#this has a clear melody it has choirs it has a metronome

[beevean]

Super Metroid

Norfair - Ancient Ruins

[floofsta-x]

Monsta X, 아름다워 BEAUTIFUL musical analysis

Writers 별들의 전쟁, 주헌 (Jooheon), 아이엠 (I.M)

Composer 별들의 전쟁

Arrangers 별들의 전쟁, 아테나

Time Signature 4/4 (common time)

Tempo ~150bpm

Key concert D minor

    Hey guys! Sorry this took me so long, school as always has been eating me absolutely alive. Even now as I’m writing this I’m supposed to be catching up on assignments but I have absolutely no motivation at all to do so. Also hey, doing random but important musical analyses is relevant to my music degree....right?

    When I first heard Beautiful, in watching the music video seven seconds after it was posted to Starship’s YouTube channel, I was completely and totally blown away. Heck, I think all of us were! I’ve seen several posts pertaining to how expectations for this comeback were extremely high, but the new album and title track blew them out of the water. The music video, too, showcases the best of the boys’ talents and charms! I have to admit that each of the boys turns my head at least once in it, and ruins me in some cases too. Kings only here. :))

    Now I’m starting to analyze the music itself, and as I get farther and farther into it, I’m starting to see (or rather hear) exactly why this song is already making waves. Some of the things that I’m running into are both confounding me and making me grin in awe and pure joy. In short, this is something that might not be a big challenge to a music theorist but will definitely make them go ‘wow, yeah, this is cool’. 

    I’ve looked at a bunch of K-pop songs over the last couple months, and time and again Monsta X stands out in my head as being the group to listen to, period. All of their songs are very well done.

    But anyway! I’m just laying down facts you already know huh? Let’s see if I can’t blow your mind a little like this has been blowing mine~ 

     As with every song I analyze, I first transcribe the melody only, writing it down on staff paper. I use bar lines as phrase separations and not necessarily to write out rhythm; also all notes are represented by a quarter note with a slanted (or not so slanted, this is all handwritten lol) stem. Main backgrounds are notated and labelled; embellishing harmonies and higher vocal lines are written out above the staff. This is a technique that I originally developed when I was planning to start a series on here called kpop theory, all the way back when i joined the fandom four months ago xD. 

    Okay! now to breaking down this huge hunk of music! I’ll split this into parts so it’s hopefully a little easier to read. Also I’ll put all pitches in concert key; I’m having to transpose from clarinet (in B♭) so if there’s something off, please forgive me.

    Sidenote: the reason that I need to do this is because not all musical instruments sound the same. If one plays a written middle ‘C’ on the clarinet, it is not the same thing as a written middle ‘C’ on a piano; actually, It would sound the same as the ‘B��’ right underneath that. So, basing everything around this pitch, we say that clarinet is in B♭.

Opening / Verse 1? >>> Jooheon and I.M’s Raps

     I haven’t fully analyzed every little background line, but I can say that for the most part, everything is centered in d minor. Actually the first pitch we hear is a d; it’s hidden in the electronic sounds but there nonetheless. (That’s also why it’s the first note written on my sheet lol.)

    The moment before Jooheon breaks in, the backgrounds hit a low ‘A’ and ascend by half steps--semitones--to d, there is distortion of course but the trained ear can pick out the chromaticism pretty easily. From here the synth riff in the background keeps tension incredibly high while Jooheon and Changkyun are rapping. (I love how they’re getting more comfortable with coordinating their raps! My little heart is weak for our rapper line ❤︎) I haven’t figured it out note for note yet (THERE’S AN INSTRUMENTAL SECTION IN THE MAKING FILM BLESS), but I know that through this section the main notes are f, e, d, a--the fifth scale degree of D minor and a note that is common in all kinds of music-- a♭, a strange little addition that probably has something to do with the last and lowest note, the next f down.

    Jooheon and Changkyun are so great at fast rapping wow. They both break into sixteenth notes (perhaps even faster) during this first section, very quick for the tempo of right around 150 bpm. Try Google searching a metronome, and setting it right around there, then saying “one-ee-and-uh” for every beat. Difficult huh?

    Last but not least, if you’re wondering why I’ve labelled this with a ‘Verse 1?’, that’s simply because I believe it to be the first verse, but I’m not quite used to calling rap, verses as in verses of a song and not just verses on their own.

Pre-Chorus >>> Shownu, Wonho

    The last note of the synth riff, the ‘A’, leads right into Shownu’s line, “niga nal, manjmyeon...”. Whoever wrote the melody is an absolute genius, it’s very flowing, lyrical, and beautiful ;). Compared to Jooheon and Changkyun’s fierceness right before, it really took me aback.

Solfege for this section: ↓ Sol Te Do / Me Re Te / ↓ Sol Sol Le / Me Re Do Te / ↓ Sol Sol Te Do Do ↑ Sol Me Me Fa / Me Re Do [EVERY DAY] / Me Re Do [EVERY NIGHT] / Do Re Me Fa [I CAN FEEL YOU] / ↑ Sol [OH]

    This sequence is very diatonic (moving by steps on the minor scale) so therefore easy to sing, something I am extremely pleased with. I was admittedly was worried, going into this comeback, that in an effort to make their songs more impactful they’d complicate the melodies and make them harder to follow. But they didn’t! Personally, though, Wonho’s ‘oh’ is right around the break between my chest and head voices, so I either have to switch or force my chest voice a little (I go sharp sometimes when I do the latter but I can usually hit it accurately). 

    So I’ll take this opportunity to talk about the key a little more. We’re in concert D Minor (with a key signature of one flat, one sharp for B♭ instruments) and I’m finding that most of the other songs on the album are in a similar key. I’ve mentioned before that I believe that key can affect the listener’s opinion of the song, right? Compared to The Clan part 2, on which close to all the songs were in keys with multiple flats and sharps, this is better. I believe that it’s part of the reason why not as many people like Fighter, the different style contributing as well, of course.

Chorus >>> Kihyun, Minhyuk, Hyungwon

Solfege: Do Do Do Do ↑ Sol Me Fa / Fa Fa Me Re Do (Do Re Me Fa) / Do Do Do Do Sol Me Fa / Me Me Me ↑ Te Do Sol / ↑ Do Te Sol Fa Sol / ↑ Do Te Sol Fa [SO BEAUTIFUL] / ↑ Do Te Sol Fa Sol [SO BEAUTIFUL] / Me Me Do Me Me  / Me Me Me Do Me / Do Me Fa Re / ↓ Te Te Te Te Te Re Do

    Again, most of the chorus is either diatonic or only skipping by thirds in each line. The only exceptions are the Do to Sol (D to A) in the first and third lines, and Me to Te, in Kihyun’s “geot gatado”. HIs falsetto here is quite clear and clean, and I’m in love with it? The note that he hits, that high E, is seen quite frequently in choir soprano lines. I have to use my own head voice to reach it! When Minhyuk sings it in the next phrase, it is a little grainier but not much. The “so beautiful’ theme is just amazing, I love it. Again, master melody writer!

    And then Hyungwon finishes it off with his amazing baritone! This part isn’t as low as some of his other things have been (Interstellar and Hero come particularly to mind) but he handles it beautifully. Like both songs, his lines are kind of a mood shift. Prior to now, we haven’t seen the ‘E’ (Re) in the melody (Wonho sings it in only passing during his “I can feel you”) and it gives more of a major feel to the end of the line, also perhaps to help us into the dance section. 

Dance Break 1 / Rap 2 / Verse 2 Pt 1? >>> Jooheon / IM

    Sometimes I wish that I was a talented dancer; doesn’t the boys’ dance look so cool?? They’re really in sync, I’m sure that they spent countless hours in the practice room rehearsing. My goal in life is to be so passionate about something that I can do that, push myself to the limit for it. 

    Anyways back to the music. Now we see that the backgrounds get changed up, emphasizing the electronic beat. They’re really effective, though simple: I didn’t notate it in my transcription, but it’s mostly chromatic half steps around D with a quarter note triplet rhythm. Here’s a quick mockup I made in MuseScore:

    The lower notes are the true ones, but I put them an octave higher too for anyone who can read music but isn’t necessarily good with lots of ledger lines.

    After eight bars of dance, next comes another rap section. Changkyun still sticks closely to sixteenth note patterns, while Jooheon breaks out into triplets, something that he’s done in other songs of theirs (Stuck comes particularly to mind). To feel this for yourself, say the word ‘blue-ber-ry’ to a beat. 

    This section ends with Jooheon’s ‘You’re so Awesome’. 

EXTENSION / Verse 2 Pt 2? >>> Hyungwon, Minhyuk, Jooheon

Solfege: te te ↑ do / te te te te te ↑ re ↓ te ↑ do / te te ↑ do / te te te te ↑ do re ↓ do te / do ↑ me me ↓ do do ↑ re re ↓ do do ↑ me me ↓ do do ↑ me / [JOOHEON RAP, I DON’T KNOW, 싹 다 ALL IN]

    Jooheon’s little melody there right before his rap is kind of atonal so I’m not sure of the pitches or solfege for sure, but I think what I have written above is correct (and what’s on the transposition sheet is incorrect). Me to Do is a minor third, and this is a very common interval; it’s used a lot in children’s songs and is often one of the first intervals they sing. Over the summer, I babysat two kids, a six year old girl and her four year old brother, and we were outside playing one day and the boy saw a bug on the ground. “roly-poly, roly-poly”, he sang, and bent down to pick it up. Take a wild guess what interval he used. Yep, the minor third.

    I believe this little part to be a melody extension, as it doesn’t seem to link back to either the bridge (forthcoming), the verses, the pre-chorus, or the chorus; it might even be separate all on its own. It shares the darker sound and leads right into the next pre-chorus like the verses, and it’s the same lineup as the chorus (plus Jooheon of course).

    I think that I’ve been getting more comfortable with telling people in my music department about my love for k-pop, so it shouldn’t be too weird to go to a theory professor and ask about this structure, right? I’m thinking that I’m going to pick our accompanist’s brain about it.  

Pre-Chorus 2 >>> Shownu, Wonho

    This is the exact same as it was before, and still just as beautiful. My only regret is that Wonho’s ‘oh’ isn’t accompanied by a full, clear view of that smoky look again (he hasn’t been doing it in performance, either, I’ve noticed--Does Wonho know that he’s missing a chance to maim and kill Monbebe? I’m always watching Monsta X mvs and shouting at the screen “YES Wonho WE KNOW you’re cute and sexy, can you STOP ALREADY” but....I want more of that smoky look....)

Chorus 2 >>> Kihyun, Minhyuk, Hyungwon

    Again, this is the same as the last time, with a few more background vocals added to ramp up the tension. I think Jooheon has some rapped ‘yeah’s and there might be some harmony parts too. 

    Which brings me to another reason why I really love this new album. It seems to me that there’s more of that harmony on Beautiful than on their previous releases, more consistently. I mean I know it’s been there before, I mean come on, 하얀소녀, and also Kihyun’s ever-present last-chorus elaborations???? but now I’m like really starting to hear and enjoy it when these boys back each other up. 

    Ps. If you ever want an experience? Find some instrumental tracks. They’re released with albums sometimes; I’ve found that they’re pretty easily accessible on Spotify. Take a moment to listen to what’s going on without any background vocals. It’s weird sometimes! My personal favorite example is Boys Republic’s Get Down.

Breakdown / Bridge >>> Kihyun, Wonho, Shownu

    Slow it down, we gotta slow it, slow it down~ 

Solfege: (K) Me Me Do Me Me Fa / Me Re Me Re Me Re Do / (W) Me Me Do Me Do Me Fa / Me Re Me Re Sol / (S) Me Me Do Me Re Do / Me Re Me Re Me Re Do / (K) Me Me Do Me Me Do Me Fa Fa / Sol Fa / Te Te Te / Te Re Do

    Breakdowns are often my favorite part of tracks, simply because they give the boys a moment to shine without anything overly complicated or attention-catching in the background. Beautiful is no exception, mainly because the harmonies are really brought out here, especially in the breaks between phrases in the main melody. I’m not quite versed enough to pick out what all the individual vocal lines are, but I’ve written what I heard right off on my transcription :) I’ll do a supplement once I know everything for sure.

    This time there’s no pre-chorus, the Bridge takes its place, so finally we go straight into:

Chorus 3 / Final Chorus >>> Kihyun, Minhyuk, Hyungwon

    And now Kihyun’s high notes are featured behind the band, and boy they are glorious. They don’t go any higher than anything he sings in the chorus, but they might seem so because of how they are presented and their placement in the song. Also, the vocal quality with which he sings them. I’ve noticed that Kihyun tends to stay light on his top notes, and in performances keeps his throat relaxed and his eyebrows up while he sings them. That’s a pretty certain sign that he’s been trained well by a vocal coach or multiple vocal coaches; also a testament to his natural talent and gift. 

    These backgrounds are the final level of tension to an already exciting and amazing song. Our boys are talented, that’s for sure! And I’m very glad that Starship is willing to bring in the best to work and collaborate with them. 

    And I believe that’s about all I have! Monsta X is just getting better and better, aging like a to-be-fine wine. I really hope that they can get their first win with this album, they really deserve it! I can’t stop listening to any of their music, and that is a good part of the reason why they’re my ultimate bias group. I’m working as hard as I have time to to make sure that their win happens. Monbebe! Fighting! 

    Please anticipate my analysis of the rest of the album, too, at some point in the near future. I just need the time, but what is that ;-; Also I’ve been wanting to do a series like this (as I mentioned before) for various other songs (I even have an entire playlist on Youtube devoted to it) but nothing ever came out of it, other than a collection of personal transcriptions that I annoy my friends with by playing all the time. ahha.

    I mean if you liked it give me a nudge? I loved doing this, and I haven’t seen anything like it here on tumblr. Also if you need explanations on things, my ask box is always open!!