Organization

Organization is another important part of making a chart. There are various methods to go about organizing a chart, and there are potential benefits to each. At first, chart artists will probably be more inclined to improvise, but getting into good habits is never a bad thing. If you feel this approach is too rigid and tedious, you certainly don't have to do this, but at least the example below can help illustrate some of the benefits, and the methodology can help make your ideas more clear.

Before beginning a chart

As you're listening to the song you have chosen, you should ask yourself what parts of the song are important to you. Jot down timestamps somewhere in your notes, listing the key things you want to keep in mind. Once you start working on the chart, build the chart according to the notes you've written. Do you really like the piano fills in the chorus? Make note of it. Do you like how there are two different vocal lines at the same time? Mention it in your notes. This will basically serve as a reminder of why you love this song in the first place. As you are working on the song, you may find the playtesting it so much will eventually burn you out a bit, and having these notes will keep you on track, so that you are creating something that reflects what you originally enjoyed about the song.

While working on a chart

Once you are able to match up the chart measure numbers with the timestamps you've made, you can begin to write outlines for the chart you're making. For example, if you hear particular motifs in the music, you can map a particular pattern to it and record it in your notes. If you have a particular technique or layering scheme you're using, writing it down will help you keep track of it. This way, it will be much easier to maintain structural consistency later on. If you need to copy/paste from another section, you know exactly where to find it.

Other benefits of organization

As mentioned before, there isn't exactly a need to write anything down, but writing it down allows you to keep your train of thought and pick up where you left off, if, for instance, this is a more time-consuming piece of work and you feel you need to take breaks. Often times, when chart artists leave a work in progress, they never have the motivation to return to it because of the extra effort it would take to recall the layering schemes and techniques they used to maintain consistency without having to start over. Whether or not note-taking benefits you, depends on your own style of working and your own goals.

Another benefit is that since you're writing down points for all of the notes being placed in the chart, you can easily and clearly see what notes have been placed with consideration and which have simply been tossed into the chart without much reason. You'll also be able to much more easily identify extraneous or misguided use of your notes, which allows you to create a polished chart in the end.

It is for these reasons that organizing a chart is especially important for longer, more involved songs. Coming up with a good plan for your chart before you begin and while you're working on it will make it easier to create the charts that you envision and overall improve the quality of them. Consider the benefits to organization, regardless of how you approach it, whether it's direct note-taking, mental notes, or anything else.