Syntax/Sound-in-Time - "Amazing"

Examining "Amazing" syntactically can be done here, in my opinion, at the same time as the Sound-in-Time analysis, which is why I will incorporate the two of them together into one step.

The piece is arranged in C minor and, in my opinion is one with two parts: the main part (identified as Kanye's part) and the development (Young Jeezy's part). The main part of the piece, which shall be called part 1 henceforth, ends with the tribal noises made that occur at [2:20], and the development (part 2) continues until the recapitulation of the main theme or "chorus" by West after Jeezy's verse.

Drums begin the piece with an underlying 4/4 beat driving a second line with hits on the first and second beats, an 1/8th note rest followed by a 1/8th hit, 1/8th rest, then another 1/8th hit and then two quarters and then a half-note rest (write it down, its much less confusing than trying to visualize it). This is a two-bar vamp that is present throughout the entire song.

After the second repeat of the percussive phrase, the piano begins [0:06] with a low C in the bass as the root of the tonic c-min chord and then the shift to the dominant in first inversion with a low D followed by a grace-note Eb and back down to C.
(This is the verse chord progression that is repeated throughout the song: i-v6-i-v6)
This is the music for the initial lyrics:

It's amazing
I'm the reason
Everybody fired up this evening

I'm exhausted
Barely breathing
Holding on to what I believe in

After this [0:20], you have the bridge with the chord progression [IV-v-iv-i] that recurs for the entirety of the piece in the stanza immediately preceding the chorus. Its first instance is with the lyrics:

No matter what
You'll never take that from me
My reign is as far as your eyes can see

Now, we come to the chorus [0:33]

It's amazin', so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin'
so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin' (Let's go)

-which is above the structure of the [VI6-i] progression, repeating. There is a new instrument added, however, and that is the synthesized chorus. They are high above the prominent MC vocals but are noticeable nonetheless (if you pay close attention) as they move around in the high register.

This pattern of verse [i-v6], bridge [VI-v-iv-i], chorus [VI6-i] repeats three times in part one of the piece.

After the final chorus of part 1, the tribal noises begin [2:22] and then the same chord progressions begin once again [2:25], only arranged in different places, mostly because of the lack of the chorus that appeared earlier. The lyrics:

I'm amazin'
Yeah I'm all that
If i ain't on my grind
Then what you call that?

Victorious
Yeah we warriors
We make history
Strive of Victory

Standing at my podium
I'm trying watch my sodium
Die high blood pressure
You even let the feds get cha!

I'm amazin'
Born on the full moon
I was bred to get in
No spoon

all have the verse progression [i-v6-i-v6] vamped underneath them. It isn't until the stanza:

That's why I'm so goose
Summer time, no juice
Big family, small house no rooms

They like oh god!
why you go so hard?
Look what he's been through
He deserves an applause

that the bridge recurs once again, followed by the chorus one last time:

so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin'
so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin'
so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin'
so amazin', so amazin', so amazin', it's amazin'

and on the last line of the chorus, the choir and Kanye drop out, leaving only the piano and percussion to remain playing.

The two-part nature of this song creates a sense of separation but the music sounds so linear that, other than the MC's, it is hard to determine which part is which. That is, until you realize that the entire song established a groove that gets thrown off in the development when the bridge and chorus are SKIPPED to make Jeezy's verse longer! Also noticeable is West's highly processed vocals that have gone through the auto-tune turned what seems like all the way up. Jeezy's vocal track, on the other hand has no auto-tune, but he occasionally does chime in on a background phrase to emphasize his slow, southern drawl.

Fitting with the tribal "break" before the development, very primal grunts appear sporadically throughout the song during moments of syncopation.

A final aspect to phenomenologically analyse is the presence of reverb on the various tracks. When one listens closely, it's clear that all of the tracks were recorded separately, as is common in modern digital recording. However, vastly different levels of reverb are applied to the tracks beginning with the complete lack of it in the piano, which appears to have been input directly into the audio interface. The auto-tuned West vocals also have no noticeable reverb applied to them, and the same goes for Young Jeezy. The drums, however, are stacked with reverb that makes them sound as though they are being played in a room with at least moderately reverberant features, which has clearly been added to the piece given that they were synthesized on a Roland TR-808. The bass, however, is unclear in terms of reverberance, but most likely has sustained presence rather than any type of echo (because it is synthesized).

The dynamic markings of the piece are worth noting, particularly the harsh ones. The drums and piano have very staccato-like sounds to them and the bass has an identifiable punch to it that gives it a sfortsando feel while the chorus contrasts this with their ethereal smoothness.