Arrangement

i like arranging songs. i‘ve never learned it. i listened to the beatles. a LOT! thats where i learned.

a song is the most important thing. its everything. how can you enhance the song? less is more. think 8-track and try to arrange with instruments recording only 8-tracks. should be the core and more than enough to bring across the vibe of the song.

the rest is small embellishment which should enhance vibe and only occupy free space.

only „rule“ i really know is the human ear can only focus on 3 things: arrange accordingly.

I studied arranging at university. The 3 elements thing is bogus. The ear may only be able to "focus" on 3 things (although I doubt even that), but many other things can be there for subconscious texturing and background.  For the very reasons you mentioned. Big bands, Orchestras, all kinds of ensembles have more than 3 elements. Movies have hundreds of elements build a soundtrack.  

The thing about rules is - they have some validity. Learn rules and master them, then they can be broken. Arrangements are like songs - a good one is hard to put your finger on - but you know it when you hear it. Studying bands / music you like is a good place to start.

As always, YMMV.

yeah the rule of three is about the key elements: eg lead vocal rhythm and harmony/chords. you wouldn‘t want to add a electric guitar solo to that while the singer keeps singing the chorus.
or if dou have a nice intro wirh some rhythm, a biblical bass line and some pads you wouldn‘t want to ruin it with some acrobatics vocal to draw attention away from the other magic elements.

the point is really: less is more. not having to many key elements at once. thats often to be heard in amateurish songs: too much going on at once.
good bands/songwriter can focus on the key elements and give them place to shine. like we do in mixing. every instruments with the same loudness? won‘t work.

I can agree with most things above. Studied five years of arranging at the conservatory, I wouldn't necessarily use terms like 'rules', especially in music. Go break whatever you think is a rule. But there are physics at play when arranging, same as pushing all that information through two speakers when recorded, it's all balancing. And by balancing I also mean out of balance at certain points.

One non-theoretical concept I keep in the back of my mind is, much like a photograph, not everything has to be in focus the whole time. Your subconscious can hold on to them for quite some time, like actors in a play. It would be rough if they were all talking at the same time, or if they could only be on stage when talking, etc

Arrangement is everything,,,what….when…how much

Oh, welcome aboard!

Cheers,
Geoff

My most important arrangement comments would be to constantly focus on the primary element in the song. Move other ones in and out to make things interesting. If the melody is paramount then don't mask it with other sounds in the same frequency range unless they are unobtrusive and well underneath or behind it. If you want to double the melody then do it up or down an octave, or use a smaller sound than what is playing the main melody. I tend to think of accompaniment chord voicings in the same way one would use a low pass or high pass filter. Either eliminate or downplay the notes in the chords to stay away from the range the melody occupies. Stay above or below it.

If the rhythm is the focal point then keep the melody simple and don't move the notes around in it much. Ballads don't need a machine gun approach to melodic rhythm. etc. etc. Any time the song changes from one section to another, verse to chorus or chorus to bridge, something needs to be added or taken away depending upon the dynamics needed to get the point across.

If there is a vocal with lyrics then always make musical decisions that will reinforce and highlight the emotion of the words.

There are a multitude of other guidelines I follow but I also don't follow sometimes depending upon what attitude the song portrays. Sometimes full and busy arrangements are just what a chaotic song needs.

As for the rule of 3's I'm a believer and use it as my general approach. There are as many ways to describe what makes up each of the three elements as there are people to talk about it. Convention usually states that there is rhythm, accompaniment, and melody. There can be many instruments making up any single element if they contribute to and are a part of its category. IMO there can be numerous elements weaving in and out of each other as long as there aren't too many of them all happening simultaneously. They can overlap somewhat as they are in the process of entering or exiting around the focal point when it is present. Sometimes 4 or more elements happening at once can be confusing to me as well as the listener, but that can also be used to portray confusion or anxiety in the music and if that's what the emotion of the song is at that point then hit em with all the big guns at once. Whatever it takes to get the emotion of the song across effectively is what you should always do.

I may not, and probably would not, agree with everyone's arrangement decisions, but who is to say you are wrong and I am right. Everyone processes their music through their own set of personal filters and that's okay. It's actually better than okay. It is necessary or everything would all sound the same.

Do they lift him up where he belongs?

Hitting a little too close to home.😅

Appreciate everyone taking the time to share their thoughts and wisdom. Great stuff so far.

The most important aspect of musical arrangement is momentum, and secondly is authenticity. Many times this relates to rhythm and tempo. Next up: tension, dynamics, contrast, and playing with the idea of predictability from the POV of the listener. Within that framework, you can get pretty creative with it.

Hmm, to be honest I'm not up on the current top 40. I'd have to look at it, but I can venture to guess most of them have strong monentum built-in. That's why some songs barely have hooks nowadays, because the rhythm track is the hook.

I was always impressed as a kid with how a quiet acoustic guitar and vocal by James Taylor could wind up such a pop hit, and I was intrigued by Peter Asher his Producer/Arranger who I thought was "adding" a bunch of stuff and magic. But years later I realized arrangement can be much more organic and fundamental like Rod Temperton and "Rock With You".