Nexus Preferences by Genres

5. Differences Within “Popular” Music

From the introduction up until now, we’ve been contrasting the three pillars of classical, jazz, and popular music. However, it’s become evident that even within the realm of “popular music,” there are finer distinctions in preferences.

Preferences by Genres

Let’s summarize what we’ve discussed so far in a compact manner. Keep in mind that these are just general tendencies…

There are no “golden rules” that can be applied to all genres. What is called the “orthodox”, “classic” or “standard” progression is always tethered to some genres. And there are, naturally, even finer genre-specific tendencies. Popular music has developed by crossing over with influences from genres such as jazz, blues, folk music and so on, and then further into genres like reggae, funk or hip-hop, each with its own unique development. Therefore, merely possessing a single “popular music theory” is not sufficient. It becomes essential to understand the differences in genres. Let’s conduct a brief comparative experiment.

In the Case of Pops

Let’s start by making typical conventional pop music.

Here, we have a chord progression made up of stable and secure 3_▼5_▼2^▲ nexuses, strictly following classical rules and avoiding the “once prohibited” progressions. The function progresses consistently as T–S–D prograde motion. Since the sound and rhythm of this music are lively and energetic, having a clear chord progression makes sense. Traditional music theory often describes such progressions as natural, strong, pleasant or satisfactory.

Now, in contrast, we see a chord progression that mainly uses 3^▲5^▲ with many unconventional nexuses, disregarding the classical theory. It’s true that this progression lacks the clear and stable feeling of motion, and it seems to create a somewhat gloomy atmosphere. Traditional theory often interprets such progressions as weak, irregular or unpleasant.

So far, this follows the scenario of what traditional theory insists (though some may find the latter more interesting than the former because of its abnormality).

In the Case of EDM

However, when it comes to the modern EDM, the script is flipped. “Weak progressions” blend smoothly into the context of such genres.

It deliberately ascends from VI_m to I and form a D–S retrogression with V→II_m. Such movements not only offer freshness to ears but also avoid interfering with the gimmicks of sound and rhythm by not presenting the chord progression too clearly.

If we were to use the conventional style progression just used above, the “story” of chord progression would rise to the fore, which is not desirable in this situation.

There is a sense of mismatch here—While the chord progression builds a long story taking 8 chords, the sound follows an EDM style where various phrases emerge and recede one after another. Moreover, as it is a bass part, here in this case the wobble bass, that primarily plays the role of conveying the root motion, the oddness is further accentuated by that such a monster-like bass meticulously narrating a long story of the chord progression.

I used only those progressions labeled as “natural” or “pleasant” in authentic theory books, yet they didn’t sound natural at all. Ironically, in these genres, such well-behaved progressions are “unnaturally natural.” It’s too natural to sound natural in the world of EDM.

The phrase “too natural to sound natural” reflects the profundity of music, which is an art and culture. The essence of music resides in our auditory experience. So however we focus on the physical aspects like frequencies or anything, without factoring in our psychological reactions, we cannot truly obtain a practical music theory. In recent books, some authors are mindful of these circumstances and provide additional explanations specifically regarding the shifts in this trend.

Because of their overuse, many of these traditional harmonic moves, especially V to I and certain root movements, e.g., down a fifth, are now sometimes avoided. Although traditional major/minor is still in use, new styles and new harmonic vocabularies with different root movements have been installed into popular song. Perricone, Jack. Great Songwriting Techniques (p.171). 2018.

For like the past 300 years, Western music theory has held the proposition that “V→I is the most natural and powerful progression,” believing it to be a truth and seeking its scientific basis. However, whether it is a true thesis or not, before musicologists get tired of studying it, listeners started to get tired of listening to it. This fact is what we must not overlook, especially having studied music theory.

Individual Experiential Differences

Furthermore, aside from the overall direction of genres, each listener’s personal experiences naturally influence their receptiveness to different sounds. We’ve all had the experience of initially not being familiar with a genre or song but growing to like it as we repeatedly listen. We have the ability to adapt to new music.

These psychological elements such as “getting used to” or “getting tired of” are not generally included in the models of music theory. However, they are essential for understanding real music. And when the minority eventually becomes the majority, the theory itself has to be updated.

Remember that music theory is merely cutting out a tiny part of the phenomena involved in how music reaches our brains, in an easily manageable form.

6. Music Theory and Media Literacy

By now, you should understand that the perception of music varies depending on the genre. Various music theory books naturally position themselves somewhere between “tradition” and “reality”.

There are books rigorously based on classical viewpoints, or there are lighter kind of books that touch only on D–S progressions as “irregular”, without specifically addressing 3^▲ nexuses. If there are no descriptions regarding genres, culture, or history in the preface or main text, it’s natural for readers to think of it as “standard music theory.”

Books That Clearly State Their Position

In truly honest books, this aspect is carefully considered. Authentic jazz theory books have many sentences that start with “In jazz,” or some explicitly state their position in the preface. For example, the most highly renowned classical theory book in Japan, “Harmony – Theory and Practice,” by Yuzuru Shimaoka clearly states its viewpoint on the very first page:

As the foundation for harmony education, we have chosen the harmony of classical Western music (tonal and harmonic music based on major and minor keys) represented by J.S. Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, etc., with the intention of strictly staying within this framework. This is because systematization of theory can only be achieved by limiting the subject matter, and if you’re going to do it, you have no choice but to deal with the most universal classical music. Of course, we do not intend to needlessly confine students to one framework. We have faith that a genuine understanding of classical music is the first step in education.
島岡譲. 和声 理論と実習 (I) (p.1). Translated from Japanese.

He’s properly stating from the beginning that they focused on classical music but don’t want readers to be bound to it. Thus students can learn classical “rules” with a good understanding that they’re just “one framework”. But it seems that such important statements often get trimmed away as information travels from person to person, and only the eye-catching words like “prohibitions” are taking on a life of its own.

Therefore, I hope you approach all content, including this site as well, with proper media literacy.

Books Based on Multiple Perspectives

Furthermore, the stances of music theory books are also changing. In the 2018 book by Jack Perricone, “Great Songwriting Techniques,” it covers traditional chord progressions in Chapter 7 and then delves into styles in blues, rock, R&B, etc., in Chapter 8.

The music theory wolrd is entering an era where it recognizes that the manners and standards are different between genres and officially incorporate that fact, constructing a lot more practical and inclusive theory. Music theory does not dictate what is “correct music.” It just attempts to systematize what is happening in the real world. Please do not forget this😃

Summary

• The standard chord progressions vary by genre, and they form one element that shapes the characteristics of each genre.
• In particular, the destination of dominant function chords and non-traditional progressions like 5^▲ and 3^▲ often exhibit genre differences.
• When considering practical application, it’s necessary to think not only from a simple physics perspective but also to consider these cultural and psychological aspects.

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