Benjamin Kohagen

11/11/23

Musical Analysis of Ren Gill’s Hi Ren

Part 2: Analyze the Music:

There is much more to music than just the words: Everything else. Based on the 5

categories Sellnow and Sellnow (2001) present, the song Hi Ren shows strong patterns of

intensity. Rhythm is characterized as “the movements of musical tones with respect to time”

(Sellnow and Sellnow, 403). Musical works that use “tempi which are faster than the normal

heartbeat, or more irregular, act as tensions” and are more representative of intensity than of

release. Harmony: The song suspends itself in a blend of different progressions, each

representative of the characters in the song. Ren’s parts are given a 4 chord progression,

comfortably resolving on the Tonic Dm and expressing a sense of release. The parts representing

Ren’s subconscious switch between the I and iii chords, leaving no resolution. By bouncing from

the 3 chord back to the 1 over and over instead of letting the harmony naturally progress it traps

the melody. All of this gives those sections of the song an overall feeling of intensity. The parts

that do not fall under either of these (Many) are generally one-off moments of dissonance, which

give a feeling of disorder and intensity. The other sections are acapella and do not contain

harmony. Melody, according to Sellnow and Sellnow, is described as “a group of musical tones

sounded one after another, which together make up a meaningful whole Of the ways to approach

the breakdown of melody, most fall short on Hi Ren. A majority of the song’s melody is carried more by

spoken word. This makes it much more subject to emphasis and tone and makes it harder to discern

musically. One of the criteria by which Sellnow and Sellnow agree melody can be appraised by the
duration of the notes in a melody “A piece that uses more long-held tones might symbolize release when

compared to a musical work that uses many short tones” (Sellnow and Sellnow, 407). The melody of Hi

Ren uses short and inconsistent, notes which provides a strong sense of intensity.

Phrasing, according to Sellnow and Sellnow is “articulation (how a note is attacked),

dynamics (degrees of relative volume and volume changes), and accelerandos or ritardando

(degrees of relative rate change)” (Sellnow and Sellnow, 407). Staccato notes are largely

representative of intensity in music, as they are quick and sharp. In Hi Ren the lead guitar (the

only instrument in the song) is mostly played in a Spanish Flamenco style, using quick flurries of

chords and notes. The vocals are sharp and aggressive, sometimes even shouted out, as if not

even intended to be musical at all. There are moments in the song that take a softer tone, but they

are short and far between, as both characters speak most of their lyrics quickly and sharply. All

of this demonstrates strong patterns of intensity.

Here is a timestamp of a part of the song that demonstrates what I mean very well

https://youtu.be/s_nc1IVoMxc?si=3Ct3eeMRTa47Z39X&t=261

Instrumentation is the last of the 5 elements described in Sellnow and Sellnow’s excerpt and

refers to the different instruments used to play the different parts of a musical composition

(Sellnow and Sellnow, 407). Sellnow and Sellnow’s paper highlights 2 traits that are particularly

specific to Hi Ren, one of which being that smaller quantities of instruments tend to indicate

release, while also specifying that specifically acoustic guitars, like the one played in the song,

produce a mellow, release representative sound. The instrumentation of this song gives a slight

indication towards release, which is aptly complimented in other small sections of the 9-minute

song, but overall is overshadowed by the overarching premise of intensity present in the song.
Part 3: Analyze the interaction

The lyrics of Hi Ren highlight strong patterns of intensity, since the song’s music also

indicates a strong effect of intensity, making this song congruent. Despite congruence being

shown in this song it still leaves lots of room for interpretation by the listener. The song uses its

intensity to show and highlight very powerful human emotions of resilience against mental

illness. It uses the same intensity musically to highlight how bleak it feels to fight back against

yourself. A fight in which you can’t be louder or stronger. “The characters have contrasting

demeanors and even play the same tune differently. Clearly they have been fighting for a long

time” (McLemee, 2023)

Despite the possibly subversive message of a song so out of control and bleak being

about mental health, the use of Intensity helps it accomplish its goal. The congruous nature of the

lyrics and sound reinforces the feeling in the listener of conflict trauma and pain. This makes the

song more impactful and helps it elicit more powerful feelings from more of its listeners. Hi Ren

earnestly spreads awareness of an inner conflict that stifles millions silently, and it does it loud.
 Works Cited

Gil, Ren. (2022) Hi Ren. Hi Ren. Independent

McLemee, S. (n.d.). Essay on “Every brain needs music” and “hi ren.” Inside Higher Ed |
Higher Education News.
https://www.insidehighered.com/opinion/views/intellectual-affairs/2023/05/26/every-brain
-needs-music

Sellnow, D., & Sellnow, T. (2001). The “illusion of life” rhetorical perspective: An integrated
approach to the study of music as communication. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 18(4),
395-415