After laying down a solid beat with all of the core parts such as bass, the leads, the pads, and the drums, the next thing that is necessary is a strong arrangement. Beginning beat makers when first starting out, typically lay down all of the core parts and then repeat it for a set number of bars. The problem with this is that a song that constantly loops quickly gets old and will be lacking in the full potential that it could have. To make the leap from beginning to an advanced beat maker, start looking beyond the loop and to a full sounding arrangement. Today, we'll discuss a few ideas for diversifying your arrangements.

Add/Drop Sounds: You don't have to have every sound playing in your track at the same time. Even the track is a great sounding track, often times, having the listener anticipate when a certain part is going to come in (like the drums or the bass) can make the song have a lot more impact. So, next time you make a beat, have a few tracks playing during your verse, add a few more leading into the chorus, and then have them all in during the chorus. Experiment and see what parts work best for your track.

Change Hi-Hat Sub-Divisions: In earlier articles, we discussed how making the hi-hats go from 8th to 16th notes, or whatever variety you choose can alter the perception of time and speed. As a result, changing the subdivisions can add/remove energy from your track. Keep this in mind when building your arrangement. Use that energy from the hi-hats to power your choruses and make them really hit hard and them remove that energy by slowing down the hi-hats for your next verse.

Adding/Dropping the Groove: The Groove functions similar to the hi-hats in that it brings energy and movement to a track. Without the groove, a track often has no sense of movement (which can sometimes be a desirable effect). Thus, one trick is to leave the groove out during the intro and the first verse and then bring it in during the chorus. You can also pair up the groove with the changing hi-hat subdivisions for added effect. One example of this is the song "Motivation" by Kelly Rowland and Lil Wayne. During the chorus, an 8th note string part comes in and the leaves as the song transitions to the next verse. experiment with adding/dropping the groove in your track.

Changing the Rhythm: Experiment with changing the drum pattern being played from one song section to another. Alternatively, keep the pattern the same but use different sounds during different sections. By changing the pattern or the sounds being used, it helps to keep the song fresh and more interesting. A good example of this is "Touch it Turn It" by Busta Rhymes where every few bars the drum sounds alternate between predominantly mid-range sounds and then predominantly low-range sounds.

There are a variety of techniques that can be used to spice up your arrangement, so experiment with a bunch of them and watch how your tracks instantly become more polished.