a good medley remix

[GSO]

what key components make up a good medley remix?

[Skyline Drop]

Well, I'm not really an expert in the art, but I do know that a very big issue when making a medley is a sense of focus. Throwing a bunch of songs that sound cool on their own together could easily make for a pretty terrible mix when combined. This is something I learned from aiding in show design with my school's marching band.

What I've noticed works best with medleys in general is that one doesn't just play straight through each song in sequence, but rather, takes elements of each and blends them together into some sort of cohesive whole. This, of course, can become very difficult, which is why a lot of people just avoid medleys here.

That's my two cents.

[Ironblue]

i think a medley definitely requires a good balance of cohesion and variation. you dont want it to be all over the place and random but you still want it to take you to different places and still be fresh. i like to introduce different instruments at different parts and then have them all work together in the end for a big bang!

music theory would also really help with this, modulating key signatures is definitely valuable in learning to compose a medley. For example, if you have a 3 part medley it could start in C, move to G (the fifth) for the second part, and then return to C for the third part. or, you could use the relative key signature (all same notes but different mode and tonic/root) and move from C major to a minor and then back to C major. this would all be done by connecting chords in a matter that prepares you for whats coming up next

i guess generally with a medley you have to keep in mind the brain's desire for resolution and returning to a kind of sound (like a certain key/mode)

[GSO]

thanks much. i'll keep that in mind.