Genting Hays Collaborates with EAS Music on Live Arrangements for Selected Artists

Genting Hays is pleased to announce its collaboration with EAS Music, providing live arrangement support for selected artists across a number of performance projects.

The collaboration focused on adapting existing studio material for the stage, with particular attention given to the development and arrangement of the string sections. Rather than simply reproducing the original recordings, the aim was to create live versions that retained the musical identity of each song while introducing greater movement, emotional depth and stage impact.

Reimagining Studio Productions for Live Performance

A studio production and a live performance often require very different musical approaches.

In a recorded track, multiple layers can be carefully edited, processed and balanced to create a controlled final mix. In a live environment, however, each musical element must communicate clearly and immediately. The arrangement must also account for the energy of the performers, the acoustics of the venue and the limited amount of space available within the live mix.

For this reason, Genting Hays approached each arrangement by first identifying the essential musical elements of the original song:

• the main vocal melody;

• the harmonic progression;

• the rhythmic foundation;

• the most recognisable instrumental motifs;

• and the overall emotional direction of the track.

Once these elements had been established, the arrangement could be expanded without overwhelming the vocal or changing the character of the song.

The Role of Strings in a Live Arrangement

The string writing formed an important part of the collaboration.

Strings can add warmth, tension, scale and movement to a performance, but they must be written with a clear purpose. Adding continuous sustained chords throughout a song may make the arrangement sound larger, but it can also reduce contrast and leave little space for the vocal.

Instead, the string parts were designed to perform different functions at different moments.

In quieter sections, the strings could support the harmony with restrained voicings, long notes and subtle inner movement. During transitions, they could introduce rising lines, suspensions or rhythmic figures to create momentum. In choruses and climactic sections, the arrangement could expand into wider registers and more active counter-melodies.

This approach allowed the strings to become part of the musical narrative rather than simply acting as a background layer.

Building a Clear String Hierarchy

One of the first considerations in each arrangement was the hierarchy between the string voices.

The upper strings were not automatically assigned the main melodic role. In many cases, the first violin was used selectively so that its entrance would have greater emotional effect. The second violin and viola often carried important harmonic or rhythmic material, while the cello provided both harmonic weight and melodic contrast.

The writing was therefore based on function rather than fixed orchestral convention.

For example:

• violins could reinforce or answer the lead vocal;

• violas could create movement within sustained chords;

• cellos could connect the harmony through stepwise bass lines;

• and the full section could be reserved for moments of maximum impact.

By distributing musical information across the section, the arrangement remained active without becoming unnecessarily dense.

Register and Voicing

Register was another central part of the writing process.

Because the human voice is the primary focus in most live performances, the strings had to be positioned carefully around it. If the instruments consistently occupied the same register as the singer, the arrangement could sound crowded and the lyrics could lose clarity.

To avoid this, the string voicings were designed to move between different registers depending on the role of the section.

Lower and middle-register voicings were often used to create warmth underneath the vocal. Higher lines were introduced more selectively, particularly during instrumental gaps, transitions or emotional peaks.

Open voicings were used when a broader and more cinematic texture was required, while closer voicings helped create intimacy and tension. The spacing between each instrument was adjusted according to the harmony, ensuring that the section remained clear and balanced in a live setting.

Supporting the Vocal Without Competing with It

The string arrangements were developed around the vocal phrasing rather than written independently from it.

This meant paying close attention to where the singer was active, where phrases ended and where natural spaces appeared in the melody. Counter-melodies were therefore placed primarily in the gaps between vocal phrases or underneath longer sustained notes.

In sections with detailed or rhythmically complex vocals, the strings were often simplified. In sections with more space, they could become more expressive.

This call-and-response relationship helped the arrangement feel connected to the singer while avoiding unnecessary competition.

The objective was not to make the strings constantly noticeable, but to make their presence emotionally meaningful.

Articulation and Rhythmic Design

Articulation played an important role in defining the character of each live arrangement.

Sustained legato writing was used for warmth and emotional continuity, while shorter articulations could introduce energy and rhythmic definition. Pizzicato, repeated notes, accents and controlled ostinatos were considered where appropriate, particularly in songs that required a more contemporary or rhythmically driven string sound.

The rhythmic writing was also designed to complement the existing drums, bass and harmonic instruments.

Rather than duplicating every rhythmic element, the strings often filled the spaces between them. This created additional movement without making the arrangement feel overproduced.

In some sections, rhythmic string figures were used to increase tension before a chorus. In others, removing rhythmic activity entirely allowed the following section to feel larger when the full arrangement returned.

Creating Contrast Across the Song

A strong live arrangement depends on contrast.

If the strings enter at full intensity from the beginning and remain unchanged throughout the song, the performance can lose its sense of direction. Genting Hays therefore treated each arrangement as a gradual development.

The string section might begin with a single voice, expand into two- or three-part harmony, and only reach its full range during the final chorus or outro.

Dynamics, register, articulation and orchestral density were all used to shape this progression.

The result was a more clearly defined structure in which each section had its own identity:

• verses could remain intimate;

• pre-choruses could gradually increase tension;

• choruses could open into wider harmonic textures;

• and final sections could introduce additional counter-melodies or octave reinforcement.

This process helped transform the arrangement into a live performance journey rather than a direct reproduction of the studio version.

Practical Writing for Live Musicians

The arrangements were also written with live performance practicality in mind.

A musical idea may sound effective in a digital production environment but may not translate naturally to real players. For this reason, the string parts were designed to remain idiomatic, playable and clearly notated.

Consideration was given to:

• realistic bowing and phrasing;

• playable register changes;

• breathing space between demanding passages;

• clear rhythmic notation;

• practical page turns;

• and sufficient rehearsal efficiency.

The aim was to ensure that the musicians could focus on expression rather than struggling with unnecessarily complicated notation.

Complexity was only introduced where it created a meaningful musical result.

Preserving the Identity of Each Artist

Although the collaboration involved adapting music for live presentation, the purpose was not to replace the identity of the original productions.

Each arrangement was developed around the artist’s existing sound, performance style and emotional delivery. The strings were used to extend that identity, not to impose an unrelated orchestral style onto the music.

For some songs, this required subtle harmonic support. For others, the live version benefited from more cinematic gestures, stronger transitions or newly written instrumental passages.

The arrangement strategy was therefore different for every project.

This flexibility allowed Genting Hays to support EAS Music’s artists while respecting the individuality of each performance.

A Collaborative Production Process

The collaboration between Genting Hays and EAS Music reflects a shared focus on musical quality, practical production and artist-centred arrangement.

By combining detailed analysis of the original material with live orchestration and performance-focused writing, the team was able to create arrangements that were both musically expressive and technically suitable for the stage.

Genting Hays looks forward to continuing its work with EAS Music and supporting further live productions, artist performances and arrangement projects.