Music Technology Revision Guide PDF

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Revision Guide Content Area 3 Musical elements, musical style & music technology CONTENTS: 1. Structural sections 2 2. Form 2 3. Rhythm, Time Signatures & Tempo 3 4. Melody, Key Signatures &...

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY Revision Guide Content Area 3 Musical elements, musical style & music technology CONTENTS: 1. Structural sections 2 2. Form 2 3. Rhythm, Time Signatures & Tempo 3 4. Melody, Key Signatures & Scales 4 5. Melodic Form 5 6. Harmony and Chords 6 7. Instrumentation 7 8. Musical Genres a. Rock & Roll 7 b. Rock 8 c. Folk 9 d. Soul 10 e. Disco 11 f. Reggae 12 g. Funk 13 h. Hip-Hop 14 i. House 14 j. Drum & Bass 15  1. Structural Sections Structure = the order of different sections in a piece of music. Intro Short for ‘introduction’ the section at the start of the song. Verse Usually coming after the intro, this section often tells a story. Chorus The catchy, repeated section of a song which reinforces the meaning. Melody A series of pitches and note durations that combine to make the main tune. Pre-chorus The section that comes between a verse and chorus which builds tension. Riser A short musical sound effect helped to transition into a different section. Bridge A contrasting section of a song which might change the mood. Outro The ending of a song – but not every song contains one. Refrain Where lyrics are repeated between verses – like a chorus but often shorter, and more similar to the verse musically. Drop The point in a music track where a sudden change of rhythm or bass line releases tension. Hook A short melodic or rhythmic phrase that is memorable and catchy. Breakdown Type of bridge section that comes towards the end – often has a change in texture. Middle 8 An 8-bar section that comes in the middle of a song to break it up with new material. Coda An extended ending that brings the music to a close. 2. Form Form = specific structures in musical compositions. 12-bar form I I I I Follows a 12-bar chord sequence First used in Blues and then Rock & Roll IV IV I I Uses chords I, IV and V in a specific order Chord I is always the naming note of the key V IV I I Through-composed Where new music is created for each section of a piece. Strophic form Where every section of a piece has the same music (AAA). Binary form Where a piece of music has two contrasting sections (A B). Ternary form Where a piece of music has three sections, with the first and last being the same. (ABA) Arch form A form with three different sections arranged in the sequence ABCBA. 2 Rondo Where a piece has a main theme with new sections in between (ABACA). 3. Rhythm, Time Signatures & Tempo Note durations: Time Signature = how many beats are in each bar. The top number is how many beats are in the bar The bottom number is the type of beat o 1 = semibreve (whole note) o 2 = minim (half note) o 4 = crotchet (quarter note) o 8 = quaver (eight note) Compound time signatures When the bottom number is 8, we sometimes group quavers in threes. Each group of three quavers is equal to one dotted crotchet. Dotted notes = a note that has the duration of itself plus half its value. Syncopation = off-beat rhythms Emphasising notes on beats that would not usually be emphasised 3  In 4/4, usually beats 1 and 3 are emphasised Triplets = playing three notes in the time of two. Tempo = the speed of the music. Measured in beats per minute (BPM) Sometimes words describe tempo (e.g. allegro, andante, presto) 4. Melody, Key Signatures & Scales The treble clef is the curly symbol at the start of the stave. Notes either sit on the lines or in the space between them. For the notes on the lines we can use the rhyme Every Green Bus Drives Fast The notes in the spaces spell out the word FACE. A scale is a set of notes with specific intervals increasing or decreasing in pitch. An interval is the distance between two notes. These are measured in tones and semitones. 1 tone = 2 semitones Every scale has a key signature. This tells us which sharps and flats are used in the scale. 4 Major scales are made up of notes with the following intervals: Tone, Tone, Semitone, Tone, Tone, Tone, Semitone (T,T,S,T,T,T,S) If we start on the note C and go up in those intervals, we get these notes: CDEFGABC That’s why there are no sharps or flats in the key of C major. There are two types of minor scale: Natural Minor scales are made up of notes with the following intervals: T, S, T, T, S, T, T Harmonic Minor scales: T, S, T, T, S, T+S, S (the 7th note is one semitone higher) Pentatonic scales contain 5 notes. Major pentatonic scales contain the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th notes of the major scale. o E.g. Minor pentatonic scales contain the 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 7th notes of the natural minor scale. o E.g. 5. Melodic form Melodic form is the structure of a melody. Sequences Repeating a melody at a higher of lower pitch. Arch form Where a melody rises and falls in pitch like an arch. Retrograde Writing a melody backwards to create new melodic material. Tonality = the key of a piece of music - affects its whole sound (e.g. major or minor) 5  6. Harmony & Chords Harmony is the relationship between different notes heard at the same time. Chords create harmony. Chord = playing more than one note at the same time. Triad = a chord with three different notes. We can build chords from the notes in a scale. A chord build on the first note of a scale is called chord I (Roman numeral for 1). Depending on their intervals, chords might be major, minor or diminished (or something else). These are the chords we can build from the scale of C major. Therefore, chord IV in the key of C major would be an F major chord, using the notes F A and C. The third note in a minor chord is a semitone lower than a major chord. Extended chords: Type of chord Explanation Example in C Major 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C E G major scale Minor 1st, 3rd and 5th notes of the C Eb G minor scale 6  Major 7th Major chord with the 7th note C E G B of the scale added on Dominant 7th Major 7th chord where the 7th C E G Bb note has been lowered by a Minor 7th Minor chord with the 7th note C Eb G Bb of the scale added on Suspended (sus2 or sus4) A chord where the 3rd note is sus2: C F G replaced with a 2nd or 4th sus4: C D G Augmented Major chord where the 5th C E G# note is raised by a semitone Diminished Minor chord where the 5th C Eb Gb note is lowered by a semitone Chord progression = a series of chords that sound good one after the other. Diatonic = using notes from within the scale. Chromatic = using notes that are not in the scale. 7. Instrumentation Acoustic instruments – make sound Electric instruments – make sound via through physical vibrations electrical impulses Strings electric guitar and bass guitar Percussion Synthesiser Keyboards Sampler Brass drum machine and electronic percussion Woodwind turntables Vocals CDJs Mixer DJ software 8. Musical genres a. Rock & Roll (1950s) Instrumentation: Double Bass/ Electric Bass Acoustic Piano Electric Guitar Vocals Acoustic Drums Chuck Berry 7 Structure: Verse, Chorus, Instrumental 12 Bar form Harmony: Major Key Primary chords and Dominant 7ths Tempo: Fast: 160-180BPM Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation Swung drum rhythm Dotted Rhythms Walking bassline Technology: The electric guitar was a new invention. Its solid body meant there was no feedback, so it could be played very loudly. 2 track tape recording Mixed in mono and had no panning. Small number of microphones, some instruments would sound distant as a result. Instruments recorded live in one take. Artefacts: Unwanted sounds caused by the tape machine Distortion: When an audio signal is too loud Noise: Unwanted sound called tape hiss b. Rock (1960s) Instrumentation: Electric Bass Distorted Electric Guitar Vocals Acoustic Drums Structure: The Kinks Intro, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Solo. Harmony: Major Key/Minor Key Major/Minor Power Chords Melody: 8  Major/Minor Pentatonic Scales Guitar Riffs Tempo: Relatively fast: 110-140BPM Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation Technology: 4-8 track tape recording Overdubbing: Recording instruments separately. Multiple microphones: close mic techniques meaning better capture Reduction mixing: to create more tracks Stereo recording Still feature some unwanted artefacts, distortion and noise. Hardware effects introduced (e.g. guitar pedals) Analogue synthesisers started to become available (e.g. the Moog Synthesiser) The advancement of recording technology meant more time could be spent in the studio creating ideas and more instruments could be added at different times. More experimentation was possible. c. Folk (1960s) Instrumentation: Acoustic Instruments Vocal harmonies Piano Acoustic Guitar Violin Percussion instruments Structure: Verse-Chorus, Strophic. Harmony: Major Key/Minor Key Bob Dylan Melody: Major/Minor Pentatonic Scales Guitar Riffs Verse repeating melody Tempo: 9  Varied tempo depending on song. Time signature: 4/4, 6/8 Rhythm: Repetition Technology: 4-8 track recording d. Soul (1970s) Instrumentation: Electric Bass Clean Electric Guitar Vocals Acoustic Drums Electric Piano Horns Strings Marvin Gaye Structure: Intro, Verse, Pre-chorus, Chorus, Bridge, Solo. Harmony: Major Key/Minor Key Extended Chords Melody: Piano Riffs and hooks Tempo: Relatively fast: 110-130BPM Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation 10  e. Disco (1980s) Instrumentation: Electric Bass Clean Electric Guitar Vocals – Male Falsetto (high) Acoustic Drums or Drum Machine Synthesised Strings/Horns Structure: Pop Song structure Gloria Gaynor Harmony: Minor Key 7th Chords Melody: Minor Pentatonic Scales Guitar and bass melodic lines Tempo: Relatively fast around 120BPM. Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation 4 to the floor bass drum Technology: 16-24 track tape recording Every instrument could have a close mic Modern panning No need for reduction editing Drum machines (e.g. Roland CR-78) Analogue samplers (e.g. Mellotron) 11  f. Reggae (1970s) Instrumentation: Electric Bass Clean Electric Guitar (often with a slight overdrive) Vocals Acoustic Drums (with a focus on snare and hi-hat) Organ or Keyboard (for chords and melodic lines) Structure: Pop Song structure Harmony: Major Key Extended chords (7ths/9ths) Lorna Bennett Melody: Repetition Catchy hooks Melodic basslines Tempo: Laid-back feel, usually 70-100BPM. Time signature: 4/4, 12/8 Rhythm: Syncopation Triplets ‘Comping’ – accenting chords on beats 2 and 4 Technology: Multitrack Recording: Enhanced sound layering. Electric Instruments: Defined rhythms and basslines. Effects: Created immersive soundscapes. Sampling: Blended genres and expanded sound. Digital Distribution: Reached global audiences. Home Recording: Fostered creativity. Music Videos: Boosted visibility and cultural expression. 12  g. Funk (1970s/80s) Instrumentation: Electric Bass Clean Electric Guitar - Wah Vocals Acoustic Drums Horn Section: Saxophone, Trumpet and Trombone. Live instruments Structure: Pop Song structure Kool & the Gang Harmony: Often minor Key Melody: Repetition Guitar Riffs Melodic basslines Tempo: 90-110BPM. Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation Triplets Technology 16-24 track tape recording Overdubbing: Now commonplace rather than live recording at once. Multiple microphones: Every instrument could have a close mic. More tracks: no need for reduction mixing. Stereo recording: Modern conventional panning of instruments. Artefacts: Unwanted sounds caused by the tape machine are only intentional now. Much better-quality tape. More experimentation: Could write new music whilst recording. Drum machines Analogue samplers 13  h. Hip Hop (1980s/90s) Instrumentation: Sampled instruments: Drums, piano & bass Rapped vocals Structure: Pop Song structure Strophic Harmony: Minor/Major Key Lauryn Hill Melody: Repetition Sampled melodies Rap Tempo: 80-100BPM. Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Syncopation Technology Digital tape recording = better quality, less noise, no artefacts MIDI started to be used Digital samplers and synthesisers (e.g. Yamaha DX7) Use of computers Portastudio = 4-track cassette tape recorder for making demos at home i. House (1980s/90s) Instrumentation: Drum Machine Electric Piano Sequenced Basslines Structure: Intro, build up, drop. Wamdue Project 14 Harmony: Minor/Major Key Melody: Repeating hooks Tempo: 120-130BPM. Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: syncopation Repetition Technology Hard-disk recording (could store lots more data) DAW invented in mid-90s j. Drum & Bass (1990s) Instrumentation: Drum Machine Electric Piano Sequenced Basslines Structure: Intro, build up, drop. Harmony: Minor/Major Key Melody: Repeating hooks Tempo: Fast: 160-180BPM. Time signature: 4/4 Rhythm: Complex syncopation Repetition Adam F 15 Technology Hard-disk recording (could store lots more data) DAW invented in mid-90s 16