The melodies heard in today’s charts have become less complex than in the past. These changes – at least in part – can be attributed to the emergence of new musical genres, The Guardian writes.

This is evidenced by the results of a study from Queen Mary University of London published in the journal Scientific Reports. However, its authors say that this does not mean that music is degrading.

“My guess is that other aspects of music are getting more complex and melodies are getting simpler as a way to compensate,” explained Madeline Hamilton, co-author of the study.

According to her, in previous decades, music was created using a few instruments. Instead, modern tracks include many layers and sound textures.

The authors of the study studied the songs that hit the top five of the music chart according to the American magazine Billboard in the period from 1950 to 2022. They included Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis Presley, Hey Jude by The Beatles, Vogue by Madonna, Poker Face by Lady Gaga, and Irreplaceable by Beyoncé.

They analyzed eight characteristics that relate to pitch and rhythmic structure of melodies. The results showed that the average complexity of melodies has decreased over time, with two large drops in 1975 and 2000, and a smaller drop in 1996.

Madelyn Hamilton believes that one explanation is the growth in the number of different music genres, with the first drop occurring around the time when arena rock and disco music became popular.

At the same time, the analysis showed that the number of notes sung per second in the charts has increased. This is especially noticeable since 2000.