Contents
(3) Partial Pitch Cahnges
Though pure repetition is, of-course, the most strong way to imprint motives to listeners, it also has the risk that they get bored with monotonous lines. That is why developing a motif is important in songwritings.
Bizet – Ouverture of “Carmen”
This is a Classical song known for its rhythmic melody “tan-taca taca-taca”, which is the main motif in this song.
The first half of the motif, “tan-taca”, is kept consistent throughout developments, whereas in the second half, “taca-taca”, the pitches are changed to make variations. The fourth phrase is a typical liquidation where the shape of the motif is totally gone and just characterless single note sustains. Listeners will be well informed that a block is coming to the end.
Extra Examples
This is a playlist of songs including the pattern “changing the head or the tail”. Analyze them if your favorite songs are in it!
(4) Preserving Outlines
Changing the whole pitch of a motif yet preserving its general outline brings about a good balance between variety and consistency.
Boys Town Gang – Can’t Take My Eyes Off You
The phrase “I love you baby” is the atomic motif here, then a variation comes the next.
“I love you baby and if it’s quite alright”And this block becomes a larger motif and constructs a nested blocks.
“~trust in me when I say”Confirm that the whole pitch height of a block goes down as the line progresses, while keeping its basic shape.
Also note that the third block casts off its “tail” like a sheet of paper is torn off, which is termed Fragmentation.
Extra Examples
parallel displacement is quite common in loop-based synth music while arbitrary changes are often found in vocal melodies.
(5) Preserving Rhythms
If you feel like making one step further variations, ignore the outline of motif and just keep its rhythmic pattern.
Hans Zimmer – He’s a Pirate
This is a theme song for “Pirates of the Caribbean” by one of the most eminent film score composers today. The rhythm “ta-ta-tan-tan” (0:05-) is the motif of the song.
The third block draws the different curve from the two preceding it. By loosening the rigidness of repetition, you can expand the possible patterns of variations, with the sacrifice of the perspicuity of its structure.
Extra Examples
Preserving rhythm strategy is so much easy to use that it is widely used almost in any genre from pop, rock, EDM, hip hop to film music, old traditional songs and classical music.
You might have not noticed that such rhythmic repetitions lie in the songs above…It works like a kind of subliminal effect; You can silently impress a motif without getting recognized by listeners. They’ll be able to remember a song quite easily, not knowing why.
Sum Up
Summing up, there are roughly 5 levels of transforming motives.
| Degree | Pattern |
|---|---|
| 0 | Pure Reprise |
| 1 | Prefix/Suffix small notes |
| 2 | Partial transformation |
| 3 | Change pitches, preserving outlines |
| 4 | Change outlines, preserving rhythms |
Or there are still other patterns like shrinking/expanding the lengths, flipping vertically/horizontally, et cetera. Note that there is an inevitable trade-off between variety and catchiness. Simple reprise is strong at impressing motives but it could be monotonous, whereas elaborate development can entertain listeners but could be hard to remember.
Generally speaking, in genres such as rock, hip-hop or EDM, where people mosh or dance to the music, persistent repetition is widely accepted. On the other hand, in genres such as classical music or ballad, which listeners expect to have rich musical stories, a large-scale development is often demanded.
