Author Topic: How do you transit the song from one part into another? (Read 15532 times)

The Dog · « **on:** January 09, 2016, 10:01:38 am »

I have been producing for about 5-6 months now and the greatest problem that comes my way are the transitions of the song. They are either very bland or don't match-up with the next part. I create a melody (which is the main drop), and then get stuck with what i should do after, or before, the present part. And because of this I sometimes abandon the project out of frustration. Help me out friends!!!

guillotine · « **Reply #1 on:** January 09, 2016, 12:14:44 pm »

Try different things such as:

Add a drum fill or sweep before the other part (Ususally works for me)
Add a different melody fill to carry on into a new melody line on the other part
You don't always have to go instantly into the next part. You can try dropping down elements of the track as it goes on until eventually it goes into your other part

Of course, these are just general ideas that might help you with your transitions and might not always work. It depends what you're going for and working with. My other suggestion would be to simply play around until it's right. Just mess around and experiment. It'll make it less bland if you do something weird and different. Maybe even try get inspiration from other tracks to help you come up with something. I wish you all the best with your track

vinceasot · « **Reply #2 on:** January 09, 2016, 12:39:26 pm »

is your music and melodies in the same chords? major or minor chord? etc

Lydian · « **Reply #3 on:** January 09, 2016, 01:27:38 pm »

I have trouble with the same thing. Whenever I try transitioning between two song sections something about it just seems unnatural. How do you blend two song sections together that contain different instrumentations? Is it a matter of mixing or is it a matter of composition? It would be awesome if there was anybody else out there who had any more advice to give on the subject. I don't mean to hijack this thread but I thought that this was highly relevant to OP's main question. If it's a problem then I apologize and I'll create a second one.

I'm just gonna use this song as an example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxuB-aKFEzo

Notice how at around 0:34 theres this change in instrumentation that occurs in comparison to the intro and verse? I feel like when he makes the transition it sounds completely natural.

Same thing with this song and 1:20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7w4sUNw6tI

The instrumentations within the intros, & verses are completely different from the chorus. Instead of there strings they're completely replaced by synths and yet it all sounds completely natural.

Those of you who have more developed ears it would really help us all out if you could share your thoughts on what makes these things click.

guillotine · « **Reply #4 on:** January 09, 2016, 01:47:39 pm »

They're not almost completely different actually. Bare in mind they both stick with the same or similar chord progression. "Fuck Gravity" has a lead in the intro which is exactly the same as the big, main lead in the drop, just low passed. It's kind of hard to hear but it's definitely there. Then it uses a little break fill right before the drop to give some indication of change occuring. Similarly, "A Little More" slowly builds up elements from in the drop using low passes, etc to make it sound nice to our ears because we understand what's about to come of the track. Also using typical build up elements usually indicates there's drop about to happen. I also want to say they obviously stay in key, which makes it easy for listeners and makes it easy to sound natural. Of course you can do key changes but they requires a little more of chord progression manipulation or fills to make it work correctly.

In conclusion, it's about building up elements and creating an anticipation for the next part. Best options for easy, natural transitions, is to keep a chord progression that's the same or similar, mainly starting with the first chord being the main root chord of the key you're working in when the next part begins, maybe slowly introducing a melody line that will be the main focus of a second section.

I hope this helps

Nadav · « **Reply #5 on:** January 09, 2016, 07:28:33 pm »

DISCLAIMER: I don't make EDM, I make rock. But this advice should be general enough to still apply:

Find an element in the first part that can be repeated in the second part to sustain the transition. Sometimes it's one aspect of the rhythm, sometimes it's a little hook in the melody, sometimes it's a single note bridging a surprising key change.

Another approach which works well if the two parts are fairly similar, is to break for 1-2 measures into something TOTALLY different right inbetween the parts. (I think that's the purpose served by a "breakdown" in a lot of popular music.) For this to work, the end of the first part has to kind of hint that something else is coming up. Going into the "breakdown" helps distract people from the fact that the second part, which the first part was leading up to, isn't actually all that different.

A third way to do it is gradually slow the tempo down toward the end of the first part, during the last 1-2 measures. This throws the listener off and makes it so it's harder to predict what's coming next.

cat · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2016, 03:23:08 am »

i always like to have a 4 bar "bridge" between verses where im just fading something up and down. usually has a lot of reverb and other impacts.

Joseph · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2016, 04:16:00 am »

Keeping one element carrying over to the next part of the song make it a lot easier to transition.

Dichotomy · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2016, 06:27:06 am »

If you're starting out with the main hook of your track, I'd suggest de-constructing that into simpler forms and auditioning how they sound (e.g. laying the groundwork, building on top with more to come, winding-down after a punch-line, etc.). Using instruments with a different texture or less intensity than what's going on in your hook often creates variations (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Developing_variation) that work well. Also, depending on the sub-genre, Strophic form (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strophic_form) is employed in electronic music fairly often.... squeezing the juice out of "vertical" structures and counterpoint.

Often, I'll hear a verse with an intricate melody (like a solo voice) following a progression. Later, the hook is the simplified variation over the same progression, played with a more intense arrangement... then repeated again with some voice raised an octave. A simple example ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OVMuwa-HRCQ

Ensure you have a distinct motif - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motif_(music). This will give the piece an identity to contrast with and resolve to. Consider learning more about musical forms. They organize sections in such a way that transitions become subconsciously anticipated. Once that becomes second nature, you'll be able to easily add arrangement techniques that emphasize the expectations you've set with the form of the piece.

Dichotomy · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2016, 06:51:46 am »

Quote from: Lydian on January 09, 2016, 01:27:38 pm

I have trouble with the same thing. Whenever I try transitioning between two song sections something about it just seems unnatural. How do you blend two song sections together that contain different instrumentations? Is it a matter of mixing or is it a matter of composition? It would be awesome if there was anybody else out there who had any more advice to give on the subject. I don't mean to hijack this thread but I thought that this was highly relevant to OP's main question. If it's a problem then I apologize and I'll create a second one.

I'm just gonna use this song as an example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxuB-aKFEzo

Notice how at around 0:34 theres this change in instrumentation that occurs in comparison to the intro and verse? I feel like when he makes the transition it sounds completely natural.

Same thing with this song and 1:20

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7w4sUNw6tI

The instrumentations within the intros, & verses are completely different from the chorus. Instead of there strings they're completely replaced by synths and yet it all sounds completely natural.

Those of you who have more developed ears it would really help us all out if you could share your thoughts on what makes these things click.

In these examples, the key (chord) progression first exists only as suggestions in arpeggiators, pads, strings... atmospheric support for the thin melody. At the points you mentioned, the progression is fully "revealed" by the instrumentation change (after a drum-fill). Also, the rhythmic motif (the syncopation in the synth lead) has moved from pulses in the peripheral into the foreground.

The Dog · « **Reply #10 on:** January 10, 2016, 10:15:10 am »

Quote from: vinceasot on January 09, 2016, 12:39:26 pm

is your music and melodies in the same chords? major or minor chord? etc

Mostly in the major chords but sometimes in the minor......but I don't have a very deep knowledge of the chords and music theory, so I guess thats where my problem lies.

The Dog · « **Reply #11 on:** January 10, 2016, 10:18:50 am »

Quote from: Guillotine on January 09, 2016, 12:14:44 pm

Try different things such as:
Add a drum fill or sweep before the other part (Ususally works for me)
Add a different melody fill to carry on into a new melody line on the other part
You don't always have to go instantly into the next part. You can try dropping down elements of the track as it goes on until eventually it goes into your other part
Of course, these are just general ideas that might help you with your transitions and might not always work. It depends what you're going for and working with. My other suggestion would be to simply play around until it's right. Just mess around and experiment. It'll make it less bland if you do something weird and different. Maybe even try get inspiration from other tracks to help you come up with something. I wish you all the best with your track

Your advice seems promising so I am going to apply it as much as I can. And I'm even going to try that abrupt transition thing now and something weird too. Hope it works!!! Thanks

Harwood · « **Reply #12 on:** January 10, 2016, 05:37:48 pm »

My biggest tip would be automation clips. Transition the parts of the songs by fading bits in and fading others out. Use lots of risers & sweeps to compliment the changes as well.

Syne · « **Reply #13 on:** January 11, 2016, 02:13:54 am »

Quote from: Harwood on January 10, 2016, 05:37:48 pm

My biggest tip would be automation clips. Transition the parts of the songs by fading bits in and fading others out. Use lots of risers & sweeps to compliment the changes as well.

This haha. I do this for pretty much all of my major transitions (transitions that lead to a part quite different from the previous)

Heymac · « **Reply #14 on:** January 11, 2016, 05:31:13 pm »

One thing I do that I like is if you're going from the main hook/chorus and want to go to the breakdown right after I put an 808 or low bass hit and then the first note of the hook and then drench it in reverb and delay and put it right when you want to transition to the breakdown. So basically your drop is happening then you build up to something then its just your root note rings out with that low bass tone kind of signifies the end of that section.

Author Topic: How do you transit the song from one part into another? (Read 15532 times)

The Dog

How do you transit the song from one part into another?

guillotine

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

vinceasot

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Lydian

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

guillotine

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Nadav

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

cat

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Joseph

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Dichotomy

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Dichotomy

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

The Dog

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

The Dog

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Harwood

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Syne

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?

Heymac

Re: How do you transit the song from one part into another?