I believe that once getting aware of this distinction it is easy to see how different tracks vary across this dimension. Most modern pop and electronic tracks, for example, are relatively simple in their structure and form. In fact, this might be true for most popular songs in the 20th century (since the advent of "pop"). This might also be true for traditional music as well, since it is the closest thing to "pop" music that existed before the advent of TV and recording media.

Not THAT complex…

Classical music, on the other hand, is more complex. This is true also, for genres such as IDM and progressive metal (think of Dream Theater for example) which purposefully attempt to create complex structures (Tool is another good example) and melodies and, sometimes, even sounds.

What I have noticed through the years is that, usually, more complex music is preferred by people who had musical training themselves. I’ve also noticed that people who enjoy listening to more complex music, usually will refrain from listening to simple music.

Just like music can be categorized across many dimensions, it also affects us in many dimensions as well. Music has a very strong emotional component, but it has a mental component as well. Complex music can provide mental stimulation to those who enjoy it. It is like a hidden dimensions that requires patience and training in order to appreciate it. Most people, when listening to music, they are mostly "hearing", that is, they are not observing the subtleties in structure, form, harmony and melody. Instead, their mind simply absorbs it as a "whole".

It is just like looking at a painting. If you take a look at a painting for a minute, most likely, you won’t be able to remember every detail. You will only have a vague impression on the painting. However, this is not the way a painter would see a painting.

It is this chacteristic of music that makes it so interesting. However, while mental stimulation is can be a very enjoyable effect, listening only to complex music, has some downsides, too. Many times, people will think that listening to more complex types of music elevates them socially, or makes them seem smarter than they are. In addition, the mental stimulation could come at the expense of emotional stimulation. In that case, we are trading a dimension of understanding and listening music, for another, thus, not making ourselves richer in any sense.

I believe that both complex and simple pieces of music can be enjoyable, and there are many masterpieces in both categories. There are also many pieces of music that can be simple and complex at the same time. I believe Beethoven’s 9th symphony to be such an example. And I believe that this is an evidence of true musical genius. A genius in any field, can make the absurdly complex seem simple. A scientific discovery is nothing more than observing a pattern that seemed complex or non-existent before, but now seems evident.

In the same sense, Beethoven could create the most complex melodies and harmonies, without sounding pompous, or even difficult to understand. It is in the work of such people that the mental and emotional aspect of music are combined in a coherent whole, and I believe that any lover of music should really strive to combine these two aspects as best as he can.

First of all, everything depends on the kind of music you want to write. Pop and rock music for example have pretty standard structures, while IDM electronica, for example, does not.

Secondly, it all depends on your method of working. Some people like to improvise on loops, other want to write music while they alreay have in their mind how the piece should go.

Additionaly, you have to know that the structure interacts with the length of the song. The standard pop form will work nice for small length songs, no matter the genre. However, it might not work too well for epic 12-minute progressive metal songs .

Not your average pop band

So, let’s take a look at some musical forms.

The pop form that we mentioned above is the following: Intro – Verse – Chorus – Verse – Chorus x 2 – Bridge- Chorus. Almost all pop songs ever written are built upon this form or variations of it. Also, it is very important the the chorus comes before the first minute and the song doesn’t last more than 4 minutes. You will notice that most pop songs go like that.

This form, however, is not only for pop songs. You can listen for example my piece ‘Gabriel’ at http://raskolnikovsdream.com/discography.html. It follows the same form, but in no way you can call it ‘pop’.

Another form, that is never used in pop music is the form A-B-C-D-etc. It’s actually a series of parts that are not directly connected to each other. This form is popular among metal bands, be it classic heavy metal bands like Iron Maiden, or black metal like Cradle of Filth. Listen for example to Afraid to Shoot Strangers. While there is some repetition inside the parts, thus making the parts something like (a-b-a-b)-(c-c)-etc., the large form is actually A-B-C-etc. The parts between them are completely different, even having abrupt changes in the tempo.

Link: www.youtube.com

Another very useful form that is used very much in ambient music is A – A+B – A + B + C – etc. This means that you start on a loop, and you add subsequent loops thereafter. Because this form doesn’t have any great fluctuations in intensity, it is very soothing. You can hear this in my track ‘Horse’ at http://raskolnikovsdream.com/discography.html. You can also hear it in Boards of Canada (my favorite ambient group) Amo Bishop Rodden.

Link: www.youtube.com

So, that was it for today! Of course, these are not the only musical forms in existence. These are just 3, that can be very useful in your musical compositions. We will cover more forms in future articles.

Allen Forte was a musicologist that tried to analyze atonal music. He created a music theory revolving around pitch-class sets, which however, can be used to encompass not only atonal music, but tonal music as well.

Allen Forte

When we are referring to a pitch-class, we mean a note, not matter which octave it is in. So for example, the pitch-class C, contains all the Cs on a piano.

When we are referring to a pitch-class set, we mean a set that contains some (or all) pitch-classes.

A pitch-class set that contains the notes C, E and F. Instead of using musical notation, we could also just refer to our set as C, E, F, since the octave doesn’t matter.

This was a very useful invention for studying atonal music. Atonal music is not based on scales, but usually on things like certain series of notes, that don’t necessarily have any inner logic.

By defining the pitch-class set for a musical composition, the theorist can know upon which pitch-classes the musical piece is based and analyse them easier. However, what makes pitch-class set theory interesting for those who don’t write atonal music, is the fact that pitch-class sets provide a very easy way of encapsulating all other music theories.

One of the problems that people face when they start writing music, and they are not very accustomed with music theory, is this: If I want to play a solo, or an extra riff, or anything, over something else (melody or harmony), which notes should I play?

This problem is solved as follows. The notes of the first musical phrase that you’ll play over, constitute a pitch-class set. No matter the scale or the mode, a new musical phrase, always sounds in tune, as long as it shares the same pitch-class set as the original musical phrase.

So, let’s see the following example.

This meter is actually in C major. However, even if you don’t know scale theory, you can just consider all these notes a the following pitch-class set: C, D, E, F, G, A, B. Then you can play anything you like with these notes.

Of course, someone will wonder, why use this theory, while I know it is C major. Consider the following example now.

This example doesn’t clearly belong to any scale. However, pitch-class sets don’t possess such limitations. The pitch-class set for this example is: C, D, D# (or Eb), E, F, G, A, A#(or Bb) and B.

This can be applied to any example. So, pitch-class set theory makes it much easier to not only to analyze atonal music pieces, but also, to help you deal with musical phrases that don’t belong clearly to any scale.

Major scales, minor scales and modes can all be included in this system. We will cover these in future posts. For now, you just keep in mind, the above rule

No matter the scale or the mode, a new musical phrase, always sounds in tune, as long as it shares the same pitch-class set as the original musical phrase.

Since, scales and modes are so omnipresent, additional rules have been created for their use and analysis that we will cover in other articles. Until then, just keep playing and writing music