A question for someone that actually understands why music sounds good.

S

shelyksit

New member
On this lady gaga song after the first 8 bars when the beat drops it really jams. It's sounds simple. I am able to recreate it but I don't get the formula. How does something so simple jam so hard. All of this theory I've been studying but this simple drum and synth line gets you moving. Please explain if you can. I think understanding this makes the difference. Link to the instrumental:



Lady Gaga - Bloody Mary (Official Instrumental) - YouTube[/URL]
 
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I-IV-V-I is the progression of so many pop songs, I-III-V is also a very common progression.

The biggest thing about pop is repetition. The idea that you want something repeated until it is in the listeners head, and also give them a direction they want to go so they think they know it. This makes them feel special.

As for drum beats todays pop has a lot of house inspiration so 4x4 is optimal unless its hip hop make 808s that change pitch and triplet 16 high hats.

This follows a 4x4 formula but the mix puts the elements so that it feels like it moves, but truthfully people hate really dissonant music so dont be too daring if you are a radio man. Just tempt them a little. This song is fairly simple follows the same prog and a 4x4.

You want pop music compose in major keys, 4x4, side chain the bass, fat kick, and make a progression people have heard so many times they feel they know it.

You want to switch it up to hip hop 808 and tune it so it shifts notes, 16 triplets, 32 triplets, 32s, and 8 triplets are acceptable for high hats, snare should always be on the second beat on both house inspired pop and hip hop pop. Have a repetitive but catch arpeggio, and have a bass that is almost worm like.

You a sampler? Sample some mello guitar, jazz song, dusty drum, or something else that makes people have that old school vibe and you've done it radio. boring.
 
sadly this song does not use the first progression you quoted in the form that you quoted it

the progression used here is i-iv-V-i ~ capitalisation is important as it removes doubt as to the type of chord currently in play

the second progression is part of a larger progression including vi and IV if we accept C major as the home key - vi-I-III-V-vi-IV-III-III, although we would be better served to keep this in A minor as the progression is then much clearer - i-bIII-V-bVII-i-bVI-V-V

to the actual progression now: it starts on A minor and proceeds as follows

Am/ / / Dm / / / E / / / Am / / / Am / / / Dm / / / E / / / Am / / / |
i / / / iv / / / V / / / i / / / i / / / iv / / / V / / / i / / / |
Am / / / C / / / E / / / G / / / Am / / / F / / / E / / / E / / / |
i / / / bIII / / / V / / / bVII / / / i / / / bVI / / / V / / / V / / / |
F / / / Am / / / G / / / E / / / F / / / Am / / / G / / / E / / / |
bVI / / / i / / / bVII / / / V / / / bVI / / / i / / / bVII / / / V / / / |

Am ~ A-C-E
Dm ~ D-F-A
E ~ E-G#-B
C ~ C-E-G
G ~ G-B-D
F ~ F-A-C

this suggests a hybrid scale and a hybrid harmonisation: The E major is a borrowed chord from the Harmonic minor or the parallel major of A, whereas all of the other chords are native to A natural minor
 
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Rhythm is important too.
You want some elements to be very on the beat, some on the off-beat and some syncopated. Getting the right balance is important for a good groove.
 
Thanks. I've sampled some but it's not really my thing. I was referring to the part of the song with just the kick snare and synth line. This may not be the best example but I chose it because of the symplicity. It has no percussion. Just a kick, snare, synth and vox sample but it still has that jam factor.
 
Thanks for the chord progression break down which I'll be adding to my list of chord progressions. I was actually referring to the section of the song with just the synth line and drums. Perhaps dj mustard would be another example of very simple music being able to get people moving. There's no syncopated percussion or complicated arrangement.
 
What makes it stand out to me is the silences, and the contrast between the intro and the beat.

When they start the beat it goes from a faded EQ like an old-timey radio, to a clear clean and punchy EQ with more 'modern' sounds. This gives it a very distinct 'drop' into the heavier part of the song. It resonates a lot with people listening and dancing as this tells them essentially exactly what speed and pattern they can expect for the song, and therefore how to dance or what they'll hear for the rest of the song.

The beat itself heavily features pauses and silence to make each 'hit' distinct and clear. It's not overly mixed with pads and noise, and it avoids the muddiness of too many sounds or too much reverb on all the tracks. Many of the beat components sound heavily choked, which makes the beat pretty punchy. As soon as the pads and melody come in(which is pretty generic as a 1-4-5 progression as bandcoach explained in detail) it goes to typical muddy pop and loses a lot of the dubby/trappy punch it starts with.

Just my two cents!

Cheers,

Rob
 
Would like to add that the sidechain on kick and bass also makes up for alot of the movement. Can seem subtle, but really makes a difference to the groove of the track.
 
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