Indeed a hook can be anything. The hook is considered to be the part you'll most likely recognise instantly. Off course this is the melody msot of the times.

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quote:

If less is more think about how much more more would be. -Frasier

think of a track

whats the first musical part of that track you think of...the bit you would hum or sing or whatever to yourself.

Thats the hook- it 'hooks' your attention.

the term "hook" is and was mostly used for Pop, country, comercialized type stuff.

You could define hook as in a "Lead" but that goes without saying a hook can also be something else.

the hook is something that makes the track outstanding.

quote:

Originally posted by Storyteller The hook is considered to be the part you'll most likely recognise instantly.

I use this term all the time, and that's the perfect answer right there. Hook is not actually a musical term, it could also refer to something like a scene or a single quote from a movie.

Essentially it's something that's easily identifiable and associated with its context. That's why I say, for example, that a track needs hooks in order to be "remixable" - because a good remix should sound nothing like the original, but will incorporate the hooks, so despite sounding different, everyone will know it's a remix of that particular track.

Vocals are the best, particularly catchy melodies can be hooks too. Very distinctive synth sounds could also be hooks. Generic chord progressions or basslines are NOT hooks, and a hook generally has to be short (no more than a few seconds, maybe 10 or 15 at the most).

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My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

I don't think a hook needs to be easily identifiable or recognizable. Hook is just a part of a track that makes you like it, and want to listen to it again. And it can indeed be anything.

quote:

Originally posted by Chronosis I don't think a hook needs to be easily identifiable or recognizable. Hook is just a part of a track that makes you like it, and want to listen to it again. And it can indeed be anything.

I disagree. A hook will be catchy, by nature.

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Here's my latest: rolling tech house and laid-back progressive trance

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Chronology – a wayfinder discography in progress. Roughly sorted by date of creation.

quote:

Originally posted by wayfinder I disagree. A hook will be catchy, by nature.

?

If you like a certain part of a track and want to listen to it again, then isn't it catchy to you?

quote:

Originally posted by Chronosis I don't think a hook needs to be easily identifiable or recognizable. Hook is just a part of a track that makes you like it, and want to listen to it again. And it can indeed be anything.

From dictionary.com:

quote:

# Slang. 1. A means of attracting interest or attention; an enticement: a sales hook. 2. Music. A catchy motif or refrain: “sugary hard rock melodies [and] ear candy hooks” (Boston Globe).

We're talking about a definition here - a hook means something that is catchy and identifiable. It's not just something you "like".

___________________
My party schedule:
2009-02-21 - DJ Attention @ I'm So Popular
2009-06-18 - DJ Annoying @ People Need To Know Where I'll Be
2012-11-32 - DJ Insufferable ɸ Or At Least the Stalkers I Complain About
2048-06-66 - Spastic & Whocares ¶ Although I'm Actually Flattered
9999-45-81 - Tweaker Gimp ☼ I Probably Won't Even Go To This But I Have To Make Sure I Fill Up All The Available Space Here

quote:

Originally posted by Chronosis ? If you like a certain part of a track and want to listen to it again, then isn't it catchy to you?

Learn to read

___________________
Here's my latest: rolling tech house and laid-back progressive trance

http://soundcloud.com/wayfu



Chronology – a wayfinder discography in progress. Roughly sorted by date of creation.

I think a 'hook' is a musical phrase that builds tension, then resolves it.

"Tension" can be created with lead hitting certain notes or perc stressing an off beat. "Resolution" is then when the tonic note (C if in the key of C) or the perc stressing the on beat (the one count).

It is kinda hard to be more exact unless we all have the same understanding of music theory -- and I know very little formal theory!

Variation on a theme can be another way of creating a hook. Repeat a phrase for two bars, then change it a little on the third bar.

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