What style of music are the 8 bar phrases from?
celtic
How are certain notes emphasised?
use of accents
What does the African style of music add to the piece?
syncopation, polyrhythmic textures and ostinato
What techno features appear at the start?
drone and panning
What language are the african vocals?
malinkan
What is structure?
ABA ternary
Describe the general use of loops in the piece
4 bars long, repeated
What tonality is it?
Modal which is typical of celtic music
What does the melody provide?
two main vocal lines and use of chromatic movement
What harmonic feature is used?
static harmony
What note value do the instrumental solos mainly consist of?
semiquavers
What instrument is the rhythmic backbone and give a rhythmic feature of it?
Bodhran, its rhythm is syncopated
Give the 3 West African instruments used
kora djembe talking drum
Give the 6 Celtic instruments used
hurdy gurdy uillean pipes low whistle bodhran fiddle accordion
What is a modern feature of the texture?
multi tracking and layering
Give 6 uses of music technology
multi tracking panning reverb delay loops synthesiser
give 5 sounds and techniques of modern electronic dance used in release:
male and female vocals synthesiser and samples electric piano drum machine shaker and tambourine
Give a textural feature
sudden drop outs for new sections
What is the texture?
polyphonic
What key is it in?
C natural minor
What is most of the melody based on?
the aeolian mode (natural minor scale)
Explain the structure
seven sections: intro verse 1 verse 2 solos verse 3 build outro
What do the seven sections of the piece have in common?
they are each eight bar phrases
What is used during the Uilleann pipe solo?
dorian mode
What is the time signature?
4/4
What does use of loops do?
creates a layered texture
What is the effect of polyrhythm?
By combining many repeating rhythms, an exciting effect is created, while maintaining a strong sense of pulse.
How is the rhythm thrown?
use of cross rhythms, syncopation and metre changed
what is the metre in the opening section?
free time
where do the loops start and what happens?
at 0:48, there is a moderately fast tempo in 4/4 time
give two features of the rhythm
it is slightly swung the vocal melodies use syncopation
what do the instrument solos and some of the instrumental loops feature?
strings of rapid short noes, echoing the fast decorative style of much irish folk music
what rhythmic feature do the low whistle solo and fiddle loops have in common?
triplets
what does repeating loops create the effect of?
ostinatos/riffs
what does the figure 4 above the final rest in loops 13,17,24,26 and 28 indicate?
that the rest lasts for 4 bars
What is the tonality of the piece?
modal but it has drones and repeating patterns of C minor
what is a drone?
a folk music term for a continuous pedal note
what is the harmonic pace of the music?
it has a slow harmonic pace- static harmony and is mainly diatonic
what is the texture?
mainly homophonic
how is the accompaniment constructed?
from loops, built up in layers.
what does the melody in verse 1 consist of?
the pentatonic minor scale
give 5 features of the melody
use of reverberation mostly syllabic mainly conjunct movement repetition mainly modal
describe the repetition in the melody
there are many similar 2 bar phrases that fall from G to C
compare the male and female voice
the male voice has a much wider range and the female vocal has a narrow range and low tessitura
give 3 features of the instrumental solos
more wide ranging in pitch disjunct movement emphasise G and C as the main notes of the mode
give 2 features of the build
there is a long crescendo and thickening of texture
give 2 features of the outro
it fades out and features electric piano loops 25 and 26
describe the synth drum in the intro
it has electronic effects, panned left and right
describe the use of different languages through the vocal parts
the intro has a softly spoken introduction in Maninka, in verse 1 the female vocal is sung in english and in verse 2, the male vocal is sung in irish
describe the fiddle in verse 2
it has a double stopped pattern and tenners very quietly
which three instruments have solos in the solo section?
uillean pipes, low whistle, hurdy gurdy
how does sinéad O'connor contribute to this track?
she wrote the lyrics and sung the first verse