I read that it is a theory in music (and in broader applications of art in general) that the climax of a piece of music should take place approximately 2/3 through.

I have noticed this in EDM currently, especially in popular house music. If the song is 6.30 minutes the climax might take place a 4.15 (or 2/3 through the piece). Whereas, I remember when I first started producing, a lot of the trance tracks I was using as references from around 2006-2010 had a climax about half-way through the song.

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Last edited by Trancelover03591 on Sep-19-2012 at 23:57

historically a trend.

And i disagree with current trends. Tracks now are much more commercially minded giving you the pay off sooner with less build. Instead of 1 , you get 2 which are pretty much acting like versus.

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I guess (1 + sqrt(5))/2 is close enough to 3/2 for some purposes.

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney historically a trend. And i disagree with current trends. Tracks now are much more commercially minded giving you the pay off sooner with less build. Instead of 1 , you get 2 which are pretty much acting like versus.

That is a good point. However, the second climax in my opinion should contain just a little more of a payoff. That second climax takes place about 2/3 the way through still. Also the buildup to the second climax is usually a little bigger.

I am honestly not trying to promote my track (it is a very rough draft). But it is a good example I think. The second climax at 4.22 adds a final new 'lead' which kind of puts it over the top and makes it one step above the previous one at 2.14. The Avicii track also demonstrates a bigger buildup to the second drop.

Caleb Golston - R4V3 (Original Mix) [Full Length Rough Draft] by CalebGolston

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Climax is where it should be.

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quote:

Originally posted by Subtle Climax is where it should be.

That doesn't really mean anything. It is pseudo-profound.

There are predictable reactions to certain things in the brain based on principles like the golden ratio. Playing a B, C and C sharp together at the same time on the piano are never going to sound good, no matter how much artistic license you are claiming to use.

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there is no reason from a marketing and commercial perspective to have your peak at 2/3, you then basically have 1/3 of nothing.

If you've noticed pop, most of the structure can be described as <

Unless you are making electronic music without commercial application in mind. The dj is going to us the parts that are the good parts and that last 1/3 is rather pointless. You will notice most tracks now go from the main drop to basically 16 bars of outro.

The trend is to make tracks as short as possible. So that djs are no longer the target audience but actual real people. Not sure if this is something they are aware of but it is happening and it makes sense,

You will also notice with most intros, well it gets to the point pretty quick. Djs don't need to beat match anymore. They don't need those 32 bars at the beginning.

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old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
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essentially you want your dance track to have verse which would be more rythm 1 main chorus , bridge, 1 bigger chorus , quick outro with a verse somewhere before or after the bridge. This is the way things are heading.

not saying this is what you should do. But form has changed drastically since djs have become less important.

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old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

I know what you are saying. I guess I am hesitant from a practical standpoint of making pop music when you can't really send it to anyone. You kind of need an audience already. Whereas with longer more underground tracks (but still popular forms of underground music) there are more clear ways to get started and move up and get noticed.

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I think you should make what you feel.

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old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest

quote:

Originally posted by Looney4Clooney I think you should make what you feel.

Yep, agree with Rich - I don't really feel being restricted by any boundary but I guess is just me (too old for that )

Cheers

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A couple of weeks ago I made a track I knew didn't have any commercial appeal. It was just 'streight from the heart' as you put it Darius. Man, it came together pretty effortlessly. It was a perfect reflection of what I was feeling.

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