Important words
Texture
Monophonic
Homophonic
Polyphonic
one person/instrument playing or singing
when all the parts move more or less together. It can
also mean a tune with accompaniment
when the parts all play different music at the same time
Tonality
This refers to the key of a piece, for example, major (happy) / minor (sad) /
modal / pentatonic (5 note scale)
Dynamics
How loud or quiet a piece is.
Forte = loud
Piano = quiet
Crescendo = getting louder
Diminuendo = getting quieter
Structures
Pop Songs
Ballads
32 bar song
Binary form
Ternary
Rondo
Sonata form
verse/chorus with a middle 8 (bridge)
songs which tell stories, each verse having same rhythm
and tune
AABA
AB – the gavotte, minuet, gigue and sarabande
ABA
ABACADA
Exposition, development, recapitulation
Popular Music since 1960
Types of voices
 Highest female voice
 Lowest female voice
 Highest male voice
 Lowest male voice
soprano
alto
tenor
bass
Backing voices can accompany solo singers by singing in harmony (singing
different notes to the tune), in unison (singing the same notes), a descant
(singing a higher part above the tune) or in call and response style
(repeating what the lead vocalist sings or answering with another tune).
What can singers do?
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They can sing a cappella (no accompaniment)
Use vibrato (make the note wobble)
Use falsetto (make their voice go high like the Bee Gees)
Use portamento (sliding from one note to another)
Scat sing (singing nonsense words)
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Riffing ( decorating and adding bits to tunes like Mariah Carey)
Here are ways in which voices may be enhances by electronic effects:
 Vocoder
electronic equipment which alters the sound of the voice
 Sampling
enables you to bring in another voice.
 Multitracking one singer records all the vocal parts one at a time,
layering the sound
 Reverb
gives the voice a larger sound, like an echo
Instruments associated with popular music
 Lead guitar
plays tunes
 Rhythm guitar
plays chords
 Bass guitar
plays bass line
 Drum kit
sets the tempo, includes bass drum, hi hat, snare
drum, tom toms, cymbals
 Synthesisers/keyboards
Electric guitars can play effects. These are: Distortion
 Fuzz
 Chorus
sounds like more than one instrument is playing
 Flange
gives a metallic sound
 Wah wah
 Compression
evens out variations
 Panning
sends different sounds to different speakers
Blues
 Music originating from the African slaves.
 Usually slow, sung with banjo or guitar accompaniment.
 Music is improvised over the 12 bar Blues (a pattern of 3 chords).
Solo ballads
 Tell a story
 often slow and sad, e.g. Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’.
Musicals
 Performed on stage including singing, dancing and dialogue.
 Songs can be for soloists, duets or for chorus (a choir).
Reggae
 Began in Jamaica
 slow tempo
 off-beat chords.
 The bass riff tends to be very loud
 usually 2 or 3 chords are used.
Soul
 It is like a pop version of gospel
 Tamla Motown include harmonies, multitracking, orchestral
instruments, hooks and loud syncopated bass lines.
Rock
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Folk
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Began in the late 1960’s
Heavy metal – distorted guitars, guitar solos, e.g. Metallica
Glam rock – catchy hooks/tunes, wore make-up and glitter costumes
Progressive rock – music lasts a long time, e.g. Genesis, Pink Floyd
Punk rock – angry music, often shouted
Some bands mix pop and folk using folk-type instruments, e.g. The
Corrs use the fiddle, tin whistle and bodhran (Irish drum).
 Some people play in the folk style with simple accompaniment on the
guitar (Bob Dylan)
Fusion Music
African influences
 complex rhythms
 repetition,
 unison backing vocals,
 call and response
 use of drums, e.g. djembe, bongos, talking drum, etc.
Latin American influences
 offbeat rhythms
 maracas, congas (drum), guiro, claves, cowbells
 singers in the style include Gloria Estefan
Indian influences
 use of sitar (stringed), tabla (drums)
 repeated patterns of beats called talas
 scales are called raga
 Bhangra a fusion of Pakistani, Indian and club-style dance music