Quote from: Boiled Beans on 2009-09-10 17:35:32

Those songs which use the Canon in D chord progressions are relatively successful.

I thought about this, the 6>4>1>5 proggression I think, but there are flops which have the same progressions so it doesn't apply.

• EVERY Top Ten Song of every year has them. No Exceptions.
  
• These qualities are NEVER in flops.
  
• They cannot be expressed in musical terms. Thats why skilled musicians do not see them.
  
• These common factors are defined in psychoacoustical terms.
  
• Its not related to lyrics. Since there are instrumental top ten hits.
  
• To cross check and eliminate false hope early test the theories
  against hits of opposite styles. He suggests Beethovens 5th, Let it Be and Sugar Sugar by the Archies.

Quote from: timfosho on 2009-09-10 20:16:51

Quote from: Boiled Beans on 2009-09-10 17:35:32

Those songs which use the Canon in D chord progressions are relatively successful.

I thought about this, the 6>4>1>5 proggression I think, but there are flops which have the same progressions so it doesn't apply.

Basket Case By Green Day was a hit that used such a chord progression. I'm sure I has to do with presentation and how it fits into contemporary culture. Maby this should provdie clues if not make you even more confused  List of popular songs based on classical music

If you want to get to the bottom of this then we can just look at psycho-acoustical terms and then rule them out if they don't fit the other criteria.

Also, you can't use the rule that flops never have these qualities. You would have to check every song ever recorded to be certain hat the quality that you have come up with is not in a flop.

So nothing to do with rhythm, harmony, melody, tempo, length, frequency balance, dynamics, spaciousness (presumably mono recordings apply as well as stereo), instrumentation...

I'm thinking of as many terms as I can and none meet the criteria.


People seems to rave about the book, and when I have had conversations with those people, it turns out that a lot of what he is saying is just new words for old techniques. For example, he talks about 'the flame' and putting the microphone at the tip of the flame, where all the sonic qualities of the instrument come together. I call it finding the sweet spot. Moving your microphone position to get the best sound is old news.

My point is, that he has his own terms for things that people have been calling something else for ages. I suspect he has his own colourful terms for these qualities, which will make it hard to for any one else to figure out.