Popular Music of the 20th and 21st centuries
Revision cards covering all the topics within Popular Music. Currently unfinished
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- Created by: Tom
- Created on: 25-04-12 19:58
Blues
Rhythm and Metre
- Usually in 4/4
- Syncopation and rhythmic flexibility common in melody
- Accompaniment uses swung rhythms and triplets
Harmony and Tonality
- 12 bar blues - with variants
- Triads often extended into 7th chords
Timbre and Dynamics
- A rough, growling style of singing is common
- This is sometimes imitated by the brass section
- Popular instruments include: voice, piano, guitar, double bass, drum kit, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, harmonica
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Blues - cont.
Texture and Melody
- The melody can often sound quite improvisatory in style
- It is frequently based around a limited range of notes and is fairly repetitive
- Four-bar phrases common
- Call and response may sometimes be used
Structure and Form
- 12 bar blues pattern is repeated throughout the song
- Each statement of the 12 bar sequence forms a verse
- May contain 3 or more verses and an instrumental solo
- Common for lyrics of each verse to consist of 3 phrases, in AAB form
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Rock
Rhythm and Metre
- Usually in 4/4
- Often with a heavy emphises on the bacbeats or all four beats
Harmony and Tonality
- Frequently based around chords I, IV and V
- Power chords are common (root and fifth of a chord)
- Heavy metal uses some dissonant intervals such as tritones
Timbre and Dynamics
- Often dominated by powerful electric guitar sound
- Singers are usually male and sing in a 'macho', rough style
- In live concerts rock music is generally played at a very loud dynamic
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Rock - cont.
Texture and Melody
- Often a melody and accompaniment texture with:
- Drums providing a strong pulse
- Bass guitar adding a bass line
- Rhythm guitar playing chords
- Solo guitar providing counter melodies and solos
- Vocalist singing the main melody
- The vocal melody is usually repetitive and catchy
- Guitar solos often feature virtuoso playing, with fast runs, pitch bends and special guitar techniques
Structure and Form
- A verse-chorus structure is common, with a guitar solo in the bridge
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R 'n' B
Rhythm and Metre
- Usually in 4/4 with a laid-back tempo
- A tight, syncopated rhythmic backing is programmed using a drum machine or sequencer
Harmony and Tonality
- Mostly simple, diatonic harmonies
Timbre and Dynamics
- The instrumental backing is usually made up from synthesised and sampled sounds
- Singers are often female and have a smooth style of singing influenced by soul
- Rapping will sometimes appear
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R 'n' B - cont.
Texture and Melody
- The melody and accompaniment texture is frequently made up of:
- Rhythmic backing track
- Synthesised bass line
- Another instrument to fill in the harmony
- A vocal melody
- The vocal lines often use ornamentation and melismas
- Melodies are usually simple and catchy
Structure and Form
- Songs usually have a verse-chorus structure
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Hip Hop
Rhythm and Metre
- Usually in 4/4
- The words of a rap are often quick and syncopated
- Frequently uses backbeat rhythms - samples of syncopated drum solos
- Complex but repetitive rhythmic patterns - produced by layers of sampled and looped sounds
Harmony and Tonality
- Little use of harmony - emphasis on rhythm
- When harmony appears, it will often be a simple, looped chord pattern
Timbre and Dynamics
- Instrumental backing made up of synthesised and sampled sounds
- Over a rap there may be other vocal sounds such as shouts or singing
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Hip Hop - cont.
Texture and Melody
- Layered textures are built up from loops
- The chorus is often based on a very simple, repetitive melody
Structure and Form
- Songs usually have a verse-chorus structure, or a structure built up from layers of loops similar to dance music
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Music Theatre (Musicals)
Key Features:
- Consist of alternating sections of spoken dialogue and songs
- Contain a variety of different types of song, such as:
- Ballads (slow and emotional)
- Patter songs (fast and comic)
- Production numbers (involving most of the cast)
- Songs are often sung in a theatrical way
- Music depicts or complements the on-stage drama
- The accompaniment is usually played by a band or small orchestra
- Music is normally in a popular style - such as jazz or rock
- The harmony is usually diatonic, but richer than in pop music
- Melodies are designed to be memorable and catchy - contains lots of repetition
- Singers often use rubato to express the words
- 32-bar song form is very common
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Film Music
Musical ideas intent to convey:
- A mood or emotion (such as love, sadness, excitement or fear)
- Someone's character (such as evil, kind, funny or strong)
- An event (such as as race, battle or storm)
- A general atmosphere (such as birdsong-like music for a scene set in the countryside)
- A certain place (such as using the French National Anthem for a scene set in Paris)
- A particular time of history (such as Baroque music for the 17th century)
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