Sweet spot

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Paulski

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« on: November 09, 2017, 03:40:50 PM »
Ever notice that some songs have what I would call a "sweet spot" ?
It's a segment of the song that you could play over and over because it is just so f*ing good.  ;D
For me sometimes it is just a snare hit, or a power chord but usually it is right after the bridge or where the song "breaks" momentarily  ;D ;D

So my questions are:

Is it just me that notices this?  ;D ;D
Does a song NEED a sweet spot?


Hooded Singer

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« Reply #1 on: November 09, 2017, 04:40:17 PM »
Are we still talking about music?

Yodasdad

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« Reply #2 on: November 09, 2017, 05:19:55 PM »
But would the sweet spot be so sweet if accessed by a bridge it wasn't?

Yodasdad
(felt this needed to be said with my usual phrasing)

Yodasdad

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« Reply #3 on: November 09, 2017, 05:25:31 PM »
And yes, I do sometimes wonder why they bothered writing the rest of the song around the sweet spot.

Answer's in my previous post though, it probably wouldn't be a sweet spot without the set up that precedes it.

Not always though.

Yodasdad

Paulski

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« Reply #4 on: November 09, 2017, 05:32:34 PM »
And yes, I do sometimes wonder why they bothered writing the rest of the song around the sweet spot.

Answer's in my previous post though, it probably wouldn't be a sweet spot without the set up that precedes it.

Not always though.

Yodasdad
Good point - but sometimes the sweet spot is the intro (like the guitar riff at the start of "Thunderstruck"  ;D

Yodasdad

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« Reply #5 on: November 09, 2017, 05:38:47 PM »
The previous thing you listened to must have been the set up then in that case. Either that or thunderstruck just has a damn fine intro.

THUN-DER......
THUN-DER......

Yodasdad

Sing4me88

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« Reply #6 on: November 09, 2017, 09:30:24 PM »
For sure. The riff in Bob Marley's 'Could you be Loved' in the intro and leading into the chorus still gets my every time. It's simple but man it's catchy and infectious!

PaulAds

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« Reply #7 on: November 09, 2017, 10:08:48 PM »
yes...very interesting...I've read about having a sort of emotional high tide mark in a song...as if everything was building up to that point.

the example that springs to mind is in poor old George Michael's Carleess Whisper where he sings "please stay" after the middle bit and before the last chorus.

that song is very interesting in a variety of ways...I haven't studied it properly, but it always seemed to me to have basically the same chord progression all the way through...yet the chorus, verse, sax bit, middle-8 etc all have different melodies and sound quite distinct...but you can sing any part over any other part, I think...and I often do so...quite badly  :)
heart of stone, feet of clay, knob of butter

adamfarr

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« Reply #8 on: November 10, 2017, 06:36:30 AM »
Great songs usually have “a moment”. Could be a producers thing or a performing thing rather than a songwriting thing, though... but we should be moment hunters.

Maybe I am setting the bar for moments too low but I think in the old days: song with potential moment = single, song without moment = album track (or failed single)

Nowadays for pop you probably need to try for about three moments at least (see recent Taylor Swift discussion!) - for Spotify etc they just have to keep coming.

The problem is who will recognise our moments: 1000s of teens? A few thoughtful people? other musicians only? Just us? Doesn’t mean those moments aren’t valid, just that our success will be commensurate...

Sorry, channeling my inner Lefsetz today...

Paulski

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« Reply #9 on: November 10, 2017, 05:52:11 PM »
For sure. The riff in Bob Marley's 'Could you be Loved' in the intro and leading into the chorus still gets my every time. It's simple but man it's catchy and infectious!
Yep - that's more like little lumps of sweet through the whole song though. Maybe that's how reggae does it... ;D

Binladeda

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« Reply #10 on: November 11, 2017, 12:33:57 AM »

 Some interesting observations.  Here's mine..

 https://soundcloud.com/binladeda/sweetspot-2 

 Sorry guys....couldn't resist it ;D ;D ;D
Nowt as queer as folk...........my gran

Vintage54

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« Reply #11 on: November 11, 2017, 01:13:01 AM »

 Bloody hell Paulski,
     Sweet spots all over the place in the songs that i love. To name them, would take time that i don't have. Everyone as a sweet spot, mine i won't disclose. God bless ya!

                           Vintage54

2tuoo

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« Reply #12 on: November 12, 2017, 05:59:58 AM »
I think that sweet spot is mandatory in every musical composition.

In technical terms I would define is as tension and release which can be conveyed in music terms and emotional, depends on the piece.

This is why most of the sweet spots will be near the bridge section - the song is a journey and at some part, it should be brought home. When it doesn't the song gets forgotten.

Have a great day!

Martinswede

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« Reply #13 on: November 12, 2017, 06:25:32 PM »
Isn't it the foundation of most songs? A musician has this great 10s part that could do wonders to anything. Sometimes it's paired with something good, sometimes it's used to make a lame song worth listening to.

At the same time one could argue that some songs have a weak spot.

Paulski

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« Reply #14 on: November 13, 2017, 02:08:32 PM »
Good points everyone.
But I think some of you are thinking of "hooks".
Even I mentioned thunderstruck intro which is a hook.  ;D ;D
My initial thought was one spot in the song, that is not repeated.
Maybe like Paulads says it's the climax or high tide point.