Why does 80s pop music sound so different from todays'? I show you why in this video tutorial

[elkanah77]

Have you ever wondered why 80s pop music sounds so different from pop music made today?
I show you why and I explain how you can make your own tracks the same way.

This is primarily a tutorial for beginners in the world of composition and for those who do not yet fully understand the importance of more complex chords and chord progression. I've simplified some chords and theory for this very reason.

I dissect 4 famous hit songs from the 80s and show you how you can use the same principles to make your OWN hit song.

I go through how they used more elegant chords and transitions than they often use today and how melody and chords go together to create the feelings your after. I also show how modulation works to really lift a section in a song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jav5xMqBWeY

[donkey tugger]

Because it's old.

[elkanah77]

Because it's old.

Old, but never better. Today's pop music has very little on former glory. There are exeptions though.

[fluffy_little_something]

I think it is mostly due to different production and technology.

[elkanah77]

I think it is mostly due to different production and technology.

I'm not so sure. Many "hits" of today is written with very stale chord progressions (if any) and often little or no emphasis on modulation. Even covers of 80s songs made today strip away the chords and leave us with pale shadows of what was.
Songwriting today puts focus towards rhythm and production more than melody in my view. Again, there are exceptions.

[deastman]

I assumed this video was going to be some watered down advice from a kid who never lived through the 80s and wanted to teach us about using the scale filter on an arpeggiator in Ableton. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. You chose some excellent examples and communicated your position clearly and effectively.

I also liked your original tracks, which I assume you were hoping to push on your unsuspecting audience.

One question though- what is an “H” chord? We don’t use that terminology in English, and since you’ve made an English language video, that doesn’t make much sense.

[jancivil]

H is the German 'B natural' as their 'B' indicates teh B flat for English musicians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BACH_motif

[deastman]

H is the German 'B natural' as their 'B' indicates teh B flat for English musicians.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BACH_motif

Thanks. I could have figured that out eventually from looking at his fingering, but I initially watched the video on my phone and it was too small to see exactly what he was doing.

[elkanah77]

I assumed this video was going to be some watered down advice from a kid who never lived through the 80s and wanted to teach us about using the scale filter on an arpeggiator in Ableton. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised. You chose some excellent examples and communicated your position clearly and effectively.

I also liked your original tracks, which I assume you were hoping to push on your unsuspecting audience.

One question though- what is an “H” chord? We don’t use that terminology in English, and since you’ve made an English language video, that doesn’t make much sense.

Thanks for a nice review of my video!

As for the B vs H, as commented below as well, it's a classic battle of the US vs many European countries that uses H for B. I apologise and will do my best to avoid this issue in the future when making similar videos.
It's true that I use a couple of my own tracks as examples and I won't deny I reap some benefirs from that as well. Hopefully...

[Gamma-UT]

I think it is mostly due to different production and technology.

Nope. There are a number of characteristic chord progressions that got used in the 80s. One of the most prominent techniques is in the way suspended chords get used - a lot of shifting between sus2, sus4 and triads.

[Chemik]

You definitely nail it. In the end, these are R&B riffs since the 80s got overrun with what I called white boy blues. African-American churches had been playing these 7s and 9s in their music for years and producers wanted that upbeat motown vibe. It worked some of the time, like your Chicago and Spandau references but it became cliche and a parody of itself. I think you use it well in your own music though. A rebirth so to speak.

[Chemik]

If you want to see it all in one song, I think Johnny Hates Jazz "Don't Say It's Love" checks all of the boxes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUqwlAsGXBI

[elkanah77]

You definitely nail it. In the end, these are R&B riffs since the 80s got overrun with what I called white boy blues. African-American churches had been playing these 7s and 9s in their music for years and producers wanted that upbeat motown vibe. It worked some of the time, like your Chicago and Spandau references but it became cliche and a parody of itself. I think you use it well in your own music though. A rebirth so to speak.

Thanks for the detailed review of the video. You're absolutely right in what you say, the longer the 80s went,the more it got watered down.
I hope to revitalize some of it in my own tracks and I'm happy you like it!

I listened to some of the tracks on your Bandcamp and it's very good man! Do you have a Facebook page or whatever?

[fluffy_little_something]

My problem with that theory is that Pop music of the 80's was very diverse. I don't really see similarities between, say, Michael Jackson (the King of Pop, as they say) and Alphaville.

[T-CM11]

My problem with that theory is that Pop music of the 80's was very diverse. I don't really see similarities between, say, Michael Jackson (the King of Pop, as they say) and Alphaville.

Can you define pop music stylistically?
If you say that Michael Jackson and Alphaville have little in common, then one of them isn't pop music OR you just mean "popular music".
I'd like some context for the term - if we're talking about popular music then this tutorial is quite meaningless (comparing music that has only popularity in common).

edit:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music
From this I can only conclude that a certain piece of music is called pop music because of some (contemporary, but not always) general consensus, or because it's just marketed as such. Hardly a solid basis for a technical comparison.