Author: Ben Clapton

I'm a violinist, teacher, composer and arranger from Ellenbrook, Western Australia. I love my family, coffee, AFL and running.
Guy Sebastian standing infront of a microphone singing with his arms outstreatched. He is wearing a black singlet and a grey singlet, with a black leather sleeveless jacket that is unzipped.

Choir – Guy Sebastian

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

“Choir” is a song made by Australian recording artist called Guy Sebastian. The song was released on 31 May 2019 as the second single from Sebastian’s forthcoming ninth studio album. The song is dedicated to his great friend and musical collaborator Luke Liang, who died following a battle with mental health. Sebastian said “[His death] was very unexpected. In fact, I’d actually done a gig with Luke, who passed away, just before I left for LA. And I could sense that something wasn’t quite right… It was very hard to process and it still is.” The song was originally a ballad but Sebastian changed it into “an upbeat, poignant song about the choir of voices Liang has joined in death, and the choir of voices “keeping his light alive” on earth.”

This is an arrangement for SATB Choir with piano accompaniment. All parts have opportunity to shine with the melody, while use of harmonies accentuate the performance. There are about 3 bars of A capella singing, which can be accented with hand claps, and the piece finishes with some off-beat accentuations from the Soprano, Alto and Bass parts. All the semiquavers are swung to give the piece a jazzy, RnB feel.
Ranges: Soprano (F4-A5), Alto (C4-D5), Tenor (C3-C5), Bass (F2-D4).

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A photo of Harry Styles wearing a white shirt and cream pants holding a wireless microphone in his right hand and singing at the Hordern Pavilion in Moore Park, Sydney Australia

Fine Line – Harry Styles

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

Fine Line is a song from the second studio album by Harry Styles of the same name. An emotionally rich song that rounds out an album that is all about the fine line between happiness and sadness. This arrangement is a lead sheet (Chords and Melody with Lyrics) which is great for learning the song, busking and performing.

Lead Sheet arrangement. List Price: US$4.99. Buy it here.

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Nullabor

by Ben Clapton, posted in Compositions, Music, Recordings

A minimalist piano piece inspired by a road trip across the Nullabor, the stretch of road between Adelaide and Perth in Australia.

After an interrupted start, it expands into a molto perpetuo that depicts the continuous movement as you drive across this large continent. It expands, and changes in style, yet there is familiarity through the sections. It then cuts – almost abruptly – into a slower, reflective space. Driving across for the first time, there is a sense of awe that comes at certain parts, as you reflect on what you are doing. But that reflection can’t last forever, and it transitions back into the molto perpetuo once again. The piece closes with more reflection, remembering the incredible journey.

This piece would be excellent for a recital or performance. Length: 13-14 minutes. If you are performing this piece, please let me know through my socials – Ben Clapton Music on all the platforms – or as a comment below – so that I can send through some encouragement.

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Blue Skies

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

Blue Skies, arranged for Violin, Viola and Cello. Advanced Intermediate due to double stops in Cello and Violin part, and use of swung rhythm.
Written in 1926 as a last minute addition to the Rodgers and Hart musical, Betsy, the audience on opening night demanded 24 encores of this piece from Belle Baker. It has since been recorded by many artists, including Benny Goodman, Bing Crosby, Count Basie, Willie Nelson, Frank Sinatra, amongst many others.

This arrangement would work wonderfully for a string trio performing at weddings.

String Trio arrangement. List Price: US$12.99. Buy it here.

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The Power of Jesus Christ will Reign

by Ben Clapton, posted in Compositions

A fun, boppy, composition suitable for performance in church. The lyrics of the Chorus read:
And we thank you Lord Jesus for the things you’ve done,
We’ve got a new heart from you and a new spirit too,
and we will shout all your praises from the highest of heights
For we are cleansed of our sins by the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is an original composition by Ben Clapton. It was written with a Salvation Army Songsters group in mind, but is suitable for all choral groups.

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Sunflower (From Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse) – Post Malone & Swae Lee

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

Sunflower (from Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) is an atmospheric, glitchy, soulful track that perfectly captures the movie that it’s from. Walking the line “between hip hop and dream pop” (Patrick Doyle, Rolling Stone), this arrangement for String Quartet attempts to capture that essence in a style that is still enjoyable for the players.

The glitchy, sample driven nature of the track means that the inner parts have a fair bit of repetitive parts, while the melody – influenced by hip hop, is rhythmically complex, yet melodically simple and repetitive.

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You Found Me – The Fray

by Ben Clapton, posted in Videos

I did some busking at the Echuca Farmer’s Market, and recorded parts of my performance. This is The Fray’s You Found Me, which I find to be a real raw and honest conversation that you might have with God if you just came across God on the street one day.

From Wikipedia:


You Found Me” is a song by American rock band The Fray. It was released in November 2008 as the lead single from their eponymous second studio album. Live performances of the song from concerts in Europe surfaced on YouTube in late 2007, when the song was titled “Amistad”.[2] The band began streaming the song on their website on November 21, 2008.[3] The single was digitally released in the U.S., Canadian, UK, Australian and French iTunes Stores and had a physical release later on.
The song became the group’s third single to sell 2 million downloads in the United States, after “How to Save a Life” and “Over My Head (Cable Car)“.[4]
It has sold 3.6 million copies in the US as of February 2015, making it one of the most downloaded rock songs.[5] The single was certified double platinum by the RIAA and the ARIA in 2009.
The song was nominated for a Choice Music: Rock Track award at the 2009 Teen Choice Awards.[6]
The song was ranked No. 13 on the Hot 100 Songs of 2009 list[7] and No. 36 on Billboard‘s Best Adult Pop Songs of the Decade list.[8] It was also ranked No. 42 on Billboard’s Top 100 Digital Tracks of the Decade list[9] and No. 61 on the ARIA’s list of the Top 100 Tracks of the Decade.[10]

From “You Found Me” on Wikipedia

You Found Me – The Fray

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

“You Found Me” was released by American rock band The Fray in 2008. It was their third single to sell 2 million downloads in the US, and marked The Fray’s first number one hit in Australia.

This is a lead sheet for the song, which has the melody and lyrics, and guitar chords. The song is written in B, and it has capo chords at capo 4 to utilise open chords.

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Head Above Water – Avril Lavigne

by Ben Clapton, posted in Arrangements

Coming from Avril Lavigne’s sixth studio album, Head Above Water was Lavigne’s first single since 2015. The song details her struggle with Lyme disease, writing “I had accepted death and could feel my body shutting down. I felt like I was drowning. Like I was going under water and I just needed to come up for air. Like I was in a river being pulled in a current. Unable to breathe. Praying to God for Him to help me just keep my head above the water. To help me see through the stormy weather.”

“Head Above Water” is a “powerful, spiritual epiphany” (Marina Pedrosa, Billboard), with a “highly personal note” (Robin Murray, Clash). A pop rock ballad that could just as easily fit as a praise and worship song.

This arrangement for String Quartet has the melody mostly in the Violin 1 part, with one section with the melody taken into the Cello – where it goes into the Treble Clef to a C above Middle C. 

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And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

by Ben Clapton, posted in Videos

“War is War, and Hell is Hell, and of the two, War is an awful lot worse.”

As I’ve been thinking about ANZAC Day tomorrow, this song has been running through my head a lot, and then this scene just seemed to pair up with it. We need to remember and honour those who sacrificed their lives, but never glorify war, and do everything within our power to never needing people to have to sacrifice their lives again.

“To World War None.”