Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
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Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#2A fascinating read. I remember many years ago listening to Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand for the first time and being absolutely taken aback by the total shift it took a minute or so into the song. I wonder if that was one of those moments the article describes.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#3As a lifelong musician this seems so plainly obvious to me that it barely seems like news. I suppose a formal study simply confirms it for everyone else. Perhaps I'm missing something.
Popular music ebbs and flows in it's harmonic complexity over decades. Certainly in the last century of popular music. One of James Brown's innovations in the 60s was reducing jazz and RnB music down to one chord for an entire song. On the other hand, 70's songwriting was harmonically rich, with lots of adventurous modulations, modal interchange, and extended chords (7ths, 9ths, etc).
We're now coming out of a two decade run where hip hop has been the dominant popular music. A form which, generally speaking, tends to be harmonically "flat" (ala James Brown) and simple in form. For songwriters who are looking to differentiate themselves from their peers a move back into harmonic complexity is a worthy move and low hanging fruit in a musical era where few have been making use of it.
Compelling music has always been, in some sense, about setting up expectations and then subverting them. The art is in the balancing of steady patterns and novel events.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#4A fascinating read. I remember many years ago listening to Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand for the first time and being absolutely taken aback by the total shift it took a minute or so into the song. I wonder if that was one of those moments the article describes. https://youtu.be/Ijk4j-r7qPA
It certainly was for me. I know exactly where I was when I heard that song for the first time. For me the biggest point of interest is the radical tempo change. I loooove that kind of stuff.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#5A fascinating read. I remember many years ago listening to Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand for the first time and being absolutely taken aback by the total shift it took a minute or so into the song. I wonder if that was one of those moments the article describes. https://youtu.be/Ijk4j-r7qPA
It certainly was for me. I know exactly where I was when I heard that song for the first time. For me the biggest point of interest is the radical tempo change. I loooove that kind of stuff.
hah I too remember where I was when I first heard Take Me Out. It really is a special song.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#6Rick Beato's "The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time" is worth listening to https://youtu.be/ZnRxTW8GxT8?t=58
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#7As a lifelong musician this seems so plainly obvious to me that it barely seems like news. I suppose a formal study simply confirms it for everyone else. Perhaps I'm missing something. Popular music ebbs and flows in it's harmonic complexity over decades. Certainly in the last century of popular music. One of James Brown's innovations in the 60s was reducing jazz and RnB music down to one chord for an entire song. On…
Righto. A key change is pretty easy when you've got MIDI driving samples. Too much bother, I guess.
I've also noticed that most pop music today (not to blame any genre) is rhythmically flat. Not many examples of 'Take 5'. Same drum samples used throughout the whole of 5-minute pieces. Lots of studio processing to make the result seem more like music. Which it isn't.
It isn't the machines' fault; it's the 'producers' manning them. Drop a hit now'n then. Throw in an extra one. Too busy cranking out the candy? I just call it: lazy, lazy, lazy. And very, very boring.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#8Rick Beato's "The Most COMPLEX Pop Song of All Time" is worth listening to https://youtu.be/ZnRxTW8GxT8?t=58
I just discovered his videos yesterday. His series “What Makes This Song Great” is helping me better organize my thoughts around rock music production.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#9As a lifelong musician this seems so plainly obvious to me that it barely seems like news. I suppose a formal study simply confirms it for everyone else. Perhaps I'm missing something. Popular music ebbs and flows in it's harmonic complexity over decades. Certainly in the last century of popular music. One of James Brown's innovations in the 60s was reducing jazz and RnB music down to one chord for an entire song. On…
I'm still a little confused what the "harmonic surprise" is... is it a genre shift within a piece of music? Is it related to chord progression? Is it a key change?
The example in the article seems to hint at "harmonic surprise" referring to a simple genre shift:
>With its stark, sudden shifts between choral melodies in major chords and menacing percussive elements drawn from the trap subgenre, the song constantly defies the listener's expectations throughout. That's why "This is America" also tops the list of pop songs rich in so-called "harmonic surprise," or points when the music deviates from listener expectations.
Re: Hit songs rely on increasing “harmonic surprise” to hook listeners, study finds
#10A fascinating read. I remember many years ago listening to Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand for the first time and being absolutely taken aback by the total shift it took a minute or so into the song. I wonder if that was one of those moments the article describes. https://youtu.be/Ijk4j-r7qPA
Dual rhythm guitars? Wonder if they can actually play.
That video though!