How to Arrange Anything, Step Three: Adding Bling

By Anne Sullivan 

Let’s review what we've done so far in our “How to Arrange Anything” series.

• We started by identifying the structure of the piece: the introduction, the verses, the chorus, the coda. We used a very simple version of the song that was already written as a guide.
• We created our basic outline of our arrangement, with a very simple right hand melody and left hand accompaniment.
• We colored in our outline by adding more notes to the right hand and left hand parts. We used pieces we already know as models for this.

At this point, you have an arrangement that already sounds pretty good. But now we are going to make it special. We are going to add the “harp bling.”

I’m guessing you already know the kind of bling I’m talking about, and you probably have some exciting ideas about how to use it in your piece. After all, there are some harp effects that are so special, we want to show them off. Here are a few:

• Glissandos. The perfect way to add drama to a big moment or a big ending.
• Harmonics. These bell-like sounds can create a sense of peace or of mystery.
• Près de la table. Playing near the sounding board makes the harp sound almost like a different instrument.
• Nail sounds. You can use your nails to pluck the strings or to play a glissando that sounds like falling hail.
• Sons pincés. Pinch the string, pull and release. It gives a unique sound to a single note.
• Timpanic sounds. Tapping on the soundboard with your fingertips is like adding a beat box to your song.

Choose your favorites and add them to your arrangement. Here’s a word of caution, though. Bling stops being bling if there is too much of it. Keep those special effects special!

Congratulations on your new arrangement! Feel free to share it with us on social media!