Why K-Pop Is More Complex Than You Think

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: to.pbs.org/DonateSoundField
↓ More info below ↓
K-Pop has become a global phenomenon. BTS was the first K-Pop group to perform on Saturday Night Live and Blackpink was the first K-Pop girl group to perform at Coachella. While K-Pop may seem like traditional pop music, it's actually more complex. It borrows from a variety of genres like R&B, EDM, and Hip-Hop while maintaining it's own distinct sound.
Nahre Sol investigates why K-Pop is different from other styles of Pop music, speaks to K-Pop producer and songwriter David Amber and attempts to create her own K-Pop track.
Hungry for more Sound Field?
What Do Billboard Hit Songs Have in Common?
• What Do Billboard Hit ...
Where is the Funk? How Prince Created the Minneapolis Sound (feat. Jellybean Johnson of The Time)
• Where is the Funk? How...
Special thanks to Umu from @ReacttotheK for writing this episode!
Please SUBSCRIBE! ►► tinyurl.com/SoundFieldPBS
We like music. You like music. Let’s break it down. Sound Field is a PBS Digital Studios web series produced by Rewire.org. #SoundFieldPBS #Rewire #PBSDigitalStudios

[@SoundFieldPBS]

If you want to download Nahre's original track you can find it here! soundcloud.com/soundfieldpbs/kpop As always don't forget to subscribe

[@bayaryan7942]

You know the FBI implanted this style into korea to feminize the Asian mail population.....

[@supa-dupaflyy88]

Nahres track is amazing

[@lauraemilyaustria4116]

Please make more tracks like this!! 💕

[@DaveGouda]

I'm glad I don't have to feel bad as a musician who listens to K-Pop. A lot of my friends say it's "generic pop" but I guess they don't hear all the intricacies. Thank you for making this video, I didn't know K-Pop was so harmonically dense. I could always hear it but could never really put my finger on how.

[@jordansarkisian]

I actually can't stand most pop music worldwide, but I can spam Kpop all day and night. There's definitely a lot going on that most people miss, either cuz they aren't listening close enough, don't have the technical ear or they just find it easier to negatively label something. It's not even comparable imo, the different between a Kpop artist and Taylor Swift or Ariana Grande or whoever is miles wide.

[@trieweg]

Complexity and density are not an official stamp of quality. You can add a lot of layers and intricate chord changes and the song is complete garbage with no feeling to it. The simplest of simple melodies can be the most brilliant or pluck the deepest emotions in people. I think the largest issue people have with any form of Pop music, even containing "intricacies" within its formula perhaps, is just that. It's a formula. From song to song, album to album, and artist to the artist it's a boring formula used over and over to make as much money as possible. That's generic, and K-Pop has never hidden that. Which is why, understandably, some view it as a compromise of creativity and art. That's the issue people have with it. So no, your thought process and self-justification do not hold up. All that being said, listen to what you enjoy and don't look to justify and vindicate yourself of other people's tastes...but that doesn't make them dumb and you a genius to "hear all the intricacies."

[@jordansarkisian]

@@trieweg Wasn't implying simple stuff is bad, I come from a background in minimal electronic music it's welcome when done right. I just appreciate the level of variation I hear in Korean pop vs the stuff I usually hear in the west, there's just more attention to taking risks and trying things which I appreciate a lot. I don't like pop, I like experimentation whether it's simple or complex, I just feel I don't hear that as much in the west is all. And didn't mean to come off like a dick, just how I type I guess.

[@leteflondondu92]

@@trieweg """Complexity and density are not an official stamp of quality. "" wrong having complex melody is a official stamp for creativity and so having better music overall.and if you wants to have great art its have to be the most sophisticated and so the most technical possible.righ now kpop shit on western pop when ts come to creativity.stay mad. ""The simplest of simple melodies can be the most brilliant or pluck the deepest emotions in people"" sis dont make me laugh people can have emotion on the most boring generic song and its doesnt change shit the song sound like ass.quality sophisticated music>>>>>>>> all. ""From song to song, album to album, and artist to the artist it's a boring formula used over and over to make as much money as possible"" makes money the most possible? you mean .............. like western industries have done for decades? oh my god these koreans are so horrible to do things whites haves dones for decades. ""That's the issue people have with it"" nan its a problem that you and all you racist white have a problem with asians succed and make overall superior music.the rest of the world have already embraced kpop.stay mad no ones is checking for your boring white boy who makes uniterressing music.

[@Tfin]

@@leteflondondu92 You're wrong. Wrong and bad.

[@oyonggofomocci2078]

In music critique, when in doubt: it creates tension

[@ReacttotheK]

XD or "movement forward"

[@waranghira]

LOVE IT

[@nicolasgiuristante]

K-Pop will probably never be my go to music, but I’m glad I learned some details about the genre. Next time i hear one, instead of dismissing it entirely i might try to appreciate its subtleties differentiating it from regular pop.

[@pancreaticcum2122]

Nicolas Giuristante if you don’t mind I would love to know what type of music you like , maybe I can find you something in Kpop that kind of feels like it

[@Nomatterwhat69]

@@pancreaticcum2122 personally, I listen to electronic music like Porter Robinson and Madeon.

[@samuelbeltrami5647]

@@pancreaticcum2122 do you know anything similar to jazz?

[@CherrieTree817]

Samuel Beltrami yes - listen to Crush - His album Midnight to Sunrise, as well as most of his other RnB songs. Listen to Sam Kim, and LambC. They are quite heavily influenced by soul and jazz music. Most people who think of Kpop don’t realise that there are many subgenres of music under the umbrella term “kpop”. Personally I hate the ‘pop’ side with boy bands and girl bands - not good music. But other subgenres such as ballads and r&b have developed jazz sounds that you don’t see in modern western pop. These subgenres are quite reminiscent of older western pop, such as 80s ballads (see Crush’s ‘With You’). I can assure you that no one will have heard of artists like ‘george’, because the truth is that the masses don’t have musical training and wouldn’t listen to music with more complex chord changes. Try george ‘look at me’. JUNNY ‘24’. There are a ton of kr&b artists that produce jazz influenced music that most of the Western world don’t realise when they think of Kpop.

[@bittersweet304]

Totally respect that. Kpop is just a style/genre and it's not for everyone.

[@firerat_]

People saying that K-pop is just everyday pop has not had the experience of listening to a song 43 times and discovering a new element every time

[@NatWarrior1]

This is something that has actually happened to me on multiple occasions while listening to kpop songs and it's wild

[@azrae1673]

the way this can be applied with hundreds of kpop songs because all of them are just so interesting

[@choerim8986]

This, my god, I have been listenning to Limitless by NCT 127 for four years and only recently did I hear that one looped percussion that goes super fast

[@faithrose4197]

Faaaaaaaacts,

[@firerat_]

@@choerim8986 waait... what looped perc o=o

[@danjackson5989]

Don't do it Nahre. Don't make me appreciate the hidden intricacies of k-pop. Why can't you leave me alone with my hate? Expanding my mind and stuff... :/

[@iainmackenzieUK]

I know; I know... But now the challenge to write one....go onnnn :)

[@danjackson5989]

@@iainmackenzieUK I totally would but Nahre beat me to it.

[@iainmackenzieUK]

@@danjackson5989 the opportunities are boundless :)

[@SoundFieldPBS]

@@danjackson5989 I agree Dan it's your turn to write a kpop track!

[@danjackson5989]

@@SoundFieldPBS No way! Their fans are too intense. I couldn't handle that level of fame.

[@AlexGomez1226]

at the end it sounded like a seventeen/red velvet type of song

[@pantoleonantonio9653]

i really love that you make original music from the genres youre exploring

[@SoundFieldPBS]

Thanks! It's a lot of fun.

[@alvidion]

The reason why I got into kpop was the complexity of the genre. I love unique chord progressions that I don't usually found in popular songs. But, I don't really dive into the kpop community and its fandoms because let's face it it's super toxic. You'll get lots of scandals, annoying fans, etc. I tend to not too attached/invested/obsessed to the group members as well (even though I truly respect them because I know those hard works behind the scenes) because personally I really don't want to get too addicted and invested to kpop. I do have my own biases because I love members who have interesting personalities, not just their visuals and that's about it. I try to enjoy the good side of kpop (the music and the visuals) and also trying to get rid of the negative side as well (the fandoms, scandals and obsession to group members)

[@russellazure9316]

To be fair, every genres have their own ups and downs. It’s up to us listeners to sort out the good parts of it

[@BeN-bn5yb]

@@russellazure9316 Agreed

[@Mr.Manson]

Please link a complex kpop song.

[@alvidion]

@@Mr.Manson Here you go kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJ_Hp6SKmJmDb6s

[@LCAyoutube]

very well said!

[@Beryllahawk]

Oh my goodness this was SO satisfying. I know pretty much nothing about K-pop as such (my brother happens to listen to a lot of J-pop which is NOT the same, as he hotly insisted to me just a minute ago, haha). But man, I haven't thought about music-theory in quite that way in a long time and it was actually really fun! I giggled a little as you included basically every trick up Brahms's sleeves, because my silly-as-heck brain was like "so if Brahms got resurrected into today's world, he'd just LOVE this genre!" Fascinating how much is going on in any given song, too. I had the notion somehow that these were "just boy bands" - nothing more complicated than N'Sync or New Kids on the Block (and yeah, I'm that old!). But I see now that the choreography really is only half - maybe even LESS than half - of what you're getting. It's true that I can't understand the lyrics, sometimes even when they're speaking English or freely mixing languages, but I can still get a pretty decent idea of what the song is about, and I can most certainly understand and appreciate the vibe, whether that's more a ballad or a very active, "get up and dance" kind of song. Your own piece was really pretty interesting, though I feel like I would need to listen a lot more - or even listen while having some form of notation in front of me - to really catch everything. Made me think a little bit about Andrew Huang and his series of videos where several people go through and process the same sample, getting wildly different results. There's a lot of similar "improvisation" feel to these tunes you've shown us in this video. I'm not sure I have the fortitude to really explore this genre, though. It's so high energy that I kinda feel tired already! But nonetheless I'm going to put at least a few of these groups into my Spotify and poke around some. Great video, once again!

[@12012channel]

Honestly, I can't recall a genre that Jpop hasn't borrowed or incorporated into the music. Especially, because Jpop has several subgenres . They can borrow from Jazz like you mentioned but they can also include even more obscure genres such a power electronics, noise, avant garde, shoegaze and industrial.

[@spress15]

Sonja Johnson -- or if Brahms got resurrected into today's world, he'd be writing Kpop songs! He certainly loved to write arrangements of Deutsche Volkslieder (German folk songs).

[@KreaTiefpunkt]

That's what I love about K-Pop. There is always something new, something unexpected, something interesting to listen to. Be it harmonically, melodically or anything else really.

[@MyNameIsNeutron]

One K-pop harmony thing I’ve noticed popping up a lot is “cross relations,” esp. keeping the melody in major while borrowing chords from the parallel minor. If you listen to EXID’s “Night Rather than Day” you’ll hear what I mean. It would probably never fly with a Western pop artist, but I personally love the crunchiness of it.

[@BeN-bn5yb]

There's a theory for this called negative harmony. You should look it up. It is exactly what you're pointing out in this comment. A very common harmonic device used in more mandrin/k/j pop and Disney song. I also use this technique alot in my improvisations

[@spress15]

I love "Night Rather than Day" by EXID too! 💜 Also, I love that chromatic slide in their song "ME&YOU" -- and their beautiful vocals, lord!! Just found out when I searched EXID that Solji is leaving... 😭

[@alexonline2340]

as someone who loves kpop, thank you for making this video. its not a genre for everyone, but all of the intricacies and experimentation with genre are exactly why i love it so much.

[@adeposie]

this has honestly become one of my favourite channels on youtube. as someone who is attempting to teach myself music, i really love how you guys always explain everything in detail and how you're so open-minded and inclusive of so many different genres. i've listened to kpop for a few months now and while i recognised that it didn't sound *quite* like western pop, i was never able to pin down the differences exactly, especially with so much variety in the genre. this video was so interesting and really helped explain that. thank you so much! (also suggestion for a future video: afrobeats?)

[@irisvea6001]

This was so well done! My cousin (who doesn't like k-pop) sent me this video and said he's changed his stance on it now! He said he wouldn't listen to it all of the time, but he can appreciate it more. This video is awesome :)

[@mercuria2563]

It’s odd that people think I like kpop only because of how good looking the members happen to be. I’m actually an aspiring music producer and I’ve been producing songs for 5 years now, since I was 10. I really want to have a job like this kpop music producer, since I am so in love with the kpop style, the chords, the lively nature and everything else, and I think it’s odd that people think I only care about the level of attractiveness within boy groups. I have studied music for years and I believe that kpop is a great genre of music, just like any other genre, and I really would like to debunk all these stereotypes of kpop being bad and unlistenable. That’s all I’ve got to say😂

[@saylo8796]

My love for BoA, Sunmi and After School drove me to the world of K-pop.

[@performingartist]

I am always telling my progressive rock friends that they need to start listening to K-pop. All you have to do is make a harmonic and melodic analysis of Red Velvet - Icecream Cake and there you go.

[@romajimamulo]

The author on the script, Umu, has a channel with a series called "Classical Composer Breaks Down the K", that might be up your alley

[@hanenbow718]

Please stop telling them to listen to kpop

[@BeN-bn5yb]

But the 2 genres have something different that both you and your friends can take away from. For example in progressive rock, the rhythms and drumbeats that they use. And k pop? Just like you pointed out. The harmony and melody. Even the difference in instrumentation. Just bear in mind that both genres are of equal learning value

[@aerojetrocketdyners-2538]

I will stay with my rock and japanese future core.Yes Kpop is complex and intricate but it is manufactured just like most pop songs.

[@aerojetrocketdyners-2538]

@Harry Fishnuts i did not say J-pop

[@nesslam4832]

Sound Field please do VOCALOID as your next genre!!! I would love to see how you explain the chorus modulations and how robots singing can still sound good, and honestly it is an amazing piece of music technology that deserves more recognition :))

[@___rain3718]

Yessss

[@___rain3718]

@@coldgoldheart619 It would be hard yes. But they could also cover how some producers have stepped out of vocaloid into the mainstream music industry (Like Hachi/Kenshi Yonezu)

[@nesslam4832]

@@coldgoldheart619 HEck, it doesn't even need to be so specific! Just going into the instrumentation and the influence of the trad japanese style with electronic instruments and maybe even the general evolution of vocaloid music would be good enough for me!!

[@___rain3718]

@@nesslam4832 That seriously reminds me of Hanyuu Maigo. Honestly there's a lot to cover in vocaloid (Kagerou Project anyone???)

[@kirehj_sm]

Don't forget about Utsu-P

[@pantoleonantonio9653]

damn. thanks for opening my eyes to new genres. as a classical pianist im often immersed in just classical (not the era), but sometimes we forget that jazz, k-pop, etc. is just innovative as contemporary

[@MichaelSidneyTimpson]

For those who don’t know, the greatest, most perfectly sophisticated Kpop album of all time is F(x)’s “Pink Tape” [R.I.P. Sulli]

[@winwinnie4905]

WRITTEN BY UMU I SEE U

[@ruhmankhalid6675]

Man i came across a lot of bossa nova pop tunes in kpop and im grateful for that, can't hate anything bossa nova related... really..

[@kennylee6499]

Day6 OUCH - the epitome of kpop bossa nova

[@Val_Cla]

Amazing analysis ! And Nahre's little song at the end was super cool !

[@darylquevada]

I can here the complexity of K pop songs by just hearing them. But this in depth analysis made me realize how deep the intricacies can be. Really amazed right now.

[@pennydreadful4939]

Huh. I never was a K-pop fan. Maybe I should give it another chance. Thanks for keeping us edumacated!✌️💖

[@markooms2923]

awesome video! thank you for addressing this. i love kpop but it gets overstimulating for me, and kpop from '09 vs these past couple years are so different and have gotten so much more complex and i dont have good enough musical theory to fully appreciate it, this video helped a lot!

[@jasonlieberman4606]

I love how this show keeps everything accessible for people who aren't musicians/producers, but gets into a lot of the stuff that we can appreciate and learn from. Nahre like "recent pop progressions resolve neatly... I-II-VI-IV-II-VI" And then of course all the juicy details about how this genre makes it more interesting :D Nice. I take lessons from every episode that I get to applying to both my playing and production

[@barrycarter7274]

Ummm as a non musician i understood next to nothing of this 😂

[@jasonlieberman4606]

@@barrycarter7274 were you able to enjoy it?

[@barrycarter7274]

@@jasonlieberman4606 not as much as their other videos

[@matheuscontas]

@@barrycarter7274 Same lol

[@gregorclegane7563]

Me: Sound Field: *K-Pop is structurally complex!* Me, 10 minutes later: 😲🤓

[@Lafemme17]

Seriously thank you so much for this video. I have been in to Kpop for about 10 years, and in general really have a love for music but haven’t always been able to articulate why I like certain things in it as opposed to standard pop music. I was literally here taking notes so I can look up more stuff to understand better lol. Thank you soooooo much for taking the time to make this video 🙏

[@dualdial]

same here💖 👏👏

[@acooltent]

I learned so much! I never had any idea just how much was going on just in one K-Pop song. Thanks for making this video.

[@toriwork8891]

Thanks so much for this video!!! I've watched videos before on the differences between KPop and Western Pop, but those are usually limited to how groups are formed, and not differences in the music. I never understood it before since I don't care for most traditional Western Pop, but like KPop. This video has made the differences so much clearer to me!! And everything you said about KPop - chords borrowing from Jazz and Classical, genre mixing, constant changes, unpredictable song changes - all line exactly up with what I know I like in music!

[@april29thofficial]

Well now I want to check out K-pop playlists on Spotify. Ive avoided it 'cause I thought it was just like US pop, but you made it sound far more like my taste.

[@Concetta20]

Oh, I’ve always noticed that musical tension in k-pop but didn’t really know it was a thing. Thanks for the education. I love how Koreans love their music. It’s moving to watch them get so emotional during “Immortal Songs” tv show.

[@wijann]

Thank you for this episode^^ it was really interesting!

[@jaizentorres4926]

LOVE IT!! So since 2014 I've been slowly getting into K-Pop because of my fiance. At first I very much was in the idea that its so generic. But over the years I've really come around to it. Still I didn't know what it was about it that was so interesting. Thanks so much again for expanding my knowledge and helping me understand why I've been so drawn. :D Keep up the awesome work!

[@benwinstanleymusic]

Great analysis I love it! Thanks Nahre

[@riesenradler6539]

I really appreciate how you consistently put out highest quality information on such a wide range of musical subjects across your channels. And how you help to discover details in forms that I would otherwise just have glanced over... Thank you for your diligence and work!

[@tientienc]

Your breakdown of music is just so fascinating!

[@crazymulgogi]

Just listen to the first couple of albums by Seo Taiji and Boys from the 90s, the guy is just an incredibly talented musician and songwriter. And you can hear how he brilliantly incorporates samples from heavy metal, hip hop, etc that probably nobody except Zappa would ever think of to combine in one song.

[@yamoksauce]

I learned so much from this!!! Thank you so much!!!

[@timmcdaniel6193]

I love the technical details (even when I don't really follow them). And I didn't know that there was so much there.

[@joechip1232]

Great episode and amazing composition at the end, and with just that little synth! I think Nahre could have quite a future as a pop song writer!

[@sonwabileantonie9825]

I was so ready to bash video this video hard and then you poured cold water all over my plans. Now I'm learning more about music. Congrats, you have a new subscriber. I want to learn more about music. THANK YOU

[@muffinpaste]

I love that how the chords will play out are always unexpected. It is exciting to listen to. even if the chord progression is repetitive, they change it up so well. The parts that don't sound like you expected are the best parts of the songs. the melodies are catchy and don't stay in a small range.

[@zonumanaid]

the beginning of your song actually reminded me a lot of Utada Hikaru! great video, very informative and inspiring.

[@mynameisalex10]

Super knowledgeable, fun introduction video. Really helpful for this beginner!

[@LeRainbow]

These are such amazing videos, thank you lots for making these. 🙂

[@ladygabrielle36]

Kpop is like fried rice compared to plain rice, there's always something fun happening in the songs 💖🤣

[@JesslynTongMusic]

Oh my god! I always wonder why K-POP songs sound so different from other genres music, and all the answer is in this video! Thank you so much!

[@LuksFrikiMaster]

OMG LOVE CHERRY MOTION !!!!!!!! SOUNDFIELD STANS LOONA?¡?¡

[@leonardo60813]

Please Stream LOONA- So What

[@kykale]

Aren't those EDM-trap based Kpop songs inspired by DJ Snake's Get Low that uses the Phrygian scale?

[@staith]

@@kykale sadly, yes. the use of phrygian scale in kpop songs become more common rn (like so common). im quite tired of it tbh.

[@jojog79]

Her production at the end put me back in my original final fantasy days...wonderful!

[@worshipthecomedygodseoeunk4010]

i know next to nothing about music theory but i grew up in a lot of choirs and obviously am a kpop fan so this was so interesting. a lot of people even in the fandom often say that kpop is just an imitation of "western music" and doesnt have its own unique sound and it drives me crazy like what IS "western music"???? my favorite group is gfriend and id be hard pressed to find a mainstream pop group in the west nowadays that sounds like them. like is there really no unique elements in kpop??? is it really all just a blatant copy of mainstream western pop music??? it just sounds so xenophobic and ethnocentric. like "the west" didnt create music they just popularized a lot of it wtf lmao idk why its so hard for people to admit that kpop has its own unique appeal despite taking influence from everywhere. its not koreas fault that they were basically forced to "modernize" postwar anyways people who dont like kpop, i can respect that, but they be missing out lol like have you heard the bridge in loona so what??? the chorus in exid every night??? 9muses dolls??? btob imagine??? intro of infinite the chaser???? teen top hello???? bap coffee shop???? april april story?? browneyed girl cleansing cream??? all my playlists??? until you have, then i will believe the sentiment "i dont like kpop" kthanks

[@hugosetiawan8928]

I think other east asian music also has this sort of intricacies. When i hear to anime songs, i'm more fond of their music rather than the boring progression westerners tend to use. I think it's a unique quitk to east asian pop music

[@zandy7451]

this was so interesting! was happy to see Day6 included :')

[@wholenutsanddonuts5741]

Wow, what a fascinating look at this interesting musical form. I love how global the sound is. I guess us old-sters need to pay more attention to the youth ;)

[@BeN-bn5yb]

The youth need to remember where it was derived from too

[@laisaoliveira5831]

I just genuinely love to hear Nahre's voice

[@fideebawa]

Haha, when you started talking about chromaticism, I knew you would bring up Fun. And the same with structure and Zimzalabim. Great video btw, it's so easy for people to dismiss K-pop as just Western pop in a different language, but it obviously wouldn't have had much success or longevity (90s to now, and for the foreseeable future) if it was just a copy. Also the track you made at the end sounds like it could be a Loona xyxx song, actually really liked it.

[@ccjhh4249]

I love this channel so much😭😍

[@pentapandamusic]

Subscribed, professional and interesting content! Thanks LA Buckner and Nahre Sol!

[@IsmailBergitar]

Previously, I didn't really like K-Pop because the community worshiped their idols too much. But everything changed since I listened to Blackpink's music. I was surprised by how progressive their music was. And even more surprised after listening to music from other Korean artists (Idol groups and soloists). Listening to K-Pop music is something that refreshes my musical brain when music from the western world feels boring with almost the same pattern in the last 20 years. Maybe there are some western musicians who give something different, but we can count them on the fingers. Meanwhile, if I listen to most of K-Pop music, it's like listening to all the music theory that I ever got when I was in music school.

[@_twinklesprinkle]

I get what you mean. The fans can be quite a headache to witness, but when you ignore that and appreciate just the music, there's a lot of cool things to see! If you ask me, it's like a gold mine of daring techniques and methods of making music. Because there's so many artists trying to make it big in K-Pop, they have to get creative with what they make to truly stand out, so you get those really fun chord progressions and song structures! :)

[@Bartholomule01]

Thank you! I really like K-Pop and am typically not a huge fan of a lot of other kinds of Pop. Particualrly I tend to attribure my fondness of the genre to the producers. It kind of sounds like they have taken in many genres, tropes, styles etc of the western world and are mixing them in ways devoid of the "rules" that western musicians follow. It's just refreshing to hear something that is definitely Pop and accessible in the way that Pop is while also being a good deal less formulaic.

[@ghtddkc]

itare Congrats on this video as a musician with a moderate level. I was glad to hear and have some reminder on the minor key etc. And the extract serve their purpose perfectly (not too long not too short) maybe Add some resources to the description so that we can look and explore those things by ourselves later on. Thanks for the good work

[@ReacttotheK]

itare hi! What links would you like? :) links to the songs mentioned in this video?

[@ghtddkc]

Hi, I'd like some article to go further: articles about the theory behind the music, article about a quick history of K-pop. Maybe some complete chords progression analysis of some of the tracks (/artists) you talked about (article, video...). That would be the kind of elements I'd be happy to find in the description

[@ReacttotheK]

@@ghtddkc Ah gotcha! I'm not part of SoundField staff so I can't do that, but I can point you to a few videos on my channel where we dive further into music theory and analyzing the songs mentioned in this video! Here's our mini music theory series that we plan on continuing soon this year: kzbin.info/aero/PLFw_XZtkCVMNTCt_U7rxMa7ORRriprqnn Classical Musicians Reacting (less in-depth analysis but we still talk a lot about the music theory in the songs) to a few of the songs mentioned in this video: Red Velvet One of These Nights: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qarMm42tnpiLpa8 Red Velvet Zimzalabim: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6m6mWCio9BpY5Y SNSD I Got a Boy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j166ZpVjrt9ld6M Fromis_9 FUN!: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqbGhnqZar2lfsU Choerry Love Cherry Motion: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4rWimCvqr2ZnNE Oh My Girl Windy Day: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3bHc6aHbrN7r5Y

[@ianluciustan1515]

omg thanks for this video i can finally prove my friends why kpop is so much more

[@way000]

Thank you so much!

[@cjthibeau4843]

SO AWESOME!!! I was really hoping you guys would look t pop music from other areas of the world. I think people always forget that even though people like Drake and Ariana Grande tour literally worldwide, they aren't the only pop stars. You could argue every country has it's own distinct type of pop music. And K-Pop is def the one of the most popular, I have so many students who have all introduced me to BTS lol. And it's not surprising KPop does so much genre blending in like singular songs. IMO "pop" as a genre of music, espeicially in the 21st century, is just taking music tropes from other genres that are popular and melding them all into one song. And I def think US pop took a note from Kpop in the way! I also never knew Kpop was so musically complex! It's so perfect to describe the genre as "colorful and always engaging", suits it so well!! And Nahre to end this off, killer song! Its almost like if a Kpop group played a bunch of 80s nintendo games and then made a beat!! So unique I love it!! Can't wait for whatever is to come in the next video!!!

[@noelcruz2891]

Nice work, Sound Field! 👍 im a casual guitarist listening to a lot of kpop, but interestingly, im much more drawn into the sadder, melancholic songs like BTS' Fake Love & Black Swan, and Twice's Cry for Me.

[@sitarnut]

Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I'm still listening and loving "As One" from the super CD with the big booklet inside....Sweet!

[@bunsprout]

what confuses me about western producers that work with kpop groups often is that many of them don't learn any korean. like, i do understand that it would take years to be able to write lyrics in another language but wouldn't it be so helpful to at least have a basic understanding of how the language is structured? i have heard so many korean producers and self-producing idols talk about how difficult it can be to match korean lyrics to the melodies made for english lyrics..

[@gattart]

Hey, I clicked out of curiosity about what this k-pop stuff is... and ended up with an excellent lesson on music theory! Pretty sneaky, teach...😎 thank you!

[@DavidTizzard]

Really interesting stuff - thank you.

[@newjeansfan238]

It's really interesting, i love k-pop! What i can say about k-pop is that it's not just pop, they mix so different genres to one to make something new, creative and catchy! When we heard a kpop song, we can memorize the title of the song, the chorus when western song is less catchy and can't remember the title for example!

[@Bobbias]

It's so cool to see Nahre doing stuff outside her own channel.

[@MaxIsBackInTown]

The music devices in k-pop are almost entirely borrowed from R&b and gospel music eg: Secondary dominates, mode mixture, suspensions, modulations ect.

[@diversekcox]

thank you for this beautiful an educational video. keep up the great work

[@dylan9194]

Stan red velvet

[@maliaweir3820]

This is so interesting. Makes me appreciate K-pop.

[@SoundFieldPBS]

yessss that's exactly what this channel is for

[@ajbahus]

6:43 YES! That's it! That's the explanation for the k-pop "sound" that I couldn't put my finger on. I hear it all the time but I was never able to explain what it is.

[@rnm723]

Super dope instrumental at the end !

[@spectrfox7661]

I really appreciate this video having so many people actually opening up to K-pop! And truly due to how expansive K-pop as a genre, or I guess at this point, a category of music is not just the same as the seeming-"poppy" or "generic" pop that you get from a lot of the viral K-pop MVs these recent years. And I think a lot of people don't give much of a chance to the rest of K-pop, someone that isn't that familiar to K-pop in a situation for example where let's say, they were convinced to see BTS' Boy with luv for the first time, a lot of people (And I get where this impression is coming from) who see it for the first time think that K-pop is more on the poppy side, again, it's "Pop", Western Pop is the same damn thing right just in English? Even though Western Pop is much more-defined, that's the charm that gives K-pop the name K-pop or K-music, it is Korean but that doesn't limit it to the common chord progressions and cliches you would see. Heck, even if that person only saw BTS' Boy with luv they'd be presented with a whole new world with the rest of that album's tracklist, and even more so with the rest of their repertoire, albums, etc... And that's just one group! I'm not saying that not opening up or liking K-pop as a whole is a bad thing, of course it's still personal preference and if the first k-pop music video you saw you didn't like, then no one's forcing you to give it another chance, but, if you can, please give the others another chance, as 1, 2, 5, 10 music videos can't dictate how the rest of this genre will be like. Perhaps you didn't like Cacophany's In the end, but you did like Girls' Generation's Gee, or perhaps you didn't like BTS Jimin's Lie, but you did like Day6's Sweet Chaos, and those aren't even the farthest from each other in terms of "sub-genre". (I don't wanna get into how K-pop is too large of a genre to be considered a genre and should be split into "sub-genres") edit: And I love that it's Nahre Sol that is doing this video, makes me trust that this video will actually make a positive impact to those who had a different impression of K-pop. Not to change that impression, but rather to enhance it and open their mind.

[@juji7707]

Im 3 years late but id like to know about how kpop is too large of a genre that it should be split to sub genres. I feel Kpop is a mix of multiple genres so wouldn’t the sub genres just be other genres.

[@SamuraiSx19]

Since David Amber said that k-pop does it better than in any other genre in evolving/refreshing/mixing/innovating music sound, I would like to see an analysis of Visual kei j-rock music too)) I think both kpop and visual kei do really crazy things in the music world.

[@bobcunningham6953]

OK. It's time for SoundField to do an "Illustrated Music Theory for Listeners" series. Nahre was zipping through more scales and modes and whatevers so quickly that I wish I understood the difference(s) slightly better than what I heard. I need just enough knowledge to better understand what my ears are telling me! Plus, such a series would be a great forum to collaborate with folks who really have that explanatory knack. Let's do this!

[@bobcunningham6953]

Forgot to add: I love K-Pop! Turns out Hangul is an amazing alphabet and writing system: Learning to read and pronounce it is surprisingly easy, so I can sing along to K-Pop lyrics without having any Korean language knowledge! Comedy ensues when a Korean speaker tries to engage me in conversation after Karaoke. The escape is to just say "gomapseumnida" (고맙습니다) over and over.

[@matheuscontas]

I second this. I couldn't 80% of this video, even tho it looked awesome.

[@njitram2000]

I have been listening to kpop primarily for the past 2 years. Now, when I hear western music, it becomes really apparent to me how repetitive it is, especially in R&B where they will repeat the same line over and over. A good kpop song is so varied that you are not overwhelmed but it leaves you wanting more of all the various parts you just heard. So you listen to it again. And again. April - My Mistake is a good example of that. it has a few parts that are the same but the verses and even the chorus are varied.

[@flyjusify]

finally you guys made me subscribe this channel

[@talewski1835]

Great video.

[@theanitmeme]

Love this video! BTW, rewriting lyrics isn't really a new thing. Tin Pan Alley songwriters used to write lyrics for their songs that they removed and sent just the melody to the lyrics writers, who wrote brand new lyrics from scratch.

[@akkin5460]

None of this is new but I guess it’s new to Korea so that’s what her main point is? Cause all of this was already prominent in hip hop, r&b, American pop songs, etc etc ya know but it wasn’t prominent in korea

[@niiiiiiisse]

Your track at the end was cool, Nahre :)

[@frankenstein3163]

Very well explained. I wonder how many ppl were abuil to follow you !

[@joker0587]

Shut up

[@VivianHanai]

Got this video after asking on google: “Why does K-pop MVs get billions of views?” 😊

[@SoundFieldPBS]

That's helpful to know how you got here. Thanks for telling us and glad you found us

[@easygoingdude9990]

Damn I didn't realize how complex it was

[@jankafka7330]

I can't understand that statement. The first time I listened to a K-Pop song--BlackPink, I think it was, on the recommendation of an intelligent person with catholic taste--I knew I was hearing something completely different from the pop music I was used to hearing. The sounds used in the instrumental tracks, the different modes, complex harmonies, the mashing together of disparate sections...It more than made up for having to look at the beautiful girls/young women performing the stuff.

[@user-ce8nn7lq2v]

제가 음악 이론에 관심을 갖게 된 것은 케이팝이에요! 🎶 사랑스러운 비디오 고마워요! 💜

[@rivensk7608]

Hi! I’m not a musician nor knowing in music theory, but how about layering? I’ve listened to some (not all) K-Pop and I’ve noticed they’re quite playful with their layering, I rarely find it in western Pop (well, I’m not listening much also). Can someone help me explain about this layering thing is actually affecting or not?

[@Lala216]

Such a cool vid!

[@Janet9148]

Love cherry motion is a fun song that i love and loved that i learned about it uses phygian mode Thanks for the vid!

[@ImARocker75]

STAN SOUND FIELD

[@u414tsan]

stan nahre

[@darklordthomaspie6293]

That was a cool song! The one you made!

[@mySDK3333]

Hi all. Everyone is different. You can enjoy anything whether it has something complicated behind it or not.

[@jeremiahmiller6453]

the last little original song could deffo be a bangin krnb b side

[@muhammadidris2834]

"Next, JPop is much more complex than you think" (i wish). Jpop needs more love

[@muhammadidris2834]

If they did a video about it, i hope they'll mention Miku as the first non human singer in coachella.

[@sirmiluch6856]

It is. and it's not copying American rnb trash. They not only are using complex chord progressions (sometimes extremely complex), but their music is deeply rotted to their culture and history. And their singers are actually singing instead shouting repeated phrases. This is whole different world.