Song: Chains

Artist: DLT feat. Che Fu

Songwriters: Angus McNaughton, Che Ness, Kevin Rangihuna, Darryl L Thomson

Album: The True School

Release date: 1996

Genre: Rap/ Hip-Hop

Key: B Minor

Chords in Key:

Chains is written for voice, electric piano, bass and drums.

Intro/ Verse/ Chorus

Chains uses various repeating loops, as is common in most hip-hop songs. It begins with a repeating loop on a drum machine as well as a bass guitar loop that only plays a single tonic root note. The verse is the same loop, meaning it is simply sitting on the tonic chord the whole time. Interest is added by adding an electric piano melody in the second half of the verse. The pre-chorus is created by removing the piano melody and Che Fu moving from rapping to singing.

The chorus is created in several ways. Firstly, the main distinction is that the vocals switch from rapping to singing. Hip-hop songs often do this, as it means the lyrics in the verse can be complex, and then an easily singable melody can be used in the chorus. A four chord pattern playing arpeggios on the piano is added above these loops. The bass note being played makes some of these chords into inversions and suspended chords and could be considered a pedal note.

For a glossary of terms visit dictionary.onmusic.org

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