Dovetail patterns-American Idiot by Green day

This article builds upon the concept of the three layers of a song. If you are not aware of this concept please read this article here first.

<

Sometimes a riff played in the opposite space of the melody such that they "dovetail" into each. Note the following:

(Riff ending with B)Don't wanna be an American idiot.
(Riff ending with Gb)Don't want a nation under the new media.
(Riff ending with B)And can you hear the sound of hysteria?
(Riff ending with Gb)The subliminal mind F### America.

So we could start the riff pattern as A-B-A-B and the same pattern is used by the melody. So together we get the following:
A A' (pronounced A and A prime)
B B'
A A'
B B'

Also note that the riff makes it a perfect place to use the "me first" density layer pattern. The guitar plays and then the band jumps in after the first riff completes.

Inner Patterns

This article builds upon the concept of the three layers of a song. If you are not aware of this concept please read this article here first.

A inner twined pattern layer is the mark of a well put together song and Hound Dog is no exception. Similar to a figure ground pattern in art by focusing your gaze on different parts you can start to see different pictures. That is why sometimes even when everyone plays the "correct notes" the feel can be off because they are not playing off of the other players in the proper manner.

Try listening to Hound Dog picking out these items in the prescribed manner.

"You ain't nothing but a hound dog"(claps)"Crying all the time" (claps-drum roll)
"you ain't nothing but a hound dog" (guitar notes)"Crying all the time(claps-drum roll)
"Well you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine (drum roll-stop)

or you could look at in this way

"You ain't nothing but a hound dog"(arpeggio)"Crying all the time" (arpeggio-drum roll)
"you ain't nothing but a hound dog" (guitar notes)"Crying all the time(arpeggio-drum roll)
"Well you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine (drum roll-stop)

The patterns within the parenthesis are the counter patterns of the melody. They occurs in the holes of the melody and important in that give the theme added punch and structure. Try the following experiment to see how the counter melody functions.

First, sing the song a Capella and just breath in the holes.

"You ain't nothing but a hound dog"(breath)"Crying all the time" (breath breath)
"you ain't nothing but a hound dog" (breath)"Crying all the time(breath breath)
"Well you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine (long breath)

Now, try the following nonsensical but structured version.

"You ain't nothing but a hound dog"(clap twice)"Crying all the time" (clap twice pause foot stomp)
"you ain't nothing but a hound dog" (clap twice)"Crying all the time(clap twice pause foot stomp)
"Well you ain't never caught a rabbit and you ain't no friend of mine (drum roll on a table-stop)

You should see from this simple exercise the importance of counter melody in the pattern layer.

Density Layer-Smells Like Teen Spirit

This article builds upon the concept of the three layers of a song. If you are not aware of this concept please read this article here first.


Nirvana use the density layer to make this song really come alive.
The song starts off in the intro playing the theme with a clean guitar and after 2 times through the whole band comes in and the guitar changes to a distorted guitar playing the same pattern. This is a very common pattern called a "me first" pattern. A me first pattern is when a single individual starts off with the theme and then joined by the rest of the band. It is very similar to an "join" pattern but a join pattern adds a single member at a time. Check out the following Fall Out Boy to see an example of a join pattern.


It is also very similar to an "add" pattern but an add pattern introduces added themes, not musicians. The following Fall Out Boy is a decent example of using an add pattern.


Not only is the density layer changed by using the me first pattern in Smells Like Teen Spirit but the pattern layer is changed by the fact that the guitar riff in the second part of the intro plays in the holes or breathing spots of the distorted guitar.

The drummer does a roll, which is a change pattern or a pattern that tells the user that the section is going to end, and the band jumps into another section with a totally different density layer. The guitar has changed to a chorus guitar and only plays 2 notes which the bass player plays a counter pattern. Note the section is much quieter but it is NOT because they are playing quietly. Their tones and their instrumentation create the quiet. Trying to play softer or louder in sections is a bad design pattern or as I like to call them a "Garage Band Smell." The quiet or loudness of a section is the result of the instrumentation and timbre of the instruments. The quietness or loudness of your playing should only be in response to the pattern you are performing not the section you are residing.

After reciting the lyrics of the first verse, a distorted guitar comes in the climb section to create tension in the density layer which ends with the drummer's drum roll.

The greater tension of the chorus is caused by the distorted guitar and the pulsing symbol crashes. The change out of the chorus is extremely effective because of the use of a "stop" pattern. A stop pattern is just what sounds like and is the most effective technique to create tension in the listener. The big crash and the lone guitar note pushes the user to the edge and then they fall back into the regular calm density layer for the second verse.

The song progress in the same manner through the chorus.After the chorus change pattern, the change goes to a solo. This is a good place because it breaks up the pattern of Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus leaving it broken after two times which keeps the listener's interest.

Note that after the solo, the band breaks back into the verse but the density layer is changed by the sustained chord on top instead of the chorus guitar 2 note them. This keeps the tension going after the climax in the solo and really gives the last verse a frightful feeling as the guitar feedback screeches in the background.

The piece from the pre-chorus or climb to the chorus is the same as the two previous times. However, in the chorus the drummer makes some subtle changes in the pattern layer that push the song to an even greater tension. The drummer is using a subtle counter pattern against the vocalist in the chorus.
With the lights out (drum toms)
its less dangerous (drum toms)
Here we are now (drum toms)
Entertain us (drum toms)
However at the end of chorus the drummer abandons this and keeps the pulse going. This makes the whole band feel like that are in unison thumping out a pulsing beat until the grand thumping end chord.

Questions to ask yourself to see if you can use these techniques in your own music

• Does your song have a guitar riff that acts a theme for the song? If so, using the me first pattern is always very effective.
• Does your song have change patterns to tell the user where each section change happens? It doesn't always have to be the drummer but if you don't have any change patterns in the music make sure the drummer plays a change pattern for each section change.
• Does your verse and chorus have different density layers? If not, this is the most important thing to do because it is important to keep the listener's interest
• Does your song have a stop? Look at the top songs rated by Rolling Stone (http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/500songs) and you will notice that 95% of them use the stop pattern at some point. Sometimes less is more. Sometimes nothing speaks louder than words. Sometimes you gotta stop so the listener can remember you are playing.
• Do you have a song with a ABABAB pattern. Make sure you put some change after the second chorus like a solo to break up the monotony. Note how blues artists tend to play the solo after two times through the lyric pattern to break up the pattern.

Examples of different pulse layers using Rolling Stone top songs

This article builds upon the concept of the three layers of a song. If you are not aware of this concept please read this article here first.

The quant, a main part of the pulse layer, is the instrument that defines the smallest level of notes that will be significant to the user. It is the foundation that the rest of the song leans upon. Sometimes there is the pulse of the song is not just one instrument but a combo on a pulse from one instrument and a predictable pattern.
Usually the quant is found via the drummer's symbols, however in this Ray Charles clip notice how the piano defines the "shuffle 8th notes" as the smallest unit and this is the foundation of every other instrument in the band.



Notice that on "Satisfaction" that the quant is defined by the snare (1-2-) and the tamborine (3-and-4).



Note the steady beat of the vibraphone (I think that is what instrument that is) on the quarter beat for the intro to Good Vibrations which makes a pulse for the song. Note that it isn't the quant in itself because the guitar riff pattern is playing on the downbeats which later mirrored by the drums. On the chorus, the synth strings eigth notes take over the pulse as the quant. This changing quant pattern is one of the strongest and most used of all popular music.



On Respect by the queen of soul Aretha Franklin, the pulse is a steady drum beat on the quarter note. The numberous counter melodies combine to make the quant. All of these hang on the steady beat of the straight drum track.



In John Lennon's Imagine, the piano is the pulse of the song for the intro and the drum kit takes up the pulse after the chorus.




Mavin Gaye's "What's going on" uses the common drum quant pattern.