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Arranger Quotes

Shaping the sound behind the scenes

Several arranger quotes describe turning a composer's intention into something a producer and arranger can make Face the listener with real feeling.

I picked all the tunes before I went to Memphis, and the band was all set. Willie Mitchell is an arranger like I am, and he let me do what I had to do.

Quotes by Otis Rush

It's understanding the intention of a composer that allows a producer and an arranger to make those moments speak.

Quotes by Michael Bolton

Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there's always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.

Quotes by Marcelene Cox

We spent a month in LA using a pool of musicians, a string arranger called Benjamin Wright, some great backing singers, and it gave tracks like Dynamite, which was written there, that kind of flavour.

Quotes by Jay Kay

Children Quotes

Yes, but I view Frank's music as fully composed. In other words, the arrangements can work for any idiom such as a rock band or an orchestra. Frank was a brilliant arranger and could make his music work in any...

Quotes by Dweezil Zappa

But, I don't think any arranger should ever write a drum part for a drummer because if a drummer can't create his own Interpretation of the chart and he plays everything that's written, he becomes mechanical; he has no freedom.

Quotes by Buddy Rich

Frequently Asked Questions

What role does an arranger play, according to these quotes?
One quote describes an arranger's job as understanding a composer's intention closely enough that a producer and arranger together can make a musical moment truly connect.
Is there a metaphor for an arranger outside of music?
Yes, one quote compares children in a family to flowers in a bouquet, noting there is always one that faces the opposite way from how the arranger would prefer.
What kind of studio work is described in these quotes?
One speaker recalls a month in LA working with a pool of musicians and a string Drummer and arranger named Benjamin Wright, crediting the sessions for a track called Dynamite.
How is preparation described before a recording trip?
One quote mentions picking all the songs before traveling to Memphis, with the band already set and an arranger, Willie Mitchell, given freedom to do the work his own way.
What emotional quality do arrangers aim for, per these quotes?
They aim to make musical moments genuinely Face the listener, turning a composer's technical intention into something that actually communicates feeling.

One quote uses Children in a bouquet as a metaphor for how one element always resists the arranger's intended direction.