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Analysis of Classic Trance Hooks
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| Beatflux |
Song: Kamaya Painters - Endless Wave(Original Mix)
~138BPM, D# Minor
Melody comes in at 1:24, lasts 4 bars
Links: Youtube Midi File
Author note: apparently I got the key wrong(relative major, shoot), but there's still some good information in this thread so read on!(Mostly Cryo) I'll do a rewrite, but not now because I'm tired. |
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| Raphie |
| Good one, very informative, keep em coming! |
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| BshidoHEAT |
| Very cool indeed, I always have trouble with hooks/melodies so this could be very useful for a lot of people. |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by Beatflux
Just from listening to the song you can probably guess that the key is in a major key because it sounds uplifting.
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But, it's not in a major key, it's in D# minor (or Ebmin, but I'll stick with D#min to be consistent with your usage). I'm on vacation now with no access to a keyboard, but the bass is clearly playing a i-VI-III-VII pattern, which, when looking at your MIDI clip above, would make this a ||: D#min | Bmaj | F#maj | C#sus :||
| quote: | Originally posted by Beatflux
What makes this a good melody?
The first bar repeats a second time in the third bar, which is surround by two different bars that still keep the similar rising melody. On the scale of just 4 beats, the off set of the 3 notes keeps us interested and the lack of a big leap upward at the end of the bar surprises us as the melody dips into the notes below C#. |
True, but a couple of things make this an interesting melody as well. The first is the repeating use of the C#, which serves as an anchor to the melody and is a non-harmonic note (i.e., not the root, third, or fifth) of some of the underlying chords. That adds some complexity to the chords in the progression, but the repetition keeps it from sounding out of place in this context. Another thing that makes this melody interesting is the repeated use of perfect fifths and perfect fourths in the melody, when it jumps from F# or G# to the C#. Those intervals contain a lot of overlapping harmonics, so they sound "hollow" - hence the reason moving in parallel fifths/fourths is generally frowned upon in classical music. But, in this context those hollow intervals give the melody a sorta spacey feeling and, since they aren't the root/fifths in most of the chords that they are played over, they don't sound as hollow. For example, in the first bar the F#-C# are played over the D# root note, so it's jumping from the third to the seventh note of the underlying minor chord - that sounds much less hollow than jumping from the root note to the fifth, which would sound much more hollow (and probably less interesting).
edit: typ0 (wrong chord name) |
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| Subtle |
| Interesting topic, are you sure this is F# Major though, looks like D# Minor using a i - VI - III - VII chord progression to me. |
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| Kismet7 |
| Waiting for Chronosis to come in and say "over analysis of melodies could inhibit creativity" Which he might be right about something for once :tongue3 |
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| cryophonik |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kismet7
Waiting for Chronosis to come in and say "over analysis of melodies could inhibit creativity" Which he might be right about something for once :tongue3 |
That depends on how you approach it. If your idea of analysis is to copy and repeat it, rather than use the analysis as a way to figure out what works and why, then you're probably right. I spent four years as a Music Theory/Composition major and analyzed music virtually every day - believe me, it did anything but inhibit my creativity. But, I also learned some very important lessons along the way. One of the most important concepts that was repeatedly drilled into my head regarding melodies is that you can't just look at them in isolation - you have to consider the context in which they're delivered. |
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| Subtle |
| Everything evolves around the perfect fifth is one of the few things i have learned by studying other peoples music, and most importantly of all.. the actual instrumentals used for a musical piece (synth sounds, timbre, rhythm, modulation etc) is EQUALLY important to the actuall melody itself.. which makes everything the more difficult. |
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| Chronosis |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kismet7
Well I was of course being cheeky, using something Chronsis might say. |
You've been here half an year, how do you know what I might say?
And for the record, I find the analysis so far interesting. |
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| Kismet7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by Chronosis
You've been here half an year, how do you know what I might say?
And for the record, I find the analysis so far interesting. |
Because saying something ridiculous like "artists should not think about the listener because it inhibits creativity" does qualify you to say more things like it like "analyzing melodies inhibits creativity", at least the second one has some debateable credibility to it, and would not be a terrible thesis to argue. So you'd actually gain some credibility, after the failed idea in the other thread. |
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| parafrNalia |
| quote: | Originally posted by Kismet7
Because saying something ridiculous like "artists should not think about the listener because it inhibits creativity" does qualify you to say more things like it like "analyzing melodies inhibits creativity", at least the second one has some debateable credibility to it, and would not be a terrible thesis to argue. So you'd actually gain some credibility, after the failed idea in the other thread. |
Be quiet. |
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| Kismet7 |
| quote: | Originally posted by parafrNalia
Be quiet. |
No. |
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