midterm 1 Flashcards
(180 cards)
pitch
relative highness or lowness of given note
register
relative lowness or highness of group of pitches
lower= heavier, threatening
higher= delicate, less threatening
melody
- succession of pitches organized in coherent design such that it is understandable and accessible
- recognized as ‘the sound’
- one pitch unfolds at a time (horizontal element)
harmony
multiple pitches at once (vertical)
gives sense of depth
primary harmonies
=I, IV, V
most common harmonies in western music
Ex. Twist and shout, wild thing
major vs minor
TONALITIES
major= positive, upbeat, light, happy state
minor= sad, dreary, melancholic state
Tempo
how fast or slow a song is
most songs have an identifiable pulse/ pace of pulse
metre
how we organize the pulse
duple metre (quadruple)
pulse organized in twos or groups of twos (2/4, 4/4)
Ex. sweet dreams
triple metre
pulse organized in groups of three (3/4)
Ex. only love can break your heart
rhythm
- how individual notes relate to pulse and metre
- straight (square)= conform to pulse and reinforce, sense of rigidness Ex. sweet dreams
- syncopated)= rhythm often accents off the pulse (space in-between), looser feel Ex. brick house
AABA form
coherent form, repetition(A) and contrast (B)
A is the hook
Ex. Spiderman theme song
verse-chorus form
versus= different (similar melody each time)
chorus= same lyrics every time (hook of song)
Ex. I love rock and roll
blues form/ 12 bar blues
I, IV, V harmony progression
A,A,B lyric arrangement (B is response to A)
timbre
tone quality/ color of given sound/ instrument
Ex. makes a piano sound like a piano
What is ‘the teenager’ and how did it emerge?
-baby boomers
-large youth market with disposable income
=social group against generation of their parents
-conservative time and teens felt pressure, rebellious tendency (led to rock and roll)
3 main pieces of technology in 1950s
- radio in homes
- juke box was new and in most public places
- tv provided visuals of performances
what caused the rise of independent labels?
- 4 major record labels that concentrated their efforts into small handful of artists they knew would sell due to rations during WWII
- opened doors for small independent labels that could cater to other artists
rhythm and blues
- cultivated by African American musicians (12-bar blues form with rhythm section
- white artists would cover recordings by black rhythm and blues singers
Alan Freed
- disc jockey that popularized rock and roll
- integrated airways by playing black and white artists
- public enemy; was targeted and eventually lost his job
Bill Haley (song)
-first identified rock and roll hit; with mega-label
=”Shake, rattle and roll” (cover of big joe turner)
-words were more family friendly, hook appeared sooner
Big Joe Tuner (song)
“Shake, rattle and roll”
- recorded with Atlantic records (indie label)
- hybrid/ multi form used, suggestive back beat (rhythm for sex)
Who was Elvis Presley?
- discovered and signed to Sun Records (Memphis)
- breathy voice
- launched rock and roll
Sam Phillips
knew that Elvis would be popular because he was a white man with a black mans voice