Read on Twitter
nct 127 punch’s structure and why it’s confusing, explained by a music major: a thread
ok this is gonna be really long bc i was supposed to write a similar paper for my music history class SO if u don’t have the time to read, stream punch instead 
:
:
DISCLAIMER: i saw this tweet and wanted to piggyback off of it by further explaining to y’all WHY punch is so weird/disorienting, but it makes sense?? + adding music theory terms https://twitter.com/amorsichengs/status/1263011566330343424
n i just wanted to add from a musician’s POV bc im a music theory nerd
i wanna start of by saying that a lot of kpop songs have bits of music theory incorporated!!
i feel like that’s why a lot of us are drawn in bc it’s not only a diff language, but literally sounds diff from typical western pop music
ex: blackpink’s boombayah is in phrygian mode, something not typically used by pop artists, that’s why she’s a lil different but it STILL MAKES SENSE to our ears bc it fits the {structure} of that mode
ok back to punch, so ur typical pop music uses the following outline, or a variation of this form: intro > verse 1 > pre chorus > chorus > ver 2 > pre chorus > chorus > bridge > chorus > outro
as @amorsichengs explained, this is more or less the structure of punch https://twitter.com/amorsichengs/status/1263011567035019266
im gonna start from the intro,, bc the concept is literally revolutionary and so freakin cool
we go from the yelling intro to the whisper rap during the intro/first verse, but after the chorus the dowoo soft part is completely new,, so it throws everyone off
also, comparing the 1st whisper rap to the 2nd: its taeyong, jaehyun n mark
the second time around: it’s only tae n mark before it head straight into the prechorus,,, which is also cut
1st prechorus: johnny, jungwoo > taeil
2nd pc: doyoung > taeil
2nd pc: doyoung > taeil
this, in addition to the 2nd chorus only having one “hey we ballin” instead of 2 like in the first chorus, makes the progression thru each section faster n faster
this slight diminution of each section is what makes us feel disoriented bc the transition thru each section gradually becomes faster,, making us think that the music is accelerating when it’s actually not
before you know it, ur at the dance break 
to further disorient us: there is actually NO REPETITION of a {whole section} in the song, every single part is completely new or a diminution/variation of a previous part
the only actual repeated part is the chorus, which even then are variations rather than repetitions
the term musicians would use for this form of music where everything is new and nothing is repeated is:
{𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥}
{𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩-𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘥}
many have said punch is the kpop bohemian rhapsody bc it’s literally TRUE,, like bohemian rhapsody, punch is another through-composed, non-classical pop song
and if u look at their other songs,, esp nct noise songs, they use diminution a lot to give the illusion of acceleration and disorientation when the music actually stays the same tempo
once you get over the weird structure of the song, it actually makes sense bc it’s SUPPOSED TO make you feel disoriented
nct aren’t given as much credit as they should be bc this concept is really revolutionary,, like imagine being able to compare urself to QUEEN wow
in conclusion:
nct 127 big brained and, plot twist, are actually the men in black
nct 127 big brained and, plot twist, are actually the men in black
omg this blew up, thank u for appreciating me nerding out over punch!! i cant believe im already teaching ppl before i even finish my music education degree
im really happy i can help so many of u understand!! if u have any other songs u think i should analyze plz let me know!
im really happy i can help so many of u understand!! if u have any other songs u think i should analyze plz let me know!
hi im back bc ppl r pressed over me calling punch the kpop bohemian rhapsody when i explained that im only calling it that BC ITS THROUGH COMPOSED,, WHATS NOT CLICKING?? ppl love to hate things they dont understand!! plz focus on ur faves instead of bashing on other groups 
