Pop Music 1/20
Structure of a Song
Typical Structure Elements:
Verse: Usually contains lyrics that tell a story or impart meaning.
Repeat Line: A musical phrase that recurs at the end of every verse, often referred to as a refrain.
Chorus: Musically consistent portion that can follow each verse. Provides emotional peak.
Prechorus: Connective segment placed before the chorus, different from the previous sections.
Bridge: A contrasting segment that provides a departure from established patterns, typically appearing once in the song structure.
Song Structure Annotated:
A typical song may alternate between:
Verse (A)
Chorus (B)
Verse 2 (A)
Prechorus (C)
Chorus (B)
Bridge (D)
Repetition of Chorus (B)
Notation of Structure:
Example of song pattern: A B C A B C D C D
Last segment differs musically and lyrically from prior segments, thus labeled differently, typically as the bridge.
Types of Listening
Four Categories of Listening:
Passive Listening:
Engaging with music without active involvement.
Noticing dynamics and textures but not focused on lyrics or melody.
Listening in context, understanding the song's relevance to its time (e.g., Beatles).
Active Listening:
Attentively analyzing elements of music, attention drawn to instruments, melodies, and harmonics.
Identifying intensity changes and instrumentation.
Critical Listening:
Evaluating musical components critically; assessing quality, structure, and dynamics.
Assessing an artist’s use of space, tone, and clarity.
Participatory Listening:
Complete engagement, such as singing along, freestyle rapping, or air-drumming.
Personal contributions to the music experience.
History of Recording Music
Earliest Forms of Music:
Prior to 1816, music was solely performed live in communal settings; no recordings existed.
Initial Recording Devices:
Piano Rolls: Mechanically operated using negative pressure to trigger piano keys based on holes in paper rolls.
Phonograph: Introduced by Thomas Edison in the late 19th century, used wax cylinders for recording sounds.
Mechanics of Phonograph:
Sound vibrations would scratch patterns into the wax cylinder; a needle would play back the imprinted sound mechanically.
Wax cylinder recordings often had a range of frequency limitations.
Cultural Backlash and Changes in Music Consumption
Spiritual Concerns:
Some believed recording one’s voice could capture a part of their soul, leading to reluctance in embracing recording technology.
Social Impacts of Canned Music:
Fear of diminishing the specialness of live music; concerns that recorded music would rob people of musical literacy and instrumental skills.
John Philip Sousa expressed worries that canned music would replace live performance at significant events.
Economic and Artistic Concerns
Early music recording companies took advantage of composers by recording and selling without compensation.
With the rise of recorded music, there was a decline in overall public musical literacy.
Decline in Literacy:
Piano literacy in the 1800s hovered around 40-55%, but dropped to less than 10% by the 2000s due to the rise of recorded and streamed music.
Technological Evolution of Music Recording
Advancements in Recording:
1888: Wax cylindrical recordings were introduced by Edison.
1925: Introduction of better frequency encoding allowed for improved sound fidelity.
1982: Introduction of CDs by Phillips and Sony, transitioning from analog to digital recordings.
Shifts in Consumption:
Transition from vinyl to CDs and then to streaming platforms.
Streaming Revolution:
1999: Launch of Napster, a peer-to-peer sharing platform facilitating music sharing.
2008: Introduction of Spotify, popularizing streaming music globally.
Impact on Artists and their Revenue
Changes in Royalty Payments:
Current streaming services like Spotify pay artists very little per play (approx. $0.0008 per stream).
Comparison with historical album sales: A million album sales could mean $15 million versus just $10,000 in streaming rights.