The Shape of Songs - Visualizing Song Structure

- the worlds of music and science collide -
When I played drums for my college's rock band, I needed a quick way to learn the drums fast for each new song we covered. Using some loose papers from my agenda book and some cool things I learned about the periodic table, I found a way to visualize the loose structure of any song we played - and maybe unlock a way to give a visual form to any song in the world.
Credit for additional filming and conceptual consultation:
Zavier Sosa zaviersosa.com/
Natalie Burns burnsnm.myportfolio.com/work
Extras:
More detailed diagrams of the songs featured in this video [ link TBA ]
More ways to visualize the periodic table www.meta-synthesis.com/webboo...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alterna...
MUSIC by 猫 シ Corp. - licensed under CC-BY 3.0
Shinjuku Gyoen
Tears pt. 3
Ｗｉｆｉ＆Ａｉｒｃｏ
Tears pt. 2
Frappe Girl
Hiraeth IV

[@RecursionIs]

I love how visually comparable these songs become as a result of this visualization method. Great work 😁

[@Veeno00]

I really like the concept. The obvious downside is that, as a drummer, your metric for measuring the identity between the different sections will obviously focus mainly on rhythmic properties. So, for example, the variety introduced by a new instrument being brought in (or left out) will be ignored by this analysis and the two parts will be labelled the same. In the end, I think these diagrams will usually say as much about the musical tastes of the person making them as they do about the music itself, because determining which particular variations matter enough to warrant assigning a section of music a different class will depend on musical upbringing.

[@memyselfishness]

That's incorrect, just not clearly represented. The periodic table arranges chemicals into columns of similar properties. The first and second verse have a similar rhythmic property but can have a different melodic or orchestration property. That's exactly what the diagram represents. Like the Periodic Table, more details can be added by writing more than just the section number and name.

[@Veeno00]

@@memyselfishness I'm confused. You didn't express a disagreement with anything I said, but you started with "that's incorrect". Yes, the diagram represents some differences/distinctions between different sections by placing them in different categories whilst ignoring other differences/distinctions. That is exactly what I said. My entire point is that it is up to the person making the diagram to determine which differences/distinctions warrant placing a section into a different category, and which don't. I'm not sure what exactly you're saying is "incorrect" when nothing you've said contradicts or disagrees with anything I've said.

[@o_o............]

A moment of silence for all the people that aren't subscribed to this guy

[@BS-bd4xo]

This is so underrated! Jesus you deserve more views, quality.

[@nemesisurvivorleon]

You made a visual programming language for creating songs. Like the programming language PIET. Now just apply this system to Jean Michel Jarre's "Oxygene Continuous Mix"

[@ZarkHapaxLegomenon]

WOW! Paradoxically (?) stunned into silence . . . into visuals . . . into . . . idk . . . So EPIC! One of, if not THE, most MIND BLOWN of my entire Life. And I’ve done very high doses of DMT thousands of times! Mayhaps that’s why-I too have glimpsed the same way to consider a Truth. Words incapable of expressing my gratitude to you, but Thank You! Keep us posted! Share what u bring back. Both your perspicaciousness and perspicacity considerable. Thank You.

[@ZarkHapaxLegomenon]

similar way

[@jankersting]

i love that this guy uses catsystem corp as his background music

[@FloydHarriott]

Suggestion: I think your current model/workflow could be expanded to include other aspects of a ‘pop’ song. One could map differing textures (vertical lines, horizontal lines, diagonal lines, spots, etc.) to represent other parameters of a song. One could varying the levels of brightness or colour mapping rules. Parameters that could be included could be… 1) key changes 2) types or number of instruments playing 3) major versus minor keys 4) chord progressions 5) measures of rhythmic complexity Etc. Hope you find these possibilities as exciting as I do.

[@greenSTEMforall]

This video deserves a thousand times as many views, since almost everyone on KZbin has heard music. Please consider all the songs from the "Earth Crisis" album by Steel Pulse, "Jungle Pioneer" by Manhattan Transfer, "Rumpofsteelskin" by Parliament, and "Roto-Rooter" and "Sound Crack" by Bootsy's Rubber Band! You would love the whole albums "Brazil" and "Vocalese" by Manhattan Transfer.

[@frederickrodger7249]

Excellent visualization. I have been an audiophile all my life and I have often thought about song/performance structure. Your visualization brought a lot organization to my thinking. Thank you.

[@agapeloa]

Very good ! Thank you ! This kind of music visualisation can be very good for helping AI to create songs...

[@NonTwinBrothers]

I honestly forgot I subscribed but this is so cool looking I'm not gonna complain

[@selcukakyuz_marcom]

This channel will rock.

[@ed.puckett]

This is just the sort of video I like: one that makes me think! Thank you! Keep up the good thinking!

[@ARBB1]

Really interesting patterns.

[@JOHNSONWIELKI]

I Love Your Concept And it looks looks like we have similar taste in Music haha

[@sebastiancanalesgarcia]

very interesting! are you able to read the structure just by looking at these shapes?

[@luisramirezbass]

Good job, this idea would be expanded, if we think about classical music structures, where the modulation process must be taken into account. Greetings from Colombia.

[@FloydHarriott]

Question: What tool(s) did you use to create the 3D loop models?

[@bryanbischof4351]

This is an excellent idea and great video. Really nice work.

[@Cinnimin]

autechre's will be hella crazy

[@MrConverse]

9:10, metal! \m/

[@axelcodr]

Let us know how it goes!

[@yamiyugi2894]

Find a way to do it for symphonys, that would be based

[@atrus3823]

I do this same thing for guitar. Not with a grid, but just a list of parts, and how many iterations of the pattern (a bit different than measures). Then I have tabs/chords for each part. It gets a little tricky for things like turnarounds. What do you do in a case like that, or variations on a pattern?

[@PedraamJam]

As much as i like the idea i dont like how it looks cuz i cant understand it like that... i would say i rather have a 2d map! I should think about this. Anyways thank you for sharing

[@christiannoelsayson1904]

I wonder how a Tool track would look like.

[@reverse804]

weird world...

[@DrAlexVasquezICHNFM]

Hey nice work in visualization but the facemask is so out of place in an empty room