Composer & Arranger, Did Ayu choose it herself?

[mellody]

What I'm going to ask is,

"Who decides the composer & arranger for Ayu song?

I've been thinking about this for a while, who decides that?
I know Ayu only wrote the lyrics for every song that she has.
In tour, I heard Ayu decides the setlist, and some of performances as well.
For PV, Ayu herself also decides if it's ok or not right?
Also how about photographer?

Because I heard that every release should involving Ayu decision as well, probably since... 2003?

If it's true, I think it's possible too if Ayu herself choosing the composer and arranger for every release, she might choosing some certain person for some reason, something like "Maybe this man could make a song which represent my feelings correctly."

Anyone knows about this?

[NintendoHTF1242]

This interests me as well. I've always been curious to how music is made.

[TeamAyu2004]

I do too! I dont fully understand how she can write the lyrics but not have a hand in the sounds... I mean doesn't she have to have an idea of what it will sound like?? and if she does and tells someone, doesn't that count to writing the music??

[Calico]

From what I understand, she is sent various compositions by various people, and she then chooses what compositions she wants to use (this is also how she decided to work with TK again because one he sent her really stuck with her and she recognized instantly as TK because lol the TK sound) and writes lyrics for them. I imagine by now her arrangers are chosen because she's worked with them before and she knows what styles they will bring to her work.

[truehappiness]

I remember reading in the English version of RAINBOW's liner notes that they (meaning Ayu) had several arrangers work on the Free & Easy arrangement (not 100% sure if it was that song) and they ended up choosing HAL's. Nowadays, Ayu probably knows exactly who she wants to work on a song, so we get a lot of Yuta and CMJK especially on album tracks.

Also, she has made her last set of albums overseas in Los Angeles or the UK so.... all she has when it comes to arrangers are CMJK/Yuta for albums.

The demos that composers send her probably include a really bare bones arrangement of what the song is supposed to be before it's beefed up by the arranger, so she probably knows what it'll sound like roughly. Like... About You used to be more delicate and ballad-y I believe, and ANGEL'S SONG was a bit of a rock tune before they decided on the happier pop arrangement.

[Minttulatte]

^I didn't know About You was originally a ballad o.o That might have been epic <3

[Aditmi Krisnasaki ~II~]

^ wow... Idk if ANGEL'S SONG was supposed to be a rock song? Never imagined how would it sound... o.O

[JackieRos]

I remember reading that she felt the arregements of a song or songs from I am... didn't fit so she decided to compose them herself so I do think she chooses the arrangements

[mellody]

Originally Posted by truehappiness

The demos that composers send her probably include a really bare bones arrangement of what the song is supposed to be before it's beefed up by the arranger, so she probably knows what it'll sound like roughly.

Another question after reading your post, so that means she listen to the samples before wrote the lyrics?

If the composers send the arrangement or music sample, does it means all of her composers? After Ayu find out which one does really fit with the theme, she choose it in the end?

But...

Originally Posted by truehappiness

About You used to be more delicate and ballad-y I believe, and ANGEL'S SONG was a bit of a rock tune before they decided on the happier pop arrangement.

...I also didn't know about this.
Judging from it, seems like the lyrics has done first before the music.

I guess the conclusion so far is Ayu herself decides the composer & arranger for her music.

[Andrenekoi]

Ayu decides who will work with her and what result she likes better, for everything she releases...

[truehappiness]

Another question after reading your post, so that means she listen to the samples before wrote the lyrics?

I believe so? I don't think she usually does lyrics before getting a melody. Though she might have written lyrics beforehand back when she did CREA stuff all the time.

[visionfactory]

Originally Posted by JackieRos

I remember reading that she felt the arregements of a song or songs from I am... didn't fit so she decided to compose them herself so I do think she chooses the arrangements

That's "Endless sorrow -gone with the wind ver.-" but I'm not sure if she made the new arrangement or just decided to do a new one

[Ayumi_lover]

I remember reading article in TA magazine on My Story songs and she mentioned that "Liar" tune was sent to her by mistake and staff wrote her back to skip that piece, but she didn't see that message and wrote her lyrics coz she liked that piece. That's how we've got Liar =)

[mi|kshake]

How does it work with remixes? Was wondering if she approves the remixes for Ayu-mi-x VII?

mi|kshake~

[AngelSenshi]

Let's see if I can try to explain this easily.

With the writing process of a singer, in Ayu's case most of all, first she's sent the melody (composition made by a composer) and this is usually the vocal melody stripped down the barest sounds. Have you ever heard an orgel? Sometimes they sound like this sometimes the melody is sung with 'lala lala' by the composer or by an apprentice who works closely with the composer. Then the writer of the lyrics (Ayu in this case) will either write lyrics to fit the melody immediately (this seems most likely in Ayu's case) or write sentences and then fit them to the melody later. After this, the person in charge (again, this is Ayu) decides on the sort of arrangement she wants. The arrangement is what makes up the song; the pianos, the violin, the guitar, the bass, the drums, just all the instruments and in what way they will play and what they will sound like. An arranger usually has a distinct sort of sound so if you want a song to sound a particular way (in Ayu's case; the way she sees the song being with her lyrics) they decide on who the arranger will be. From then on, the arranger and the artist collaborate to come to a result that is closest to the artists vision.

When she worked as CREA, i.e she did the melody composition herself, she most likely did the lyrics and melody at the same time as this is how it is usually done when a vocalists put lyrics to their own melody. Or else, she fitted her own melody with her lyrics after; I think the latter is what happened with M, but the former is what happened with the other songs that she composed.

[mellody]

Thanks to everyone here, especially truehappiness and AngelSenshi, both of you explain something that I haven't know for years, but now I understand about this.

I guess it's resolved now.