Trance Arrangement Checklist

Stylistic Fingerprint
Tempo 125 160 bpm
Repeating melodic phrases
Build-ups
Release
Mid song break down featuring NO drums or
minimum percussion
Fade out of rhythm tracks
Female ethereal vocals
Synths processed
4 to the floor drums
Arpeggiator patterns
8 bar phrases
Pedal notes
Extremes of dense and sparse textures
Vocals heavily processed
Reverb and delay used on vocals and other
prominent lines
Spatial processing
Sub bass
Rhythmic effects created by use of timed
delay
Snare rolls
Trance gate patterns
Off beat hi-hats
Side chain compression
High Pass filters
Half speed feel section
Minor key
Simple chord progressions
Octave bass synths
Reverse Cymbal
Added light percussion in some less dense
sections
Auto panning effects (timed)
Use of modulator (ring)
Use of note bend on lead synth parts
Developing melodic ideas from Patience
Developing harmonic ideas from Patience
Developing rhythmic ideas from Patience

Achieved? Criterion
Style
Melody
Structure
Structure
Structure
Structure
Style
Technology
Rhythm
Style
Structure
Harmony
Texture
Technology
Technology

Texture
Texture
Melody
Instrumentation

Structure

Technology
Harmony
Technology
Instrumentation
Rhythm
Technology
Technology
Rhythm
Harmony
Harmony
Instrumentation
Instrumentation
Rhythm
Technology
Technology
Technology
Stimulus
Stimulus
Stimulus

Structure

Structure

Harmony
Technology
Instrumentation

LOGBOOK Start to consider your responses to these initial questions for your logbook
1. Why is your arrangements structure suitable for a Trance song?

2. What are the common instrumentations of a Trance song?

3. How long are each of your sections and is this important to the Trance / Patience structure?

4. How have you decided upon the drum and bass rhythms of your piece?

5. What is the tempo of your piece and why is it appropriate for a trance track?

6. How did you decide on the key of your piece and is it important to your track that its in a
minor / major key?

7. Describe your chord progression and why is it appropriate for both Trance and Patience?
8. Why have you chosen the instrumentation that you have in your arrangement?

9. Did you include a tempo or time signature change, if so why?

10. How could you improve / develop this piece further?

11. Common features of Trance music are filtering and side chain compression how have you
used these technologies in your pieces and why?

OPTIONAL CRITERION
Melody:
Have you developed the melody?
If so how? Have you added notes, changed the melodic rhythm, added any harmony parts?
Have you used any counter-melody ?
Have you chosen a particularly interesting instrumental voice for the melody?

Harmony:
How have you re-harmonised the stimulus?
Is your arrangement in a new key, if so why?
How is the harmony expressed, is it using block chords, broken chords or arpeggios?
Is the harmony expressed by one instrument or more than one instrument?
What type of chords have you used?
Power chords, sus chords, triads, extended chords (7th, 9th, 11th, 13th etc.)
Bass line does the bass line state the harmony? How does the bass reflect what is happening
harmonically? How does the bass work rhythmically?
Rhythm:
How have you created the rhythm track? Does the rhythm track uses drum kit sounds or drum
machine/sampled elements?
Have you integrated any sampled drum loops?
Have you used any percussion?
Are there any drum fills?
How have you created contrast in your rhythm track? Does it vary from verse to chorus, intro etc.
Have you used percussive layers?

Texture & Instrumentation:

Texture: Terms to include when discussing texture include: thick, rich, thin, open, spacious,
multilayered, sparse, dense.
Texture: How is there contrast in the texture? i.e from verse to chorus, or from intro to verse et