Motown

History and character

"Motown" refers both to the label founded by Berry Gordy in Detroit in 1959 (Tamla, later the Motown Record Corporation) and to the sound that came out of it in the 1960s: the "Sound of Young America", pop soul built to appeal to white and Black audiences alike and to sound good on the radio and in car radios. The studio was in the house on West Grand Boulevard ("Hitsville U.S.A."), in a basement studio nicknamed the "Snake Pit"; the studio band was the Funk Brothers (1959–1972): drummers Benny Benjamin, Richard "Pistol" Allen, Uriel Jones; bassists James Jamerson and later Bob Babbitt; guitarists Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina; keyboardists Earl Van Dyke and Joe Hunter; percussionists Jack Ashford (tambourine, vibraphone) and Eddie "Bongo" Brown. They played on over 100 R&B number ones and over 50 pop number ones.

The production model was an "assembly line": in-house songwriters and producers (Holland–Dozier–Holland, Smokey Robinson, Norman Whitfield, Ashford & Simpson), quality-control meetings, an artist development department. Artists: The Supremes, The Temptations, Four Tops, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Martha and the Vandellas, Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, The Jackson 5, Gladys Knight & the Pips, The Marvelettes, Mary Wells.

From the late 1960s the sound evolves: Norman Whitfield brings psychedelic soul (Temptations, "Cloud Nine", "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"), Marvin Gaye and Stevie Wonder win artistic control (What's Going On, 1971; Talking Book and Innervisions, 1972–73). In 1972 the label moves to Los Angeles and the Funk Brothers era ends. Today the "Motown sound" means a four-on-the-beat backbeat, tambourine, melodic bass, backing vocals and strings: a constant reference for retro pop (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars, Meghan Trainor).

Scales and keys

Major (Ionian)

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 — T T S T T T S.
• Example on C: C D E F G A B. Chords: C (I), Dm7 (ii7), Em7 (iii7), F (IV), G7 (V7), Am7 (vi7), Bø7 (viiø7).
• Characteristic note: major 3 and 7: pop clarity; the 6 (A) gives the "sweet" color in the backing vocals.
• Use: almost all Motown melodies; choruses built on triad arpeggios and easy-to-sing leaps of a fourth/fifth.
• Real-world example: The Temptations — My Girl (C major, then D); Martha and the Vandellas — Dancing in the Street.

Major pentatonic

• Formula: 1 2 3 5 6 — T T 3S T 3S. On C: C D E G A.
• Characteristic note: no 4 or 7 → no half steps, an "open" and singable melody.
• Use: vocal hooks, guitar and vibraphone riffs, backing vocal answers.
• Real-world example: The Supremes — Baby Love (hook on the major pentatonic).

Major pentatonic with b3 (soul blue note)

• On C: C D Eb E G A. Characteristic note: Eb sliding into E.
• Use: gospel piano fills (Earl Van Dyke), ad-libs by Marvin Gaye and Levi Stubbs.

Natural minor and Dorian (minor Motown and Whitfield)

• Aeolian on A: A B C D E F G (characteristic b6 F). Dorian on A: A B C D E F# G (major 6 F#).
• Use: minor-key tunes (Marvin Gaye / Gladys Knight — I Heard It Through the Grapevine; Temptations — Ball of Confusion) use Dorian in the vamps and the minor pentatonic in the bass and guitar lines.
• Common mistakes: thinking of Motown only in major: Whitfield and Holland–Dozier–Holland often use minor for the verses and the relative major in the choruses.

Mixolydian

• On G: G A B C D E F. Characteristic note: b7 (F). Use: the bVII chord in riffs (F in G), Jamerson bass lines that use the b7 as a passing note.

How to choose

Chorus melody: major pentatonic; verse: Ionian; bass lines: arpeggios with chromaticism; minor tunes: Dorian/Aeolian with minor pentatonic; ad-libs: pentatonic with b3.

Harmony

Harmonic function

Pop tonal harmony, with clear functions and progressions that "push" toward the chorus. Holland–Dozier–Holland often work with repeated chord sequences (2–4 chords) with a melody that grows on top; Smokey Robinson uses more ii–V and secondary dominants.

Typical elements

• I–vi–IV–V and I–IV alternating; ii–V to close.
• Secondary dominants (V/ii, V/vi: A7 → Dm, E7 → Am in C).
• Tonic pedal under changing chords (I – IV/I – I).
• Modulation up a half step or a whole step for the last chorus (My Girl goes up from C to D).
• Chorus that starts on the IV or the vi to surprise.
• Sus chords (V7sus4) before the chorus.

Harmonic rhythm

One chord per bar or two per bar, often with a syncopated anticipation (the chord changes on the "&" of 4 of the previous bar: bass and guitar anticipate).

Voicing and orchestration

Piano with triads in eighth notes on the quarter-note beats (doubled by the vibraphone), guitars with short chords on the backbeat (often two or three guitars in unison), strings in high octaves, horns with short phrases in tight harmony.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

The Motown backbeat

The hallmark: the snare plays on all four quarter notes (or on 2 and 4 very hard), doubled by tambourine and often by handclaps or guitar hits, creating a "four on the floor" on the snare. The tempo is medium-fast (120–140), with straight eighth notes and a slight swing in the slower tunes.

Melodic bass

James Jamerson's bass is the second engine: syncopated lines with anticipations, eighth and sixteenth notes, chromatic notes, played with a single finger ("The Hook"). The groove comes from the contrast between the regular snare and the free bass.

Accents

Tambourine on the eighth notes with an accent on the backbeat, guitars on 2 and 4, piano in quarter notes; light kick on 1 and 3.

Variants

"Motown shuffle" with triplets (Supremes), ballads in 12/8, funkier tunes from the late 1960s.

Drums

Principle

Motown drumming must be simple, steady and audible on the radio: the snare and tambourine mark all the quarter notes or the backbeat, the kick supports, no unnecessary fills. Benny Benjamin was the model (a fluid groove with small anticipations), Pistol Allen and Uriel Jones just as essential.

Kick

1 and 3 (pos. 1 and 9) with a few anticipations on the "&" of 2 or 4 (pos. 7, 15) to accompany the bass. Soft sound, little attack.

Snare

• On all quarter notes (pos. 1, 5, 9, 13) with an accent on 2 and 4 (velocity on 2 and 4 = 120, on 1 and 3 = 95–105), or only on 2 and 4.
• Often doubled by a second drummer or by wood hits/handclaps.

Hi-hat

Eighth notes (odd positions) with accents on the quarter notes; sometimes quarter notes; opening is rare.

Percussion

• Tambourine (Jack Ashford): eighth or sixteenth notes with an accent on the backbeat; it is an essential part of the sound.
• Handclaps on 2 and 4; vibraphone and bongos as color.

Dynamics

Fairly constant; the build is in the arrangement (strings, horns, backing vocals come in).

Interaction with bass and voice

Steady drums to leave the bass free; the fills are snare "pickups" before the chorus (2–4 sixteenth notes).

Sections

Verse: snare on 2 and 4, light tambourine; chorus: snare on all four quarter notes, loud tambourine, handclaps; bridge: stops and drum break. Fade out on the chorus.

Fills

Very short, almost always on the snare (one or two sixteenth notes before the one).

Sounds

Medium-high snare with echo chamber, kick with a blanket, dark cymbals; all of it often compressed and reverberated in the mix with the attic chamber.

Typical mistakes

Snare on all four quarter notes with no difference in dynamics (it becomes a march), tambourine out of time or too loud, a modern kick that is too deep, tom fills.

Bass

Sound

Fender Precision Bass with flatwound strings (never changed, according to tradition), high action, played with a single finger (the index, "The Hook") by James Jamerson; recorded directly into the console. Round, short sound with a soft attack.

Register and kick

Between E1 and C3; the bass plays the one with the kick but then moves a lot: syncopated eighth and sixteenth notes, anticipations on the "&" of 4, repeated notes.

Notes

Triad arpeggios with passing 6 and b7, chromaticism (approaches from a half step below), repeated sixteenth notes, muted "ghost" notes. Lines that change from verse to chorus while staying in the groove.

Examples

Jamerson on My Girl, Bernadette (Four Tops), What's Going On, Ain't No Mountain High Enough, Darling Dear; Bob Babbitt on Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours.

Harmonic instruments

• Piano (Earl Van Dyke, Joe Hunter): chords in quarter or eighth notes, gospel fills; often doubled by vibraphone or celesta.
• Guitars (Robert White, Eddie Willis, Joe Messina): 2–3 guitars; one on the backbeat (short chords), one with a melodic riff (the My Girl riff is by Robert White), one with small fills.
• Vibraphone and marimba (Jack Ashford, Jack Brokensha): melodic doublings, a "crystalline" color.
• Organ: pads, especially in ballads.
• Strings: from the mid-1960s (Detroit Symphony Orchestra): high octaves, answering lines.
• Horns: short phrases in harmony, often baritone underneath.

Melody and vocals

Lead vocal

Singable pop melodies with repeated hooks; lead voices differ in timbre: Diana Ross (light and clear), Levi Stubbs (powerful, baritone), David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks (tenor and falsetto), Marvin Gaye (soft and flexible), Smokey Robinson (falsetto). Medium range, with the verse melody lower and the chorus higher by a fourth/fifth.

Backing vocals

Backing vocals are fundamental: 3–4 part harmonies (The Andantes sang on a great many records), sustained "oohs", answers to the lead vocal, vocal groups with choreography (Temptations, Four Tops, Supremes).

Effects

Echo chamber reverb (very recognizable), vocal often doubled in the choruses, no modern effects.

Instruments

• Drums (sometimes two drummers), tambourine, handclaps
• Electric bass (Fender Precision, flatwound strings)
• 2–3 electric guitars
• Piano, organ, celesta
• Vibraphone, marimba, bongos
• Strings (violins, violas, cellos)
• Horns (trumpet, tenor and baritone sax, trombone)
• Lead vocal, vocal group, backing vocals

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Piano V — Motown piano: Bright upright piano with a little compression; chords in quarter notes doubled by a vibraphone.
• B-3 V — Organ: Drawbars 008800000 or 888000000 for light pads in ballads; slow Leslie.
• Augmented Strings — Strings: High octaves, legato, medium attack; long hall or plate for the "echo chamber" effect.
• Solina V — Filler strings: String pad under the choruses in modern reinterpretations.
• Wurli V — Wurlitzer: 1960s soul color as an alternative to the piano.

Song structure

Form

• Intro 4–8 (bass or guitar riff, snare, tambourine).
• Verse 1 (8–16) – Chorus (8) – Verse 2 (8–16) – Chorus (8) – Bridge or instrumental (8) – Chorus (often modulated) – Fade out.
• The chorus often arrives early (within 30–40 seconds); many tunes start directly with the hook.
• Length 2:30–3:00 (45 rpm radio format).

Arrangement

• Intro: signature element (My Girl bass riff, drum hit).
• Verse: drums, bass, guitar, piano.
• Chorus: loud tambourine, handclaps, backing vocals, strings or horns.
• Bridge: chord change, strings up front, sometimes a drum break.
• Last chorus: modulation, ad-libs.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

The Motown mix was designed for AM radio and car radios: full midrange, bass that is defined even on small speakers, voice and tambourine always audible, a very present chamber reverb. The original copies are often mono; period stereo separates the blocks (drums on one side, vocal in the center). For a modern Motown-style production (Amy Winehouse, Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars) aim for −11/−9 integrated LUFS with warm mids and a more extended bass.

Kick

• EQ: HP 50 Hz; 80–100 Hz +2 dB (a "round" kick, not deep); cut 400 Hz; little attack (1.5–2.5 kHz +1 dB).
• Compression 3:1, 2–3 dB. Tape. Center.

Snare and tambourine

• Snare: HP 120 Hz, 200–250 Hz +2 dB, 3–5 kHz +2 dB; compression 4:1 attack 5 ms 4–6 dB. Reverb: chamber/plate 1.5–2 s, pre-delay 0–20 ms, return HP 300 Hz LP 6 kHz, very present.
• Tambourine: HP 600 Hz, presence 6–8 kHz, compression 2–3 dB, same reverb as the snare; pan center or 30% (vintage often center with the drums).

Bass

• EQ: HP 40 Hz; 100 Hz +2 dB; 700 Hz–1 kHz +2 dB for audibility; LP 5 kHz.
• Compression: opto 4–6 dB, slow release; tube saturation. Center, mono.

Guitars, piano, vibraphone, strings, horns

• Guitars: HP 150 Hz, 2–3 kHz presence, compression 3 dB; pan L/R if doubled (or mono center for the vintage sound).
• Piano and vibraphone: HP 100 Hz, doubled and blended into a single sound, plate 1.5 s.
• Strings: HP 200 Hz, air 10–12 kHz, wide, long reverb 2–2.5 s.
• Horns: HP 120 Hz, 1.5–3 kHz +2 dB, bus compression 3 dB, plate.

Lead vocal

• EQ: HP 90 Hz; cut 250 Hz; presence 3–5 kHz +3 dB (radio sound); de-esser 6–8 kHz.
• Compression: 1176 (4:1, attack 3, release 7, 4–6 dB) + LA-2A (3 dB).
• Space: echo chamber 1.5–2 s pre-delay 30 ms; double-tracked vocal in the choruses (ADT or real double); light slap.

Backing vocals

HP 150 Hz, compression 6 dB, EQ softer than the lead vocal, wide pans (60–100%) or mono center for the vintage sound; longer reverb.

FX

One common echo chamber (Valhalla Room "Chamber" or UAD EMT/Capitol Chambers) for vocal, snare, tambourine, strings: it is the "glue" of the sound.

Buses and groups

Rhythm bus with 2–3 dB of compression and tape; vocal bus with 2 dB; string bus.

Sidechain

None.

Master

Chain: bell EQ to emphasize 1–3 kHz by 0.5–1 dB (vocal and tambourine) and HP 30 Hz – 2:1 compressor (2 dB) – tape – limiter. Vintage −13/−11 LUFS, modern −10/−9, true peak −1 dBTP. Check in mono: the mix must work that way too.

Common mistakes

Bass that is too deep (it loses the character), a buried tambourine, bright modern reverb instead of a dark chamber, extreme stereo, a snare with no difference between 2/4 and 1/3.

Reference tracks for the mix

The Temptations — My Girl; Four Tops — Reach Out I'll Be There; The Supremes — You Can't Hurry Love; Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell — Ain't No Mountain High Enough; Amy Winehouse — Tears Dry on Their Own (modern in style).

Reference listening

• The Marvelettes — Please Mr. Postman (1961)
• Martha and the Vandellas — Heat Wave (1963)
• The Temptations — My Girl (1964)
• The Supremes — Baby Love (1964)
• Four Tops — Reach Out I'll Be There (1966)
• The Supremes — You Can't Hurry Love (1966)
• Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell — Ain't No Mountain High Enough (1967)
• Marvin Gaye — I Heard It Through the Grapevine (1968)
• The Jackson 5 — I Want You Back (1969)
• Stevie Wonder — Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours (1970)
• The Temptations — Papa Was a Rollin' Stone (1972)