Pop Music

Popular Music 1 Popular Music Late 1960s Pop/Rock InstrumentationDrumkit, Piano, Electric/Bass Guitar, Voice Rhythm • Minimal syncopation • Bass complements drums Meter Mainly 4/4 Harmony Diatonic: Harmony related to triadic chords Timbre Singing: • Light Hearted • Male Falsetto • Vocal Harmonies (Backing Vocals) Structure and Form • Verse-Chorus: Intro - Verse 1 - Chorus - Verse 2 - Chorus - Bridge - Chorus • 32 bar ballad form • Longer, experimental structure Examples The Beach Boys - Good Vibrations , The Rolling Stones - Jumpin’ Jack Flash , The Beatles - Hey Jude ; Let It Be Synth Pop InstrumentationMain Melody - Synth Lead/Vocal Harmony - Synth Pad Bass - Synth Bass & Electric Bass Rhythm - Drum Machine Rhythm • Syncopation • Dominance of quavers and semiquavers Metre 4/4 Harmony • Repeated chord progressions featuring riffs (Ostinato) • Mostly diatonic chords Structure & Form Verse-Chorus BackgroundLate 1970s-1980s • Recording Technology Advancements: Arpeggiator Function, Sequence Loops, Drum Machines, Vocoder (Lead instrument) Examples Depeche Mode - Strange Love, Kraftwerk - The Robots, Eurhythmics - Sweet Dreams are Made of This, A- ha - Take On Me Sound Effects 1. Reverb - Add space to sound 2. Delay - “Echo” with decay 3. Pan - Stereo 2 channels that can be split to left or right 4. Fading - Manipulating volume from silence 5. Distortion - Alter sound by increasing “gain”, giving rise to harsh sound R&B/Soul InstrumentationPiano, Horns (brass), Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Drums, Vocal Vocal texture• Soulful, raspy • With inflections, modulation of intonation in voice • Ad libs • Contemporary R&B ◦ Vocal Runs (Melisma but in Pop style) ◦ Inclusion of Rap Texture • Early R&B and Soul - Thick instrumentation • Contemporary - Thinner, Sparse, Ballad Style Rhythm & Metre• 3/4, 4/4, compound variants • Ad lib syncopation carries through in vocal/instrument interpretation Harmony • Mostly diatonic with blues/jazz influence • Occasional use of non-diatonic chords (chromaticism) Structure/FormVerse-Chorus Form Historical Context (1950s-60s) • Evolved from jump blues in the late 1940s • Played and produced by Blacks, help break down racial barriers by appealing to all • Soul is similar to R&B, but mixed with other genres like Gospel and Flunk (2000s - now) • Strongly associated with hip hop and rap • More mellow character • Synthesized instrument > acoustic Example 60s R&B (Motown): The Supremes - You Can’t Hurry Love, Soul: Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke, Contemporary R&B: Alicia Keys - If I Ain’t Got You