Arranging Experimental Pop

Experimental Pop artists who compose in a DAW have
an unlimited arsenal of virtual musicians and
drag-n-drop riffs available at their fingertips,
ready to be deployed with the click of a mouse. No
longer "constrained" by the natural order of
instrumentation previously established by "the
band" (drums, bass, guitar, keys), one has the
ability to transpose and embellish the seeds of a
composition-a compelling vocal performance,
infectious bass line or beat-in any number of
genres and imaginative stylistic configurations.

Nor is the challenge for the self-producing
musician so much about access to the pro-players
and production technology needed to create a
perfectly polished record-with today's
sophisticated plug-ins, almost anyone can do that
now. Instead, it's more about navigating this
unbounded terrain to identify the most original
and effective sounds and out-of-the-box sonic
sources to accompany one's individual performance.

When pursuing an experimental approach to pop,
arranging (as well as composition) becomes more
about exploring melodic, harmonic and rhythmic
accompaniment that one does not expect to find
within a particular genre (resulting in fresh
cross-pollinations and mutating forms) rather than
simply ticking the boxes of what one expects to
find (swelling strings in a ballad.check; trap
high-hats.check; autotuned hyperpop vocals.check;
EDM riser.check).

In this class, we will investigate how musical
languages and techniques of arranging have
catalyzed the possibilities for studio productions
in a post-genre era of music.

Students will be expected to learn how to make
arrangements in the DAW, to explore transpositions
of these arrangements to live performance
settings, to demonstrate awareness and knowledge
of the history and role of arrangement/productions
within popular recorded music, and to
conceptualize the task of the arranger-producer
from the standpoint of experimental pop and
post-genre musical practices.

By examining the arrangement strategies deployed
by a wide array of experimental pop artists,
students will learn how these artists managed to
mutate and transcend their influences through
constant experimentation and restless creativity
and exploration.