Can someone help? (Just Blaze talks about Mobb Deep's Hell on Earth not making sense)

[TheDarceKnight]

I've been into beats and samples for over 10 years. I thought I understood some music theory, but apparently not. Just Blaze talks about how it's cool to not always "follow the rules" and uses Hell on Earth as an example of an album where the production "doesn't make sense" from a musical POV, in terms of bass lines that don't fit, etc. I always thought the album just sounded dope, and it is, but can anyone break down a bit more what he means, and maybe even some song examples?

Skip to 1:41:50

 

[Wildin]

I've been into beats and samples for over 10 years. I thought I understood some music theory, but apparently not. Just Blaze talks about how it's cool to not always "follow the rules" and uses Hell on Earth as an example of an album where the production "doesn't make sense" from a musical POV, in terms of bass lines that don't fit, etc. I always thought the album just sounded dope, and it is, but can anyone break down a bit more what he means, and maybe even some song examples?

Skip to 1:41:50

he's talking about conventional music and music theory. To quote him he said something like "If you were to write all the music notes and such down, it wouldnt make sense" if you studied music they wouldnt tell you to do that, they'd tell you not to do it. its like if you went to art school and they taught you to draw inside the lines, but there are famous artists that draw outside of the lines. their method, their work is unconventional, but it works, its beautiful.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

he's talking about conventional music and music theory. To quote him he said something like "If you were to write all the music notes and such down, it wouldnt make sense" if your studied music they wouldnt tell you to do that, they'd tell you not to do it. its like if you went to art school and they taught you to draw inside the lines, but there are famous artists that draw outside of the lines. their method, their work is unconventional, but it works, its beautiful.

Thanks for that!
I still wish I knew more specifics, but I can hear it. Especially on joints like Get Dealt With.

 

[TEKBEATZ]

Now i have to pull out my hell on earth cd.

 

[KillSpray]

yeah I think what Just Blaze meant was that the basslines were dissonant, or out of key, with the samples they were under on some of the tracks.

the thing about music theory that I know misunderstood for a long time is, and I think there's a lot of confusion over, is the whole idea that there are "rules" in music theory. there aren't really any rules. music theory was first being studied and approached from the perspective on church hymns and european classical music, and usually if you take a piano class or a theory class they start you off studying classical music. a lot of people end up making the mistake thinking that the way european classical music is written is what music theory is... not the case.

that early classical and church music was concerned with the most "pleasing" and "agreeable" combinations of notes.

Other styles of music, like jazz for example, work with more "tense" combinations of notes.

Then there's styles of music that are more experimental that work with dissonance, combinations of notes that purposely clash and sound "off"

Music theory has something to say about all of it, so learning theory wouldn't necessarily make you say it's wrong.. you'd just know it was dissonant.

 

[Ohene]

Thanks for that!
I still wish I knew more specifics, but I can hear it. Especially on joints like Get Dealt With.

fam...relistening to Blaze's word....as soon as he mentioned bassline i thought of Get Dealt With lol

 

[roxxthe96er]

They did it all from the the ground up with no training so they just made what sounded natural, thats why all those beats are so easy to flow on, but technically theyre not musically "right"