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» Do the fundamental things well
» Number 12: The Arrangement
1. Putting each instrument in its place »
[2. Arranging the structure of the song]
Putting the parts of the song together
Flexibility
We’ve already spoken a bit about flexibility in your own instrument’s part, and in the relationship between different instruments so everyone can find their “home”. But when you come to a particular song, you may need to be flexible in other ways:
• You can change the chords (or chop a few out if there are too many for guitarists to play)
• You can change the key signature if the song is too high to sing. D is the highest note you can expect most people to sing. E is a stretch which you can get away with if it doesn’t stay up there too long.
• You can change the tempo. Ignore the tempo on the sheet music – ask the song leaders for their gut feeling.
• You can change the structure. For example, you might want to cut out a verse or repeat part of the chorus. You might want to add a few bars to the intro to give it a chance to build.
What’s the point of the structure of a song?
Christian song writers (or most of them I hope) are trying to express a message through the song they’ve written. The structure of the song allows that message to unfold in a particular way. Before we play a song, we need to have thought about how the message is supposed to unfold, and how the music will help it unfold in an emotionally meaningful way.
Use lyric sheets for the musicians to make notes
During rehearsal, hand out sheets with the complete set of lyrics for each song (including repeated bits) and encourage musicians to take notes on that sheet. It will help them memorise the structure of each song and engage with the lyrical content.
The different parts of a song:
» 1. Intros
» 2. The first verse
» 3. Turnarounds
» 4. Bridges
» 5. Post-chorus bridges
» 6. Repeats
» 7. Outtros
» 8. Segues
1. Intros
The intro is your opportunity to anticipate the emotional content leading up to the first verse. You do this by clearly setting:
• the mood of the song (the way the instruments are played to convey an emotion)
• the groove of the song (the rhythmic feel, particularly if you have a bass and drums)
• the texture of the song (by choosing the instruments you want at the start)
• the tempo of the song
A few principles:
• Think about the emotional content of the first verse and get the whole band to think about it. Your aim is to feel this as you play!
• Keep it simple
• Rehearse the intro by itself several times
• If you haven’t got very experienced musicians, avoid intros where everyone starts at once. This usually gets messy. The alternative is layering the intro, where each instrument is added sequentially (two bars of rhythm guitar, then add bass, then two bars later add piano for four bars). This is a lot cleaner and the “building” effect works well, particularly in upbeat songs.
• Whoever plays first should sing the first line of the song in their head before playing, to get the tempo right.
• Make sure the song leader knows when to come in.
2. The first verse
The first verse is the start of the song. This may sound obvious, but some musicians treat it like it’s the final verse. They throw everyone in at the start and don’t leave anywhere else to go.
• Think about the emotional content of the first verse
• Give yourself a starting point – you can move on from here in subsequent verses. Don’t be too keen to have too many people playing at the start unless there is a good reason to.
• The first verse is not necessarily a continuation of the intro – consider pulling back (in volume, or number of instruments) when everyone starts to sing.
3. Turnarounds
The turnaround is the section in between verses, or between a chorus and the following verse. They often contain a series of notes or chords that make it clear the next verse is about to begin.
• Practice the turnarounds by themselves several times – particularly if there’s something funny going on like a key change.
• Turnarounds should be instinctive and contain elements (a logical number of bars, strong chord progressions, melodic patterns, drum fills) that tell you when you’re about to start the next verse.
• Some songs haven’t got a turnaround clearly written in the music. This is often the case in songs from the Source volumes. Give it some thought and see if you can make up your own turnaround that will help people know when to come in (or listen to the CD to see what they do).
• Hymns are a special case in turnarounds. Traditionally there is just a big rall (slow down) at the end of each verse and then everyone starts up again. However, the starting up again part is frequently a mess – people come in all over the place. Far better to keep the momentum, don’t slow down, and add a bar, perhaps with the Vth chord, eg., a G chord if the song is in C.
• Make sure the song leader knows when to come in
4. Bridges
The bridge is that part of a song where something changes – there’s often a new melody, new chords, a new vibe. Sometimes it contains the “punchline” of a song lyrically and musically. It usually builds into a final chorus.
• Make the bridge different to the rest of the song. Is it going to be soft and contemplative, or rhythmic and driving? Use different instruments, different cymbals or drums, different registers, different rhythms to achieve it.
• Build the bridge into the final chorus. Add layers of instruments to one another and build in volume.
5. Post-bridge choruses
The bridge that comes after the chorus is often the climax of the song.
• If the final chorus is the climax, then make sure you make it the climax in your arrangement. It can’t just sound the same as the other choruses! And that doesn’t just mean louder. Experiment with stabs, stops, different instruments, different registers…
• Sudden strip-back. This is an fun effect commonly used in mainstream music where the energy builds throughout the bridge towards the final chorus, but the music suddenly strips back as the chorus starts (for example, to an acoustic guitar part). Then everyone comes back at full-energy after a couple of bars.
6. Repeats
Repeats allow you to reflect one final time on the final chorus or part of the final verse.
• Be very clear with the band which bar the repeat is going back to, and practice it several times.
• Don’t just do a repeat for the sake of it. Decide whether the repeat is a “victorious” repeat (the second half of the last verse of “In Christ Alone”), or a contemplative repeat (the final line of “When I Survey”) and then make the music fit.
• Make sure the song leaders anticipate the repeat and guide the congregation in.
• Put the repeats in the overheads. Don't expect people to guess what the band will do. If they're unsure, they'll just stop singing.
7. Outtros
The outtro (or coda) is what you leave with the congregation as the song is ending. Try to do it well, because it allows the congregation to continue pondering the words they’ve just sung. If done badly, you will quickly lose whatever mood you’d achieved with the final verse.
• Practice the end several times
• Ralls (the slow-down at the end) are hard to do well with the congregation singing – everyone slows down at a different rate. If you add a few more bars of outtro to the end of the song you can save the rall til then, after the congregation has already finished singing.
• Don’t mute the sounds or lift your foot from the sustaining pedal abruptly after the end of the song. It slices the mood in half. Just let the notes ring until they die off naturally. Count to 10.
8. Segues
A segue is a transition between two songs. It helps give continuity, and done well will relate the mood of one song to the next.
• The simplest way to do this is to start the second song while the final notes of the first song are still ringing. It doesn’t really matter if they’re in different keys. It’s much better than suddenly cutting off the music.
• More experienced church bands often prepare segues that actually join the outtro of one song to the intro of the next. Some churches use this time in between songs for a short time of prayer or reflection.
• Practice the transition. In between songs, there’s nothing worse than a mad scramble for the sheet music you’ve left on the floor. The song leader has to stand there awkwardly, and everyone waits around wondering what’s going on. Have the sheet music ready (or even better, memorise the music!)
• Unless there is a particular reason to speak, resist the song leader's urge to pipe up with, “Please stay standing for our second song.”