Preliminaries of Beatmania IIDX

  Before starting introducing the last rhythm game, beatmania IIDX, I would like to make some brief explanation about some music knowledge. I will introduce the terms which may be used in the following week. This might not help you play beatmania IIDX or other rhythm games more well or get higher score, but it may be more convenient for me to introduce beatmania IIDX.

  I suggest you review my first article, "Introduction".

  If you can't understand, don't want to understand, or even think my blog is suck, you can simply enjoy the music and skip the article.

1. Synthesizer (synth, 合成器) and Sampler (Rompler, 取樣器)[1]

  These two instruments are very important in electronic music. I don't know much about it, so only a very brief explanation is provided.

Synthesizer

• Bass: Bass is, namely, low frequency, which is the most important element. Example: PSY - GENTLEMAN (notice 0:00~0:07 except drum)

• Lead: a highlighted part, usually obvious sawtooth wave (鋸齒波), with middle and high frenquency. Example: David Guetta - Play Hard (0:25~0:33)

• Pad: background sound to make music more abundant, hard to recognize, with middle or high frenquency composed by sine wave (正弦波)
• Key: key sound, like keyboard, xylophone

Sampler

• Kick: similar to "bass drum (大鼓)"
• Clap: like the sound of clapping hands
• Snare: 小鼓, usually appear with clap together
• FX: sound effects, like shouting, exploding sound

2. Music Genre

• Pop: the songs popular to many people 
• Hip hop: "consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, beatboxing and DJ scratching[2]"
• House: "a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the American city of Chicago in the early 1980s, repetitive 4/4 beats, often 126~134 BPM, rhythms mainly provided by drum machines, off-beat hi-hat cymbals, and synthesized basslines, notably the prominent kick drum on every beat[3]" If you have been to a pub, you might be familiar with house music. Example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJ3DJ8It1JE
• Trance: "Classic trance employs a 4/4 time signature, a tempo of 125 to 150 BPM, and 32 beat phrases. A kick drum is usually placed on every downbeat and a regular open hi-hat is often placed on the upbeat or every 1/8th division of the bar.[4]" The melody is usually graceful, and trance is my favorite music type. Example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcJPv6cglaI&list=PL78C1E51DE2B3DD85
• Hardcore: The rhythm is heavy and fast, above 170 BPM. Hardcore is very common in rhythm games. Example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_P56mCeOvo(this song is from beatmania IIDX)
• Eurobeat: The lead is very bright and dense (many notes in a short time). Sometimes the tempo is strange. You can play a plenty of eurobeat songs in beatmania IIDX, jubeat and dance dance revolution. I like eurobeat too because it cheers me up when I feel depressed. Example:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eezECGji60(this song can be played in jubeat and beatmania IIDX)

Thank you for visiting!! If you find errors, please inform me.

Reference

1.powerpoint "電子舞曲概論" made by 李寸實

2.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music

3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_music

4.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trance_music