The Music Theory of K-Pop

[@NAETEMUSIC]

Guys, For some reason the accidentals in the key signature are wrong This song is in the key of B MINOR as I said in the video, not Gmajor/E Minor. Don't know what happened there!! Enjoy though! Also! I am aware that the second 2-5 is not strictly a 2-5 because the E-7b5 is there instead of a C#-7b5. But because they share so many notes (literally just the C# and D are the difference) I am including it as a modified 2-5 as the E-7b5 serves functionally the same purpose as C#-7b5. Thank you for indulging

[@rina-nv5yr]

Omg this was so interesting and educating! I’m learning basic music theory for songwriting and as a kpop fan, this was just a gift, thank you so much

[@Jocart96]

I think some of the reasons that might explain why there is so much more diversity of sounds, rhythms and harmony in kpop, is the fact that music isn't the "main" element in the industry, this is not what is ultimately being sold. The companies are selling the idol/concept, so they can experiment a lot to make their product different from the others. The majority of the fans sometimes don't even notice the amount of "out of the boxiness" the song has, because the atmosphere surronding it (MV, outfits, facial expressions...) make it look so "easy" to listen along.

[@eluneyesmeralda9141]

Loved the video, and loved how respectfull you are, new subscriber :D I wanted to add a little detail, H.O.T. is not the FIRST K-Pop group, it was Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992 :D Sorry my english is not thaat good

[@SuncloudMashups]

Nice summary with a lot of interesting points along the way and everything was explained so well. I love how you explained the chord progression of Prism and that point about house and hip-hop being on more or less equal footing wrt rhythmic structures, so interesting. As someone who finds music theory super interesting but has no formal background to do this kind of analysis myself, I'm glad I found your channel!

[@NAETEMUSIC]

Thank you glad you enjoyed and it was helpful!!

[@TheresaTV1]

I understand that H.O.T was the prototype for K-pop boy groups, but the first official K-pop song was “I Know” by Seo Taiji and Boys in 1992. SM Entertainment is a driving force in K-pop, but they didn’t invent it.

[@2law2be]

Kpop has been around before Seo Taiji and Boys, it was a smaller music genre. They were the first to find mainstream success. SM literally created what we now know as Kpop. The training style, members roles (leader, main dancer, etc), promotion style, concepts, album packaging (and photo cards), fan organization (fans having names, colors, fan chants, fan meetings, etc). They laid the foundations of what is now considered the standard.

[@remi4610]

as a kpop fan who knows nothing about music theory, I really appreciated this analysis and breakdown.

[@Mikaelans18]

thank you very much for this video!! i’ve been an avid kpop listener since 2017 and i also since a while back have had a growing interest for deeper music theory and production. the music itself is always what interested me the most about kpop, and unfortunately i have not found many in my life nor on the internet who shares that view. but I have always wanted to learn more about the music theory of kpop, so glad i found this video and i hope to be able to further explore this topic!! great job!!

[@anaghabh9811]

interesting! i just randomly stumbled upon the video. shinee is actually known for their unique and experimental sound in kpop. i always thought prism was so different and complex as compared to the rest of their songs in the discography, and i personally couldn't wrap it around my head. lol but your analysis made me appreciate the song even more. it is fascinating to know about the various elements being manipulated and incorporated into the track to make it sound fresh and experimental. also, prism is off their 1of1 album that was focused on retro concept, and so all the songs are heavily influenced by 70s-90s retro sounds and music elements. btw, thank you so much for choosing prism to analyze ❤ would like to hear more about your thoughts on other shinee tracks if possible 😅 haha!

[@likeapuma251]

The producer probably made this beat in 5 min and said idk that sounds cool. And there is 12 min Break down videos out here.

[@kirehj_sm]

hey dude! nice vid, I´m already doing my music thesis bout different composition resources particulary used almost only in K-Pop than the rest of mainstream pop... do u know some other thesis or essays probably u used to do this vid tht may I can use too?

[@desertbloomke]

The chords of SHINee's song in 6:02 SERIOUSLY sound like Seventeen's A-Teen 😲🤯...and the chorus a bit like their Lilili Yabbay😂 ...it must have influenced them, or maybe it's just a thing with Korean songs

[@FanFilms101]

Some of the musicians of K-Pop are classically trained. Thus, we could assume that they are better. However, the Pop industry is flawed there too. It's merely better than the West.

[@RoseT20]

For me, as a K-pop fan of a lot of artists and bands, mainly BTS, I originally thought at 17 (2017 when it was just catching on in the US) that "oh, that isn't gonna be for me". Then I made the mistake of asking my friends to teach me who was who in BTS. Eventually I started to listen to BTS and thought they were cool. Then I learned all about K-pop and for my neurodivergent self, I just like the beats, message of most songs, the stuff that comes in the albums (which is why in Target mainly, you'll see them locked up or having to ask and employee to get them) such as photocards, the fanchants, etc. Just how organized stuff is and how much there is to offer, such as some bands having their own shows such as BTS having their own show "Run! BTS" where they would literally betray each other for something like a $5 coupon for ramen lol. It's just that in my opinion, western artists albums don't have much in their albums besides a photo booklet and the CD, nor do they have a lot of content compared to K-pop artists (if I'm making sense). I think in the West, once a certain sound/ melody becomes popular, artists seem to just stick with it for as long as it's popular, while in K-pop, it keeps changing, like one comeback isn't the same sounding as the last one.

[@mikemikalis]

The featured song seems to be very heavily influenced by 90s UK Garage.

[@NAETEMUSIC]

Exactly! such a cool part of Kpop!

[@2law2be]

It was. One of the members helped produce the song and said that he loved Garage and always wanted to try it.

[@FanFilms101]

While I appreciate the unique combination of styles and sounds found in Eastern pop music, I can also appreciate the desire to not make it too different by using the fundamentals of Western music.

[@yxw9276]

8:00 lol

[@NAETEMUSIC]

EE!

[@SlyHikari03]

Classic video.

[@user-ej7ss8ei2g]

important question: nate or innate?

[@NAETEMUSIC]

The answer is up 2 u