Elton John, Rick Wakeman and Quincy Jones are just three influential pop musicians with significant classical musical backgrounds; each have used this expertise to add something extra special to pop music.
Although pop and classical music exist separately, they share an intricate musical connection.
1. Harmony and Modulations
Harmony in music can bring vibrancy and drama to any piece, as well as tension and anticipation. One way harmony is used in songs is by modulation (changing key), which is an often-used technique in pop music. Modulation may involve smooth or abrupt key shifts and may or may not include changes to chord progressions – understanding this information beforehand is key in order to perform music successfully.
Chords may either be consonant or dissonant in nature. Consonant chords produce pleasant-sounding chords without adding much tension to a piece of music; dissonant chords on the other hand create tension through “ugly” sounding chords such as diminished, augmented, and suspended ones – using dissonant chords can make music more dramatic!
Altering chord intervals, known as chromatic harmony, is another effective means of creating harmony in music. This technique can be used to produce interesting melodic patterns as well as add tension. Two popular techniques in popular music are parallel harmonies and octaves: parallel is when all notes move in tandem with the central harmony, and octaves have identical tones played an octave higher or lower than usual.
Modulations can be an excellent way of adding emotion to songs, provided they are used appropriately in context of any particular musical situation. They could be utilized during a chorus or bridge of a song, as segues between songs in a medley, or even at the start of an entire piece of music – modulations can have powerful results when combined with other musical elements like tempo and visual imagery, for instance when modulated from major key to minor key can elicit feelings of either optimism or sadness.
2. Rhythm
Music relies on rhythm to hold it together, perhaps more so than melody. All forms of sound exist over time, and rhythm provides that link that makes the whole piece cohesive rather than an endless sequence of disconnected notes. Furthermore, rhythm gives music its shape and the beat that compels people forward – as though your composer were driving an conveyor belt forward every step of the way!
One definition of rhythm is its regular pattern of beats or pulses that links music together. A pulse can range from strong (such as the first downbeat of each measure in a song) to weak, such as quarter note in 4/4 measures – each creates momentum within itself, though strong beats tend to drive music forward more effectively than weak beats do.
Rhythm is built upon pulse, and can be as complex or simple as desired. A musical beat serves as the invisible foundation of each composition; its job is to connect performers to its potential in each performance and bring out its best features. Rhythm may speed up or slow down depending on who composes, the performers, or composer; whatever happens must change according to these changes; regardless, everything must keep up.
Classical music rhythm can often be more intricate and requires greater skill to play than its pop counterpart, necessitating more careful thought and planning in order to find its right rhythmic pattern. It uses various lengths of notes and techniques – from ostinatos, time signatures, accents beat and phrasing through to cross-rhythm and polyrhythm combinations – in order to add contrast and tension in performance.
3. Melodies
Melodies are the melodies that accompany rhythm and chord progression of songs, often being the one listeners recall most fondly. Melodies possess many distinctive traits including pitch (audible vibration), duration (how long each note lasts for), range (which way notes travel), etc.
Melodies stand out amongst other elements of music. Melodies can often be heard over drums, bass parts and backing piano that repeat similar notes in one key throughout an entire song based on chord progression. As melodies add new ideas to compositions it makes it easier for listeners to identify one from among many similar sounds played at all times.
Melodies come in all different ranges. A narrow range is easily identifiable as it features close notes close together; medium range notes may be further apart and more difficult to pinpoint; wide range notes can be harder to hear clearly and require straining the ears in order to hear clearly. Melodies also exhibit contours which is the shape of their notes’ rise and fall; this shape may be slow or rapid as well as smooth or jagged in their rise and fall, helping us identify their presence among many others.
Melodies can be seen as a mixture of both color and direction. While color melodies feature groove-based structures similar to a song’s beat, direction melodies don’t have an obvious pitch base like chord progressions do; you may hear such examples in Rachel Platten’s Fight Song or C’mon Talk as an example of this type of melody.
Melodies often include embellishments – additional notes that add texture and interest – that enhance their sound. These could include slides, trills or licks added by either composers or performers in order to give their melody greater character and make it stand out more from others.
4. Lyrics
Lyrically, music can make or break it. A talented songwriter should compose lyrics that are both catchy and accessible. These can range from everyday musings or deeper emotions hard to express to ironic one-liners that bring a smile; great pop songs often boast strong hooks to draw listeners in immediately.
Chord progressions are one of the many similarities between classical and pop music. Pop songs tend to use repetitive chord progressions while classical pieces often utilize an abundance of chords in innovative and interesting ways.
Classical chord progressions tend to be more structured than their pop counterparts. Some of the most famous sequences have been around for hundreds of years and remain relevant today among musicians.
Though classical and popular music have distinct differences, there is also considerable crossover. Many pop artists boast strong classical backgrounds; even when they don’t play them on record they still incorporate elements of it into their sound; from Muse’s guitar riff in “Plug in Baby” to Mike Oldfield’s orchestral arrangements of “Tubular Bells”, you can spot classical themes throughout all forms of modern pop music.
Pop music may lack the sophistication of classical music, but that doesn’t negate its place in society. Pop music has its own distinct way of connecting with people and expressing complex emotions quickly and concisely. Thanks to streaming platforms and social media, music can now be shared more widely across the world – from amazing movie scores to catchy hits – keeping popular music fresh and exciting for listeners everywhere.