How I Arrange

First of all, I try to keep my arrangement as faithful to the original tune as I possibly can. When people want to learn video game music, it’s because that’s the music they’re fond of and that’s what’s going to get them fired up about learning the instrument. My goal as the arranger is to fan the fire. So, I almost never change the time signature, key, or tempo of the original song.

The two most important parts to keep any tune faithful are the melody and the groove. For Smart Game Piano arrangements, I take virtually no liberties with the melody so the player can properly connect to the song they’re already so fond of. And the groove is so, SO important. There’s nothing more discouraging than disrupting the flow of song. If my arrangement creates an interruption of that groove, no one is going to play it.

Secondly, the arrangement needs to be as accessible as possible. If I’ve made the piece so difficult that it becomes overly tiring or even painful, then it’s a failure of an arrangement. Our hands are only capable of so much, and as someone with teeny, tiny hands, I don’t appreciate pieces that are too strenuous. So, I go for that balance between so easy that it’s boring and so hard that it’s discouraging.

Third, I have to make it fun! I’ve got to give the player a reason to come back to the piece over and over and keep them at the keyboard. This is where I allow myself to take more liberties with the arrangement. A tune with repetitive power chords isn’t going to be a lot of fun on the keys, so why not throw in some easy single-octave arpeggios in the left hand instead? Can’t really notate that verse with the rap? Vamp some chords or write in a riff from a previous section. This is where we get to flex our creative muscles.

“But I’ve never arranged for piano before. Where do I even start?” Well, Martha, thank you for asking.