The Musical Fake-out: A useful technique to fool your audience

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

The fake-out, as I have coined, is a technique that was quite common in the late impressionist eras of music. The fake-out can come in many varieties, ranging from dynamic fake-outs, to progression fake-outs to key shift fake-outs. 

 

The fake-outs I mentioned above are the three basic type of musical fake-outs. 

 

I will go over all three in depth.

 

1. The Dynamic fake-out

 

A dynamic fake-out occurs when there in an increase in volume. The listener automatically thinks that there will be a sudden loudness. However, instead of going loud, the piece backs down to soft. For example, listen carefully to the end of this original piece by me:

https://pony.fm/tracks/992-hunger-king-sombras-theme

 

Thought there was going to be a bang at the end right?

 

Dynamic fake-outs are really effective, especially when you have a piece that has a lot of buildups. 

Here's a visual of what a dynamic fake-out looks like:

 

Notice how in bar 16, the dynamic is at mezzo-piano, or medium soft. At measure 22, there's a crescendo. Immediately, one thinks it would go up to mezzo-forte (medium-loud) or forte (loud) or higher. But instead, it backs down to piano (soft). 

 

In terms of electronic music, dynamic fake-outs are very effective when there have been small buildups. These buildups usually occur during a fill, which occurs after a 12 quarter-beat phrase. A phrase is usually 16 beats. The last 4 beats of a phrase are what make the buildup fill-in. After several of these, comes the dynamic fake-out, which is then followed by a very slow buildup. 

 

The progression fake-out, as it's name entails, occurs when there is an abrupt shift in chord progression. Take the most common jazz chord progression out there: the ii-V-I or two five one. 

This progression occurs at the last phrase of a blues progression. 

Here's a visual:

In what is known as: a two five fake-out, the two chord and the five chord (the dominant) are played, but the one chord (the root), is not. Instead, the ii-V pattern is left unresolved and either another two five pattern is followed or, another chord other than the I is played. 

Take this pattern from Charlie Parker's "Conformation"

 

F-E1/2dim-A7+9-Dm7G7Cm7F7Bb7

The chords in bold indicate the two five fake-outs. 

 

The progression fake-out can also occur during transitions.

 

Take this progression:

 

F-C-Dm-Bb

 

A fake-out can be used to transition to another progression like this

 

F-C-Dm-G7

 

Notice there's a two five pattern here. 

 

Progression fake-outs can lead to just about anything. Just make sure the chord fits appropriately and does not leave one thinking about "that one chord".

 

Last but not least

 

A key shift fake-out, or a modulation fake-out, occurs during a certain progression, where a key change could be taken.

 

Take this progression for instance. 

 

C-D-G-Em-G-D-G

 

Clearly, this progression takes the key of C and modulates to G.

 

But, in some cases, this could be faked like this:

 

C-D-Gm-Bb...

 

This pattern could have also been made to fake out the G modulation and instead modulate to F like this:

 

C-D-Gm-C7-F

 

Look at this, it's the return of the two five one pattern. 

 

But wait, there are many more ways to modulate. Still, since the fake-out is very versatile, it can adapt to other situations, like when the modulation is a half-step, like this:

 

F-Eb9-C#7-F#

 

This half-step modulation progression can also be faked, by switching the arrival chord (the one in bold shown above), to minor. This produces

 

F-Eb9-C#7-F#m-E7-A

 

Notice, that instead of modulating to F#, the fake-out to F# produced a modulation to A major. 

 

In conclusion, if executed in the right manner, the fake-out can be a useful tool to sort of "throw off" your audience and make your music less predictable.

 

Questions?

 

PM me, or just reply to this topic

 

(hopefully I'm putting this in the right place)

Edited August 18, 2013 by Thunder-Dash

[Katskratch 59]

Ha, I saw this on the MLR forums as well. It's super cool, definitely something I'll try with my compositions even if they're electronica! 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

Ha, I saw this on the MLR forums as well. It's super cool, definitely something I'll try with my compositions even if they're electronica! 

Yeah, well decided to post it here as well. And yes, it's a very cool to use. But, don't get too carried away with it and overuse it, 'cause then what would be the point of it?

[Kitty Cat Moonshire 629]

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about, but that song was awesome. For 2 minutes, I felt like the most epic person in the world.
And then it ended.
Still felt like the most epic person in the world, but you know... xD

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

 

 

I honestly have no idea what you're talking about

 

Glad the song made you feel that way. But to make things clear:

 

A musical fake-out is a very effective technique used in music to "throw people off". When you heard that song, you said

 

For 2 minutes, I felt like the most epic pony in the world. And then it ended.

 

Your brain processed the song and made you feel "epic", as you said. But, it appears as if you felt kind of disappointed that it ended kind of weak. So, for you, the fake-out did it's job. PM me if you still don't understand. It's a psychological thing.  

[Kitty Cat Moonshire 629]

Glad the song made you feel that way. But to make things clear:

 

A musical fake-out is a very effective technique used in music to "throw people off". When you heard that song, you said

 

 

Your brain processed the song and made you feel "epic", as you said. But, it appears as if you felt kind of disappointed that it ended kind of weak. So, for you, the fake-out did it's job. PM me if you still don't understand. It's a psychological thing.  

I didn't feel disappointed. That's not what I was referring too. I was referring to that I felt epic because of the song, and then the song ended, and that should have made me stop feeling epic (even though I didn't). xD

And I didn't say pony :I Why did your quote of my quote make me say pony :I