Moment Factor

Moment Factor is a description of a remarkable musical moment that’s cohesive, virtuosic, and intricately crafted. This concept also falls under the umbrella of The Thing, a mystical element captured in the most definitive musical ideas.

It’s present in both live performances and recordings, but it's usually talked about in the context of live music, where these moments are mostly improvised. If a performance contains Moment Factor, it will either evoke a lot of cheering and applause from the crowd, or leave them silently absorbing it and replaying that moment in their heads on the way back. This experience is not exclusive to musicians, of course - anyone can experience Moment Factor and have it linger in their minds for days, weeks, or even months.

"I loved that solo, it had that moment factor"

"Moment factor is my favorite thing about live shows; it's what I look for every time"

"I'm not sure what he did there, but whatever it was, it had something special"

All of these are examples of describing Moment Factor and its effects.

Examples of Moment Factor

https://youtu.be/2TDTGHVCAGY?si=lNAJ0h6SgS-vorjP&t=80

Fizz musician Israel Strom uses the Gamecube startup melody as a fill during a solo over the song Failing in a Cool Way by Louis Cole

https://youtu.be/yaxk6XfIw7A?si=i3eyBksMwuU53NNE&t=272

Jacob Collier improvises impressive modulation from F to F# in his iconic harmonizer rendition of Blackbird at MIT

https://youtu.be/HzY-uDLoG5Y?list=RDHzY-uDLoG5Y&t=128

Fizz musician Jonathan Berroa uses a descending fourths pattern in a 5/16 over 4/4 polymeter, followed by a "Circle of Fifths trick" over It Will Get Real by KNOWER