How to Arrange for Piano :

Writing and arranging music for the piano can be daunting, especially for those musicians who aren't pianists. Here's my tips for good piano arranging.

Know your pianist:

You don’t have to know your pianist individually, but it is vital to know what standard of pianist is going to play your arrangement. If it’s a beginner then it’s obvious that the arrangement needs to be simple but even if it’s a professional then you need to make a judgement as to what type of professional (Classical, Jazz, Pop) it is and whether they’re actually going to get to see it before the performance or recording! Please don’t automatically assume that the pianist will have any time to rehearse. Many wonderful musicians that make they’re living from commercial music or Jazz are not good sight readers yet many incredible classically trained sight readers cannot improvise a note.

Harmonic Voicings:

Just as with orchestral or band arranging, the notes of the chord must be positioned in such a way as to make the most from the fewest notes. An example of this would be to take a C major chord and play it in “root” position (C,E,G) in the middle of the keyboard of perhaps higher up. This is where most beginners would play it. The chord sounds small and somewhat thin. Now take the same three notes but play the “C” low in the register (2nd octave)-play the “G” a 5th above and then add the 3rd of the chord above that (a 10th from the root). The result is a lush, resonant chord using only the same 3 notes. With practice and experience you learn where to place notes to the best effect.

What’s possible?

This can be tricky for non pianists but there are two things to bear in mind here: 1. How far can the hand stretch? And 2. How many independent parts can one play?The hand stretch is relatively simple. Most pianists can stretch a ninth (C-D 8va) but far fewer can stretch a 10th (C-E 8va). This interval is very useful, as described above but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t use it as it can be played between the two hands. Don’t forget that chords can be placed across the 2 hands (with melody at the top) rather than the left hand playing a chord and the right playing the melody (although this is good for beginners).Most pianists are happy to play different rhythmic things in the left and right hands but if this gets too complicated it may stop them in their tracks. Again, think of how much rehearsal time the pianist may have.

Think Orchestrally:

The mistake that most musicians make is to play the piano like a piano! Great pianists approach playing the piano as though they had an orchestra (or band) in front of them. They hear flutes, violins, cellos and alter their touch accordingly. The master of this was Vladimir Horowitz. In Jazz an obvious example is George Shearing’s block harmony piano style, which is taken from a Big Band Saxophone section.The piano is an extremely versatile instrument and can be played percussively, like a guitar or with long singing legato lines.

Don’t be afraid of experimentation but also why be complicated when something simple will do?



James Treweek is a freelance  pianist, arranger and composer and has worked in Theatre in London’s West End and played with most of the Uk's top Jazz musicians. He runs smartassmusic.com producing written music arrangements, transcriptions, production music and royalty free music