Blurred
Make a snare out of a sound that isn't a drum, and write a chord progression that climbs.
What Kiasmos said
Janus Rasmussen said the snare in Blurred is actually Ólafur Arnalds hitting the piano. Reviews describe a simple drum beat, strings and a chord progression that climbs. It runs at about 122 BPM.
A snare is a job, not a sound
In lesson 2 you met the snare's job: the backbeat on 2 and 4. Any short, sharp hit can do that job, whether it's the body of a piano, a book or a hand on a table. An unusual snare gives a track its own character.
Chords that climb
When each chord sits a little higher than the last, the music feels like it's lifting. Keeping the beat steady while the chords rise is a simple, strong way to build tension.
Song study
- Blurred.
- In this lesson you will make a snare out of a sound that isn't a drum, and write a chord progression that climbs.
The snare is a role
The hit on beats 2 and 4.
In Blurred, that hit is Ólafur Arnalds striking the piano. Anything short and sharp can take the job.
Switch the sound on 2 and 4 while it plays. The groove stays the same and only the character changes.
Every version still has a backbeat. The job is the same and the feel is different.
Four minor chords, each a little higher than the last (0, 3, 5 and 7 semitones above the first). An example of the idea, not the song's own chords.
By the last chord you want to fall back to the first. That pull is what a rising progression gives you.
Go to this study's own pattern
- Hold PATTERN, press T3 (bank C).
- Then press 4.
- If anything plays there, clear it with FUNC + PLAY.
- Press TEMPO, set 122 BPM with LEVEL/DATA, and press BACK.
C04 on the screen, at 122 BPM.
- Set the machines this study needs, the same layout as your course track: T1 KICK, T3 METAL, T4 PERC, T6 CHORD.
- For each: hold TRACK, press the pad, press MACHINES, turn LEVEL/DATA to the machine and press BACK.
Make a piano-body snare
- Press RECORD, select T4 (PERC).
- Turn PITCH down a little, DECAY to about 40 and COLOR up until it sounds like knocking on wood.
- Place it on 5 and 13.
A dull, woody knock where the snare usually is.
Add the beat around it
- On T1, kicks on 1, 5, 9 and 13.
- On T3, hats on 3, 7, 11 and 15.
- Press PLAY.
Same groove as always, with a new voice on the backbeat.
Add the chords
- Select T6 (CHORD), turn SHAPE to minor and DECAY to about 100.
- Place chords on 1, 5, 9 and 13.
The same chord four times. Next, make it climb.
Make it climb
- On 5, hold the trig, press LEVEL/DATA until NOTE shows, and turn it 3 semitones up.
- On 9, 5 up.
- On 13, 7 up.
Each chord a step higher than the last, then back down at the top of the bar.
Save
- Press RECORD to leave grid recording.
- Then hold FUNC and long-press SETTINGS.
What made the snare sound in Blurred?
Answer
The piano. Janus Rasmussen said the snare is actually Ólafur hitting the piano. It still works as a snare because it's short, sharp and sits on 2 and 4.
The backbeat is a job. Any short, sharp sound on 2 and 4 can do it.
This lesson's challenge
Record a real-world hit (a book, a table, a mug) into Live, and compare it with your PERC knock. Which fits the chords better?