How to Write a Song Intro - Music Theory Hacks for Catchy Bass Lines
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 มิ.ย. 2018
- In this Hack Music Theory lesson, you’ll learn how to write a bass line that hooks your listeners into your song within seconds. But first... Tea!
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PLAYLIST
• Playlist
A great intro is a musical tease! It reveals very little of the song, while totally hooking us in to ensure we keep listening. Think of an intro like a trailer for a song, and just like movie trailers, there’s three types: 1) the trailer that’s so desperate for you to watch the movie, it gives everything away, but now you don’t need to watch the movie. 2) the trailer that’s attempting to lure you in with a mysteriously abstract taste, but you have absolutely no idea what the movie is actually about, so you don’t watch it. And finally, 3) the “goldilocks” trailer that acts as a window through which you glimpse the movie, but now you have questions, and if you wanna know the full story, you’ll need to watch the full movie!
HACK 1 - One. Two. Boo!
The ultimate goal for every intro is to give away enough to keep people listening, while also holding back enough to maintain their interest till the end of your song. And the way to achieve this is through our easy psychological hack: One. Two. Boo! Here’s how it works. Create a simple pattern that your listeners can instantly follow, and then repeat it once - this will trigger their brains’ reward system, as they’ll correctly predict the recurrence of your pattern. But then, at the end of your second loop, vary the pattern unexpectedly. And boo! Thanks to a good dose of dopamine, your listeners are now mentally and physiologically hooked into your song! And as you can see, our simple pattern consists of a couple long F♯s (our root note), played on beat 1 and beat 2+, which is a classic hip-hop rhythm. And then on beat 4 we’ve got a 1/4 note rest, which sets up the expectation of that rest recurring at the end of our second loop, but that’s exactly where the unexpected variation hits! Instead of a 1/4 note rest, we give ‘em a couple quick 1/16 notes and a couple 1/16 note syncopations, which is an accenting of the off-beat that pumps up the energy of your rhythm.
HACK 2 - Vary the Variation
The great irony of variation, is that if you repeat it, it’s no longer variation. This is how an unexpected and thrilling variation can quickly turn into a predictable disappointment the second time round. So, in order to deliver another dopamine hit to your listeners, which will keep them listening beyond your intro, you need to vary the variation! Start by looping your “One. Two. Boo!” pattern, and then, on the second “Boo!”, change it up to totally surprise your listeners yet again. And with that, they settle in and take their fingers off that dreaded Skip button! Yeah so you can see our second “Boo!” is completely different to our first “Boo!”. Instead of starting on beat 4, it starts on beat 3e, and instead of going down, it goes up, and instead of going to a diatonic note (a note that’s in the scale), it goes to a very unexpected ♭2, which is a non-diatonic note (a note that’s not in the scale). And finally, for one last massive dopamine hit, we’re gonna bring back this intro after our second chorus (just before the bridge), which will beautifully tie the song together, while also creating a comforting familiarity right before we change things up in the bridge!
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Hack Music Theory is the pioneering notation-free method for making great music. Taught by award-winning music lecturer Ray Harmony, and his protégé (and wife) Kate Harmony, from their studio in Vancouver BC, Canada. Ray is the author of critically-acclaimed book series "Hack Music Theory", and has made music with Serj Tankian (System of a Down), Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Steven Wilson (Porcupine Tree), Ihsahn (Emperor), Kool Keith (Ultramagnetic MCs), Madchild (Swollen Members), and many more. Kate has the highest grade distinction in Popular Music Theory from the London College of Music, and is the only person on the planet who's been trained by Ray to teach his Hack Music Theory method! While these Hack Music Theory TH-cam lessons teach music theory for producers and DAW users, they are designed to accommodate all music makers (songwriters, guitarists, etc.) and all genres, from Electronic Music to R&B, Pop to Hip-Hop, Reggae to Rock, EDM/Dance to Metal (and yes, we djefinitely Djent!).
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I'm glad you mentioned re-using the intro riff as an intro to the bridge. This is a very common and effective technique.
Hey Tom, great to hear from you again! Happy to hear this video was a good reminder for you, thanks so much for watching and connecting! Have a great week, and happy music making :) Kate
Thanks for the sharing! Love your channel!
Thanks this helped me a lot
Hey! I love that you guys share your knowledge for free here on TH-cam and in the pdfs. I have learned a lot even though I produce an completely different genre (synthwave/darksynth). This shows that musical knowledge extends to all genres! Thanks guys.
I'm also into synthwave/darksynth
Hi Max, thanks so much for watching and connecting! We're pumped to hear you're putting our hacks to use in your own music! And yes, you're absolutely right, when it comes to how music works, it's genreless :) Until next time, have a fantastic week and happy music making! Kate :)
Great video guys
As you get more viewers don't forget to keep advertising your books/pdfs as time goes on
Really appreciate the depth and simplicity of your videos. It's almost like having a friend teach you personally, they know when to say "one two BOO" when to talk about dopamine rewards.
Incredible useful tip, applicable to every kind of music, good job, and thanks!
Aw thanks for watching and connecting, Warrobit, it always makes us super happy to know that our hacks are helping musicians! Until next time, take care and happy music making! Kate :)
Thank you. A very handy tip and thinking about it now, a pretty important thing!
Yes, it's vitally important :D We're super happy this one was helpful to you HAZARDOUS88! Thanks as always for watching and connecting, it means the world to us :) Have a fantastic week! Kate
I've never written music before, but after watching a bunch of your videos it makes me want to try! Thanks for the tips and tricks!
Hello and welcome Ethan! We love that our videos have stirred the music making bug in you :) You are in good company here, as there are many people here who are starting out on their music making journey, so welcome to the Hack Music Theory revolution! If you haven't already, may I suggest that you check out our free music theory book, '12 Music Theory Hacks to Learn Scales and Chords'? It's a refresher of the basics and it's a super fast and fun read. You can download from our website: RevolutionHarmony.com/Books. Thanks for watching and connecting Ethan, and let us know how you get on with your music making! Kate :)
Love you guys !!😁
Aww thanks for taking the time to watch and connect, 1funkyangel, it's great to hear from you again! Hope you're well and making lots of music! Have a great week, Kate :)
Awesome stuff as usual. So what do you guys think of automated tools? I've seen a few different ones that almost frighteningly look like they're going to write the entire song for you or worse still, make a complex MIDI that you then have to spend a great deal of time editing to make it your own. I've looked at the results on TH-cam (haven't actually evaluated them yet) & the end results look more complicated than I would've been able to think of myself, so it makes me wonder how in the world I could change it enough so that I wouldn't think that the automated tool did all the work & made me just a note manager.
I was talking to some local musicians about what podcasts and Toutube channels we watch and despite what genre the person was in your channel was on their list. Keep it up.
WHOA!!! Seriously? That's amazingly amazing, wow, we're deeply grateful (and stoked!) to have you and your friends in our Hack Music Theory community! By the way, where are y'all based?
Hi! I like how you use examples from the real songs. I think I'll go and immediately use this hack.
Thanks nandakoryaaa! Happy to hear that this hack was useful to you, let us know how you get along with your intros! Have a wonderful week :)
Love you guys. Don’t know how this video slipped past me lol
Another super helpful video c:
I was wondering if you guys had a recommended listening playlist somewhere? Like a list of songs you think everyone wanting to learn music should have heard (I feel like you guys would have great picks)
Thanks again for the helpful vids!
Love the 1 2 boo!
Yay, 1 2 boo! Thanks for sharing the love Azi, have a wonderful week! Kate :)
Thank you... for the useful info. Two important takeaway for me... 1. Good start is very important 2. But that is not enough .. so.. keep creating interesting variations too.. Will try some today..
Yay! We're so happy you found this video helpful Karuveli, and we hope your intro making is going well :D Keep us posted and have a wonderful week! Kate :)
I actually use this technique in writing my d'jent riffs. Get'em grooving on a down beat and sneak in a few beats on the up. Great Lesson!! Thumbs up
Hey, thanks so much for watching and connecting Michael! We're pumped to welcome you into our Hack Music Theory revolution! Until next time, take care and happy songwriting, Kate :)
You guys are brilliant, just brilliant. And Ray, you are hilarious lol. You both have such amazing energy. Wish we could kick it, make music, and drink tea together! Lemme know if you ever come out to Chiang Mai Thailand (or want to) :)
Hey Glow0110, great to hear from you again!! As always, many thank yous for your kind words, we really appreciate your support! I've heard Chiang Mai is a magical place, so you never know :) All our very best to you and your music! Kate :)
Came to say hello! :) Hi Kate & Ray! And thanks a million for your easy-to-understand music theory stuffs! :)
Great to hear from you again, Untrue Sounds! We're so happy to hear that you're diggin' our videos, thanks for saying hello!
How goes your music making these days? Take care and have a great week! Kate :)
Hack Music Theory many new stuff is on their way out ☺ just ny distributor needs 5 weeks to launch and before it i wait for some labels' answers 😎
"The desperate trailer that gives everything away"... Hahaha, so true !!! Because of that, even if i'm a big movie fan, i don't want to see trailers anymore to keep the mystery and the interest... Super catchy bass line : i enjoy this solid groove, especially the end with the rapid notes and the half step, what a energy rush ! Excellent Hack and a concept that could be applied to whole songs since most music nowadays is loop based...
I never thought about the importance of intros until now, but now that I've seen this I'd say they're quite important! Thanks for the video :)
Hey, A person! We're pumped that you found this one helpful! Do you have any more band competitions coming up?
Hope you have a fantastic week! Kate :)
No more band competitions until next year (hopefully), but we have a big performance tonight (Australia) where all the music groups at school perform (there are lots of them). I'm thinking of entering Christopher Bill's (th-cam.com/users/classicaltrombone) composition competition this year, so that could be fun.
When is Down With the Drama coming out? After all those tutorials I'm really interested in hearing the full song now. Wonderful tutorial, too!
Jaroslav Fedorčák Yeah feels like I will looove the song
Hey Jaroslav! Thanks so much for watching, we're super happy that you're digging the videos and the music! We're pumped to reveal the song at the end of July, so stay tuned until then! Take care and have a fantastic weekend :) Kate
Another cool tip I've heard nowhere else.
Happy to see you're diggin' our videos tabletop581, thanks so much for watching and connecting! We're pumped to welcome you into our Hack Music Theory revolution! Until next time, have a fantastic week and happy songwriting, Kate :)
Not really new to me but always helpfull, but i have another question. How do i get rid of my tea addiction now :D.
Haha! Tea addictions are great! No need to get rid of it :D
I was glad to hear that you got your track done a couple weeks ago, yay!
And thank you for all your very kind words, we are so happy that you're finding what we do helpful, it means the world to us!
Have a wonderful weekend, full of music making! Kate :)
Hello, from the comment below. This is very usefull.
Hey, Robbinsffxi, it's great to hear from you again!! We're super happy to hear these hacks were useful to you :)
How's your music making going these days? Until next time, take care! Kate :)
Hack Music Theory. At the moment I practice music theory on piano and electric bass guitar. And I help my friend with his music projects. For my own music, it’s stalled. I need a synth and som other gear to get started. I hope to get started soon, ideas seem to be popping up all the time. Your lectures have helped me understand music, and it makes me more creative. Thank you. :)
I really wanna check out for your songwriting book but everytime I click on add to card an error page appears. Pls help.
Hi Antony, and warm welcome to our Hack Music Theory community! Here's the link to the Songwriting & Producing PDF RevolutionHarmony.com/Books (click & scroll down). We publish new vids every Thursday, so we hope to see you again soon for more theory hacks! Until then, have a wonderful week/weekend :)
Can't wait for down with the drama love from India guys 💝
Yay, thanks, Insane Pro! Hope you're having fun making music :) Take care and have a fantastic week! Kate :)
What are your favourite tea?
Boo!
Tea also need variation.
Boo²!
Haha! Ray's favourite tea is a yerba mate blend and mine is Earl Grey :)
How about you, what's your favourite?!
So many. The list is too long.
Pu Erh
G E T Y O T E A
I just came to say hello
: )
Hope you're having a great week, night scriber! Thanks for being here :)
Thanks for all the help
Why don't you monetize this channel?
Hiya Kento, hope you had a great weekend! We've got ads on our videos, can you tell me more about what you're thinking? Kate :)
Hmm, interesting. I don't see the ads. I never use an adblocker... What's going on?
Not sure Kento, that's very strange :\ Are you seeing ads on other channels? Hope you're having a great week!
Yep, confirmed. I see ads on other channels, but not this one. Very strange. What's up with that, Google?