pop/rock music--importance of text; words we understand, the following will introduce specifically musical concepts
music--sound organized in time that communicates non-verbally within a given (cultural & social) context
Model of Music Communication
Composer ---> Performer ---> Listener
rhythm—the interrelationship of between music & time
Elvis Presley's "Hound Dog"
Jimi Hendrix' "Moon Turn the Tides"
Jimi Hendrix' "...And the Gods Made Love"
[perform rhythms from the text]
tempo--the speed with which the metrical beats follow one another
fast:
Elvis Presley's "Hard Headed Woman"
slow:
Elvis Presley's "Love Me Tender"
moderate:
Elvis Presley's "Return to Sender"
(see Meter & Beat Subdivision Page for more examples)
duple or quadruple:
Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock 'n' Roll"
triple:
Billy Joel's "Piano Man"
alternating triple/double:
The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky"
backbeat--dynamic accent on beats two & four ... normally weak beats of the measure in a duple meter
Chicago's "Saturday
in the Park" The Beatles' "Why
Don't We Do It in the Road?"
8ths:
Elvis Presley's "Jailhouse Rock"
triplets:
The Righteous Brothers' "Great Pretender"
combo of backbeat & duple:
Barry Mann's "Who Put the Bomp?"
melody--a coherent succession of consecutive pitches; i.e. contour primarily of pitch & time
small:
The Doors' "Hello, I Love You"
large:
Bobby McFerrin's "Hasta Mañana, Iguana"
conjunct:
Elton John's "Your Song"
more disjunct:
Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way"
disjunct:
Bobby McFerrin's "Hasta Mañana, Iguana"
contour—ups & downs of the melodic line
repetitive:
The Doors' "Hello, I Love You"
USA for Africa - "We Are the World"
variety:
The Beatles' "Yesterday"
The Beatles - Michelle
harmony—simultaneously sounding tones
chords--a group of simultaneously sounding tones
triads—3 note chords (usually alternate scale tones)
tonality (key)—hierarchical relationship; some notes are more important than others
consonance--chords that sound at rest
Peter, Paul, & Mary - Blowin' in the Wind
dissonance--chords that sound tense; need resolution
King Crimson - 21st Century Schizoid Man
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK
signal shape (waveform)—tone color
timbre--difference in sound quality (definitional problem ... multidimensionality)
Led Zeppelin - Stairway to Heaven
The Animals - House of the Rising Sun
The Doors - Light My Fire
Blood, Sweat, & Tears - Spinning Wheel
Metallica - Enter Sandman
texture--blend of various sounds & melodic lines occurring simultaneously
monophonic--a single unaccompanied melody
Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz
polyphonic--two or more melodies played simultaneously
Beach Boys - Good Vibrations
Doobie Brothers - Black Water
homophonic--one melody of primary interest with subsidiary accompaniment
melody & accompaniment homophony:
James Taylor - Steamroller
chordal homophony:
Kansas - Carry On Wayward Son
amplitude—related to the loudness of a sound
dynamics—variation in loudness
volume--a complex interrelationship between loudness & density of a sound
low volume:
You're No Good - Bob Dylan
high volume
Body Count - Cop Killer
Body Count - Body Count
strophic (song form or verse form)--alternation of verse & chorus; usually providing a bridge section for contrast
Wham! - Careless Whisper
Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
Musical Close-up: 12-bar blues
measure—grouping of beats into units (measures or bars)
12 bars of 4 beats = 48 total beats per chorus
Elvis Presley - Hound Dog
a. count along with each bar
b. listen to background singers (chord changes)
c. listen to specific voice/instrument
