Session 1 · CREATE: Arrange
Bass from the roots
- 8 minListen: play a track with a clear bass line. Hum only the bass. Notice it often moves when the chord changes.
- 10 minMini-lesson: the root is the note a chord is named after (C in C major, A in A minor). Playing the root of each chord low down gives you a bass line. Name the tonic (I) and dominant (V) in C major: C and G.
- 22 minRoot-note bass line (see activities): add a bass line to your chord loop using the root of each chord, then try one rhythm change so it locks with the kick drum.
- 10 minAdd your hook: a short melody of four to eight notes that repeats. Test it against the chords and adjust notes that clash.
Session 2 · CREATE: Arrange
Structure: intro to outro
- 8 minMini-lesson: form is the order of sections. Show a common plan: intro (few layers), main section, build (add layers or raise energy), drop or chorus (everything), outro (strip back).
- 22 minArrangement map (see activities): draw your track as blocks along a timeline, then build it in the tool section by section. Bring in one of your field recordings as a signature sound.
- 12 minListen through from start to finish. Mark any place where the energy stalls or where there are too many layers at once.
- 5 minSave the version link and write your structure on the producer's sheet.
Getting started
Use the arrangement template with five boxes. Fill intro with just the beat and one sound, then add one layer per box.
Stretch
Write a second section with a contrasting chord loop (for example switch from major to minor for the build) and move between the two.
Checkpoint
Each track has beat, bass, chords and a hook, one self-recorded sample and a planned structure of at least four sections, saved as a link.
Activities for this week
- Root-note bass line: How does a bass line hold the harmony up?
- Arrangement map: How do producers build energy from the first second to the last?
Useful this week
- Make some chords ↗ Build major and minor chords and hear how they change the mood.