Queen-Killer Queen

Question 1

Killer queen:background information (5)

Answer 1

-Glam rock song
-sheer heart attack 1974
Not typical of era:
-adventurous harmonies and structures
-theatrical style
-Complicated guitar parts
-Multi track for guitar and vocals

Question 2

Killer queen:Structure (2)

Answer 2

• verse chorus structure

- Intro, verse, chorus, instrumental, verse, chorus, guitar solo, verse, chorus, outdo

Question 3

Killer queen:harmony (8)

Answer 3

• adventurous chord sequence
• several altered or extended chords
• mostly root positions but some inversions
• circle of fifths progression
• perfect cadences
• involve faster harmonic rhythm (“guaranteed to blow your mind”)
• pedal note (bar 27-30)
• Chord inversions create the sending and ascending basslines

Question 4

Killer queen:melody (10)

Answer 4

• mainly syllabic
• melody has a wide range
• guitar borrows ideas from verse and chorus
• backing vocals use words and vocalisations
• often conjunct with some leaps
• in the chorus the melody is harder to spot because of backing vocals
• vocal sometimes use falsetto and spoken text
• also contains a slide upwards on the word ‘queen’
• length of melodic phrases are often uneven
• Word painting is use on the words ‘drive you wild’

Question 5

Killer queen:tonality (6)

Answer 5

• Eb major
• chorus is Bb major
• some points where tonality is unclear
• chord sequences move quickly through different chords
• last chorus is in Bb major
• Outro repeats Eb major chord

Question 6

Killer queen:texture (7)

Answer 6

• mainly homophonic
• extra build up gradually, one instrument enters at a time
• guitar solo uses three-part texture
• sounds are spread out using panning
• Second verse has interweaving guitar and vocals to give it a polyphonic feel
• guitar solo uses imitation
• panning creates an antiphonal feel

Question 7

Killer queen:rhythm and metre (6)

Answer 7

• mainly 12/8- a swung feel
• regular danceable beats with steady tempo
• syncopation throughout
• every verse and chorus starts with anarcuisis
• occasional 6/8 bars to extend phrase length
• triplets (bar 18)

Question 8

Killer queen:instrumentation (7)

Answer 8

• vocals:Freddie Mercury: high tenor voice
• piano, electric guitar, bass, drum kit
• overdubbed backing vocals
• 4 guitar parts
• slightly out of tune jangle piano recorded in top of the main piano.
• Effects: multi tracking, EQ, Flanger, distortion, reverb, Wah-wah, panning
• guitar part uses slides, bends, pull offs, and vibratos