Rhythm vs.......Melody
Tell me, in your own words, what it the difference between these two, and how do you use them in your dance songs? Dance music is repetitive yet exciting....mostly 4/4 time with a kick on the beats......so how do you bring excitement to your song while keeping the rhythm consistent. How do you bring changes to the song while keeping the rhythm going strong....
Humans are believed to be more sensitive to changes in rhythm than in harmony. Someone who is dancing does not want to be constantly adapting to different rythms........
Here are some elements within the song that you can change without changing the rythm/groove:
Note velocity
Volume (LFO)
Timbre - filters
Instrument type - play the lead melody with the bass instrument
Harmony
Melody
Rhythm strong; evolving song
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- KVRian
- 702 posts since 19 Mar, 2014 from Denver, CO
A melody has a rhythmic component to it - getting that rhythm to either match, fit or go against the drum and bass rhythms is what really makes a dance song stand out. This includes the use of space, not quantizing everything, perhaps using triplets on a 4/4 standard dance rhythm, the use of swing or groove.
Velocity plays a big part in the rhythmic aspect of a song/groove. Accent different notes played either as drum hits or melodic and notice the difference in the feel of the rhythm.
A thing I notice in a lot of dance music is just subtle changes to the drums - bringing in a shaker with a bit different rhythm only as support for the hats in between kicks, but at a much lower volume. Background toms/snares, etc. The same can be done with supporting melodic elements.
Velocity plays a big part in the rhythmic aspect of a song/groove. Accent different notes played either as drum hits or melodic and notice the difference in the feel of the rhythm.
A thing I notice in a lot of dance music is just subtle changes to the drums - bringing in a shaker with a bit different rhythm only as support for the hats in between kicks, but at a much lower volume. Background toms/snares, etc. The same can be done with supporting melodic elements.
