Arrangement & Songwriting
Song forms and their bar counts, how energy rises and falls across a track, how to grow an 8-bar loop into a full arrangement, the transitions that join sections, and how to write a hook and actually finish.
Start the course5 lessons · 35 min · free
What you'll be able to do
- Lay out a pop, AABA or club arrangement with sensible section lengths
- Plan an energy curve and use tension and release on purpose
- Expand an 8-bar loop into a three-minute song by subtraction
- Build transitions from risers, fills, sweeps and silence
- Write a hook and topline, and get a track to done
Lessons
- 1Song Forms and Section LengthsVerse/chorus, AABA and the club intro-build-drop structure, with the bar counts that make each one feel right.7 min
- 2Energy Curves, Tension and ReleaseHow density, register, rhythm and harmony raise and lower a track's energy, and how to plan the curve so the peaks land.7 min
- 3From an 8-Bar Loop to a Full SongEscape loop paralysis: build the densest version first, then subtract parts across a timeline using a muting map.7 min
- 4Transitions: Risers, Fills, Sweeps and SilenceThe tools that join sections — fills, risers, filter sweeps, reverse cymbals, impacts and silence — and how to time them to the downbeat.6 min
- 5Hooks, Toplines and FinishingWrite a hook people remember, sketch a topline and lyric over a beat, and use deadlines and checklists to finish the track.8 min
Next up:
Mixing Essentials
Balance, EQ, compression, space and width — and how to check your work.