Session 3‘the elements of music’

Fridays after lecture – say 1-5? Groups? – I will place on Blackboard

Elements of Music Song – Arrangement – Track Stan Hawkins Article

The vast majority of popular music has a specific structure.

Common terminologies we use in popular music include Introduction, Verse, Chorus, and Middle Section/Bridge.

Most popular music consists of 2 or 4 bar phrases, so the sections are often divided into 8 or 16 bars. For Example:

For Example:

Sections usually contrast with one another melodically to sustain interest, but also harmonically, texturally, lyrically, dynamically and rhythmically (or any other ‘element’).

Listen to examples below, how do the above factors change?

Bleeding LoveMelodically

Harmonically Texturally Lyrically

Dynamically Rhythmically

War Of My LifeMelodically

Harmonically Texturally Lyrically

Dynamically Rhythmically

“Jail House Rock” Elvis Presley (Stop Time)

“The Pretender” Foo Fighters

Look for changes of harmony between sections. Although most use different harmonies between verse and chorus, others use the same. For example:

“Stand By Me” Ben E King “CandyLion” Gruff Rhys

Self Evident

“Sloop John B”:The Beach Boys Note how this consists of only one

section, so variety of texture is vital)

Listen closely for the relationships between instruments in terms of:

Frequency (High – Low) Depth/Distance (amount of ambience) Stereo Spectrum (Left – Right). Does it change? Do these

changes help evoke the mood of the music? General Volume Is there any double tracking? Use of effects) (compression, delay, chorus, etc) Use of EQ? Is the texture homophonic or Polyphonic? How does the texture relate to the lyrics and the emotion

of the piece (Texture can be ‘physical’ and ‘rhetorical’)? How do the individual parts relate to the whole mix?

Annie Lennox: ‘Walking On Broken Glass’ Feist: ‘The Water’

Specific sounds can immediately inform the listener of who an artist is, and or what a style or tradition is.

For example: Phil Spector Jimi Hendrix

Try and examine the nature of the individual sound.

For example with distortion: What type of distortion is it? How is it manufactured? How does this relate to the style and

authenticity of the artist? For example:

Rainbow: “Since You Been Gone” Saxon: “Wheels of Steele” Mega death: “Holy Wars” The same type of factors can be

discussed for other instruments

A change of style: Compare “In God’s Country” (The Joshua Tree) to “Zoo Station” (Achtung Baby) U2

“That’s All Right” Elvis Presley Specific Live Albums

They can can also allude to other styles (what Tagg calls a ‘Genre Synecdoche’)

For example: Distortion in Jazz Violin in Rock Harpsichord in Rock (The Beatles) Electric instruments in Jazz or Folk

‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’: The Beatles

‘Burnished’: White Denim.

As well a metre being used diachronically, it can also be used synchronically. Example:

“Kashmir” (Led Zeppelin) “All I Need” (Radiohead

Introduction: content usually used somewhere else in the song. Not always incorporated, but always introduces the song.

Verse: Recurrent harmonic pattern, but different text and texture etc. Usually occurs after the introduction, but sometimes chorus can occur before it (Example “I Shot the Sheriff”, “Rock and Roll Music”)

Chorus: Usually a recurrent harmonic and lyrical pattern. Refrain: Not a distinct section, but part of a verse or chorus. Can end or start a section. Consists of a repeated subsection,

often with same lyrics. For Example:“I Saw Her Standing There”: The Beatles (After Verse)God Only Knows: The Beach Boys: (note how refrain repeats at end)

I “Want To Hold Your Hand”: The Beatles (After Verse) Bridge: Connects two other sections. Normally occurs once, if twice, usually has same text. Sometimes called the ‘Middle 8’. Bridges can be instrumental: “Nights in White Satin” Outro: Content usually derives from elsewhere in the song.

Always ends song.

Place at least 4 examples of the following info on my blog

Examples of pieces with unusual bar numbers in sections

Examples of how rhythm delineates form Examples of verse and chorus with same

chords Examples of artist specific sounds

Examples of texture/instrumentation delineating form

Examples of how metre delineates form. Examples of how sounds allude toward

change of style Examples of how sounds indicate a place or

time. Examples of textures that outline the lyrics

and or Title With all of these questions you need to also

ask ‘how’?

Read Analysis on Korn (On Blackboard)