Thanks for all the very helpful responses that really helped! And kapatron thank you so much for taking the time to give a fantastic informative answer!

 

Really is my pleasure. I have a heart for learning and you asked a fantastic question that deserved an answer. When I was grinding and learning how to put tracks together back in the day there weren't tight-nit communities of creative people like there are today (on the internet) so I'm always glad to contribute if it can make the way easier for you.

 

Ah...@Funk U...misread...not the 1st time...sorry.

 

Without going into too much detail... because it's a bit off-topic, I'll say without a doubt there are far more things that go into the process of landing a true Top 10 hit song (even landing a hot 100 digital) that have nothing to do with the ad budgets, hired promoters, tv appearances, celebrity tweets, payola schemes, underhanded contract loopholes and kickback packages. And, believe me, if you ever get to be part of it... is actually quite fun; with everyone playing their part, doing their job and watching the fickle public buy into it while the artist (or "the money") takes all of the credit *wink*

While the Clear Channel system definitely leans heavily to music they already have 100% confidence in allowing on the national playlists (to keep advertisers happy), there are many times where independent releases push their way through the pay-wall that is reserved for the usual suspects... and it happens more often than you'd think. As soon as something starts to move, it usually (read: always) gets the alley-oop from a major to KEEP the song's momentum on the charts and get the rotation it needs to stick and truly become profitable for everyone (WHICH IS A GOOD THING). That's where the big budgets come into play... there are industry veterans who know how to spend it. Wisely. The ones who don't... find new jobs. We call it industry musical chairs lol.

FACT: The people will get what the people want because they want what they want what they want; there's no stopping it. All big radio does is respond to the public taste at large while keeping their agenda on the table (like when they killed 4-to-the-floor production on purpose that one time lol, pushing sub genres to the spotlight in season based on market research, making auto-tune the thing, then unmaking it, etc.).

Creative contributors who know how to game that system stand to win big if they can play by the rules. (especially the writers). Not a bad shake if you can get involved. The thing I hate more than anything is the number of seriously talented heavyweight session players I hire all the time... who live paycheck to paycheck while having contributed to some of the biggest hits in recorded music history... that's why I hand out points for players all day long to slant the system in some way back toward the people who create the sounds everybody loves.

 

The clearer example I've seen of "harmonic confusion" is the misuse of the m7b5 chord: Many students when they first learn it they start using it nonsensical ways, then tend to be dissatisfied with the results and blame the sound of the chord.
That's the difference between information and knowledge...

 

This would be my take on things knowing somebody who has just won the Grammy Award for best song. She is a singer-songwriter who gave up on the fame idea, and got a publishing deal instead. She is very active in local songwriting circles, in fact she has been helping a friend of mine who is a nobody. But I still think it is important when judging music that we don't just focus on the monetary side of things. To me a hit record is something that has achieved the goal of it's creator, which is usually some kind of acceptance and acknowledgment. Great music is great music, no matter what value is attributed to it. And like you said songs wouldn't top the charts if there wasn't any interest in them. Some people may not like them, like my parents hated most of my music, but that shouldn't detract from it's worth.

Anyway, this is quite a wide topic with a lot of scope for misunderstanding and crossed messages, and people talking about different things. Thanks for your input

 

Last edited: Feb 25, 2016

Oh absolutely agree with you on that one too - cool idea with the tempo I didn't realize how helpful it was until I was guided in that direction based on how the DAW was organized.

 

I see it as a way of getting around composing on your own. Instead of having others to bounce ideas off, I look for different ways of hearing things and observing the subtle details. The brain is very capable of going off on a tangent given the right cues. That is why I favor the two-step process of analysis and implementation, which is akin to the sketching and painting methods I learned at art school.

 

Last edited: Feb 25, 2016

Totally agree - if we're talking about the same thing, I learned that by playing a grand piano in a certain room.. how the reflections and subtle harmonics with a damper pedal can inspire just by sitting there in its own nothingness

Edit: Re: 2-step analysis - I'm also a designer lol maybe this is why it works for us best