Originally Posted by: blowupmanfrom metal to rock i wanna know what exactly is a breakdown...
i know it has something to do with halving the tempo/beat on the drums but other than that i'm confused
is that all that a breakdown is? halving the drum tempo?
thanks,
arta

I see it less about tempo and more about it being a simple song writing component. I think it generally could be defined as a section of a song that is decidedly either/or/all different that the parts before or after. The leading in with a louder or more tempo/sound elevated then to a more quiet section that would be maybe less instrumented, lower volume or could be slower. I do think you could maintain a breakdown at the same tempo of the song. A for instance is when the bass drum beat tempo continues at pace but instrument drop away to few or none or with a lower singing volume. Things like that. I see it as a broad generally used mechanism but not reallt with specified rules.