Introduction
The song is a remix of the original by the same title, sung by Rema alone. The original was released in February 2022, and the remix in August 2022. Rema is a popular Nigerian singer who enlisted Selena Gomez to redo the song once it peaked at 57th on the US Billboard charts. The remix set new records, topping the Billboard at number one in January 2023, per Armstrong’s review in the ‘Discover Music’ article. The essay shall focus on the rhythm of the music and its melody.
Rhythm
Playing the instruments in a given sequence that can easily be captured by time as a pulse is defined as rhythm. The song has a base rhythm of approximately 4 seconds that is repeated throughout the song in monophonic synchrony. The base rhythm is a duple meter where the instrumentals are founded upon a strong, followed by weak drum hits serving as the periodic beats in intervals. The rhythm starts slowly, peaking at high speed, like an accelerando rhythm with repeated accents. The song applies numerous tempos throughout the song based on the lyrical delivery of the artist (Armstrong, 2023).
The first verse takes up the Largo and Adagio tempo, which is slow and dominant. It progresses into the Allegro tempo, a fast, happy beat/tempo complementing the verse melody. The verse takes a moderate, mellow tempo that shifts mid-way to a fast track.
The entry chorus takes up an initial steady tempo, i.e., andante, flowing into moderato by moderate time on repeat to the end of the chorus. The verse picks up a fast variation of overlapping interludes, giving the pop element of the pop and R&B genre as it is accompanied by flute and piano instruments. The guitar is faint in the background, with the occasional flute playing to help the song be memorable and easily identifiable.
Pitch
The term is captured by how low or high the melody is in a song or musical piece. For the song to calm down, the pitch is of a low timbre, and auditory tunes are memorable, with intervals of upbeat interludes popular to the afrobeat genre. Some of the keys easily identifiable are the C major and A minor, capturing the polyphonic nature.
The song reflects major scales of pitches from a traditional sense of African and Latin drum culture. The music applies two melodies, namely the conduct and the disjunct, which facilitates tuning the primary keys to align with the vocals. The conjunct is predominant in the chorus and background of verses, while the disjunct comes into play with the vocals (Gomez, 2022).
The music artistically applies dissonant chords that unveil the tension pitch frequencies in happy vibe tempos and smoothens off with consonant chords. Various musical instruments are integrated into the music, primarily electronic versions. Nonetheless, the key instruments that would be used to capture the song include the harmonica, flute, drums, guitar, and piano.
Conclusion
The composition has captured a key ingredient of memorable and timeless music of great quality and artistic composition. The artists bring a unique flavor to the music, complementing the instrumentals and the two artists. The rhythm of this particular composition allows it to traverse multiple genres, such as R&B, hip-hop, and country if needed. It propels the elements of the song in a linear format, preferable for the humming melody that captures and incorporates the audience.
References
Armstrong, S. (2023). Rema and Selena Gomez’s ‘Calm Down’ lands at No.1 on the Billboard Global Chart. uDiscover Music. Web.
Rema & Gomez, S. (2022). Calm Down. [Video] Youtube. Mavin Records / Jonzing World. Web.