II) Listen to the Original Repeatedly!

Contemporary a cappella has been around for over a decade, resulting in a dynamic and rhythmic sound and style that makes it different from barbershop, doo wop, close harmony, and other a cappella styles. Learn how to create a great contemporary a cappella arrangement using this tried and true 10 step formula.

I) Choose a Song
It's easy to come up with songs that would be fun to arrange, but usually there is a question of what's needed in the repertoire, or what's missing stylistically. Avoiding songs that are frequently performed by other a cappella groups is a good idea your group will make a name for itself much more quickly if you develop your own sound. You group should have a great first and last song, a great encore, and at least one ballad at its disposal. Make sure you have someone in your group who can sing the solo of the song you choose. The soloist is the most important vocalist in any song, and since as arranger you're organizing everything around this central voice and melody, you'd better be sure that you have a voice that can get the job done.

II) Listen to the Original Repeatedly!

This principle is the same as in foreign language study; listen to the song over and over and over again. While you're concentrating, and while you're not. You will begin to hear sounds, textures, rhythms, and chords that you never heard before, some of which are very subtle and mixed quietly in the background and can add a lot to make your arrangement exciting and interesting.

III) Buy the Sheet Music - Get a midi file - Look at & listen to other arrangements of the song

Stravinsky admitted to "stealing" musical ideas from others and himself, and he wasn't the first great musician to do so. There is a plagiarism case to be made from someone copying a paragraph out of a book, but there is no ownership of a texture, or vocal lick, or arranging trick. The artistry is in knowing when and where to use these various elements to enhance your personal style as opposed to slavishly imitating.

Caveat emptor: there can be mistakes or simplifications in printed music/midi files (melody and/or chords), but if you've internalized the song, you'll catch them. At the same time, there can be interesting decisions made in vocal/piano or guitar arrangements that may spark new ideas.

IV) Decide on a Form

Sometimes there's no decision to be made, and other times it will take a great deal of creativity to know how to sew together the important sections of a song that has a lot of instrumental filler. The longer the original, the more likely you'll have to cut something - say what needs to be said as poignantly as possible, and avoid unnecessary repetition. Since many songs are written for and recorded with instruments, there are often solos, long intros, and transitional passages that translate poorly to voices. Try singing through from start to finish, and see where you lose interest. Also listen for what sounds stupid when you sing it.

V) Lay Out the Paper/Computer File/Cassette

It doesn't matter if you notate music on paper, or use a computer program, or arrange by ear into a 4 track recorder it's important to set a solid framework. You'll need to choose the number of staves and measures per page, which brings up the question of the number of parts. If you have a small ensemble, your choice is made for you, as doubling only one or two parts can cause an imbalance. If you're arranging for a small ensemble consider assigning at least two people per part - you'll get a fuller sound, and tuning will be easier. Try to designate more people on the bass part. The lower-frequency bass lines can be drowned out by screaming tenors/sopranos when performing live. An easily audible bass line provides a solid harmonic centre that will help everyone tune better.

Don't forget to factor in the soloist and any extra parts, such as vocal percussion or duet lines, that need their own room on the paper. The solo should be on the top line, and may be joined by duet or trio parts. Ideally you should avoid having more than two parts per line, as the inner voices usually have difficulty following their parts in the middle of a cluster. When you have two parts (or more) per line, the upper voice should have "stems up" throughout, and the lower voice "stems down".

Finally, "lay out" the song by counting the number of measures, and making a note where each section begins (verse, chorus, bridge, etc.). Next, fill in your clefs and key signatures. When you're done, you'll have a solid framework that will allow you to work on sections in any order you'd like without confusion as to where you are or how it fits with the rest of the song.

VI) Write Out the Solo

Having the solo line written down will keep you from losing your place while you're arranging - it serves as a "place-keeper" and a road map. For small groups, the soloist's pitch and rhythm is important to consider at all times. Sometimes you will be missing a note in a chord, and the solo could be filling it in. Also remember that in performance a soloist sometimes doesn't sing exactly the same notes and rhythms as the original, or as the last time they performed the song. For this reason its worth noting, as you arrange, what sections of the melody should be sung exactly as written to make the arrangement work.

VII) Write Out the Bass Line

If the bass line in the original song is unique and/or memorable, you're probably going to want to duplicate it as closely as possible. If the bass isn't clearly definable, then you're free to weave a bass line of your own. Consider vocal range, roots of the chords, and the rhythmic feel of the original as primary factors. The bass line is the song's "second melody" and is usually the most recognizable line after the solo, so make it melodic, catchy, and fun. Also - don't forget to take into consideration things like where your bass is going to breathe, how fast they can articulate and how long they can sustain a note.

VIII) Write the Uppers

The other background voices, or uppers are usually treated as a unit in contemporary a cappella arranging. Of all of these ten steps, this will prove the most time consuming, demanding, and ultimately most rewarding, as it's here that you get to be your most creative. There are many considerations when writing these parts too many to list exhaustively here. A few things to watch for are:

-Rhythmic variety (different rhythms from the solo and bass)
-Syllabic sounds (words? nonsense syllables?) Voice leading (no unnecessary jumps, making the lines melodic)
-Duet/Trio (same words/rhythms as the melody)
-Block Chords vs. Counterpoint (all voices acting as a single unit vs. each line separate)
-Arpeggiation (spelling out chords by singing one note at a time)
-Instrumental idioms (using voices to imitate instrumental sounds/textures)
-Musical Styles (classical, doo-wop, close harmony, pop, R&B, etc.)

-Quoting other songs

IX) The Final Touches
Now is the time to go back and sing through the entire arrangement in your head. What does it need? Where is it too empty or repetitious? How do the sections fit together? Where are the weak passages and how can I fix them? It's best to turn your editor off when you're originally coming up with ideas, but at this stage you need to turn it back on and look at your arrangement as a whole.

X) Perform and Learn

A great arrangement is one that grows and changes with the groups that sing it. Suggestions from the group, and your own changes after you hear a proper sing-through will only make the chart better. When listening to the sing-through, focus on your chart and their performance of it. How does the arrangement sound? Is it what you expected? What differs from your expectations, and do you like it or not? Be honest with yourself, and be open to trying a variety of ideas and suggestions. To be a great arranger you have to know how to write a standard arrangement, and also have the creativity and drive to try something new. The best arrangements manage to maintain the successful elements of an original version, and also bring to it something new.

Deke Sharonhas been arranging a cappella since high school, and might just be the world's most prolific contemporary a cappella arranger. Custom and published arrangements by Deke are available at

2000 Total Vocal Music - all rights reserved

If you’ve read the last two installments ofthis columnabout arranging approaches you might have a few questions about how to actually execute these ideas in practice. Fear not – the next two columns are for you! This time around we’re going to discuss syllables: one of the major tools you have at your disposal to use within the larger conceptual frameworks we’ve discussed, in order to come up with what exactly in the heck you’re going to put down on paper (or record).
If you’re a beginning or intermediate arranger (or really even if you consider yourself advanced) the best way to keep ideas for syllables percolating is tolisten to a ton of a cappella. If you’re just starting out, this is going to give you an idea of what’s possible. If you’re more experienced, this is going to help you find out what has been overdone versus what still sounds fresh. If you’re advanced, you get to evaluate the work of others against what you have done or would have done – which keeps your ears on their toes!
Listening to your peers gives you the foundation, so where do you go from there? Consider the function of syllables (for ease of discussion, I refer to anything that’s a sung background as a “syllable”). Background syllables give shape to your vocals, which themselves are standing in for whatever instruments filled the same function in the song you’re covering (unless the song is being written originally a cappella, in which case, good for you!). Your challenge as an arranger is how to use these shapes to represent your impression of the music – not necessarily to best emulate the exact sound of the original instrument.
Let’s take a step back for a second and talk about vocal character. Vowels and consonants all have different qualities to them. Scientifically this is based on the overtones present in each sound, but that’s a bit beyond the scope of this article. First and foremost we have vowels, which carry the emotion in speech and singing, and which change in character based primarily on the position of the vocalist’s tongue. This cross section diagram of a human mouth will help you understand what I’m talking about:

Figure 1.1
(aka, the graphic art talent went elsewhere in my family)
The vowels formed further back on the tongue have a naturally darker, richer quality to them, while the vowels formed at the front have a brighter, more piercing quality (just think of “ee” versus “ah”). When you think about representing your impression of tone in an arrangement, this palette of vowel shapes is one of your major tools. If a sound strikes you as warm, think of the darker vowel colors. If it seems more piercing to you, move forward on the chart.
What of consonants? I think this is the area in which most arrangers feel the most apprehensive. Consonants, which again shape the vowels, are the things that make a background syllable sound “dorky,” “cliché,” or (hopefully) “awesome.” Coming up with good, original background syllables is all about consonant choice.
So how do you choose? A good place to start is what feels natural to you. A good rule of thumb in all arranging is that if you can’t sing it, how will your group be able to? When you’re interpreting a line, after you’ve picked the vocal color (or perhaps colors) you feel is appropriate, ask yourself what consonants will best frame the sound around the rhythm you’re trying to convey so that the syllables roll easily off the tongue. The goal first and foremost is to create a background line that can be sung with ease so that the performer can focus on an expressive delivery.
Using this as a jumping off point, there are lots of things you can do to come up with creative new syllables. If you speak a foreign language, mine it for sounds that are distinctively non-English (Middle Eastern and Asian languages have a host of sounds just waiting to be incorporated). If you have a particular regional accent (and you probably do whether you realize it or not) listen to others talking and experiment with their delivery as the basis for your syllable (Tom Anderson has spoken of the Mid-Western bright “oh” sound as a particularly powerful vowel choice). Of course, no matter how you choose to create your syllables, check in with other recordings to see how they compare to what’s been done, and check with your gut to make sure they’re effective!
Many arrangers have their own philosophies when it comes to what makes a background sound effective or not. I invite everyone to sound off in the comment section below. What makes a background effective to your ear? What strikes you as awkward or cliché? Everyone’s opinions are different, and everyone’s thoughts are valid!
Next time we’ll talk a bit about harmony. What are your options when it comes to expanding the harmonic body of the song you’re arranging? When you’re re-interpreting a song, which parts will a listener most readily gravitate to in order to make sense of your arrangement? How many notes is too many? All this and more coming your way.
About the author:
Robert Dietz is a recent graduate of Ithaca College in upstate New York where he received a dual degree in music and business. He began singing in high school when he founded the Contemporary A Cappella Recording Award (CARA) winning male quintet, Ascending Height. During his time at Ithaca College, Robert had the pleasure of performing with and conducting Ithaca College’s only all male a cappella group, Ithacappella. Along with Ithacappella, Robert had the honor of twice advancing to the finals of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCAs), as well as sharing the stage with the internationally renowned rock band, Incubus. In addition to his CARA awards and nominations, Robert also holds three ICCA awards for outstanding vocal percussion, and his 100th arrangement received the award for outstanding arrangement at the ICCA semifinals at Rutgers in 2009. He currently lives in Sydney, Australia and is pursuing a graduate diploma in Music Composition and Production at the Australian Institute of Music.

From portamental.com Lots of resources there!

The Quick and Dirty 10-step Guide

Posted byDan Newmanon January 27, 2009 at 3:06 pm.

When you get a chance, slow down and clean up. Look presentable.

So maybe you don’t want to peruse the multitude of articles right now, and you just want fast and easy directions of how to do an a cappella arrangement. Will do, but here’s the caveat- this is just one way of going about an arrangement. I would recommend reading the other articles on this website when you get the chance, as well as be aware of what works and doesn’t work for you.

So here we go!

1–Research and learning the song. Listen to the original tune and focus on it, but also have it on in the background while you do other stuff so it seeps inside your head. Familiarize yourself with the lyrics, the history of the song, the group that made it, everything. Scrounge around and see if you can find different versions. Take notes of what you think is cool, and STEAL IT! Great composers steal, and great arrangements steal from other sources. If you’re doing Autumn Leaves and you find a great lick in a techno version, take it and run.

2–Chart out the form. Pop tunes are easy- they have very distinguishable sections, and often the chords repeat- so if you’re doing that, figure out what a “section” is and everything that goes on in it. When does the chorus start, how long is it, what are the chord changes? Ditto for verse, bridge, etc. Call a section whatever you want, just be consistent. If you’re a music theory nerd and know your roman numerals , do that (as well as the actual chord changes) so if you need to transpose later on, it’ll be easier . Chart out when each section happens- this will be your cheat sheet when you’re putting in the notes.

When you’re doing this, you can start incorporating the gimmicks you picked up during research. Perhaps the bridge should be from another version- write that in. Are you mashing up tunes into a medley? Figure out what goes where, what parts need to be linked by what chords, if anything can be layered, etc.