Conventions of Pop OCR Music

What is Sampling?

Taking something from a song in electronic format and putting it in to yours

What is the tempo of Rock and Roll?

Fast Tempo

When did Rock and Roll develop?

1950-1960

Name a Rock and Roll band

Bill Haley and his Comets, Elvis Presley, Beach Boys

Give a feature of the 'harmony' of Rock and Roll

Major Harmony (chords) or 12-Bar-Blues

What time signature does Rock and Roll use?

4/4 - to make the music steady and dance-able

What is the structure of Rock and Roll?

Verse/Chorus Structure

What bass line is used in Rock and Roll?

Walking Bass

What chord sequence (harmony) is used in Rock and Roll?

12-Bar Blues

12-Bar Blues

A 12-bar chord sequence made up of Chord 1, 4 and 5

Improvisation

Making up music on the spot

Instrumental Section

No singers - just the instruments play. There is usually improvisation

When did Rock Anthems/Arena rock develop?

1970s - 1980s

Name a Rock Anthems artist

Survivor, Europe, Guns 'n' Roses

Name an electronic effect that is used on Electric Guitars

Distortion / Reverb

Which electronic instruments are common in Rock Anthems

Electric Guitar, Amplifier, Bass Guitar

Give a feature of the vocal line in Rock Anthems

Repeated vocal lines

Give a feature of the melody in Rock Anthems

Riff

Give a feature of the rhythm in Rock Anthems

Strong beat, steady tempo

What is 'backbeat'?

Beats 2 and 4 are stronger

Give a feature of the harmony 'chords' in Rock Anthems

Uses repeated chords

What is a Pop Ballad?

A song for a solo artist with a strong sense of emotion/story

What is the tempo of Pop Ballad?

Slow tempo

Name the common accompaniment instruments of a Pop Ballad

Piano, Acoustic Guitar, Strings

Name 3 ways you can play chords

Broken Chords, Block Chords, Sustained Chords

Name an artist who wrote Pop Ballads

Elton John / Bonnie Tyler / The Spice Girls

When did Pop Ballads develop?

1970s-1990s

Name a Pop Solo artist (after 1990s)

Michael Jackson / Rihanna / Adele / Beyonce

What is Multi-Tracking?

When a soloist records several harmony lines and layers them up

What is panning?

The positioning of a sound in the stereo field to give the impression that the sound is moving from side to side

What is delay?

An effect such as reverb or echo on words or lines of music

What is Reverb?

An electronic effect that creates the sound of being in a big echoey, space

What is Looping?

Making something repeat over and over in a song

What is the texture used in Pop Songs?

Homophonic / Melody and Accompaniment

What is a hook?

A short, catchy, repeating vocal line (usually the song title or recognisable riff)

What can backing singers do to support the lead vocalist?

• Sing in harmony- singing different notes

• Sing in unison- all singing the same notes as the lead

• Descant- singing a higher part in time with the main tune

• Call and response

Different singing techniques

• A cappella- only singing

• Vibrato- the singers quiver up and down slightly in pitch- warmer and more expressive

• Falsetto- When men or occasionally women make their voices go very high

• Scat- improvising using made up words like ‘doo’ or ‘dat’

What is the 12 bar blues pattern

• The first four bars are all chord one

• 5-6 are chord 4 then 7-8 are chord 1

• Bar 9 is chord 5, bar ten is chord 4, bar 11 and 12 are both chord 1

What is boogie-woogie bass?

Using the same notes as a walking bass but played in a boogie-woogie rhythms

What features of jazz have influenced pop music?

• Improvisation

• Typical band had a trumpet, trombone, clarinet

• Rhythm section with piano, guitar, drums and double bass

What was the general line-up for a rock and roll band?

Lead singer, electric guitars, bass guitar, drum kit and sometimes a piano

Examples of Rock artists

Queen, Pink Floyd, The Beatles

What are some different types of rock, their features and some artists?

• Hard rock- loud and aggressive, dominated by a distorted electric guitar- solos and power chords

  • Led Zeppelin and The Who

• Heavy metal- harder and more distorted than hard rock with longer guitar solos

  • Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden

• Glam rock- theatrical, catchy hooks

  • David Bowie and Kiss

• Progressive rock- Experimental and complicated, long instrumentals and electronic effects

  • Yes and Pink Floyd

• Punk Rock- Harsh and angry, all about anarchy and rebellion, shouted lyrics

  • The Sex Pistols and Blondie

What does anthem mean?

A mainstream, memorable and singable song

What are some features of pop ballads that make them feel more emotional?

• Quiet piano or sweeping strings make it feel heartfelt

• Crescendos and diminuendos

• Backing vocals will play long, sustained notes in harmony with the main singer

What is melisma?

When one note is spread across multiple syllables

Solo artists from the 1990s?

Michael Jackson, Bryan Adams

Solo artists from the 2000s?

Kylie Minogue, Britney Spears

Solo artists from the 2010s?

Adele, Ed Sheeran

What is overdubbing?

Recording any music over a track that you have already made