place in two directions: the selection of music from memory and the selection of a piece heard in the lesson. In both cases, it is advisable to refer to the musical notation of the melody. The correct design of musical notation - putting down key signs, meter, prescribing a rhythmic pattern, note durations and their grouping, pauses, counter signs, accompanying chords - helps to structure the melody more clearly, develops coordination between hearing and playing skills. When choosing a children's song, in one lesson you can sing and record a melody in a convenient key. Then - harmony, arranging it with the help of letter designation chords (numbers). In the next lessons - to explain how the texture of the work is created based on the features of the form, genre, character, tempo and other components of musical formation. In these lessons, you can prescribe the bass part, pedal voices, subvoices, select timbres, effects, etc. Thus, all this work performed over several lessons occurs in the same sequence as when performing a blitz arrangement of a musical work for a synthesizer. This method of temporary dispersal of work on the arrangement helps to understand more deeply and in detail the patterns underlying this activity, and thus contributes to the development of musical thinking of the future teacher.
The final stage of work on a piece of music is sound editing, which includes dynamic balancing of texture voices, panorama building, use of sound engineering effects and sound synthesis tools to transform timbres and the virtual space of their deployment. These types of activities of an electronic musician are very close, as they "work" with the same effects. As a rule, the parameters that are adjusted during the sound engineering process of building up the sound are presented on the display of a keyboard synthesizer in the form of an image of a mixing console with various buttons and sliders controlled from the instrument panel. Thus, the user of a keyboard synthesizer has the opportunity not only to perform and correct musical works in terms of harmony, texture and timbre, but also to try himself as a real sound engineer at the control panel. Therefore, it would be appropriate at this stage of work on a piece of music to rely on the method of activating subject associations of electronic sound. It will help the student to correctly build his work on the creation of an electro-acoustic space of sound and sound synthesis, linking it with the musical image of electronic arrangement.
The work on the electro-acoustic space of sound is associated with the final stage of work on the electronic arrangement of a musical work, often due to the task of creating an original sound field. For example, a recorded piece of music, corrected dynamically, timbre, etc., requires transferring the finished result to certain virtual spatial conditions. A keyboard synthesizer performer, to solve this problem, turns to artistic possibilities sound engineering tools that allow, say, to simulate the acoustic space concert hall, room or stadium. Consequently, the acoustic features of these sound spaces, their artistic and associative potential and compliance with certain musical genres and styles should become the subject of a special conversation between the teacher and students, guiding them in sound engineering activities.
Using the method of activating the subject associations of electronic sound will introduce students to the various possibilities of musical sound engineering, as well as organize creative work in the classroom, developing the sound engineering abilities of students. This appears to be one of the advantages of using electronic instrument V educational process: after all, not a single performer on a traditional musical instrument can afford to get the opportunity to work at a virtual sound control panel and try to implement new creative ideas related to it. Plunging into the world of electroacoustics, the keyboardist tries to put into practice his experience of living spatial and sound impressions or come up with a new virtual musical image to bring their own individuality into the interpretation of a musical work. In addition to creating a certain electro-acoustic space, the method of activating the subject associations of electronic sound will help orient the student-performer on the keyboard synthesizer and work on sound synthesis. For example, softening or sharpening its attack, lengthening or shortening the end attenuation, frequency filtering, the use of performance controls in the process of this work - all this radically changes the character of the sound and the associations it evokes. Such associations, linking sound with different mass and volume, material and shape of musical instruments, light or dark color, tension or relaxation of the performer's muscular efforts, as well as the features of virtual sound spaces obtained in the process of sound engineering processing, should be the subject of special discussions. teacher with students.
Thus, we see how intellectually complex work related to sound engineering and sound synthesis is carried out by a performer on a keyboard synthesizer. This requires knowledge about the physical nature of sound, its associative-pictorial possibilities, including those due to the peculiarities of its amplitude envelope, lightness, texture nature, as well as various acoustic conditions for its deployment.
Summing up, we note that in the synthesizer class, you can perform various types of work: perform musical works live, and record in a sequencer, and perform in an ensemble, and carry out sound editing. In addition, students in this class are engaged in listening and composing music. For each of these types of educational and creative work and its stages, it is necessary to use appropriate methods of work, both traditional and new. The above methods should be applied quite flexibly, in accordance with the pedagogical situation in the lesson. They complement each other, allowing competent guidance in the development of students' musical thinking in the keyboard synthesizer class.
Literature
1. Age and individual characteristics figurative thinking students / Ed. I. S. Yakimanskaya; scientific research Institute of General and Pedagogical Psychology of the Academy of Ped. sciences of the USSR. Moscow: Pedagogy, 1989. 224 p.
2. Krasilnikov I. M. Electronic musical creativity with the system of art education. Dubna: Phoenix+, 2007. 496 p.
3. Krasotina E. A. Development of the musical thinking of a part-time student as the basis for professional training / Methods for the formation of musical thinking of part-time students in the learning process / Ed. Matveeva S. Ya. M., MGZPI, 1980. 54 p.
4. Musical education at school: Proc. allowance for students. music fak. and dep. higher and avg. ped. textbook institutions / L. V. Shkolyar, V. A. Shkolyar, E. D. Kritskaya and others; Ed. L. V. Shkolyar. M.: ASADEMA, 2001. 232 p.

This article is devoted to the most common mistakes that beginner composers make when creating music/arrangements for a symphony orchestra. However, the errors that will be discussed are quite common not only in symphonic music, but also in arrangements of pop, rock music, etc.

There are two groups of errors specific to composers:

1. 1. The first group is due to a lack of knowledge and experience. This problem is easy to solve.
2. 2. The second group is the result of a lack of life experience and unformed taste. This factor is difficult to explain, but often it plays an even more important role than training.

We will talk about this below.

So, let's look at the main mistakes that deserve special attention.

1. Unconscious borrowing

Unconscious borrowing can also be called unintentional plagiarism. Almost everyone faces this error. To solve this problem, you should listen to as much variety of music as possible. Often listening to one composer or performer has a strong impact on you, there is a close connection between you and the elements of music.

However, if you listen to enough different composers and musical groups, then you will not unconsciously copy them, but will write your own unique material. Borrowings can help you, but they shouldn't make you look like some other composer.

2. Lack of balance

3. Boring textures

Textures of the same type for a long period of time bore the listener. If you listen to the scores of professionals, you can often see that every measure some changes are made to the orchestra, which color it in a new way. Very rarely only one instrument is used to perform a melody. Doublings are constantly added, timbres are changing, etc.

To avoid monotony, study other people's arrangements and analyze the techniques you see in them.

4. Extra effort

We are talking about unusual playing techniques, the use of which requires maximum concentration from the performer. Often, simpler techniques help to get a more euphonious arrangement. It is advisable to use rare techniques when it is justified, in other words, if the desired emotional effect cannot be achieved in any other way.

Of course, famous composers use all the limiting possibilities of the orchestra, but how much nerves does it cost him. Golden Rule- the simpler the better. If you still gravitate towards the avant-garde, first try to find an orchestra that is willing and able to play it.

5. Lack of emotions and intellectual fullness

I keep repeating that balance is key. Your music will have intellectual and emotional depth only if you live an interesting and fulfilling life.

Almost all composers devoted a lot of time to traveling and actively participated in public life. Where will you get new ideas if your whole life is concentrated in four walls? The intellectual factor means reflecting your worldview in your music.

Study philosophy, esotericism and related disciplines - this will help you develop in creative plan. Create great music only a person with a great soul can. Learning how to write music is not enough. The ability to communicate with people and the environment is of great importance.

6. Hysteria and intellectual overload

An excess of feelings or cold intellectuality does not lead to anything good. In music, you need to put emotions controlled by the mind. Otherwise, you will lose the very essence of musical art.

7. Using Templates

Creativity dies where established cliches, clichés, etc. are used. Using all this, you become like an auto-arranger. You should strive to make each of your work unique, to reflect your individuality in it. This also applies to pop song arrangements. Therefore, you should constantly look for new techniques, cross styles and avoid repetition.

Good-sounding templates can, of course, do a good job, but you can lose yourself as a result.

8. Not knowing the tools

It is not uncommon to misuse instrument ranges. Without being technically oriented, you can write parts that musicians simply cannot perform.

It is worth paying attention to the fact that a well-written part has a good sound even when it is performed. virtual instruments, while the parts that were written without taking into account the specifics of the instrument, even when performed live, will sound unconvincing.

A professional musician simply needs to look at the sheet music to understand how compatible this part is with his instrument. In other words, most of the parts can be played, but they can be so uncomfortable that it is pointless to learn them, or written in such a way that even when played, for example, on a guitar, they will sound like another instrument.

To avoid this, you should carefully listen to solo works for the instruments you are working with. The best option is to master the basic techniques of the game. You can also consult with the soloist, showing him your achievements.

This will help you quickly learn how to write comfortable parts that you can play. When writing for session musicians, it matters a lot how easily your parts play from sight or how quickly they come off.

9. Scores with artificial sound

Because most of authors working on a computer with virtual instruments, it is very important to achieve realistic sounding of your arrangements with little or no corrections. As mentioned above, well-written parts sound good even when played back by a computer. This statement is true for both a rock band and a full symphony orchestra.

You should strive to achieve such an effect that the listener would not think whether the orchestra sounds mechanical or whether the drums are programmed. Of course, by listening carefully, you can easily understand whether this is a live performance or a program.

Hands and ears are your main helpers.

______________________

Beginning bands pay little attention to one important thing - the arrangement. If you have an interesting musical material, then a good arrangement will emphasize its merits. If your melodies are not too expressive, then you can diversify them with the help of arrangements.

H Modern technologies make it possible to use any timbres, sounds and noises. A huge number of sounds can be downloaded from the Internet. What sounds can be added to arrangements? Almost any, - the main thing is that it be done with taste and meaning. In album The Alan Parson's Project "Tales Of Mystery And Imaginations..." Sounds like a real "live" thunderstorm. In song The Beatles "Good Morning" the sounds made by different animals are heard. These sounds are chosen with meaning. Do you know how? The answer is at the end of this article.

All styles have their own arranging techniques and their overplayed clichés. It is impossible to tell everything in detail. What you need to do before creating an arrangement:

Write lyrics and melody.

Pick the right tone. It is chosen, first of all, for the convenience of the vocalist, and secondly, for the convenience of the main solo instrument. For the guitar, for example, there are not many convenient keys.

Make harmonization of the melody. In other words, pick up a chord progression. Using the same chord progressions is a problem for many aspiring songwriters. There are ways to change and diversify the harmony. These methods are chord substitution methods, auxiliary chords, etc. - have long been known and described in textbooks (it is better to start studying arrangements with jazz books, since jazz, in fact, is the cradle of improvisation and self-valuable arrangements. Books such as D. Hurley"Jazz-rock. Arrangement for keyboards", V.Manilov, V.Molotkov"Technique of jazz accompaniment on a six-string guitar", A.G. Rogachev"System Jazz Harmony Course", etc.) - Choose the appropriate size. In rock and pop songs, there are usually double measures (4/4, 2/4), less often - triple (6/8, 12/8). Very rare - more complex sizes. Composition "Money" Pink Floyd from the album "Dark Side Of The Moon" - the one where the cash register sounds in the introduction - in its first part it is written in 7/4 time.

Decide on the structure of the song. The structure is likely to depend on the length and nature of the text.

Let's say your song looks like this:

Verse 1-Chorus-2 Verse-Chorus-3 Verse-Chorus-4 Verse-Chorus-Chorus.

What can be done? Add intro and code. The intro can be 2-4 bars from the chorus and 2 bars of drums before the first verse. You can connect verses 1 and 2 together by removing the chorus between them. Before the 4th verse, you can modulate one tone up. Before modulation, a drum solo will sound good, 2-4 bars is enough. The first half in the penultimate chorus can be sung in chorus "a capella", that is, without accompaniment.

The tempo of the song is also important. Disco is characterized by a tempo of 112 ... 137 beats per minute, house and grunge - 130 ... 145, jungle - 165 ... 175, hardcore - 170 ... 175. In many styles there is no such hard limit - techno, for example, can be from 80 to 500 beats per minute.

You, as an arranger, are your own judge. It's up to you to decide how to add sparkle to your song. If you're looking for commercial success, the easiest way is with brass and/or strings in an arrangement. The pioneers of this type of arrangement in rock music are The Beatles. The song "Eleanor Rigby" features only strings (4 violins, 2 violas, 2 cellos) and vocals. Arranged by George Martin. In "Yesterday" - strings and guitar. The Beatles were also the first rock musicians to use a symphony orchestra for recording (the song "A Day In The Life"), a mellotron ("Flying"), synthesizers (the album "Abbey Road").

The easiest way to add brass- saxophone solo in the middle of the song. Your friends and family will love it. But there is one "but". If in other cases you can use a synthesizer or a computer, then a live saxophonist is needed here. You can pre-record the solo with notes. All wind players, string players and keyboardists can read music well (this does not apply to guitarists). If you find a jazz saxophonist, he will play you better than you yourself would like.

A good way to add power and dynamics to a song is to record full brass section. Its composition may be different:

Two instruments (e.g. trumpet and trombone; two saxophones)

Three instruments (clarinet, trumpet, trombone - a typical composition of Dixieland, good for retro styling; two trumpets and a trombone; trumpet, saxophone, trombone; three saxophones - "chorus" saxophones)

Four (two trumpets and two trombones; trumpet, trombone, clarinet, saxophone)

Other options are also possible. The Beatles song "Honey Pie" features 5 saxophones and 2 clarinets, while "Savoy Truffle" features 6 saxophones. The parts of all instruments need to be thought out and notated, even if you are arranging on a computer. Winds can be entrusted with conducting the melody in chords or in polyphonic presentation (the melody in an octave sounds very powerful), sustained pedal notes, short sharp chords (especially with alterations), voices and undertones.

If you're going to be recording live musicians, be aware that the horns don't sound the way they're written on the sheet music. When using synthesizers, these problems do not arise. The less brass are used in the accompaniment, the more powerful they will sound at the climax. Balance brass with other instruments, especially strings. good examples the use of the wind section-song by V. Vysotsky with the ensemble "Melody" (arranged by G. Garanyan), the latest albums of The Beatles, the group's recordings Blood, Sweet & Tears.

Another way to decorate the arrangement is to add string group. Here again you can use synthesizers and a computer. Strings can be entrusted with the same functions as winds: holding a melody, pedal notes. Fast passages and arpeggios sound very impressive with strings. In the "disco" style, violins can be given short phrases with a sharp rhythm. This approach has already become commonplace. At the climax, the violins may play a sustained pedal note in the highest register. When using strings, their balance with other instruments is also important. Examples of using a string band - The Beatles albums, recordings Electric Light Orchestra.

If you are a guitar band, you can easy to diversify the guitar arrangement.

For example, two guitars play accompaniment with chords. Give them the chords in different positions. One guitar can be used with a capo or with a different tuning. Keith Richards (Rolling Stones) plays in the system D-sol-re-sol-si-re (from the sixth string to the first). Many varieties of open tuning are used in the blues and folk music(Anglo-Celtic, for example). The Rolling Stones often play three guitars at the same time, and they do not interfere with each other. One guitar plays short monophonic phrases and is placed in the center of the stereo panorama. The other two are channeled and play a rhythmic pattern with chords. One of the guitars (Richards) is tuned unconventionally. The rhythmic pattern of all parties is different. Therefore, they do not clog each other, the arrangement is dense and rich. In your guitar arrangements you can use slide playing (especially in blues), 12-string guitar. A lot of information on this topic can be found on the site.

It is very important to consider guitar and keyboard balance. Their functions in the arrangement are similar and they play in the same register. If the arrangement is very rich, then sometimes it is better to sacrifice a less significant part.

If you don't play acoustic instruments, then sound can be imitated different ways. This will diversify your arrangement. Alternate the bright, powerful sound of electronics (in the culmination) with the muffled (in the accompaniment). Use old analog synthesizers. Analog sound is back in vogue in the West. An analog synthesizer will allow you to get unusual timbres and noises. Do the names say anything to you: dilruba, tampura, swara-mandala? I don't know what it is either. But it's all in the Beatles song "Within You Without You".

Nobody is forcing you to record a symphony orchestra. But if you make a competent arrangement on your demo recording, then this will cause you more respect. There is an erroneous opinion that all the shortcomings of the recording can be corrected by mixing. Not true. The more serious you are about creating an arrangement and recording, the fewer mistakes you will have to correct when mixing. And the less unkind words you will hear from the sound engineer. The arranger's job is to choose the best one from a huge number of good options.

Finally, I will advise good textbooks by arrangement:

V.Molotkov. Arrangement for guitar.

G. Garanyan. Arrangement for pop instrumental and vocal-instrumental ensembles.

G.P. Dmitriev. Percussion instruments. Interpretation and current state.

N. Rimsky-Korsakov. Orchestration principles. (This book is still reprinted in the USA as a textbook for music colleges. Even Americans do not consider it shameful to learn from our classics). And others.

P.S. Promised answer: In the song "Good Morning" Lennon suggested recording animal sounds so that each subsequent one could eat or scare the previous one. That is, the animals seem to be chasing each other.