sweet and sour

[ceagle]

More and more I find that one of the things I look for in songs .. is that the bridge/middle eight/counterpoints fit nicely within the framework of the song (to my taste anyway)..
I don't care for it much when they take it too far off course from the established theme, i.e., it departs greatly from the main course, with no good way to find a natural connection.

Most songs with the bridge structure:

1 work enchantingly well
or
2 go off course in the bridge, adding an unappealing 'sourness'
or
3 have an interesting bridge that stands on it's own, even if it is distance from the main, at least it isn't sour
or
4 an instrumental bridge is sometimes a good answer by design, or even for not knowing what to do otherwise

Some samples:

#4 Fool in the Rain (Zeppelin)
#4 Truly Do (Lindley)
#4 Octopus'es Garden (Beatles)

#3 Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey (McCartney)
#3 Mission Bell (Brooks)
#3 A Day in the Life (Beatles)

#2 In the Song Again (Roo-mates)
#2 Island Girl (BeachBoys)
#2 Dreamy Nights (Lee)

#1 Baby Blue (Echoes)
#1 Falling in Love (Newman)
#1 Lollipop (Chordettes)

Thank goodness most songs work (#1) and don't ever need tweaks.. :D
But in many of the #2 examples, I will edit the sour bridge to reconstruct the song into complete candy for more palatable listening enjoymints ^v^ ..

One other peeve that is much harder to fix, is, well.. usually it bugs me when a song thinks it can make itself more interesting by adding KEY changes ;P *winces*
This works sometimes, but too often it doesn't (imho).

More examples:

Where it works... Lodi (CCR)
Where it doesn't... In the Song Again (Roo-mates) (it's one of the few songs where I tolerate it, cuz it sounds worse with the part missing)

I wish I could think of more, but heh, I think my memory blocks out a lot of the ones that irk me ;}
(if anyone needs/wants any examples of these, I'd be happy to find links for ya)

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Can youse alls think of some that fall into these categories for you?

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Music postings don't tend to get too many responses, so of course dat's okay if ya just wanna move on instead... :> It's kind of a niche thing...

Just thought I'd write about this, cuz composition and arrangement is on my mind a lot.. and I don't think I've ever written about this'n...

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In other news... YAY!... Done with jury duty for at least another year! *tailwags*

---- (Wow NEAT! Got some activity heah!) ^v^

Comments

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

For vocal tunes, I thought the key change was supposed to be when you reprise the last chorus. Usually the singer goes up a half-step or a step in pitch in order to sound, well, inspired, or happier, or whatever. "You Raise Me Up" is a classic example.

Are you talking about key changes *in* the song, or just really wandering chord progressions? The only songs I can think of with really odd key changes are those of Paul McCartney, who also liked to change tempo frequently.

[hawthornowl.livejournal.com]

Does the Dr Who theme count?

[hawthornowl.livejournal.com]

ie. this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gN51u0yC_4E

[orv.livejournal.com]

I think key changes work best when they come at a moment when the mood of the song changes. If they're just inserted arbitrarily to make a long song less monotonous they tend to feel artificial and contrived.

[orv.livejournal.com]

I just ran across a good example...Leonard Cohen's 'First We Take Manhattan.' There's a mood shift from dark to upbeat between the verse and chorus, and it switches from a minor key to a major key at that point. Then it modulates back to the minor key at the end of the chorus.

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

I dunno if there are any supposed-to rules.. *wink*.. but it sounds like a good plan/method that has been utilized effectively from time to time.

*thinks a sec* I am fairly sure I'm talking about key changes (like the one you mentioned is a perfect example, although it isn't horribly annoying, as it has that nice pause before they kick it in... right about at the 3 minute mark there in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKFcfytlxU )..

...heh.. I think a 'wandering' chord progression might even be more annoying... LOL... got any examples of those? *scritches your feathers*

I will have to try really hard to find at least one (of the key example... you found a good one!... it's just not annoying enough.. LOL) for ya, but srsly, I sorta think I block them out bcuz I don't usually care for them... *blushes beak*..

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

I think I'd have to give that a #1 or #4 (because it's instrumental), since I think it works pretty well there :>
...though I don't consider myself quite as qualified to evaluate songs that use a root minor key... *blushes beak again*

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

Excellent point! *scritches your feathers*

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

hehe... what bizarre lead vocal timing ;D

Ya know, being that it's more a show-tune... the structure is quite loose, and key changes are usually far more acceptable as dramatic/emphatic mood descriptors that accompany a story of sorts.. In any case, it isn't as clearly derailing as it can be in a neatly structured pop song... which I tend to embrace as more of something in which one looks for comfort and inspiration of sorts, like riding along the open road in a cadillac, enjoying the sounds and scenes, and not really wanting any discomforting bumps in the road along the way. A good pop song is an engaging, fulfilling ride.

In a less structured style, such as jazz or classical or showtunes, it's just sort of taken for granted that you can go any direction, depending on the story or other decisions by the composer, so I don't really cringe as much or at all, since it's part of the plan.

A lopsided pop song is harder to take, since it seems to be lopsided out of laziness, lack of musical ability, or maybe even shock value.. LOL

In fact, I just thought of one that falls into the playful-shock-value category... Rock Lobster :D
I pretty much like the song, but I don't consider it 'fully listenable' every time, since the shock value is sort of worn out by now... but... I *do* love listening to the second half (the ultra-rockin' part!) of the song, because it is SO well done and powerful, without the sour setup. I usually just start at that killer drum roll and let 'er rip!

[c-eagle.livejournal.com]

(for intermission, I found this interesting vid.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGaLVh2zhto :D )

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

Yes, that example is what I'm talking about. That's a definite "hit-you-in-the-face" key change that's particularly prevalent in older Broadway musicals.

I don't have any examples offhand of the "wandering" chord progression, but some hard bop jazz tunes can get pretty out there, I think.

[tyrrlin.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, reminds me of Theory class. :-) There's so much to music theory, and I admit I forgot a LOT of it. *blush*

[genecatlow.livejournal.com]

*fuzzles you* You're the only one I know that even refers to bridges and middle eights and transposing when it comes to music! Most everyone talks about the music and musicians they love, but hardly anyone even thinks about music theory itself ^__^

[cabcat.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure I get what you''re talking about?
Would this song count?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5PYv8Ppsjg