J-rock

History and character

J-rock is Japanese rock in its most popular forms, closely intertwined with anime theme songs (openings and endings), so much so that for a Western listener the two worlds often coincide. Its roots lie in the Group Sounds of the 1960s (The Spiders, The Tigers), in the rock and new music of the 1970s (Happy End, who proved that rock could be sung in Japanese), and in the late-1970s and 1980s bands such as Southern All Stars, BOØWY and The Blue Hearts (Boku no Migite uses the royal road IV–V–iii–vi over punk guitars).

At the end of the 1980s visual kei was born with X Japan (Kurenai, 1989; Yoshiki on drums and piano, speed metal tempos, orchestral ballads), LUNA SEA, GLAY, L'Arc~en~Ciel, Dir En Grey and Malice Mizer: theatrical aesthetics, dramatic melodies, harmonized twin guitars. In the 2000s and 2010s J-rock became tied to anime: Asian Kung-Fu Generation (Haruka Kanata for Naruto, Rewrite for Fullmetal Alchemist), ONE OK ROCK (The Beginning), UVERworld, Flow, Bump of Chicken, RADWIMPS (Makoto Shinkai's soundtracks), Linked Horizon (Guren no Yumiya for Attack on Titan), MAN WITH A MISSION, King Gnu, and singers such as LiSA (Gurenge for Demon Slayer, 2019, composed by Kayoko Kusano and arranged by Ryo Eguchi, classified as J-pop and pop-punk), Aimer, and Kenshi Yonezu (KICK BACK for Chainsaw Man, the first song with Japanese lyrics to be certified gold by the RIAA).

Characteristics: fast, distorted guitars, powerful and articulate drums (fills and ensemble kime), melodic bass, dense J-pop harmony (royal road, secondary dominants, modulations), dramatic and very wide-ranging melodies, and instrumental intros that present the riff right away; in anime themes everything is packed into about 1:30 (TV size).

Scales and keys

In modes, Roman numerals refer to the scale of the mode; in minor, to the natural minor.

Natural minor with harmonic V

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 (T S T T S T T), with the 7 raised on the V. In E minor: E F# G A B C D (+ D# in the B7).
• Characteristic note: the b6 (C) for drama; the leading tone D# in the major V (B7) for the push into the chorus.
• Chords: i Em – III G – iv Am – V B7 (harmonic) – VI C – VII D.
• Use: shōnen theme songs, dramatic J-rock, the VI–VII–V–i progression.
• Example: LiSA — Gurenge (135 BPM, listed in E minor on SongBPM).
• Mistakes: forgetting the leading tone: without a major V the theme loses its urgency.

Full harmonic minor (“neoclassical” solos and intros)

• Formula: 1 2 b3 4 5 b6 7 (T S T T S 1½T S). In A: A B C D E F G#.
• Characteristic note: the augmented second F–G#: dramatic, neoclassical (metal and visual kei influence).
• Use: guitar riffs, sweep-picking solos, orchestral intros (X Japan).

Major with passing chords

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. In G: G A B C D E F#.
• Use: upbeat themes and anthems, royal road over distorted guitars (IV–V–iii–vi), canon.
• Example: The Blue Hearts — Boku no Migite (IV–V–iii–vi).

Mixolydian

• Formula: 1 2 3 4 5 6 b7. In D Mixolydian: D E F# G A B C. “Open” rock riffs (I–VII–IV, numerals relative to the scale of the mode).

Minor pentatonic and blues

• 1 b3 4 5 b7 (+ b5): rock riffs and solos; it is used less in the vocal melody than in Western rock.

How to choose

Harmony

Function

J-pop harmony on guitars: royal road, secondary dominants, modulations, fast harmonic rhythm (one chord every 2 beats in the choruses). The move between sections often changes the tonal center (A-melo in minor, sabi in the relative major, or vice versa).

Techniques

• VI–VII–V7–i as the “theme-song” cadence.
• Royal road IV–V–iii–vi in power chords and open chords.
• Chromatic bass with V/7 (E/G#) and inversions.
• Whole-step modulation before the last sabi, prepared by a V7 of the new key or by a stop.
• Kime (ensemble accents) on passing chords.
• Guitars harmonized in thirds (visual kei, melodic metal).

Voicing

Power chords in the rhythm parts, full chords with open strings in the arpeggios, piano and strings with full chords in the ballads and intros.

Typical progressions

Rhythm and groove

Fast 8-beat rock (eighth-note hi-hat or ride, “driving” kick and snare) with frequent fills and kime; punk 2-beat in the fastest choruses (kick on the beat, snare on the offbeats); half time in the bridges; double kick in J-metal and visual kei. High tempos (140–200). Swing 0%; very precise but played, not programmed. Anime themes often begin with a riff or an ensemble hit and have a guitar break before the sabi.

Drums

Kick

8-beat with anticipations (steps 1, 4, 7, 9 in sixteenths), eighth-note kicks in the punk choruses, double kick in sixteenth notes in the metal sections.

Snare

On 2 and 4; in the 2-beat on the offbeats (steps 3, 7, 11, 15); sixteenth-note snare fills at the end of every phrase; flams on the accents.

Hi-hat, ride, cymbals

Half-open eighth-note hat in the verses; ride or crash-ride in the sabi; crash every 2 bars; china for accents.

Percussion

Rare; sometimes taiko or traditional drums for Japanese color; orchestral percussion in epic intros.

Interaction

Ensemble kime with bass and guitars; the drummer follows the A-melo/B-melo/sabi form; in the TV size everything is compressed into 89–90 seconds.

By section

Intro: riff with kime; A-melo: closed hat, essential kick and snare; B-melo: half time or toms; sabi: ride/crash, full kick; solo: full groove; last sabi: modulated with a fill.

Fills and sounds

Fast tom fills (sextuplets), rolls, stops with a single cymbal hit; bright, compressed acoustic drums, often reinforced by samples. Mistakes: fills so long they cover the vocal; drums too “metal” for a pop theme song.

Bass

• Sound: electric bass with pick or fingers, very present; sometimes slap in funk-rock songs.
• Notes: melodic lines, eighth notes with chromatic passing tones, octaves, inversions in descents.
• Rhythm: continuous eighth notes with kime.
• Relationship with the kick: locked together in the kime, complementary EQ.
• Examples: L'Arc~en~Ciel (Tetsuya's melodic bass), LiSA — Gurenge, Asian Kung-Fu Generation.

Harmonic instruments

Two electric guitars (distorted rhythm + lead, or two harmonized rhythm guitars), clean guitar with delay in the A-melo, piano (ballads and intros), strings and orchestral synths (epic themes), synth pads and arpeggios (electronic J-rock), organ. Voicings: power chords, open chords, harmonizations in thirds.

Melody and vocals

• Melody: very wide-ranging and dramatic, many syllables per bar, sabi in the high register (tenor or pushed soprano), expressive leaps, held notes at the ends of phrases.
• Vocals: powerful belting (LiSA), raspy voice (ONE OK ROCK), head voice in visual kei; backing vocals in thirds in the sabi, gang vocals in punk songs.
• Effects: moderate plate and hall, 1/8 delay, doubles in the sabi, occasional distortion on the vocal.

Instruments

Lead and backing vocals, electric guitars (rhythm, lead, clean), electric bass, acoustic drums, piano, strings and orchestra (often sampled), synths, traditional instruments as color (shamisen, shakuhachi, taiko).

Drum patterns

Synths and sounds

• Piano V — Piano: Intros and rock ballads, doubling the chords in the sabi.
• Augmented Strings — Cinematic strings: Strings for epic intros and theme-song sabi.
• Jup-8 V — Pad and brass: Pads under the guitars to fill out the sound.
• Prophet-5 V — Synth lead and arpeggios: Arpeggios and leads in electronic J-rock.
• Augmented Voices — Choirs: Epic choirs for dramatic theme songs.

Song structure

Full size (4:00–4:30)

TV size (about 1:30)

Short intro (4) – A-melo (8) – B-melo (8) – Sabi (8–16) – closing (2–4). The TV size of Gurenge lasts 1:29.

Mixing and mastering

Sonic goal

Powerful, wide guitars, big and precise drums, present bass, a vocal that cuts through everything, orchestra and synths in support. References: LiSA — Gurenge, ONE OK ROCK — The Beginning, Asian Kung-Fu Generation — Rewrite, Linked Horizon — Guren no Yumiya, Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK.

Kick

HP 30 Hz, +3 dB at 60 Hz, −4 dB at 350 Hz, +4 dB at 4 kHz; compression 4:1, 4 dB; reinforcement sample; center.

Snare

HP 80 Hz, +3 dB at 200 Hz, +3 dB at 5 kHz; 1176 4–6 dB; plate 1.2 s; parallel compression; center.

Overheads, toms, cymbals

Overheads HP 250 Hz, −3 dB at 4 kHz; toms gated with +3 dB at 80–100 Hz; pan in perspective.

Bass

HP 35 Hz, +2 dB at 80 Hz, −3 dB at 250 Hz, +3 dB at 1–1.5 kHz; compression 5 dB; parallel distortion; mono.

Guitars

HP 90–110 Hz; −3 dB at 300–500 Hz; +2 dB at 2–3 kHz; LP 11 kHz; doubles hard L/R; lead in the center with 1/8 delay; dynamic dip triggered by the vocal.

Strings, piano, synths

HP 150–200 Hz; hall 2 s; levels that grow in the sabi; wide.

Vocals

EQ: HP 90 Hz, −2 dB at 300 Hz, +4 dB at 3–5 kHz, air +3 dB. Heavy compression (1176 + LA-2A, 8–12 dB) to sit above the guitars; de-esser. Plate 1.2 s + 1/8 delay; doubles in the sabi.

Backing vocals

HP 150 Hz, compression 6 dB, pan 50–80%.

Buses and groups

Drum bus 4:1, 3 dB + parallel compression; guitar bus glue 2 dB; vocal bus 2 dB.

Sidechain

Dynamic ducking of the guitars from the vocal (−2 dB at 2–4 kHz).

Master

Chain: EQ → compressor 2 dB → clipper → limiter. Target −7/−5 LUFS (anime themes are very loud), true peak ≤ −1 dBTP, PLR 6–8 dB.

Common mistakes

Vocal buried by the guitars; mud at 300 Hz; harsh cymbals at 3–5 kHz; strings covering the vocal.

Reference tracks for the mix

X Japan — Kurenai (1989); Asian Kung-Fu Generation — Rewrite (2004); ONE OK ROCK — The Beginning (2012); LiSA — Gurenge (2019); Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK (2022).

Reference listening

• The Blue Hearts — Boku no Migite (1988)
• X Japan — Kurenai (1989)
• L'Arc~en~Ciel — Ready Steady Go (2004)
• Asian Kung-Fu Generation — Rewrite (2004)
• ONE OK ROCK — The Beginning (2012)
• Linked Horizon — Guren no Yumiya (2013)
• LiSA — Gurenge (2019)
• Kenshi Yonezu — KICK BACK (2022)