Origins of Rock, Hip Hop, and R&B (Exam 1)

a rhythm section almost always includes…

drums

bass

a chord playing instrument, either keyboard like piano or guitar, or both

rhythm section

provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation of most bands in the African American tradition

piano/guitar

keyboard player plays chords (providing harmony) and also melodies

bass

the “…..”ist plays a low, sometimes repetitive line called the “…..” line that establishes what musicians call the “groove”/“beat”

drum set

a group of them (and occasionally other percussion instruments) played by one ……, who plays rhythmic patters

variation

involves presenting an idea, usually a melody, and then presenting all or part of it again and again, but changing it in some way each time

cadence

a pause or stopping point at the end of, or between phrases; phrase endings

—> puncutation

melody

a succession of notes that sound connected to each other, like words in a sentence

rhyme scheme

pattern of rhyming of words in a song

what are brass instruments?

metal tubes that you blow through

buzz your lips into a cup shaped mouthpiece with a hole at the end

—> the air column vibrates, creating notes

examples of brass instruments

trumpet

trombone

french horn

tuba

what are woodwinds?

tubes made of wood/metal with holes that can be opened/closed w fingers

blow air over thin piece of wood at the tip (reed)

—> vibrates as air is blown causing air in the tube to vibrate = sound

what category of instruements use a “reed”?

woodwinds

cymbal

a thin metal disk that you stroke with a stick or mallet often two of them are struck against each other

key

says which notes sound like home base

scale

a group of related notes arranged stepwise

interval

the distance in pitch between two notes

time signature

what tells musicians what the meter of the piece is

meter

refers to how many beats are in a measure (group of beats)

tempo

the speed of the beats

tone color

aka. timbre

the character, or nature of the sound; what does it sound like

relative strength of different frequencies within the sound

duration

how long the sound lasts

example of electronic instruments…

synthesizer

keyboard

wind

brass

percussion

pitched v unpitched percussion instrument, which is pitched?

specific musical notes (definite pitch)

pitched v unpitched percussion instrument, which is unpitched?

indefinite sound (can’t sing exact note being played)

what are keyboard instruments?

controlled by a “keyboard”

—> array of black/white keys that you depress with your fingers

what are electronic instruments?

notes are generated electronically, electrical signal sent to amplifier/speaker which produces sound

chord

a group of at least 3 notes happening at the same time

triad

a 3 note chord

intro v. ending/coda, which is intro?

a section of music before words start

intro v. ending/coda, which is ending/coda/outro?

a section that brings the song to a close, some songs have no ending and they just fade out

what are clues a measure is starting?

accented beats

changes in harmony

pauses in melody (cadences)

two kinds of keys: shades or flavors, major

light, happy

two kinds of keys: shades or flavors, minor?

dark, sad

harmony

the effect resulting from more than one note happening at the same time (usually 3 or 4 notes)

phrase

a distinct segment of a melody

a musical sentence

polyrhythm

more than one rhythmic idea at a time

string instrument: how is sound made?

strings stretched across them

they vibrate (due to plucking or with a bow), which causes the air inside or around the instrument

how do string instruments work?

made of wood with hollow body

examples of string instruments…

violin, cello, guitar

examples of woodwinds…

clarinet

flute

saxophone

true or false: the bigger the woodwind, the lower the pitch range

true

types of woodwind instruments…

single reed

clarinet family

saxophone family

types of woodwind instruments…

double reed

reed is straw-like that is split in 2 and flattened (no mouthpiece)

examples:

oboe

english horm

bassoon

examples of percussion instruments…

drum

cymbal

vibraphone

drum

a cylinder, often made of wood, that has a membrane stretched over one or both ends called a “head”

climax

a high point

verse

same music, different words

chorus

same music, same words

step

one line or space up/down

leap

an interval made up of more than one step

accented beat

aka. strong beats, down beats

a beat on which the music is emphasized or played a little louder

what are beats grouped into?

measures/bars

beat

the basic pulse of a piece of music

rhythm

length, duration of notes, and where they occur over time

volume

how loud the note is

cause of volume…

how strong or intense the waves of air pressure are

pitch

how high/low the note is

cause for difference in pitch (how to change it)

different frequencies of the waves of air pressure

what is a single musical sound called?

a note

music

organized sound

sound

variations in air pressure, waves of air hitting your ear drum

human voice: highest and lowest for WOMEN

soprano, alto

human voice: highest and lowest for MEN

tenor, bass

section

a distinct segment, or passage, of music within a piece, a subunit of the piece

syncopation

accents in unexpected places (ex. not beat 1 or 3)

tonality

a principle of organizing notes and chords that defines a particular note, as a home base or harmonic center of a piece

texture

way to describe how many layers of sound there are at a time in the music and how those layers (lines) interact with each other

octave

the interval between the first note and 8 notes above and below (including both notes)

verse-refrain

have 2 distinct parts, or large sections

1st, not usually performed in a steady tempo, is called a verse

2nd, in tempo, is called the refrain/chorus

verse-chorus

other songs, like many contemporary pop tunes, are made up mostly of 2 different short sections that repeat in alternation

strophic

in some songs, there is a relatively short melody, with it’s accompanying harmony, etc. that repeats again and again, but with a different set of words each time

percussion instruments

sound created by striking the instrument, causing it and the air around it, to vibrate

can be struck with a stick, mallet, or hand