What is a song arrangement? How arranging can make (or break) your song
- Max DeVincenzo
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
What is an arrangement in music?
A good arrangement is one of the most important production elements in a piece of music, alongside the mix, the song itself, and the recording techniques. The arrangement is what provides color, context, and engagement for a song.
Let’s dive in!
Introduction
Before we do, I’ll quickly introduce myself.
My name is Max DeVincenzo, and I am a full-time music producer currently living in Nashville. I started Fox Tracks Music over 10 years ago to help independent musicians get their music out into the world. I believe in empowering artists to release more music and feel confident in their sound.
Through Fox Tracks and recording at home, my music has been heard on the radio, in feature films (IMAX in 2025!), Netflix, Amazon TV, and I’ve produced projects for clients like SiriusXM and Adult Swim.
I want to show you what you need to finish your music and get it out into the world so you can find new opportunities, which is I started the Indie Recording Academy - an online course teaching musicians how to record their own music at home as efficiently as possible.
Join the Indie Recording Academy
Now let's talk about arrangements...
What Is a Song Arrangement?
Think of an arrangement as the elements surrounding and supporting a song’s main melody, harmony, and rhythm, with limitless options and potential for how these elements are arranged. If the melody is the main element, the arrangement would be the colors and any elements surrounding it.
Two Ways to Think About Arrangement
1. Traditional Arrangements (Ensembles & Orchestration)
The first—and probably the most traditional—sense of the term is an arrangement for big band, strings, or different ensembles. This is what you hear when you listen to Frank Sinatra singing a popular jazz classic. The original song did not have any big band elements on it, so somebody (Quincy Jones, in this case) created an arrangement of the song with elements and parts (what each instrument plays) suitable for a big band, so that Frank could sing with a big band accompaniment.
2. Modern Song & Production Arrangements
The second way to think of an arrangement is the individual instrument parts, elements, choices of range and rhythms, and the different “colors” that supplement and support a song. This could be a traditional band arrangement, electronic produced elements, or anything in between or beyond.
If you wrote a song and you are working with a producer, oftentimes she or he will arrange the different elements that go along with your melody and vocals (a bass-line, synths, drums, etc.), or in some cases they—or a hired arranger—will create parts for a specific ensemble, like strings or horns, to go with a song.
Examples of Different Types of Arrangements
Ensemble Arrangements
A string arrangement—like what you’ve heard on Bridgerton—is a type of arrangement where the original melody is adapted for a string instrument or vocalist, and the accompaniment is rearranged and orchestrated for string instruments.
Here is a string arrangement I did for an artist, Madison DiMatteo, whom I’ve been working with for a few years now.
“Snowfall” – arranged for strings and piano https://youtu.be/x4SK-phK3B0
Rearrangements
Another type of arrangement is a rearrangement.
Rearrangements are a popular way to freshen up a song. Technically, any cover of a song is a new arrangement of that song. The original melody and lyrics are still intact, but the supporting elements have been modified, oftentimes into a new genre than the original.
Remixes
A remix is a type of re-arrangement.
We’ve heard this before—a popular song gets an electronic dubstep reboot with synth bass added, high-energy drums and synths, but the main vocals are still intact. This is an arrangement where the original song was deconstructed and rebuilt using different elements in a different genre.
Here’s an example of a remix I produced:
2 Hands Remix by Max DeVincenzo:
Reharmonizations ("Reharms")
And finally, a reharmonization, or a “reharm,” is another type of arrangement or rearrangement. This is what propelled the talented Jacob Collier to fame by doing vocal arrangements and reharmonizations of popular songs
Summary
An arrangement is the chosen elements for a song that support and add color and context, and the selected instrument ensemble or synths chosen and written to support that song.
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