Musicality layers - simple as a cake

I love to imagine music as a layered cake 🍰. When we dance musically, we align our movements with the music, choosing several layers to follow, like taking some layers from the cake.

Usually not all at once - the taste will be an average of everything, and not only a single layer - it would be too dull. Here are the questions that help to taste each of them:

General style

Tango or blues? Afro-jazz or old rock? Cha-cha-cha or reggaeton? Inherit it.

General Mood

Lyrical or energetic, sweet or sad. Drunk Englishman blues or Brazilian girl singing about the ocean? Tune your soul in.

Song structure

Is there a prelude? An intro? An outro? Where does the verse switches to chorus? Is there a bridge between? Definitely worth listening to that.

Basic rhythm

Drums and bass line pulse, separate piano notes or electric guitar riffs - do they touch something inside of you, do they make your body react immediately?

Repeating patterns

Is there something like {cha-ta-pumm, cha-ka-taa} x3 ? {Booh-booh, tadada, tadada, tadada} once at the end of each verse? Or maybe just one strong {pam-pam-pam}? That's definitely a hint for a move!

Lyrics

Hallelujah, hallelujah? Everybody look to the left, everybody look to the right? My heart skips skips a beat? Don't let it go

Vocals and solos

The voice of a singer or a violin - do they speak to you? Could you hear a piano phrase? Reply with your body

Accents

Every contrast change we hear is an accent. Sound to silence? Raise of vocal? The fall of the drummer? Structure changes? Sudden drama? Start and end of the phrase? These all are the accents of different types. Are they smooth like condensed milk spot, or sharp, like a chocolate crumb? Could you catch them all?

Speed and intensity

Does the song sound slow to you? But aren't there many accents in this slow flow? So it makes you move faster than in slow song. And the accents of this slow one - aren't them mostly so smooth that you move slower than in fast one?

Aftertaste

Remember, the layers do not exist isolated, they interfere and diffuse into each other. And additionally there are always some chocolate crumpets, raisins and some cherries on the top. Bon profit!