Guide
Arranging for choir and band
A choir with a band is one of the most rewarding line-ups, and one of the easiest to get wrong: a loud band buries the singers, and a pop melody can sit badly for most voices. These are the decisions that matter.
Know your voices
Comfortable ranges for an amateur choir (written pitch):
| Part | Comfortable range |
|---|---|
| Soprano | C4 – G5 |
| Alto | G3 – C5 |
| Tenor | C3 – G4 (written an octave higher in treble clef) |
| Bass | F2 – C4 |
| Children / unison | C4 – D5 |
Keep most of each part in the middle of these ranges. Save the extremes for one big moment.
Choose the key for the choir, not the record
Pop singers often sit high (or very low). Pick a key where the melody stays roughly between D4 and D5, so sopranos and altos can share it in unison and men can sing it an octave lower.
Start in unison, then split
A good shape for a choir arrangement:
- Verse 1 in unison, or sopranos and altos only.
- Chorus in two parts: melody plus a harmony a third below.
- Verse 2: men take the melody, women add an "oo" pad.
- Last chorus in four parts (SATB), possibly a step higher.
Writing harmonies that singers can learn
- Move each part by step wherever possible; small leaps are easier to tune.
- Give each part a line that makes sense on its own.
- Parallel thirds and sixths below the melody are easy wins.
- Use "oo" and "ah" pads under a soloist instead of more words.
Keep the band in its lane
- Leave the singers' register open: piano and guitar voicings below or above the choir, not on top of it.
- Bass and drums lighter than a pop record: brushes, rim clicks, half-time feels.
- Strings and horns double the choir in tricky passages to help pitching, then drop out once the choir is secure.
- Give clear cues: one bar of intro in tempo before every entry, and a held chord before key changes.
Medleys for choir
Medleys are a choir favourite for concerts (Christmas, graduation, tributes). Use transitions singers can handle: a ritardando and held chord, a piano bridge, or a common-tone join. Avoid tricky direct modulations without instrumental support.
Rehearsal parts
Print separate parts for each section, and give singers a recording of their line. Medley Writer exports MIDI that you can load into any notation app to make rehearsal tracks, alongside the PDF score and MusicXML.
Let Medley Writer do the transcribing
Upload the songs, choose the parts and the order, and get a full arrangement for your band with the transitions written in. Free during the beta.
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