Polymath Producer Podcast

In todays music production analysis live Zoom call, we analysed 'Dance the Night' by Dua Lipa. This is a free call within the Polymath Producer Community held every week. You can join free here:

In todays music production analysis live Zoom call, we analysed 'September' by Earth, Wind and Fire. This is a free call within the Polymath Producer Community held every week. You can join free here:

In todays music production analysis live Zoom call, we analysed 'Fly as Me' by Silk Sonic. This is a free call within the Polymath Producer Community held every week.

Polymath Producer is based on Music Production and song creation analysis of hit pop songs and tracks. I will be analysing the great tracks and producers of all time to figure out why the best producers in the world do what they do and think how they think.

S2E3 - Morning Train - Sheena Easton - Music Production Analysis 

SHOW NOTES:

Instrument List to Listen out for:

Drums-

Kick, snare, claps (chorus), closed hat, open hat, tambourine, toms, crash, cymbals/ ride

Bass-

Synth bass, electric bass guitar

Synths-

Synth arp

Synth chords in bridge

Synth riser FX

Organic instruments-

Saxophone

Piano

Guitar chord hits on 2 and 4?

Vocals-

Lead vocal

Background pack vocal pads (male and female mixed)

KEY NOTES:

1-Harmonically, the verses are Dm, G, Bb, Am, Dmajor with D7 on the build

Chorus is, G, Em, Am, D - very common in Motown style doo wop hence why the genre of this track sounds like a doo wop track inspired even though its the 80s. So they were taking inspiration from the 50s in the 80s like we take inspiration from the 80s in the 2020s.

-Prolonged harmonic build with all instruments rising with it before choruses in pre choruses

2- 80s version of a build transition in modern day includes: (there are other things than white noise)

vocal pad swell, snare hits on the off beats, synth arp, sped up bass line to match the snare hits

harmonically it sustains on the DOMINANT note to build prolonged tension. Beatles trick similar to in twist in shout ahhhhh.

-entrance hit on the chorus start after the synth arp rises in the build

3- Featured instruments. Withholding claps until the chorus for extra impact. LOVE these claps

-Sax playing in the chorus second half as a hidden hook an octave higher.

4- Key changes 3 times at the end with fade out

5- -Dance beat throughout the whole song without rest at all

6--Mixed background vocals doing vocal pads through the whole track. AHHH in intro.

In verse 1 0:31 they come in temporarily as a teaser (think Olivia Rodrigo no 1 recently)

Pads are lighter energetically, but can also swell like they do in pre chorus

-Mixed background vocals stacked tightly with the lead vocal in chorus energy intensity higher. Vocals sound like they are lower than the lead, lead dancing on top

7-end of bridge rhythm follows vocal line rhythmically. Flow instrumental with vocal melody trick.

8-Instrumental version of lead motif in the introduction by sax 0:00-0:17

To note:

-Bass has a unique core rhythm, also includes many passing notes in the lines especially in the pre-choruses and bridge, stays quite simplistic in the chorus though.

-interesting synth arp playing through the majority of the track

-quite a high based synth chord section in bridge mixed with synth arp that takes over the rhythmic driver temporarily

-drum fills at the end of each section

S2E2 - Lady Marmalade - Labelle - Music Production Analysis

Instrument List: 

-Lead vocals + background vocals

-RMI electra piano (main counter)

-Percussion-

Cowbell (panned right straight beat)

Congos (panned left beat underneath faster pace with fills)

Kick, snare, crash, closed hats, open hat, ride/ cymbals, toms

-Hammond organ-

Left panned more than the RMI but similar range.

-Bass guitar-

Middle, main motif, sustained motifs during the builds, running bass in the builds, bass slides.

-Guitar-

Right panned, fills and motif doubling octave higher

-Piano-

Right panned, off beat hits, straight hits, and fills

-Alto sax x 2, tenor sax, baritone sax- slightly left panned

Used as fills as well as crescendo pad swells builds for the pre chorus build

Solo section

-Trumpet, trombone- panned left slightly more than saxes

Used mainly as counter motifs in the chorus

As well as crescendo holds

2- Core rhythmic highlighters:

3- Bass line creates a vacuum because it does the riff, then stops leaving just the drum beat into the open hat. Less kicks on the vacuum too.

4- Counter rhythms micro-

More off beat style core rhythm, so the counter rhythms in this are more straight. (Cowbell)

5- Different rhythms macro-

Follows core rhythm, but on pre chorus builds, ends of the chorus punchline space, plus the ends of chorus turnaround.

(Turnaround/ pre chorus combination happens during the solo, repurposing those rhythms to build suspense.)

S2E1 - My Girl - The Temptations - Music Production Analysis 

SHOW NOTES:

1- Acapella Vocal arrangement: Listen to YouTube acapella version for more detail.

5 Members- Lead, bass vocal, baritone, tenor x 2: four part harmony around the lead

Bass sometimes does its own bass line fills

Verses 0:10-0:25- ‘Ohhs’ vocal pads

Pre chorus 0:25-0:32- sustained melody so the arrangement is sandwiched all around the lead

Chorus 0:32-0:40- My girl, call and response my girl solo vocal, stacked my girl, counter hook wohhhh, MY GIRL call and response stack.

All in succession.

Technique:

-They are using the different styles for energy development. The vocal pads are more discreet, and are really there to add pad and texture.

-The vocals surround the lead in the pre chorus and it makes it more intense when they sing the melody and words with the lead. Full stack, wide octave range

-Then they take on a more active role as a call and response, moving between solo and stacked for intensity depending on the phrase and punchline.

2- Finger snaps are natural, therefore they sound different every time.

Technique: RYAN TEDDER mentioned that when using snap samples you want to make them different pitches and times so that it is more natural. If not then it stands out too much and sounds amateur. Swedish are very detail oriented and make micro changes on everything to make it sound humanised.

3- Extra kicks for energetic development. Illusion of speed. Core Rhythm.

Verse: 0:10-0:28

Electric guitar hits on beats 2 and 4, Motown style, emphasises snare hits harmonically

Drum pattern, kick snare kick kick snare kick - straighter kick pattern.

Bass follows kick pattern

Pre-Chorus:

Drum pattern, kick snare kick kick snare kick kick, illusion that the track speeds up because kick comes in on the beat earlier to the verse. Stays like this for the rest of track?

Bass follows kick pattern

CORE RHYTHM

4- The Motown snare hit/ guitar hit technique

Using a guitar chord hit on the 2 and 4 can emphasise the snare. But this can be done with any harmonic instrument.

5- Interdependence principle. Everything flows as one unit. Particular times.

1:22- Snare, hats, bass, kick, brass, strings all play at the same time rhythmically. The unit becomes one for emphasis.

This is used throughout but the more in line something is the more emphasis it gives at climactic stages.

S2E1- Welcome to the Polymath Producer Podcast

Format- Analysing the great tracks of all time, number 1 hits etc. 

Each decade from the 1960's-2020's will be covered

I will reverse engineer the track and pick out 1-5 cool gems I found about the music production, what and why they did it

Leave the details in the show notes so that you can use my notes and listen to the track straight after the podcast, listen and get a more interactive experience

www.polymathproducer.com

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Polymath Producer is based on Music Production and song creation analysis of hit pop songs and tracks. I will be analysing the great tracks and producers of all time to figure out why the best producers in the world do what they do and think how they think.

Polymath Producer is based on Music Production and song creation analysis of hit pop songs and tracks. I will be analysing the great tracks and producers of all time to figure out why the best producers in the world do what they do and think how they think.