Why do we DJ’s need visualise Phrases in DJay Pro?
One of your main challenges as a DJ is figuring out how to take two totally different songs and make them sound as if they were designed to fit together.
Maintaining the musical pace and feel in a mix is a very important facet of DJing that everyone, beginners to advanced, need to understand.
As you learn how to DJ, you’ll discover all forms of music have an ingrained pattern of rhythm, tension and release that the dancers naturally follow and expect to hear.
When those patterns are broken in a mix, it can seriously throw off the groove. Using those patterns to your advantage, however, will keep the dancefloor rocking early into the morning.
Beats: Individual counts of a song, four of which (in most dance music, which is 4/4) make up a…
Bar: A collection of beats, usually 4. Each bar of a song will have the same amount of beats in it.
Phrases: These are the longer sections of the song which are made up of a set number of bars – usually they also indicate the start of a new melodic or instrumental element in a track. Often phrases are 8, 16 or 32 beats
You can match BPM without matching the beats.
If beats are not matched the track sound really bad. (Only advanced DJ need this for special effects)
You can match Beats without matching the Bars.
If bars are not matched both tracks are clashing.
You can match Bars without matching the Phrases.
If Phrases are not mached it sound good but the new Phrase starts at the wrong moment. The pattern is broken.
Djay Pro Software
You should always match Phrases and mix Phrases in order that the transition exactly finish when a new Phrase starts.
Important for analysing the track is to find the correct beginning and the length of the Phrases.
Autodedection of
Into = First Phrase
Outro = last Phrase
Corus = Highest Energy Level
Verse = Lower Energy then Corus
Bridge = Lowest Energie Level
This Info together with Type should be displayed on top the waveform.
The Phrase Name should be edidable
Basic Phrase Types
Intro: The intro is pretty much anything you want it to be. Many songs start with just the melody that is rising up. The important thing is to not stay too long at the intro, and make it tie in quickly.
Verse: The Verse is the first main part of your melody and story of your arrangement. It repeats a few times before moving on to the chorus. Verses are usually used in music with lyrics. Music with a verse, or verse like aspects, can do really well by ending the melodic and harmonic line with tension. Either with an I chord or a V chord and then resolve it in the chorus.
Chorus: This is the main part of the song. It is the hook, the thing you want people to remember and has most of the power of the song. This part should have energy and be no longer than the verse. It will usually repeat like: Verse, Chorus, Verse, and chorus.
Solo: This can be used anytime, preferably after a round or two of chorus and verse, to add a little jam feel. Used a lot in jazz and can really create cool sections in music. When you are thinking of live performance Solo parts are always fantastic, even if it’s not in your released track.
Break or sometime Bridge: This is used to break up what the listener has paid attention to. In electronic music you usually take out the drums and add a rising sound to the next part. A bridge / break can be more powerful by adding new instruments or changing the key. Try to keep this at 8 measures or less.
Riser: A Riser is just like a break except that it is arpeggiating or having some sort of buildup that is released with the next section coming in. Usually no beat and last 8 measures or 16. When the next part comes in, it will have a lot more energy and should be the climax of the piece.
Outro: This is used to resolve the song and come in for a smooth landing. Some son’s don’t have an outro and others have a long outro. You can also add a final sense by adding a Coda, or strong cadence at the end of your track.
Another Explanation
Verse:
Same melody and harmony but different lyrics.
Chorus:
Same melody and harmony that repeats.
Interlude:
Instrumental filler used to connect two larger parts of music.
Bridge:
A specific type of interlude most often seen right before the final verse or final chorus.
Hook: Short catchy musical phrase.
Why this struckture?
Breaks create a tension that leads power to the next section
Have most elements come in and repeat every 8 or 16 measures
Have the breakdown around 50% in the track
Has the climax after the breakdown or around %50-%60 into the song
Create change and interest in your song by breaking it up a little with melodic changes or drum brakes
Most pop songs are 3:30 and electronic songs can be any length, but to keep a really tight song that keeps interest try and keep it on the shorter side.
There is a difference between the dance floor and the bedroom. On the dance floor and live take out mostly intros and have songs last around 5-8 minutes to keep the beat and audience’s attention. The bedroom is much more fluid and shorter attention span.
