A Strange Arrangement

A Strange Arrangement is a podcast where the same song gets rearranged again and again...and again.....and again. It is about the many ways we can rearrange music into different forms - twisting, pulling, adding and subtracting pieces and parts until you achieve a desired outcome. On this show, a different musician takes the same song - ”Auld Lang Syne” - and rearranges it via rhythm, harmony, and more. By observing and hearing how others rearrange music, hopefully you too will get ideas on how to compose and orchestrate music yourself! asamusicpodcast.com Rob McCarthy is the editor, technician, theme song writer, producer (what is that?), and host of this podcast. Daniel Joel Newman created our cover art. You can find more of his work at danieljoelnewman.com

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Episodes

Ep. 9 - The Golub Brothers

Friday Feb 11, 2022

Friday Feb 11, 2022

The Golub Brothers are a 2 person horns section in New York City.  Although only 2 brothers, they expertly play a multitude of instruments: trumpet, flugelhorn, saxophones, clarinets, flutes and more.  While being able to use all these instruments has been helpful with performing, it has also informed them on the importance of timbre and its effect on arranging.  This episode, the Golub brothers bring in a big arrangement set for multiple wind instruments, and talk about how they sequence each instrument to inform the feel of the arrangement.  

Ep. 8 - 8-Bit Music Theory

Friday Feb 04, 2022

Friday Feb 04, 2022

The world of video game music has a rich history of intelligent, emotional writing.  SInce 2016, the 8-Bit Music Theory channel on Youtube has been analyzing the ideas and techniques that make that music so great.  In this episode, 8-Bit shows us, among other things, how focusing on the bass notes can unlock more harmonic ideas.

Ep. 7 - Rob Talks Rhythm

Thursday Jan 27, 2022

Thursday Jan 27, 2022

In this episode I talk about rhythmic changes we can make, and incorporate it into my own arrangement of Auld Lang Syne?  How does a polyrhythm work? How can you change the time signature of a song? What the heck is a vibraphone?

Ep. 6 - Andrew Breiner

Thursday Jan 20, 2022

Thursday Jan 20, 2022

Andrew Breiner is a guitarist for the band Bacchae in Washington D.C., as well as an independent artist.  Bacchae released the album Pleasure Vision in 2020, and are preparing for a tour in 2022.  In this episode, Andrew gives us a lesson in Doom Metal: where it comes from, what it sounds like, and how to adapt an old Scottish ballad to the style.

Ep. 5 - Priyanka Akhilan

Thursday Jan 13, 2022

Thursday Jan 13, 2022

Priyanka Akhilan is an Indian Carnatic Singer living in Canada. She has garnered a large following on TikTok for her videos demonstrating and analyzing Indian Carnatic music.  Because Carnatic music uses a different methodology than Euro-Centric music, we wanted to see how Auld Lang Syne, a Scottish tune, could be interpreted in an Indian Carnatic style.  Can the dignity and essence of Carnatic style, and the origins of Auld Lang Syne, coexist authentically? 
Host: Rob McCarthy
Art: Daniel Joel Newman
Notes: Elisabeth Staal, Brian Watson, Rob Hom

Friday Jan 07, 2022

Laurent Warnier and Rachel Xi Zhang make up Joint Venture Percussion Duo, an award-winning international percussion team.  They are constantly fusing different genres and techniques together to create a unique sound that constantly adds to the contemporary music repertoire.  On marimba and vibraphone, they take our melody and drop it low - meaning, to the bass line - and see what they can build on top of it.  

Friday Dec 24, 2021

Fabiola Mendez is a vocalist and cuatrist/guitarist from Puerto Rico.  An award winning cuatro player, she has produced a number of tracks and collaborated with artists such as Danny Rivera, Edwin Colón Zayas, The Puerto Rican Symphony Orchestra, and more. In this episode, Fabiola shows us how to use jazz chords to change the harmony of a tune, and introduces guaracha rhythms to bring a festive liveliness to Auld Lang Syne.
 
Host: Rob McCarthy
We recommend checking out the sheet music for this arrangement at our website: asamusicpodcast.com

Thursday Dec 16, 2021

In this episode, Kim Chin-Gibbons plays and instrumental rendition of Auld Lang Syne that focuses in on the melody; how can we twist, pull, and push one melody line to make a song feel unique?
Host: Rob McCarthy
Outro: Our Ending by Kim Chin-Gibbons
asamusicpodcast.com

Thursday Dec 16, 2021

For our first installment of  A Strange Arrangement, I asked Mike Lachance how he would he would prepare Auld Lang Syne if asked to perform it.   In this episode, Mike takes the basic arrangement of the song to a more mournful place that beckons the question: What does this farewell song mean in the time of COVID-19?
Host: Rob McCarthy
Art: Daniel Joel Newman
Outro: "The Great Molasses Flood"
asamusicpodcast.com

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Where the same song gets rearranged again and again...and again

At base level, it is about the many ways we can rearrange music into different forms - twisting, pulling, adding and subtracting pieces and parts until you achieve a desired outcome.



When I originally conceived of the show, the goal ways to learn about music writing and arranging through osmosis; by hearing how others explain their process of re-arrangement, I hoped to gain the tools and confidence to approach new or existing music.  My hope was that others would benefit from this journey as well.

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