Song Stucture

Song Structure describes how we put our songs together.  In popular music today, the primary elements of song structure are called the VERSE and CHORUS.  

The VERSE of the song usually has a melody that repeats but the lyrics change for each verse.  The verses usually take up the majority of the song and tell the "story".  It is similar to a stanza in poetry. 

The CHORUS or refrain has a repeating melody and also repeating lyrics.  It usually catchy, exciting, has more instruments, and has higher dynamics.

Typically in popular music today a Verse is 16 bars long and the Chorus is often 8-16 Bars long.  

I would also like to introduce the part of a song called the INTRO which is short for Introduction! Where in a song would you find the intro? ....the beginning of the song, of course!

We are going to do a listening exercise to practice identifying the Intro, Verses and Chorus in a few songs. 





.....Now that we have a better understanding of Verse and Chorus we will start structuring your songs this way in Reason.   

Here is an image from reason with a 16 bar verse (1-17) followed by an 8 bar chorus(17-24). 

The Re-Groove Mixer

You may have noticed a button on Reason that says "Re-Groove Mixer" on the bottom right hand side of the screen. We have used this button before but that was only to control the "Global Shuffle" of our ReDrum pattern. Well there's also a way that we can control the shuffle of our individual drum sounds in Reason WITHOUT having to slide each individual sound manually in the grid mode. Using the Re-Groove mixer you will see just how easy it is to make adjustments to your ReDrum pattern. Lets get started.

1. Open Reason

2. Create a Mixer 14:2 (if you don't already have it on your screen).

3. Set your tempo between 80-100bpm for this exercise.

4. Create a Redrum. This exercise is going to be a 64 step beat.

5. Set your "R" on the Track of reason to R5 for a 64 step beat. Turn the "Loop On/Off" to On.

6. For pattern 1 your 1st sound should be a Snare OR Clap. Copy your pattern to the track when you finish.

7. Switch to pattern 2. For pattern 2 your 2nd sound should be a Bass Drum. Pick a bass drum, click your bass drum in on the boxes that sound right to you and copy the pattern to the track.

8. Switch to pattern 3. For pattern 3 your 3rd sound should be a hi hat. Pick a hi hat, click the hi hat on the boxes that sound right to you and copy the pattern to track.

9. Click the orange "pattern" button so that it turns white.

10. Now lets take a look at our Reason track. We should see one ReDrum down there with 3 different lanes for each sound. On each lane you will notice a circle with a red dot, a rectangle and a square with an M in it. Our focus right now is on that Rectangle.

11. On the first lane click the rectangle. Go through the menu and pick A1. On the 2nd lane go through the menu and click A2. On the 3rd lane go through the menu and click A3.

12. Now click on the Re-Groove mixer. Do you notice where it says A1, A2, A3, etc.? Our focus right now is just on the first 3.

13. Press play on your beat (with loop on) and click on the folder of A1. Go to the Reason Factory Sound Bank. Click on Re-Groove Patches. For this exercise lets go to the folder that says MPC-60. Pick any shuffle between 65-75%.

Do you notice how the difference in your drum sound?

14. Now adjust your slide and shuffle for this sound by just a little bit. If you most the slide to the left, the sound will trigger earlier. If you move the slide to the right, the sound will trigger later.

15. Now go to A2 and add in a Re-Groove patch. Load in a patch of your choice and adjust the slide/shuffle.

16. Now go to A3 and repeat the steps above.

Good work.

Save this as (Your Name) ReGroove.

Now start a new beat using this method for your ReDrum pattern. This can ALSO be applied to your original melodies that you have recorded to the track. Once you have your 4 bar drum pattern copied to the track and using the ReGroove mixer, start creating new instruments and try to add at least 2 more instruments such as a bassline, piano or synthesizer.

The Synthesizer

Today we're going explore using an instrument known as a Synthesizer. What is a Synthesizer?

"A synthesizer, or "synth", is an electronic musical instrument that uses filters and tone generators to create waveforms which are then processed to generate sound. Modern synthesizers can closely reproduce the sound of some instruments, but many keyboard players use them for their characteristic sound. They are sometimes referred to as "sound" or "music" synthesizers." - Wikipedia. (Click HERE to read the full article.)


Different types of synthesizers include the Theremin and the Moog. The Theremin (Invented by Leon Theremin) is considered to be the original electrical musical instrument. The Moog (Invented by Robert Moog) is considered to be the most groundbreaking electric instrument.

Chances are that you've heard synthesizer sounds used in all popular music from soul to electro. Here are a couple of examples.

The Dramatics - Do What You Want Be What You Are


Daft Punk - Around the World

In Reason there are a few synthesizers that can be used. There is the Subtractor Analog Synthesizer, the Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer, the Thor Polysonic Synthesizer, and the Combinator (which isn't exactly a synthesizer, but combines instruments that can include synthesizers).

Here are some images and descriptions of each instrument (Provided by Propellerhead).

Subtractor Analog Synthesizer - Similar in layout of the analog flagships of the early 80s, the Subtractor is an easy way to create anything from warm pads to rumbling bass. It's two oscillators can produce well known basic waveforms like square, sawtooth, triangle and sine plus an additional waveforms based on samples.

The layout is simple to grasp with all the controls conveniently visible on the panel, but there is still no lack of possibilities. With dual filters, three envelope generators and two LFOs, the Subtractor can produce just about any sound you want it to.

All the Subtractor's parameters are fully automatable, meaning that it's easy to record and edit any parameter changes on the Subtractor.

The Malstrom Graintable Synthesizer - Malström creates its otherworldly sounds using Graintable technology. Never heard of it? Neither had we, we had to invent it. This technology is a cross between granular synthesis and good old wavetable synthesis. And the result? You'll just have to hear it to believe it.

The Malström Graintable synthesizer features all imaginable filtering and modulation options, and a couple of unimaginable ones too; Try some real-time waveform stretching, some spectral modulation, or some awesome wavetable sweeping.

Malström comes with a wide range of meaty and exotic Graintables, letting you create anything from lush pads to scary squeals, from the pretty to the gritty. And that's just the sounds coming from Malström itself; try using this monster's audio inputs to filter other Reason devices, and let some of Malström's magic rub off on your drums or sampled vocals. With a device like this, no one can accuse your sound of being ordinary.

Thor Polysonic Synthesizer - Thor sounds like no synthesizer you've ever heard before - and every single one of them. Where other synths use one specific form of synthesis and one single filter, the Thor polysonic synthesizer features six different oscillator types and four unique filters. What does this give you? Simply the most powerful synth ever created; an unstoppable monster of a sound generator that utilizes synthesizer technology from the last 40 years.

Combinator - The Combinator is a device which can be used to take numerous sounds from instruments and combine them to create one unique sound.

Don't feel scared to use these instruments, they ALL have presets and they ALL are customizable.

Let's see how we can incorporate a synthesizer instrument into our music production.

1. Open Reason

2. Create a Mixer 14:2

3. Set your tempo between 70-100bpm.

4. Set your L to 1 and your R to 5.

Turn your "Loop On/Off" to On.

5. Create a Redrum Drum Computer. Create a 32 or 64 step drum pattern that uses at least 4 drum sounds (snare, bass drum, hi hat, percussion). Each sound should be on its own pattern and you will copy each pattern to the track.

6. Create a Dr. REX Loop Player. Pick a Dr. REX Percussion Loop. Do NOT put it "To Track"! Instead, use the keyboard to try and create an original percussion pattern with the loop. If you have any rhythm errors, remember that you can quantize the recorded pattern.

7. Create an NN19 or NNXT instrument. Load in a piano or guitar patch of your choice and try to create a melody that uses 3 chords from the C Major scale. If you have any rhythm errors, remember that you can quantize the recorded pattern.

8. Create a synthesizer instrument. If you create a Subtractor or Malstrom, then load in a monosynth of your choice.


If you create a Thor, then load in a Lead Synth of your choice.



With this instrument try to create a melody that uses the C Major scale.

What we have learned so far...

I would like review with you some of the important elements in composing a song.  Specifically the Tempo, Instruments, Key Signature, Arrangement, and Lyrics.



Tempo

• How Fast or Slow your song is
• BPM: Beats Per Minute
• Beats and Bars (Time Signature)

Instruments

• Percussion: 
• Drums: Bass, Snare, HiHat
• Melodic: 
• Bass line
• Chords
• Melody and Harmony

Key Signature

• The Key tells what notes are used in the song
• Major vs Minor Keys
• Scales are all the notes in the Key
• Chord Progressions

Song Structure and Arrangement (coming soon)

Lyrics (coming soon)




You are learning to be a one lady band!  Here is a great example of someone being a one man band using a loop pedal.  Just like the loops we make in reason, he is creating 4 bar loops to build a full song.





Here are examples of important elements in song composition.

DRUM GROOVE:


BASS LINE:


Chords:


CHORD PROGRESSION:

Recreating Patterns + Layering Drums

Drum layering is a very important skill in todays modern music. Why? Music producers have been layering drums and finding new ways to process them in order to create their own unique signature sound. Examples include Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Pete Rock, Timbaland and the Neptunes. These are 5 different producers with unique drums that they created. For an example, let's listen to an instrumental from Pete Rock.



Notice anything in particular about the drums on this song? They are the combination of a drum break and individual drum sounds playing on top of them to re-create the pattern. In today's exercise we will work on this method of drum programming. It will also help you get a better idea of how to recreate drum patterns that you may hear in different genres of music. Let's get started.

1. Open Reason

2. Create a Mixer 14:2

3. Set your tempo between 75-100.

4. Create a Dr. REX Loop Player. Load in a Dr. REX Drum loop of your choice (I personally recommend Drum N Bass, RnB HipHop and Abstract HipHop).

5. Set your L to 1 and your R to 5 & turn you. Put your Dr. REX Loop "To Track".

6. Turn your "Loop On/Off" to On.

7. Create a ReDrum Drum Computer.

8. Try to recreate the pattern of your Dr. Rex loop using Redrum sounds. Each individual Redrum sound should have its own pattern. Copy each pattern to the track. Experiment using more than 1 snare or bass drum (example: 2 different bass drums that have the same pattern).

9. When you are finished let Corina or Ian know.

Bass line

One of the most important elements in building a song is an instrument called the BASS.

The Bass is a low sounding instrument that is played one note at a time.  It is slow and rhythmic and one of the fundamental aspects to building a song.  Here are a few examples of some great bass lines:

Minor Scale and Chords

Last class I had you record a 1-4-5 Chord progression in the key of C Major.  Lets review how we were able to do that.

First we learned the formula for the Major Scale using whole and half steps.  Starting with C and using the formula to figure out the rest of the keys in the scale.

Formula for a Major scale:
1 - 1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1/2

Once we learned the notes in the scale we were able to find the 1st, 4th and 5th note in the scale.  In the key of C Major that would be C, F and G.


Today we are going to learn about Minor Keys.  Just like with the Major Scale there is a formula that goes with the Minor scale as well. 

Using what we know about Whole steps and Half Steps we can figure out a Minor scale by using the following formula.

Formula for minor scale:
1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1 - 1/2 - 1 - 1


So lets figure out the notes of the c minor scale.

Now that we know the notes of the C Minor Scale we can figure out the 1-4-5 chord progression.   First lets number each note in the scale:
C -  D - Eb - F  - G - Ab - Bb - C
1 -  2  -  3  - 4  - 5  -  6  -  7  -  1

To play a chord you play every other note in the scale.
This is what a c minor 1 chord looks like:

 
The c minor 1-4-5 chord progression would look like this:

 For you Assignment today I would like to hear you use these chords in a 4 bar loop in Reason.



1. Create a Mixer
2. Create a Redrum
3. Make a 32 or 64 step drum beat
4. Copy pattern to track for 4 bars (L on 1 and R on 5)


5. Create an NN19 Sampler 
6. Load a Piano, Organ, Strings or Guitar Sound
7. Practice playing c minor, f minor and g minor chords
8. Now Record 4 bars using these chords
9. Edit and quantize your recording to make it as clean as possible
10. Save as (yourname)_cminor