Killer Queen - GCSE Music Set Work

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  • Created by: Livi
  • Created on: 22-06-17 09:53

Killer Queen - Resources and Context

  • Written in 1974
  • Rock genre with opera and theatre influences
  • Lead vocal, overdubbed backing vocals
  • Piano and overdubbed jangle piano
  • Guitar and Bass Guitar
  • Drum kit
  • Use of overdubbing, reverb, distortion, wah-wah and panning.
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Killer Queen - Structure and Tonality

  • Finger click intro = bar 1
  • Verse 1 = bar 2-14
  • Chorus 2 = bar 15-22
  • Instrumental = bar 23-26
  • Verse 2 = bar 27-38
  • Chorus 2 = bar 39-50
  • Verse 3 = bar 51-68
  • Chorus 3 = bar 69-78
  • Outro = bar 79-end
  • Tonality is mostly Eb major
  • Verses start in C minor
  • Choruses start in Bb major
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Killer Queen - Melody

  • Starts with steps and small intervals
  • Gradually the leaps get wider
  • Rising 6th in bars 6-7
  • Octave leap in bar 10-11
  • Portamento (a slide from one note to another) on 'queen'
  • Almost entirely syllabic
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Killer Queen - Harmony

  • Root position triads
  • Some inversions and 7th chords
  • Mainly diatonic some chromatic
  • Expressive dissonance
  • Tonic pedal (C) at start of verses
  • Dominant pedal (F) at the start of choruses
  • Parallel harmonies in backing vocals
  • Descending chromatic scale (bar 7-9)
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Killer Queen - Rhythm

  • Most of the song is in 12/8
  • Swing feel is created by time signature
  • Moderately fast 112 dotted crotchet bpm
  • Frequent use of syncopation
  • Each verse and chorus begins with an anacrusis
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Killer Queen - Texture

  • Homophonic
  • Gradual increase from light texture at start
  • Chordal texture for vocals at start and end of chorus
  • Guitar pats in parallel thirds
  • Brief contrapuntal parts (bar 62)
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Comments

hannaht259

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This is fab thank you!

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