Beginner arranger here - got a million questions
So I am looking to maybe make some arrangements of songs in my spare time. But I have no idea where to start. I’m thinking of doing slightly more niche stuff like Lilith Max and Epic, rather than the 110th Fate of Ophelia arrangement.
Firstly, what instrument do I arrange for? I know piano is probably the most common, but should I also arrange stuff for like flute and violin? Or should I do very uncommon instruments (for example, the nyckelharpa).
Secondly, if I do end up doing piano, do people like a vocal line, or do they like the melody in the right hand?
Thirdly, how many markings do I need? (As in dynamics, bowing, phrasing, stuff like that).
Fourthly, do I make the arrangements for solo instruments or try doing weird stuff like duets?
Fifthly, how much should I worry about playability (as in, for example Vivaldi Summer is absolutely brutal on flute because fingerings don’t make sense on the instrument).
Sixthly, how difficult and complex should the arrangements be? For example, just playing chords and the melody in the right hand means you lose a LOT of the complexity of the song like rhythm, countermelodies etc. But, on the other hand, I’ve also seen an arrangement where the entire melody was played with chords in the right hand and a left hand I won’t even get started on, so that was far too difficult and too complex.
Lastly, does anyone possibly have any tips? I don’t really know where to get started at all.