The 'Four Man Combo' Approach to Arranging By Shariq Ansari, aka DarkeSword Often times I listen to a piece by a person who's relatively new to composing and remixing, and I think to myself, "This sounds empty." I'm sure you've read it too, in various reviews of works-in-progress; "This sounds kind of empty," and, "There's not much going on here." This is usually because a lot of new composers and arrangers don't understand how to write a piece so that it sounds full, from lower sounds to higher sounds, and everything in between. For as long as I've been composing, I've always approached my work with what I like to call the "Four Man Combo" Approach. This comes out of my background as a trumpet player, playing in jazz groups in high school. The Four Man Combo Approach is basically breaking down a song into four "players:" the drummer, the bassist, the pianist, and the lead. Each player has a specific job in the combo, which I will explain. Now, this approach doesn't just apply to jazz; I've used this concept when writing techno songs and orchestral pieces as well, so think of each "player" in a more abstract sense. -- The Drummer: The drummer in a jazz combo is the guy who, for the most part, lays down the pulse of the song and keeps time. He's responsible for rhythmically accenting what's going on in the music, and provide a solid backing to the song that the other players can fall back on. The drummer is basically the percussion in your piece, be it orchestral snare and cymbals, or techno kick and hats. Have your drummer interact with what's going on with the other players. Don't just have him keep time; give him something to do. Use him to provide a pulse to the song, but also to accent beats and interact with the melody to a certain degree. -- The Bassist: The bassist obviously provides the bassline. He works closely with the drummer to establish the pulse of the song, and he also is responsible for laying down the chord structure. In your piece, use the bassist to establish the low end of your song. Your bassist will lay out the chordal structure of your piece. Low strings or brass is usually heard in orchestral, and basslines in techno often consist of a pumping synthline that gives the song a pulse. -- The Pianist: The pianist is usually the player most people forget when starting out, and yet, he's probably the most important player in terms of writing a full sounding composition. The pianist is responsible for the chordal support. He builds off the chords that the bassist establishes and plays those chords in the midrange, making them more audible to the listener. Usually a pianist "comps," by playing the chords in specific rhythms, working with the drummer's and bassist's pulse. In your own piece, the pianist is very important. Make sure your song has some kind of midrange going on, whether it's pads, arpeggiated synth lines, harps playing arpeggios, moving strings, bouncy electronic sounds, whatever. This is they key to making a mix sound "full." The midrange is very important. -- The Lead: The Lead is the guy on the sax, the trumpet, or whatever playing the melody of the song. He's the guy people listen to; he's the guy everyone else in the combo is supporting. Without him, the song is just a chord progression; but if it's only him, it's nothing but a solo. Your Lead player is your melody/harmony line. Just like in the combo, this is what people tune into, and this is what everything else is supporting. Often times in a starting composer/mixer's song, you'll hear this guy and the drummer, and maybe the bassist. This is because starting composers/mixers act like listeners and tune into the lead. Just keep in mind though, without everyone else, your lead is just a solo. -- Now, I'm certainly not suggesting that you only use four instruments in your piece. I, for example, might use a drummer, a few pianists, one or two bassists, and some trading leads for variety. Many times in the piece, I'll drop out some guys and bring them back in later. It's all a matter of how the song is going. Also, this approach might not work in all genres, but I've found that it's applicable in most. Just think about each player, and what his responsibility is, and try to apply it to the mix you're writing; you'll be surprised at how well the idea fits. I hope this approach helps anyone who's looking to write an enjoyable, full piece. It's certainly worked for me throughout my years as a composer and arranger. Best of luck.