Download Contemporary Music - Cleveden Secondary School

Contemporary Music
S4 – Unit 2
Ragtime
What is ragtime music?
• A melody with a ‘ragged’ rhythm, which is
set against a very steady bass.
• The ‘ragged’ rhythm is known as
syncopation.
• The accompaniment uses a vamp.
Ragtime – Social & Cultural
History:
• Invented in New Orleans.
• Developed in the 1890s in the saloons, gambling halls
and cafes of the Southern States of the USA.
Interesting information:
• Most of the bars and dance halls were small and could
not accommodate a full band so, in its early days,
ragtime was usually played on the piano.
• It was the first black music to be accepted by white
people.
Ragtime
The most well-known ragtime composer was
Scott Joplin. His most popular piece, The
Entertainer, was made famous in the film ‘The
Sting’, as well as being used in adverts such as
Felix cat food.
Scott Joplin became famous through the publication of his
piece The Maple Leaf Rag in 1899. Below is an easy
version of the start of the piece.
Ragtime – Composing Task
• Using a keyboard, learn to play a vamp based on the
chords of G, C and D.
G (G,B,D)
C (C,E,G)
D (D,F#,A)
• Make up a 4 bar chord sequence using the chords
above.
• For each bar, your left hand will play low notes, it should
play the main (first) note of the chord on beat 1 and
either the third or fifth note on beat 3.
Ragtime – Composing Task
• For each bar, your right hand will play notes
near the middle of the keyboard. It should play
the three note chord on beats 2 and 4,
e.g. for one bar of the chord of G the right hand
will play:
Now put both parts together!
Jazz
What is jazz music?
• A style which uses improvisation as a key
element.
• Combines ‘blue’ notes, syncopation and different
rhythms all playing together (polyrhythms).
History:
• Originated at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Took ideas from blues music as well as African
and European music
Jazz
• Interesting information:
• Different types of jazz music, such as
Dixieland, swing, bebop and jazz-funk.
• Swing music has a medium (moderato) to
fast tempo and a distinctive ‘lilting’ rhythm:
Jazz
• During the 1920’s the black bandleader Fletcher
Henderson began the trend towards bigger jazz bands,
with 10 or more players rather than the previous 5 or 6.
These bands became known as Big Bands and they
played swing music
• Swing band instruments:
 reeds
clarinet, 2 alto saxophones, 2 tenor saxophones
 brass
3 trumpets, 3 trombones
 rhythm
piano, guitar, double bass, drums
Jazz
• A solo brass or reed instrument might improvise against
a written backing or riff played by all the other
instruments. Swing music is often based on the 12 bar
blues form.
•
• There were many famous swing band leaders, the most
famous being Glenn Miller. His hit ‘In The Mood’ is
based on the 12 bar blues pattern and uses dotted
rhythms:
In the Mood – Glenn Miller
Scat Singing
What is scat singing?
• Where a singer recreates the sound of an instrument,
using their voice.
• They use improvisation: random vocals and syllables, or
without words at all.
• Scat melodies are often variations on scales, arpeggios
and riffs, based on a musical structure.
Interesting information:
• Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Bobbie McFerrin and
Amy Winehouse have all experimented with scat singing.
Amy Winehouse used scat singing in her first album, Frank. In the following excerpt, she
scats before and with a saxophone solo - IN MY BED
Walking Bass
• A common type of bass line used in blues and
jazz music is a walking bass. On the piano, the
bass line is played by the left hand, as it uses
low pitched notes.
• A walking bass has a very regular on the beat
rhythm, making it sound like footsteps
Walking Bass
Louis Armstrong
• Louis Armstrong (1901-1971), nicknamed Satchmo, was
an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, singer and
actor. Considered one of the most influential jazz artists,
he is known for songs such as “What A Wonderful
World” and “We Have All The Time In The World”
Did you know?
• Louis Armstrong’s musical training began in reform school, where he
was sent for 18 months at the age of 12 for firing a pistol in the air as
a joke.
• Allegedly, he dropped his lyric sheet while recording the song
“Heebie Jeebies”. Without dropping a beat, he kept going with
random gibberish, which became known as scat singing.
Louis Armstrong
• Basin Street Blues was first published in 1926 and made famous in
a recording by Louis Armstrong in 1928. As you listen to his piece,
try and recognise all of the concepts below:
Melody/harmony
Major tonality
Trumpet melody with grace notes
Imitation by clarinet and trombone
Improvisation
Scat singing
Rhythm/tempo
Swing rhythm on drum kit
Simple time, 4/4
Dotted rhythms
Andante
Instruments/voice Piano – introduction, melody, accompaniment
s and how they are Trumpet – melody, improvisation
used
Clarinet – imitation, countermelody, improvisation
Trombone – imitation
Drum kit – swing rhythm, accompaniment
Double bass – pizzicato/plucked, bass line, walking
bass
Solo voice – melody, scat singing
Dynamics
mf, mezzo-forte or f, forte
Diminuendo
Blues
What is Blues music?
• A style which is often based on a given chord progression (12-bar
blues)
• Combines ‘blue’ notes, syncopation and different rhythms all playing
together (polyrhythms).
History:
• Originated from African-American communities in the ‘Deep South’
of USA at end of 19th Century
• Took ideas from Negro Spirituals, work songs and field hollers
Interesting information:
• World War II changed blues music from acoustic to electric blues
and allowed a larger audience to listen
Blues
Most blues songs:
• have four beats in a bar
• are built on the 12-bar blues progression
• use three four-bar phrase
“I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees"
"I went to the crossroad, fell down on my knees"
"Asked the Lord above "Have mercy, now save poor Bob, if you please""
Robert Johnson Crossroad Blues
• Many blues songs feature a short instrumental break
(solo) after each line – a sort of call and response.
Blues – Social & Cultural
Did you know?
• African slaves brought their musical traditions with them
when they were transported to work in the North
American colonies. Early types of African American
music included spirituals (religious songs using vocal
harmony) and work songs.
• African music combined with the folk music of the white
European settlers to produce new styles of music.
• Early style of blues was known as country blues and
was usually a solo singer accompanied on guitar or
piano sometimes with added harmonica or drums.
Blues – Social & Cultural
• After the Civil War and emancipation of slaves the blues
spread, together with the people who sang and played it.
Many former slaves moved from the cotton fields of the
southern states to northern cities such as Chicago and
Detroit, where the blues became hugely popular.
• By the 1960s, blues guitarists such as Eric Clapton and
others emulated this style. Many more blues rock
guitarists have followed. The blues has left its mark on
all areas of popular music and is the driving force behind
white rock music.
Reggae
What is reggae music?
• A style which is most easily recognised by the off-beat
rhythmic accents on beats 2 and 4. These are usually
played by guitar or piano, or both.
• The drums emphasise beat 3 rather than the usual
downbeat of beat 1.
• The bass line is often syncopated.
History:
• Began in Jamaica in the late 1960s.
Reggae
• Bob Marley (1945–1981) is the most
famous reggae musician. His song Three
Little Birds has appeared in many films,
such as Shark Tale, I Am Legend and
Marley and Me:
• Three Little Birds – Bob Marley
Gospel
What is gospel music?
• Christian music with dominant vocals, typically depicting
personal religious experiences and stressing the
importance of salvation.
• Four-part harmony, with the melody in the highest voice.
• Catchy, often syncopated rhythms.
• Generally strophic, in major tonality.
• Common instruments used include piano or Hammond
organ, drums, tambourine, bass guitar and electric
guitar.
Gospel - Social & Cultural
History:
• Began in America in the 19th century.
• Developed within both the white (European
American) and black (African American)
communities in the USA.
Interesting information:
• The films Sister Act and Sister Act II have a
musical focus on gospel music
Gospel
• Sister Act and Sister Act II feature a Las Vegas lounge
singer who witnesses a murder and seeks refuge in the
local church, disguising herself as a nun.
• At first, she struggles with the discipline at the nunnery
and is punished for sneaking in to a nearby bar by being
made to join the terrible choir.
• The choir vote for ‘Sister Mary Clarence’ to take over as
choir director and she teaches them to be better singers.
• In the sequel, she teaches music at a school in a rough
area which is doomed for closure.
Gospel
• Watch and listen carefully as the choir
sings in harmony.
Hail Holy Queen from Sister
Act
Gospel
• At the start of the following excerpt a lead singer/voice
alternates with backing vocals. There is also imitation:
Oh Happy Day from Sister
Act II
Rock ‘n’ Roll
What is Rock ‘n’ Roll?
• A style of Rock music which developed in the USA in the
late 1940s/early 1950s
• Often features electric or acoustic guitars, with a strong
backbeat played on the snare drum and an overriding
blues rhythm.
• Incorporates a combination of African-American styles
such as blues, jazz and gospel music.
Interesting information:
• Beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll, as seen in
movies and on television, influenced lifestyles, fashion,
attitudes, and language.
Rock ’n’ Roll
• On April 12, 1954, Bill Haley & His Comets recorded
"Rock Around the Clock". It was used in the opening
sequence of the movie Blackboard Jungle a year later
which set the rock and roll boom in motion.
• The song became one of the biggest hits in history, and
frenzied teens flocked to see Haley and the Comets
perform it, causing riots in some cities. "Rock Around the
Clock" was a breakthrough for both the group and for all
of rock and roll music.
Rock
What is rock music?
• A style influenced by many genres such as rock ‘n’ roll,
rhythm & blues, country, folk, jazz and classical music.
• Often features electric or acoustic guitars, with a strong
rhythm section of bass guitar, drum kit and keyboard
instruments such as piano, organ or, since the 1970s,
synthesisers.
History:
• Popular from the 1960s onwards.
• Guitarists began exploring a wider range of tonal effects.
Rock
• Jimi Hendrix (1942-1970) was an
American musician and singer-songwriter
who is widely considered to be the
greatest electric guitarist in music history,
and a pioneer of the use of distortion.
• Despite a short career in the spotlight, he
was one of the most influential musicians
in his era, being influenced by blues artists
to create new sounds on the guitar.
Rock
• Distortion is an effect created by using
overdrive, where the gain of the preamplifier is
increased until the sound becomes fuzzy.
• Reverb is an effect that gives the feel and tone
of playing in a certain type of room. The sound
becomes blurry as the notes are sounded
before fading away.
Rock
• Pitch bend (also known as bending) is a
technique where a guitarist presses a string on
the fretboard then bends it to one side after
sounding the string with the other hand. This
shifts the pitch of the slightly and gives the guitar
melody a more vocal quality.
• Ostinato (also known as riff) is a melodic or
rhythmic pattern which is repeated over and
over again. This gives a ‘catchy’ sound to the
music.
Rock
As you listen to Purple Haze by Jimi Hendrix, try
and recognise all of the concepts below:
Melody/harmony
Minor tonality
Rhythm/tempo
Simple time, 4/4
Instruments/voic
es and how they
are used
Electric guitar – melody, distortion, pitch
bend, chords, accompaniment
Bass guitar – bass line, accompaniment
Drum kit – rock beat, drum fills, rolls
Male singer – lead vocals, reverb, syllabic
f, forte
Dynamics
Rock
• Jimi Hendrix also popularised the use of
the wah-wah pedal, which he combined
with pitch bend and distortion:
Voodoo Child – Jimi Hendrix
Pop Music
What is pop music?
• A style often geared towards the youth market.
• Relatively short and simple love songs, with a
cheerful feel to the music.
• Songs are usually strophic and structured using
verse and chorus.
• Songs sometimes also include a middle 8, for
voices and instruments or just instruments.
Pop
History:
• Began in the mid-1950s.
• Created as a softer alternative to rock ‘n’ roll.
Interesting information:
• The 1990s saw the rise of the manufactured pop band.
Manager Simon Cowell auditioned for the image as well
as the sound of his singers, ploughing money in to
marketing the new band so they would appeal to
teenagers and young adults.
• His manufactured pop group Spice Girls had 9 UK and
US No.1 singles and their first album ‘Spice’ is the best
selling album, by a female group, of all time.
Chord Changes
• An excerpt of Katy Perry’s song Hot ‘n’ Cold is below. Use your
worksheet to complete the tasks…
D
We used to be just like twins, so in sync,
The same energy now’s a dead battery,
Used to laugh ‘bout nothing, now you’re plain boring,
I should know that you’re not gonna change
D
‘Cause you’re hot then you’re cold, you’re yes then you’re no,
You’re in then you’re out, you’re up then you’re down,
You’re wrong when it’s right, it’s black and it’s white,
We fight, we break up, we kiss, we make up.
Rap
What is rap music?
• Spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics, which are performed
in time to a beat.
• The rhythm and rhymes of the lyrics and how they
interact is called the “flow”.
• Lyrics often use alliteration, similes and metaphors.
History:
• Most common in hip-hop music, from the end of the
1970s.
• Has become popular feature of popular music in recent
years.
Rap
Interesting information:
• Rapping is also known as MCing.
• A successful rapper must have vocal
presence, clear enunciation and good
breath control.
• There are different categories of rap, e.g.
party rhymes, social and political issues,
crime and materialism
Rap
• The film 8 Mile is based on a young man’s
troubled life and his decision to turn his life
around to become a famous rapper, as he
enters rap battle competitions against
established rappers to try and make his name.
• It stars Eminem, a successful American rapper,
record producer, songwriter and actor whose
real name is Marshall Mathers and who uses the
alter ego Slim Shady.
Rap
• The song ‘Lose Yourself’ by Eminem tells the story of his
character’s struggle to make it as a rapper, and his
determination to succeed. Listen to an extract from the
song and follow the story that Eminem raps, with the
words to the chorus printed below:
Chorus: “You better lose yourself in the music, the
moment
You own it, you better never let it go,
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow,
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo.”
Rapping
• The six excerpts below are taken from songs in a variety
of styles, all of which feature rapping by different artists.
Listen to each of the excerpts then choose your
favourite:
Coolio –
Gangsta’s
Paradise
Black Eyed
Peas – Where
is the Love
Prof. Green Read all about
it
Beastie Boys No sleep till
Brooklyn