Best way to arrange music for studio?

[JacobShah]

Hey everybody, I know there are many different ways to arrange and compose sheet music for the studio. So what works best for you guys? Currently I just go with the flow(which is not working I usually do live church and gig stuff and mix later. Since you don't have that live feeling, should I try composing actual sheet music, and only go by that. Or try the Nashville numbers chart? Or just lyrics and chords? Thanks in advance!

 

[ez_willis]

huh? are you asking how songs should be arranged? it's gonna vary.

 

[dintymoore]

... I know there are many different ways to arrange and compose sheet music for the studio...

I'm not sure what you mean. I either writing a chart or don't, and most of the time I don't, except for horn players who often are good readers or if the song has complicated chords.

You have to be careful giving people charts because it's a trade-off. On one hand you're giving them accurate knowledge and on the other hand you end up with people staring at music paper and not listening in the same way they wouldn't if there was no sheet music. I always prefer no sheet music, but some songs require it.

I will say that my general rule with sheet music is "as little ink on the page as it needs to get the message across". I really try to make charts 1 page if I can, and make them clean and tidy.

Here's one that I did (the way I wrote the title was sloppy)... but it's a 1 pg, and at measure 40 you can see how I wrote the repeats, and at 72 the coda - keep it ultra simple, as little ink as possible.