How to Build a Groove: Meter as Process in Pop Song Introductions

Robin Attas, University of British Columbia

The groove, a collection of repeated riffs that form the backbone of many popular music songs, holds great potential for music theoretical study. Recent studies of groove-based popular music (Hughes 2003 & 2008, Spicer 2004, Butler 2006) have focused on general elements of the groove's repetition and metric profile in particular repertoires. But theoretical details of the groove's metric make-up remain under-examined.

A type of introduction which I call a buildup builds the groove by adding elements over the course of the introduction. This linear, goal-directed process cumulates in the entry of the lead vocalist for the first verse. Such buildups can be basic (only two distinct versions of the groove before the vocal entry) or extended (more than two versions prior to vocal entry).

Through use of the analytical techniques developed by Christopher Hasty, where meter is seen as a process rather than a fixed grid, I will examine a variety of introductions that use the buildup technique to form a groove. This will demonstrate not only the importance of musical detail in the formation of meter at the beginning of a pop song, but also help us to recognize the rich variety in what have traditionally been considered unremarkable repetitive figures in all sorts of music.