What makes a successful song?
Structure.
Most popular pop songs are in a verse-chorus structure with a middle eight. This is demonstrated by
Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Madonna, and every other famous band for the last 40 years with a few
exceptions.
Key
G major and C major are very popular keys with lots of successful songs this is because many people
can sing within that range making the song more appealing to the general public. The relative minor
of A minor and E minor are also popular for similar reasons, A minor and E minor also give off a
sadder mood. When playing the guitar I know from previous experience that G major is the easiest
key to play thanks to the open chords being naturally available.
Harmony
When playing in a key the best chords to use are chords 1, 2,3, 4, 5, and the relative minor. For
example, in C major chord 1 is C major, Chord 2 is D major, Chord 3 is E major Chord 4 is F major
Chord 5 is G major. A very popular chord progression is Chord 1 followed by Chord 2 followed by
Chord 4 followed by Chord 5.
BPM
GENRE BPM
Hip Hop 85–95 BPM
Glitch Hop 105–115 BPM
Techno 120–125 BPM
House 115–130 BPM
Electro 128 BPM
Dubstep 140 BPM (with a half-time, 70 BPM feel)
Drum and
174 BPM
Bass
Source found from the website https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/using-different-tempos-to-make-
beats-for-different-genres.html October 27, 2021, by Arthur Kody.
Structure.
Most popular pop songs are in a verse-chorus structure with a middle eight. This is demonstrated by
Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, Madonna, and every other famous band for the last 40 years with a few
exceptions.
Key
G major and C major are very popular keys with lots of successful songs this is because many people
can sing within that range making the song more appealing to the general public. The relative minor
of A minor and E minor are also popular for similar reasons, A minor and E minor also give off a
sadder mood. When playing the guitar I know from previous experience that G major is the easiest
key to play thanks to the open chords being naturally available.
Harmony
When playing in a key the best chords to use are chords 1, 2,3, 4, 5, and the relative minor. For
example, in C major chord 1 is C major, Chord 2 is D major, Chord 3 is E major Chord 4 is F major
Chord 5 is G major. A very popular chord progression is Chord 1 followed by Chord 2 followed by
Chord 4 followed by Chord 5.
BPM
GENRE BPM
Hip Hop 85–95 BPM
Glitch Hop 105–115 BPM
Techno 120–125 BPM
House 115–130 BPM
Electro 128 BPM
Dubstep 140 BPM (with a half-time, 70 BPM feel)
Drum and
174 BPM
Bass
Source found from the website https://www.izotope.com/en/learn/using-different-tempos-to-make-
beats-for-different-genres.html October 27, 2021, by Arthur Kody.
