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Visualizing Hip-Hop Melodies (2016)

42 points by sova 7y ago

adamiscool8 7y ago
This is really cool -- I know I tend to enjoy certain songs that share certain characteristic flows, this would be a fun way to sort of "quantify" and organize a music library. I wonder if Spotify uses a technique like this as a heuristic for their song suggestions. Is there an open source alternative for Melodyne?
pickdenis 7y ago
(This isn't related to hip-hop or melodies.) I have absolute pitch; I can tell the pitch of any musical note I hear without any reference at all. I can also produce any pitch within my vocal or whistling range without a reference. This all comes completely naturally to me, and I don't have to think about it. Listening to this rap song, I noticed something strange. The article talks about the melody of the song, but the rapper isn't singing. Of course, his rapping voice still has a pitch but it's actually not obvious to me what note he's "singing". If I listen very hard, I can still pick out the pitches of his notes (like how he centers on D). However, it is much much harder for me to tell the pitch of a speaking voice (or rapping voice) than a singing voice. This leads me to believe that there is a separate, functionally discrete part of my brain dedicated to processing music. It also perhaps explains why I don't like rap music that much; it feels like my brain processes it as though it is spoken word rather than music, creating a somewhat strange and unmusical experience.
- sova 7y ago
  Spoken word and Music are processed by different sectors of your brain it feels like or seems? That's really fascinating. What about math?
- codedokode 7y ago
  Maybe pitch in rap is for intonation rather than for melody?
- REDDitMen 7y ago
  Maybe sample some with plenty of slang, or maybe a different language so that it ceases to be "spoken word"?
- paggle 7y ago
  A lot of aspiring rappers don’t realize they are just singing with shorter vowels. If you don’t understand this you will rap in the key of 448 Hz over a beat in the key of 440 Hz and it will sound like dogshit.
peteforde 7y ago
One of the most educational and interesting explainer videos I've ever seen is Vox's "Rapping, Deconstructed". Please consider this required watching, even if you have no interest in hip-hop music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWveXdj6oZU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWveXdj6oZU After you watch that, I suspect you'll hear this Kendrick Lamar track with new ears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo I know that while I am still very much a jazz/rock person, those videos expanded my perception of what was musically possible. No hyperbole on my end.
- Baeocystin 7y ago
  That was an edifying, enjoyable watch. Thanks for posting it.

42 points by sova 7y ago

This is really cool -- I know I tend to enjoy certain songs that share certain characteristic flows, this would be a fun way to sort of "quantify" and organize a music library. I wonder if Spotify uses a technique like this as a heuristic for their song suggestions. Is there an open source alternative for Melodyne?

pickdenis 7y ago

(This isn't related to hip-hop or melodies.) I have absolute pitch; I can tell the pitch of any musical note I hear without any reference at all. I can also produce any pitch within my vocal or whistling range without a reference. This all comes completely naturally to me, and I don't have to think about it. Listening to this rap song, I noticed something strange. The article talks about the melody of the song, but the rapper isn't singing. Of course, his rapping voice still has a pitch but it's actually not obvious to me what note he's "singing". If I listen very hard, I can still pick out the pitches of his notes (like how he centers on D). However, it is much much harder for me to tell the pitch of a speaking voice (or rapping voice) than a singing voice. This leads me to believe that there is a separate, functionally discrete part of my brain dedicated to processing music. It also perhaps explains why I don't like rap music that much; it feels like my brain processes it as though it is spoken word rather than music, creating a somewhat strange and unmusical experience.

sova 7y ago
Spoken word and Music are processed by different sectors of your brain it feels like or seems? That's really fascinating. What about math?
codedokode 7y ago
Maybe pitch in rap is for intonation rather than for melody?
REDDitMen 7y ago
Maybe sample some with plenty of slang, or maybe a different language so that it ceases to be "spoken word"?
paggle 7y ago
A lot of aspiring rappers don’t realize they are just singing with shorter vowels. If you don’t understand this you will rap in the key of 448 Hz over a beat in the key of 440 Hz and it will sound like dogshit.

peteforde 7y ago

One of the most educational and interesting explainer videos I've ever seen is Vox's "Rapping, Deconstructed". Please consider this required watching, even if you have no interest in hip-hop music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWveXdj6oZU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWveXdj6oZU After you watch that, I suspect you'll hear this Kendrick Lamar track with new ears: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZTYgq4EoRo I know that while I am still very much a jazz/rock person, those videos expanded my perception of what was musically possible. No hyperbole on my end.

Baeocystin 7y ago
That was an edifying, enjoyable watch. Thanks for posting it.