Why 80s music sound so good

Have you ever wondered why 80s pop music sounds so different from pop music made today?
I show you why and I explain how you can make your own tracks the same way.
A day in the life of a Nordic synth artist and KZbinr: • A day in the life of a...
* Since my use of the chord lettering "H" has caused so much confusion, a little explanation is in order:
This originates many hundreds of years ago when some sheet music arrived from Italy into Germany. They mistook the letter "b" for "h" and thus the confusion begun.
Many countries in Europe, not only Germany use the letter "H" where many other countries, among them USA would use the letter "B".
I come from Scandinavia and we've always used the letter "H" for this chord and note.
If I'd known at the time I made this video that so many from other countries would watch the video, I would have used "B" and I have been doing so in every other video coming after this.
In short, just use "B" where I say "H" and you"re good to go. "Hm7=Bm7 etc.. *
This is primarily a tutorial for beginners in the world of composition and for those who do not yet fully understand the importance of more complex chords and chord progression. I've simplified some chords and theory for this very reason. :)
espenkraft.bandcamp.com/
Although "If you leave me now" was written in the 70s (as is the original "Greatest love of all") the tradition in which the song is written was well carried over into the 80s and in Europe that Chicago song was a hit in the early 80s as well.)

[@Keyboardman88]

Don't forget that the 80's were the decades of the synthesizers.

[@guayabito6946]

That was more 70s.

[@Keyboardman88]

@@guayabito6946 70's, or mid to late 70's the synth was used more in Jazz - like Herbie Hancock. In the 80's it was the foundation for a lot of Pop music.

[@peadookie]

I'm not convinced that the 2020's aren't the decade of synth...

[@sandik964]

@@peadookie More like the decade of how to use synths the boring way

[@rpcheesman]

70's - decade of the analogue synth, 80's - decade of the digital synth. In the 70's you had people using the monolithic modular mono synths and the like. During the 80's we got into preset territory and the rise of the DX7 and D50 synths in particular.

[@idemditto]

For me the 80s was the time when music was still made with feeling and where you also had to put your feeling in to make something beautiful. Nowadays everyone can make music with a computer, yes with emotion but also without and that's why I miss the 80s so much.

[@melluzi]

80s music was so good because there was a lot of music in it.

[@HaharuRecords]

Also, in the studio there were musicians not soccar players and scuba divers to play instruments

[@zxbryc]

so to sum things up, 80s music was good because it had a lot of music in it and the musicians didn't play soccer or scuba dive. good to know

[@mrmarmellow563]

SIMPLE TECH OF SCUBA IN &POP💯

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

80’s music, like previous decades was still rooted in melody. Todays Pop is more about “beats,” and it sucks. 80’s was special for music because of emerging synth technologies. The music literally changed with newer keyboards with new features. I’m sure Espen can identify music both by year as well as the synthesizers for that year. I for one am very thankful for Espen. He’s really like a bridge back in time; more so than a DeLorean DMC-12!

[@SMGJohn]

@@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers Yes, music used to tell stories in the past, and music in 60s - 80s as you say melodies, still based themselves on telling a story through the sound of music, late 80s and mid 90s is when we start seeing a lot of experimentation in what you say "beats" kind of music, even in rock they do this and its disgusting, Japan still produces strange hybrid of melodies even to this day and a lot of indie musicians in the west still play music the old way.

[@drexlspivey5828]

In the 80's there was a huge emphasis on the relationship between chord progressions and melody, almost like an orchestra, and how a small change in a chord (as demonstrated here) could affect the emotion of the melody, it really was true composing. Nowadays I don't think artists know what a chord progression is let alone how to write one, music has become simplistic in a bad way (a beat and a couple of 'blip' sounds)

[@hhope-carter9676]

@@droopy_eyes Thank you for defending modern pop. There is definitely more of an emphasis on rythyms and that is not inherently bad it's just different. I like both 80s music and modern music for different things. 80s music definitely has an elegance to it because of it's focus on the things explained in the video. But modern pop music can be a lot more hard hitting and bring about emotion in a more aggressive less elegant way due to the way it uses rythym. This is just a different feeling and is not inferior in some way. Of course there is a lot of pop music these days that does not utilise this to the fullest and is very uncreative. But I generally listen to music from producers that originate from PC Music and they do a lot with the modern style in more experimental ways. I will happily listen to SOPHIE and Depeche Mode on the same day for different reasons.

[@MrMeeseeksPiano]

yes, let's generalize all 21st century music to what you hear on TikTok

[@Kevinschart]

What an ignorant comment. Artists today don't know what a chord progressions is? Musicians have a far better understanding of music theory and concepts today than ever before. Musical tastes have simply changed.

[@billmcnelis5999]

And more diverse subjects lyrically, arrangement, it goes on and on

[@stoltobot]

Perhaps it’s simply nostalgia due to the age I was at the time but I find the combination of composition, melody, FM synths, guitar production and gated reverb drums that constitute 80s pop music really emotionally evocative.

[@nocturnal7345]

Don't forget the Sax!

[@AbhinavSrivastava11]

It’s not only that I was born in 1998 and still thinks 80s music are the best and its not confirmation bias

[@billmcnelis5999]

Composition and melody have always been compelling and always will be.

[@Moridin69]

It's not nostalgia. I only got into the 80s hits a few years ago but I still think they kick ass

[@shinekibera655]

It’s the nostalgia. Most of the clubs in Kenya will play 80s and 90s music all night and nobody will complain.

[@troycharbonneau8643]

Also lots of reverb, and gated snare. And the synths of the time that were transitioning to digital and attempting to sound like real instruments, but due to tech limitations they ended up being a beautiful sound all their own. Also need the saxophone, nobody does that anymore.

[@forbiddenforest5327]

yeah sax is so damned 80s - every movie had a sleazy sax solo

[@kommentierer2707]

Baker Street🙏

[@djfredmiami]

I wish I had the knowledge to understand his explanation, but yes - there is something about the 80’s synth pop that fascinates me, something I cannot find in almost any of today’s songs

[@sirdetmist3204]

I think part of it is that a lot of the people who were in their "musical prime" in the 80s were born anytime from the 30s to the 60s. These people had to learn to make music the old fashioned way. They had some real limitations that they had to get around. Once you bring computing into it and now you can mix anything you want with anything you, you are essentially giving music gods an endless toolkit. That will produce something crazy. These people had to learn to be musicians first. A lot of modern artists are just glorified DJs, they don't need to be able to play anything because a machine can do it for them. And I think when power like that is acquired so easily, you lose respect of the craft itself.

[@adamsansom4822]

There was so much sound that defined the 80's. The main ones I think are gated reverb on snares. 727s and 808s. Synths with bass pluking. Incredibly over the top guitar riffs and solos drenched with reverb and chorus!

[@SethJohn]

One of the more elaborate Rick Rolls I've seen

[@EspenKraft]

Rick will never die! :D

[@cahenglish]

Hip hip hooray!

[@ericjohnson1811]

Indeed it was!

[@winesoup6907]

​and he will never desert you!

[@friend_xtra]

that's not how a Rick Roll works

[@daspicybirb9356]

As a 14 year old, I still prefer 80s, 90s music. The artist really know what the real music sounds like! I know some of my friends don’t really pay attention to my favourite genre, but I still, I really like these music!

[@lucifer_5614]

I agree, I also enjoy 80’s and 90’s music. Basically older songs. New ones.. eh, they are fine but not my style

[@Batman-hb9dh]

Yea same

[@MrMeeseeksPiano]

wow, you are so special, man

[@darrenhirst9900]

The eighties music was just magical and its very fondly remembered. The tutorial was very good. Thanks

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks! :)

[@asciisynth]

Only Europeans can hear the H chord.

[@Bonbon1948]

lol WTF is H?

[@jeppegrndahl8284]

@@Bonbon1948 instead of using B some people in Europe use H which is really annoying because you never know which to use haha

[@jingle1161]

In the Netherlands we use B. I always thought the H was only used in Germany but apparently in Scandinavia this (weird) notation is also common.

[@EspenKraft]

No, I've worked with musicians over the last 25 years here in Norway and it's very common to use the "H" here. When I score sheet music and hand these out to pro musicians, not ONE ever questions the use of "H". Still.

[@leerv.]

@@EspenKraft Hmmm that's really interesting! I'm in the southwest U.S myself, and I have never heard of a note named "H". That's so different to me! Cool!

[@kmelodic4545]

Love 80s music...was fortunate to have been born in the late 60s and enjoy 60s 70s 80s 90s music as a musician songwriter and producer I write a lot of music with that 80's sound... nothing like the funk pop R&B sound of that era

[@louiedelatorre1667]

K melodic do you sell your instrumentals or produce for others? I write chill synthy music but love the 80s style with funky basslines

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

I was born in 1980 myself and kind of absorbed the 60s and 70s at the same time that the 80s were unfolding. They all complimented each other brilliantly in my ears.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

The change was sooner than that, by 8-10 years.

[@djscott9207]

@@Shred_The_Weapon My comment was deleted by YT. Figures.

[@frostwise87]

"Why does 80s pop music sound so good?" A quote 10 years ago I would never expect to hear :) Great video

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks!

[@Jacqueal]

Modulation and modal interchange has always made music interesting. However, newer Pop relies more on being danceable rather than its musicality, in my opinion.

[@marks2807]

Maybe because every singer was not autotuned with a computer. So good singers stood out.

[@ytyt3922]

I could never figure out why even a band like Erasure, never taken seriously and ridiculed in its day, seemed to produce such ethereal, catchy, and interesting music and why I never hear anything close to it from modern groups. Ditto Petshop Boys, Depeche Mode, etc. This video helped explain it a bit.

[@MrMikomi]

I never saw or heard this ridicule of Erasure that you speak of. They were individually and collectively serious artists; pretty much everyone knew that.

[@stickyfox]

@@MrMikomiI was never able to take the video for "A Little Respect" seriously but that didn't mean it wasn't a banger of a hit!

[@David.L291]

Erasure was great I really liked them

[@TheBorderlineWarrior]

@@MrMikomitell that to metal heads

[@danwhite7629]

Came for the synths, stayed for the singing.

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet Dan! Thanks for watching! :)

[@jeffconley819]

Ditto dan

[@iraklisgrigoriou2760]

Same here 🤓!!

[@forbiddenforest5327]

love hearing espen sing. makes me want currywurst mit pomme frites back in berlin!

[@kjemradio]

Well the other big reason for the 80s pop sound was the synths used in the day. They were really unique sounding. I think the first time I really heard synth as a child was on Sesame Street with the 3 stripped balls and 1 polkadot ball where the Moog is the dominate instrument. The Who and Pink Floyd experimented a lot with very early synths, but pads had not come out yet. Plus most of the artist of the 80s were piano players so the musicianship was already there. As a child of the 80s I never really appreciated this type of sound. I was strictly rock, hard rock, metal, sped and thrash metal. I couldn't tolerate any synth sounds. Now in my mid 40s, I have a deep appreciation for the synth wave of the 80s sound.

[@jameshhenderson8243]

kjemradio They were real musicians not cut and paste artists.

[@prioryjonesofficial5292]

I love 80's music and the sounds of the synth of the era are the best.

[@djdigital3806]

The 80's synthenziers was the best. The Yamaha DX7 was the first digital keyboard synthenzier 🎹 released in 1979.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

No, it was from ‘83.

[@fiaskolo]

Music from the 80s emphasis melody.

[@EspenKraft]

Agreed. Thanks for watching! :)

[@musicismyreligion5213]

Actually melody was at its peak long before...in the 40s. Listen to old standards...the melody was the magic.

[@FinSynthMusic]

@@musicismyreligion5213 How about classical music then? Or romantic era? Endless debate...

[@sacredgeometry]

No it emphasises music. Melody, harmony, rhythm, instrumentation etc. Popular music today is barely musical even if its interesting in its lack of music.

[@woden198]

Music died in the 2010s, all the good music and songs came before early 2000s, after that is it all crap and easily forgettable. Today so called artist have very melodic IQ.

[@Pettemusic]

The Most Important 24 min of Music theory i have ever had

[@officialWWM]

Knautschke except, what the hell is an "H" note?

[@norahidvegi846]

@@officialWWM read updated description

[@JamesWilliams-ki7im]

Go get some lessons... 😃

[@MarsAlexandre]

X2

[@NickSBailey]

I think musicians in those days didn't always know their music theory it was almost by accident that chords and melodies were more complex and interesting, a byproduct of their enthusiasm for doing what they wanted to do lol it definitely also helped that there was an explosion of new sounds from synthesizers and samplers as well. I think people were more likely to get into making music because they appreciated other people's music and wanted to do the same. These days people get into it to be famous the music is almost secondary.

[@EspenKraft]

You're both right and wrong. Most artists back then wouldn't get a record deal unless they'd toured and shown their skills at playing and singing. Some of course got their deals by the looks and the record companies had lined up writers and producers etc. I any case, many of the songs that became hits were written with knowledge of chords and melody, but of course not all. But they all had one thing in common compared to today, they WERE full of chords and melody, not just meaningless grooves and stale melody, like much of the chart music today. ;-)

[@Kevinschart]

Wow you guys really are confused. You think the majority of hit music was written by people goofing around on their instruments? Of course not, they had a strong understanding of what they were doing. Perhaps there was more freedom to experiment back then before analytics and streaming, but to say they didn't know their theory is nuts.

[@billmcnelis5999]

The order: 1. I'm a fabulous star living my best life, 2. Followers and views, 3. Collabs brah, 4. Music

[@dominikkarkowski]

You should make a tutorial about 80’S mastering

[@axelfiedel3793]

I highly bet that it's highly analog but that is the beauty of analog.

[@MrMikomi]

Why? You're missing the point here.

[@dominikkarkowski]

@@MrMikomi well, why am I missing the point? that's one important element of 80s music

[@wahyung9669]

i recall waves were promoting their Plugins and were advertising well esteemed producers and musicians who knew what they were doing . i never liked hearing the concert version but loved the radio broadcast version due to the magic of mixing, where a lot of hours were spent. I’m not talking about remastering how they kill the dynamics but the talent to sculpt raw input into glossy ear candy. Takes artistic talent just as some people can draw a realistic portriat using graphite and others stick men. Seen some fine examples on youtube, amazed how much work is been put into a song, as an example in particular how i heard the stems of a Michael Jackson song been redone the original engineer and realise how complex. (I’m sure you can KZbin that for yourself.) Often the end result we can miss, as some are subltly burried deep in the mix but gives the track the extra ooomph in variation. I’m no expert in this art / science but appreciate of such lengths engineers go through to create these variations. Another good example not in mixing but in sound design is the Song FlireFlies by Owl City, I known this is not 80’s but the concept is much like it, just as we love synths to make music sound intresting, i do love real physical musical instruments mixed and not really into 100% synth generated stuff (Yes I known these days sampling plays a big role in particular orcastral instruments), but you get my drift in a bit of artificial mix with natraul sounds. Well search for Track by track break down of flreflies with Adam Young of Owl City, and appreciate what went through his mind, see the tradmendous amount of work. It’s certainly not one of those 1hr work out behind a 1 octave keyboard with premade tracks got of the internet. I love true musicians like Adam and wonderful owner of this channel, they rock and they share, contributing to the community. Music is not my craft, as Im not good at playing in real time, rely heavily on the sequencer for those 2 handed difficult timing sections, I take my hat of those can sight read and changes scales on the fly / improvise / reharmonize in real time or cocktail piano with a cheat sheet. Cheers i learn alot, love what been reveal at this wonderful channel, find the odd gem from the hidden secrets, the channel owner seems to have no fear. Try watching “How a recording studio mishap shaped the 80’s music” and “Why does @TheWeeknd Sound more than 80’s music?’

[@dopiaza2006]

A huge part of it is the mastering. Dynamic range makes/breaks music.

[@TheNagualZone]

wow! when you sang and played Whitney Houston - it actually sounded amazing & all the other bits of singing too! who else thinks so? your keyboard sounds are also beautiful to listen to. excellent video! x greetings from London x

[@LFC-Star]

"The Greatest Love Of All" was written by George Benson he released it himself.. Whitney Houston covered it and had a huge hit with it.

[@ronpatton9424]

Actually, the song was written by Michael Masser, who composed the music, and Linda Creed, who wrote the lyrics. Creed also wrote the lyrics for many of the Stylistics hits, including "Betcha By Golly Wow", "You Make Me Feel Brand New" and "You Are Everything."

[@xaniiu]

Saving all my love for you was a cover also.

[@macronencer]

In Germany, it's also true that "B" means "Bb"; Bach used to weave his name into his melodies that way. I always assumed the reason for the "H" was this: the original "natural" scales (e.g. those used for folk music) tend to be Mixolydian, i.e. they have a flattened 7th - for more information, see the bagpipes :) When the leading tone (major 7th) became popular as a way of creating tension and resolution, a new letter was needed for this important scale degree (the next available one was "H"). Of course, all of that applies only to the key of C, so I could be completely wrong. Better music scholars than I, please feel free to correct me!

[@JohanBakkeMusik]

All the synth sounds are awesome, I recently subscribed to Roland Cloud and have started producing many old songs. In the eighties and nineties I couldn't afford the instruments so I'm taking it back now! 😎

[@EspenKraft]

Emulations can go a long way :)

[@TheOptimod]

80s music will become the future of music again when the current soul-less stuff being made nowadays hits rock-bottom.

[@EspenKraft]

I certainly hope so.

[@EspenKraft]

NRW has gone very darkwave lately and it's too EDM for my taste. I've already been featured in their channel and my track has gained tons of good feedback and it really pushed my music, but as a more 80s synth-pop guy with emphasis on classic build-up with verses, chorus, bridge and so I find NRW less interesting for me and for people like me. I wish for more new romantic stuff.

[@EspenKraft]

I was a teenager in the 80s, I was 16 in 1985 and I vividly remember "shake the disease" with DM on the charts here and I've just gotten my first real synth and I was very inspired to to great things musically. A glorious time really. I love how you describe that roadtrip and the feelings connected to music. Thanks for following me and I have lots of exciting stuff coming this spring so we'll probably talk again. take care :)

[@iqi616]

Espen Kraft you're just trying to make me feel old :) I'd love to know who inspired these people to compose that way. The sixties and early seventies in the UK had a strong church music and classical influence (so many former choirboys) then Punk and New Wave came along and shook things up. Then along came these guys.

[@fender1000100]

YOU ARE RIGHT. 90% of the music on my playlist is from the late 70s to the late 80s. As far as im concerned that was the golden era of popular music. Its fallen far since then.

[@Sarahbuildsstepsequencers]

“True” is such a perfect 80’s song. I also love the saxophone break. ♥️🌸

[@Bigricky06]

After watching this video to see the mastermind arrangements behind these beautiful melodies, i realized our music today ain't crap.....wow, no wonder these songs are timeless and never die. They always sound brand new everytime i hear them.

[@tedmuss]

I believe one of the reasons the 80's sounded so good is because there was such a high level of musicianship that got to embrace the new digital/synth era, whereas today...technology has made making music so accessible to everyone, you don't even need to be able to play an instrument, you just need to be good at programming software.

[@EspenKraft]

I think you have a good point there! Thanks for watching! :)

[@tedmuss]

You have a great passion for music, I like that and nice video too, thank you!

[@VanezArt]

this.

[@sevencostanza3883]

80s was cheesy af. Electronic musicianship has increased 100 fold since then, you're just stuck in the past.

[@mieszkogulinski168]

Don't forget that a computer synthesizer is only a tool, and it plays whatever you tell it to play. You can use computer synthesizer to make a song with hardly any melody, and a song with incredibly structured melody :)

[@QueenCelebrationLive]

Awesome voice and your voice is magic. Yes, some Pet Shop Boys vibe, but so much more!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@MrNaufan]

The combination of warm pad and FM piano voices sounds so awesome. I'm still listening to this video to this day.

[@EspenKraft]

Awesome!

[@MrNaufan]

@@EspenKraft anyway what sound module were you using for this video?

[@MrMikomi]

This is a very good, very useful, and very valuable exposition of the importance and value of creative harmony in pop songwriting. Forget having the "best" plug-ins....this is where the real value is added. It's a reminder that I really must spend more time learning and analyzing more songs from my piano pop songbooks. One caveat is that not everything always has to be complex...I remember a great phrase I heard once on a Jazz dude's channel: in music, sometimes too many chords spoil the broth. Whoops, forgot to say thanks.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@teddymikefunk]

The secret is in the pre-chorus, you know, just before the chorus, in my opinion always the best part of the song ! (never heard a pre chorus in the charts, nowadays)

[@EspenKraft]

Good point! :)

[@hybridous]

Yes. Good observation. The writing now is just plain lazy.

[@squeebbb]

@@hybridous And always credited to 8-16 other people aside from the artist, funny enough.

[@quizkitten9641]

So well put.

[@Kawsaki]

What a great break down of the components of 80s music Espen! I especially loved how you explained the effective chord changes. Great video!

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks man! :)

[@utubewillyman]

1st chord progression also used by Steve Winwood with these lyrics behind it: "While you see a chance take it. Find romance, fake it."

[@ronplucksstrings7112]

...spoken as a string player: What an interesting keyboard presentation...your relaxed manner and charming accent make it a pleasure to watch and follow your dissection and explanation of the 80' pop genre! Cheers from Connecticut!

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks man! I appreciate these comments. :)

[@scottidog8912]

The magic of the 80s lives on in the hearts of those who lived through it.

[@MrLawrence0071]

80's music was the best. I personally found the 80's the coolest year to be alive. :-D

[@MrLawrence0071]

@Toby Lerone I know but thanks for pointing out my stupidity :-P

[@RedWolf777SG]

I was born in the late 80s, and grew up through the 90s. Songs of the late 70s, 80s, and 90s were just wonderful to listen to. Music nowadays, sounded a bit lackluster and dead. Generic. Don't get me wrong there some great modern music and songs. But songs of those eras, was something special, it had that spark, that passion, and most of all, It had soul.

[@Lvatopesado]

@@RedWolf777SG -You forgot to include the 60s and 50s. The seventies was my decade, and early 70s were better than late 70's. Last great music year was 1988.

[@Carlos-rr4wu]

@brandon could you give some examples sir?

[@cosmic.spaceman8923]

years* and yes, but i do not agree with people saying modern music nowadays suck, 😉

[@Langostagigante]

You are awesome! I love using modulation for my tracks. I really appreciate you breaking down the process for 80's tracks, I always felt the 80's had more substance to their chord progressions and overall writing than past 90's top 40 music.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks man! I believe so too. :)

[@cvader7]

The 80's musician had totally different standards and understood or sought after the use of proper harmony and tasty modulations!

[@kaysha]

Lots of great tricks to use in my next new retro wave ep 😊😊😊💯

[@EspenKraft]

Do it! Thanks for watching :)

[@DJ_PROMO_PR]

This video makes so much sense. I knew there was something in music arrangements from the 80's that made music so special. Thank you for this.

[@83Anokafootball]

I’m 15, and 80’s music is basically the only music I listen to. It’s sooo much better than music nowadays, and nothing can compare to it. Thanks for the video. :)

[@EspenKraft]

Happy you liked it. You should find plenty more on on my channel. ;-)

[@hanfi-music3589]

Surprisingly many young people I meet actually love 80s music.

[@nuckinfuts7610]

Damn, you have a remarkable talent. Bad ass. Your taste in music is also amazing. I'm so darn glad I bumped into your channel. 👍🎹🎼🎶🙂

[@EspenKraft]

Hey, sweet man. Thanks! :)

[@wouterdesmedt1736]

Gonna learn to play all of these tomorrow! Please make more of these videos, super informative!

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you! I will continue my quest! :)

[@davidcogan9936]

Great at showing examples after and reiterating so well

[@catloverextreme]

Really great video. Thank you so much for taking the time to make it. I’ve played piano for many years but could never afford professional lessons, you’re teaching style has helped me put theory and names behind the chords I’ve stumbled around for years. Also, the 80’s are the best! Just got a Yamaha dx-7 and I don’t think I’ll ever leave my studio now! Keep up the good work and thanks again!

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you very much for saying! If my videos can inspire that's awesome. The DX7 is a classic so enjoy that! :)

[@FrankyGun]

This is one of the best instructional keyboard videos I have ever seen. Anyone who ever had you as a music teacher and/or mentor can call him/herself not only lucky but blessed. You really have figured it all out and your track "Those Days" is absolutely awesome. I myself was a kid of the 80s and music-wise are stuck in those days. Music back then was better, we were really free (no nanny states, no political correctness BS), colours were brighter, feelings were more intense, love really meant something, songs truly meant something to you and would later become the soundtrack of your life, everything back then felt more alive, innocent and more straightforward. I am grateful to the fact that I could spend most part of my teenage and early adult years in the 80s. It was the best time ever and - listening to the shallow and superficial pop music of today - I ray every day for a revival and that more musicians will find their way to do some real music again that is not just three chords and some empty computerised phrases... I, for myself, find comfort in synthwave and videos and songs like yours, when the 80s sentiment overwhelms me and I am thankful that there are people on this planet like you. Keep up the AWESOME work, Espen, and please please please keep your videos and tracks coming. Thanks from the bottom of my heart, Franky from Thailand

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you very much for saying Franky! I have no immidiate plans to quit my stream of videos and music so hopefully I can provide more 80s nostalgia this year as well... ;-)

[@FrankyGun]

@@EspenKraft - Awesome! Let me know if you need saxophone riffs or solos for songs. Would be an honor to play some tracks for you. I play alto and tenor, whereas tenor is the one I love the most. I'm not a pro and not perfect, but I know my way around the instrument and can improvise quite well. Love to jam and hate playing sheet music - in fact, I am very bad at reading notes. I just play by ear.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks for the opportunity Franky! I will definitely keep that in mind :)

[@FrankyGun]

@@EspenKraft Cool !!!!

[@JanetWilliams01]

Thank you for the explanation of "H". It definitely woke me up when I saw it there, but your explanation is good and sufficient. Also, btw, you have a lovely singing voice. Thanks for this video. Very helpful!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks for saying Janet! :)

[@seravenerdi]

Because traditional song structure was used, and you ready for this.....no DAW's / Virtual crap / autotune was used either !

[@MrImarcus]

This is probably my favourite utube channel of all time. I feel like I've discovered another world! Thanks for sharing your epic talent with us!

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet man, thanks! :)

[@merlynscave]

First time I have watched one of your videos. Very informative and thorough. I am working on an album at the moment and am using multi chord patterns and key changes and it is encouraging that someone like yourself is using and praising the people from decades past who used clever musical tricks to make great records. Well done.

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks man! :)

[@christopherkahn6522]

This was so educational. Thank you for sharing your insight. You have great musical sense and that is probably why all your songs sound so good.

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you very much! :)

[@JP-yv2nq]

By the way ... I was in the United States a few years ago. In the restaurant, the waitress asked me where i came from. I said: Germany . She said : oh from Stockholm ? Me : no from Rome. She : oh nice place too. ;-)

[@Statist0815]

Wie wahr.

[@megababy80]

so much for trying to be nice

[@megababy80]

Stockholm klingt germanisch und ist nicht weit entfernt. Antworte ihr das nächste Mal, indem du ihr sagst, aus welcher Stadt in der Europäischen Union du tatsächlich kommst. Europäer haben sowieso keine Grenzen

[@frakekibbe8443]

Die Amis sind Dumm!und das macht sie so gefährlich

[@user-sq5xv6dr1v]

Once I convinced Americans to believe into existence of an African country Nuanga. That was quite a piece of fun.

[@marcelobaus]

Didn't understand anything but I love 80's songs.

[@DougGray-xf3hz]

The DX7 has its footprint all over these decades. That sound and compression was fundamental to the success imho.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

I think one reason 80's music sounds good, is dynamics. No loudness war back then.

[@EspenKraft]

Agreed.

[@midiman5045]

Also it had to do with creating nice meiotic melodies.

[@MelroyvandenBerg]

Fully agree, I do like dance (I'm coming from that period..), but its not as dynamic as 80's.

[@fightfannerd2078]

audiosamples i agree but i got way worse in the 90's & 2000's 2010 is a bit better but it still has it problems

[@nickthompson9661]

Bs

[@raymondrenfrowrayren98trib34]

It's bedtime and I don't even have a keyboard and I don't know how to play but I find this entertaining.

[@Swanlord05]

Hey Turd.... Where is the RV

[@MrNaufan]

same here lol

[@MrNaufan]

@@dogecoin4085 great. I just shorted bitcoin but the price went skyrocket. Now i don't have any single dollar left

[@edilsonarruda210]

Mr. Espen Kraft, you're the best! Thanks for leading us through the magic of the chord progressions and harmonies of the amazing 80s' music.

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks man! :)

[@kevinsturges6957]

This is so revealing. Thank you so much Espen for sharing this.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@pennywiser9607]

Also why was it so damn exciting to walk into an instrument retail store like Guitar Center, Sam Ash, Manny’s Music etc in the 80’s and see synths like the Yamaha DX7 Roland JP8, JX’s, Junos etc Oberheims Ensoniqs EMUs Akai Casio CZs As opposed to today with the all in one built in NASA music interface spaceship exploration workstations that bore me to death???

[@GoneFishin610]

Amen. I'm younger but DAWs are taking away from the industry. You don't learn how to record anything it's all just midi crap and digital samples.

[@SMGJohn]

No love for Polivoks? It was the king of synths in the East, its still used today.

[@manofgore]

Neverending story! Nice choice. So nostalgic

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks bro! Yeah, it's a classic that tickles all the right emotions, but it's a superb example of genius songwriting in all it's simpleness. :)

[@noursarhan8695]

Danny Halfacre That lovely song and movie were my childhood

[@mieszkogulinski168]

This video helped me to get outside "regular" major and minor chords when creating music. Thanks a lot!

[@silverssonyoutube8438]

80s music sounds good because it's dreamy vocal lyrics we could understand. It was music that really felt like it tickled the soul to uplift happiness .

[@DoubleACbg]

The ‘plus’ chord (‘+’) is also called an augmented chord (at least that’s what I learned how to call the chord when I took music theory lessons in 1980s North America). The musical notation and fake books that I saw back then usually would add ‘aug’ to the name of a chord (a C augmented chord would be shown as ‘C aug’ for example). Major 7th chords are still a favorite of mine too.

[@EspenKraft]

Yes, the Aug is the same as +. Thanks for commenting.

[@aaronafre1920]

So cool

[@jshaw5000]

Beautiful demonstration of 80s pop theory.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! :)

[@djajtechnolicious4254]

Really cool! Makes me feel like a kid again growing up! You make me appreciate the 80s sound in a new way. Cheers!

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet man, thanks! :)

[@Original_Lurke_fromthe_Unknown]

I’m loving this Video. Make a part 2 at some point. If you can!! I am hooked on the 80s sound. And more 80s type tricks. This to me was the “most impressive” video on KZbin no joke.

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks for saying. Many of my other videos on my channel are made in the same way, where I break down the chords and melody. ;-)

[@derekjurovich]

I just have to say, I love the tone of your voice

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks for saying! :)

[@fightscience9104]

So great as ever! The info, the music you make and you voice... man you are very good

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you! :)

[@OriginNowSound]

great work! glad I found our stuff :) thank you and i'm looking forward to hearing more, your a great musician!

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet, I have lots of videos dedicated to the 80s.

[@Rondaris1946]

Wow! "Those Days", that's another incredible song. I really loved the 80s pop songs. You have a true gift. The 2 songs that you created yourself are fantastic and take me back to that time when I was growing up and enjoyed that type of music. In love with this music, great job!

[@EspenKraft]

Awesome! :)

[@TheBorgCollective]

7:30 just makes me feel amazing. Love this stuff. Amazing video man

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks man! :-)

[@chrisbee9164]

Fascinating. I’ve always believed great song are based on sophisticated chord progression.

[@brokenegomusic]

such an in-depth analysis of song structures. this is how musicians listen to music. thanks for sharing!

[@Jo-ot6tk]

I just discovered this great video. What an excellent tutorial. And the peace with which you explain all this is so pleasant. Great music. Thank you very much!

[@EspenKraft]

Thank you for saying! :)

[@EnricoDellAquila]

You're the first musician I've seen using 'B' for Bb and 'H' for B... I believed it was used only in the past... nice.

[@EspenKraft]

Hey, yes. I should have used B as you're used to, but in my country and others in Europe we use H. I will clarify this in the next video. Thanks for watching! :)

[@ItsJustAdrean]

Enrico Dell'Aquila Makes it easier to pick out the octave for me :)

[@jc3drums916]

Sonor, a German company, still puts B and H on their Orff instruments.

[@gianlucasighinolfi7095]

Simply put.. better technics and melodic understanding from the musicians, better and new sound gear.. more money put in the industry.. and better song writing. That was the 80s formula!

[@retsmej]

most 80s music are pattern base that's why they so good to the ears and easily recalled until today it's hard to forget riffs from a-ha's 'take on me', van halen's 'jump', china crisis's 'wishful thinking', depeche mode's 'strange love' and the likes... recall is the key to a great song, just one pass and it got stucked in your brain and you can't get rid of it , even if you don't like it.

[@RobertHampton747]

I love this video! Well done. I have always liked the songs of the 80's and you sing them well. Thanks.

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks Robert! :)

[@BrendanMiranda]

Killing it with content lately! I've learned a ton from you! Keep it up!

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks! I really appreciate you saying that and it inspires to do more! :)

[@Chaosga]

Did you learn wtf is a H chord?

[@BrendanMiranda]

Chaosga It's a B

[@Krieghandt]

Germans like to do things differently in music. keeps learning interesting :)

[@avedic]

Awesome video! I've often thought about this very question...why 80s pop music sounded so damn sophisticated and unique....yet also super catchy and simple. Honestly....at the end of the day, while everything you mentioned is absolutely part of the mix, I personally think the heavy use of the keyboard as the _primary_ writing instrument had a _lot_ to do with the overall sound of that decade. The 50s, 60s, 70s...90s were all about guitar as the primary medium. Interestingly, nowadays it's more electronic, sampled, keyboard heavy stuff...a throw back to the 80s, or something entirely new? I'm note sure yet...that's yet to be determined imo. At the cutting edge, there's _always_ the most interesting creative stuff happening...and 2018 is no different in that respect. I'm not remotely cynical about modern music. Indeed, I'm trying to contribute my own thing. I'm not really nostalgic about the 80s...I was born in 83, and definitely have it in my toddler cortex for sure, but I just find it interesting now that I'm older to objectively inspect that music. There was something really interesting, and most importantly...novel, happening in pop music then. The 80s was this odd man out decade where the keyboard became primary. It yielded really interesting novel results...and it's quite fascinating to study and mine it all and take the best of it for my own inspiration.

[@blanked3]

This is the most enjoyable tutorial video I ever watched 😊

[@EspenKraft]

Sweet, thanks! :)

[@admincuth6859]

espen so grateful for this. you are a wonderful human x

[@JustRacing101]

Goosebumps... Iconic Tracks. Thx for explanation.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks, my pleasure! :)

[@RedCarpetRoom]

Man, are you the Pet Shop Boys?

[@EspenKraft]

Actually, no ;-) I love the boys though

[@artmadaofficialyoutube]

Espen Kraft East end boys?

[@EspenKraft]

In vinyl form ;-)

[@naumankhawaja]

Hahaha. Exactly what I was thinking thinking. You sound exactly like them.

[@peterveer7798]

psboys was a great boyband ! why is there today no boyband ?

[@cvader7]

I think that the music quality harmony/melody etc. sets up the general mental state and mental health that humans experience, in the respective era..Music sounding the way it does now has a sort of hypnotic/monotonous pattern/vibe to it. It's no accident, that's the same way the news is repeated till you believe it. Programming! The adverse effects of this kind of programming through media is too clear to see/feel! There is emotion and tranquility in the 80's music, nowadays there's a kind of coldness/unsettling vibration in the music and it's reflected in us as human beings as well! I hope things change for the better!

[@EspenKraft]

Interesting perspective man.

[@aliasstudio8414]

Very interesting observation. I'm often tempted to generalize and call most modern pop (or whatever genre) staggeringly dull compared to the remarkable diversity and creativity we can hear in the 60's, some of the 70's and most certainly the '80s. So why is this so? Many, many reasons but you have touched on some of the reasons and you are on the money.

[@rchhos9295]

today we have EDM

[@patlecat]

Good explanation, thanks Espen.

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks!

[@rayderrich]

Too bad your camera stopped, this was a good video! And the first time I heard of the H chord too! I really liked your own songs used here, thanks for sharing.

[@EspenKraft]

Cheers!

[@mj7563]

The 1980s were another time and period in history and the music reflects that. The pop music from today is made differently, we are now in the internet age and many things are much different than 40 years ago. Musically grunge and rap is totally dominating these days, making the more traditionally melodic music from the 80s sounding almost “patinized”. Most of the pop music from the 80s was very commercial, but there was also quality pop music being made by composers who could actually play instruments. The result was pop music much more diversified and the pop music as an artform developed and changed much faster over the decade that what is going on today.

[@MGTheFuture]

I missed something, some of your chords on screen were Hm, what's that?

[@MGTheFuture]

Is it B or Bb when you're using it?

[@EspenKraft]

I'm sorry about the confusion regarding that. In Scandinavia where I live we use the H when you would use the B. Just replace every H with B and you're ok! I will rectify this in future videos :)

[@adaptiveplexus]

Curious, why is it called Hm there?

[@Herfinnur]

If I remember this correctly, the difference in the preferred Italian and German writing styles meant that Germans thought the b in Italian manuscripts was an h, and that belief spread to the other germanic language countries.

[@josephmarshall1405]

Herfinnur Árnafjall very interesting information

[@RandolfRichardson]

Wow! This is really excellent! Within the first few minutes of this video it begins to become obvious that real talent is necessary for people making 1980s music. I really enjoyed this highly educational tutorial, and I look forward to hearing more. Kudos to Espen Kraft for this excellent work!

[@EspenKraft]

Many thanks Randof, I appreciate your comment! :)

[@lazlomattachine8334]

Great analysis! Thanks for sharing

[@maxiver8678]

Came here to expand my knowledge of musical composition....ended up getting RIck Rolled.

[@puppetsnob]

You have great taste! Those us living through the 80s didn't know how good we had it! Saw a video of a breakdown of Toto's Roseanna and there's more going on in the intro than nearly all music of 2017. There's almost no nutrition in music nowadays. I love how almost no song sounded like one another back then.

[@EspenKraft]

I agree completely and you're spot on with that. Nutrition. Most pop songs today is so simple in chords and melody and very little to spin your brain! Thanks for watching! :)

[@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823]

"Nearly all...?" I'll give you ALL the last decade just on Porcaro's drum.line alone. And it's not his. It's a modified (Bernard) Purdie half shuffle. See Purdie play it in "Home at Last" by Steely Dan. Or "Fool in the Rain" (Led Zeppelin). Again, slightly modified. You'll note if you see the JP vid on how to play it, Jeff charmingly says it one way and plays it another...

[@saschablock7795]

Thank you for the wonderful explanation, Espen 🙏🤟🏻😃

[@EspenKraft]

Thanks man! :)

[@markkilley2683]

I'm nearly 58, and I still like the 80's the most.