| TOPIC |
MY RESPONSES |
| SONG TITLE |
Special |
| COMPOSER(S) |
Brently Stephen Smith, Scott Stevens, Zach Myers |
| YEAR |
2018 |
| COUNTRY |
United States |
| If you could work on this song (change it), what would you change and why? |
I wouldn’t change a thing. It sounds exactly how I would write it. |
| What is the song GENRE? |
Rock |
| What is the song KEY? |
B minor |
| What is the song TEMPO? |
154 BPM |
| What do you like about the RHYTHM? |
It is very straightforward: not much syncopation, fairly easy rhythms. But what stands out to me here is what is down below. |
| What do you like about the ARRANGEMENT? |
The song, even though it is at 154 BPM, goes at a very slow pace, as if it was at 70 BPM. This is a trick known to me as “half-tempo”. In the simplest terms, it is when a song goes from the normal tempo (i.e. 120 BPM) and it sounds like the song goes slower for a few bars (even though the only thing that really changes are the drums) then things go back to normal. You see it in metal songs like breakdowns of metal songs, or at the end of rock songs. In this case however, this effect lasts for the entire song, to the point where the average listener can’t tell that it’s at the semi-fast tempo that it actually is. This to me is a genius implication of the “half-tempo” technique and should be used more often in music as a whole. |
| What do you like about the MIX? |
The one criticism I have is that you really can’t hear the guitar in the mix. I don’t know whether or not that was intentional, but I would love to hear what it sounds like when the guitar is more prominent. |
| What do you like about the TIMBRE of some or all of the instruments? |
Every note was pristine clear on all of the tracks, even the guitar. You could tell what each chord was just by listening to it. |
| What do you like about the PITCH of some or all of the instruments or vocals? |
The pitches of the different instruments made it sound very much like something in a soundtrack. With the orchestra and the Timpani covering the treble and bass ranges, while the piano, guitar and vocals stay in the midrange for most of the time. |
| Are there particular TRACK(S) that stand out? |
The piano part is the centerpiece here, but I really like the timpani arrangement at the bridge of the song. It’s very subtle, but it gives the song another layer that most songs in mainstream media don’t. |
| Finally, what do you like about the overall COMPOSITION? |
The overall song is just well made. You can tell that there is emotion in the vocals and all of the instruments; you can feel the effort that they put into recording this. GOOD JOB SHINEDOWN! |