It amuses, yet annoys me when I hear people say “but that’s not the way they did it on the recording!”  Think about it–especially us gals—have you ever had the occasion to buy a dress that you just loved and anxiously anticipated wearing to church, camp meeting, or a special service only to arrive and find out that another gal is wearing an IDENTICAL dress.  How embarrassing this can be!

Not only do we not like to dress identical to others (believe it or not—most identical twins don’t even enjoy dressing exactly alike) most likely we wouldn’t do an EXACT copy of someone else’s home décor or purchase the exact sofa or bedroom ensemble. I enjoy looking at clothing and home décor and getting ideas—but when it comes right down to it—I just use these for a guide and NEVER make an exact replica.  This is called DESIGNING or an ORIGINAL DESIGN!

The same applies to music arrangements—listen to the recording and use it as a guide—but you don’t HAVE to practice or perform it EXACTLY the same way it is on the recording.  This does not give you an excuse to dumb down your arrangement to the point that you just SETTLE FOR LESS instead of challenging yourself to stretch your talent and creativity to see your true capabilities!  

Use the intros, licks and chords if you like but if you need to change the key in order to keep your sopranos from sounding like Minnie Mouse, by all means do it.  If that sends the parts too high or too low for your altos and tenors, switch them up.  If a bridge just doesn’t “fit” your group or church, eliminate or replace it with something else.  Make your own medleys! This is known as ARRANGING! 

Quite frankly, a person who moans “but that’s not the way
” usually simply just lacks the creativity and ability to arrange!  If you need help getting started, just ASK!  Most of the time you’ll find other musicians willing and able to help you get started!  Try arranging—don’t be a clone!