I love arranging music, both for my own ensembles and for other people to sing.
Purchase an existing arrangement
I have a growing library of arrangements for review and purchase. I also have a LOT of songs arranged in earlier years that I think need a little bit of additional love and care before I send them out into the world to be sung, so watch for these to be added in the coming months.
** Click here to see my available arrangements **
Requesting a custom arrangement
Consider selecting an ArrangeMe song to be arranged. These songs have been preauthorised by Hal Leonard to be arranged and sold anywhere in the world. Clearance is guaranteed and very cheap.
I would love to arrange a song for your ensemble to sing. There are a number of factors to consider:
- Is the copyright owner prepared to grant permission for the song to be arranged? This question needs to be answered before I commence arranging the song. Sadly, on two occasions I’ve spent many hours working on great arrangements for an ensemble, only to have the copyright owner deny permission – seemingly arbitrarily. I’ve also had a song cleared in one country and denied in another, so we need to have this sorted out before I start. If you select an ArrangeMe song, there’s no problem as they are pre-approved to arrange.
- Is the song you want to arrange suitable for a cappella singing? Note that many songs, particularly contemporary songs, have highly repetitive melodies and/or chord patterns and rely on the instrumentation to create the interest – which is challenging to replicate for an a cappella group, or ends up with lots of “doos” and “bahs”. Other considerations include iconic bass lines or rifs that need to be included, while rangy melodies can also present a challenge unless you have a Mariah or Beyoncé in your ensemble!
- What do you want to use the song for? Is this a show song, or a contest ballad? Contest songs have certain characteristics that need to be included, and some fun arranging techniques don’t work in contest. If it’s for a package such as Harmony Classic, Open Division or International Finals, you may also be looking for a shortened version of a song to keep within your time limitations.
- What is the skill level of your ensemble? I can take this into consideration when creating the arrangement; I want you to have a song that you love singing that shows off your best skills.
- Is there something you’d particularly like to feature? A baritone solo, a tenor with operatic tendencies, a bass who can scat sing, a lead who sings jazz like no one’s business…a soloist with chorus…
All of these things and more can be discussed when requesting a custom arrangement. I will provide you with a quote after we’ve talked and before I start, and you’re under no obligation to proceed until we reach agreement.
Think you’d like a custom arrangement? Contact me.