Elements of Music I: Musical Properties, Theory, and Structure

Active vs. Passive Listening

• Active listening allows the listener to get more out of the music because they become aware of what is "going on" in the music.
• An understanding of the elements of music is the beginning of cultivating active listening.

Four Main Properties of Sound

• Timbre: The color of a musical sound.
  • Timbre is what makes a trumpet sound different from a guitar.
  • Instrumentation: Refers to the instruments used in any music.
    • Variations in instrumentation result in different combinations of timbre, and thus a different overall sound.
  • Texture: Describes the relationships between the various instruments in a song.
    • Described as "thick" or "thin."
• Intensity: Refers to the loudness of a sound (also known as dynamics or volume).
  • Reference: Spinal Tap video.
• Pitch: The relative highness or lowness of a musical sound.
  • This is caused by the frequency of vibrations.
  • The faster the frequency of vibration, the higher the pitch.
• Duration: How long a note is.

Rhythm and Time-Related Vocabulary

• Rhythm: The time duration of musical sound, usually defined in beats.
• Beat: A regular marking of time in a song.
  • This is what the listener taps their foot to while listening.
  • Rock music mostly uses a $4/4$ time signature, but sometimes uses $3/4$ or other time signatures.
• Tempo: Defines the speed of the beat.
  • Tempo is expressed with words or metronome markings.
• Measure / Bar: A consistent grouping of beats.
  • Bars and measures refer to the same thing.
  • There are typically $2$, $3$, or $4$ beats in a measure.
• Accent: Occurs when specific notes or beats are emphasized (made louder) than the rest of the notes or beats.
  • In most Western Music, beats $1$ and $3$ are accented in a four-beat measure.
  • In Rock and Roll, beats $2$ and $4$ are accented in a four-beat measure.
• Backbeat: The Rock and Roll convention of accenting beats $2$ and $4$ in a four-beat measure.
  • The use of the backbeat reflects African influences on Rock and Roll.
  • Reference: Heart of Rock and Roll.
• Syncopation: Accenting a normally unaccented beat.
  • In Rock music, accenting beat $3$ would create a syncopation.

Musical Construction and Ensembles

• Rhythm Section: The players in a Jazz or Rock and Roll band responsible for maintaining the beat.
  • They provide the harmonic foundation of the song (the chord changes).
  • A rhythm section must include at least $1$ chord instrument (such as guitar, piano, or keyboard).
  • It must include a bass instrument.
  • It must include a percussion instrument.
  • Example: The band Nirvana only had three players but still fulfilled these requirements.
• Note: The distinct pitches used in the creation of music.
  • The system used assigns note names that go from $A$ to $G$ cyclically.
• Chords: The collection of three or more notes played simultaneously.
  • Each chord has a function and a Roman Numeral designation.
  • The three most important chords are:
    • Tonic ($I$): Uses the $1\text{st}$, $3\text{rd}$, and $5\text{th}$ notes of a key.
    • Subdominant ($IV$): Uses the $4\text{th}$, $6\text{th}$, and $1\text{st}$ notes of a key.
    • Dominant ($V$): Uses the $5\text{th}$, $7\text{th}$, and $2\text{nd}$ notes of a key.
  • Reference: Axis of Awesome.
• Key: Pertaining to the tonal system of music, key designations indicate how many sharps or flats are in use for any given song.
  • Major: Usually sounds "happy."
  • Minor: Usually sounds "sad."
• Harmony: The study of how chords interact in any given key.
• Melody: A group of pitches heard in a series.
  • Melodies are usually distinct and tuneful.
  • They are usually taken by the lead instrumentalist or the singer.
  • Conjunct: All the notes of the melody are close together.
  • Disjunct: The melody notes are not close together.

Melodic Ideas and Song Forms

• Riff: A short melodic idea consisting of $2$ to $7$ notes that is rhythmically interesting.
• Hook: A catchy melodic or rhythmic idea in a song.
  • It usually occurs in the chorus so that it can be repeated frequently.
• Form: The structure or organization of a song that holds it together.
• Verse/Chorus: The most popular form for Rock and Roll songs, which alternates verse then chorus back and forth.
  • Verse: The section of a song that tells the story; the music repeats but the words change.
  • Chorus: The part of the song in which the words and the music both repeat.
• Endless Loop Song: A song type that fades out at the end instead of coming to a definitive actual end. A song can be both verse/chorus and an endless loop.
• 12-Bar Blues Form: The succession of chords (harmony) associated with the Blues.
  • It is comprised of $3$ phrases of four measures each.
  • The form does not imply any specific duration/length, only the structure of the bars.
  • Phrase 1: $I - I - I - I$
  • Phrase 2: $IV - IV - I - I$
  • Phrase 3: $V - IV - I - I$
  • Of particular interest in the 12-bar blues is the movement from $IV$ to $I$ at the end, which is considered very unusual.

Song Analysis: "Honky Tonk Woman"

• Artists: Jagger/Richards.
• Introduction: Features the use of a "found" percussion instrument.
• Verse 1:
  • Lyrics: "I met a gin soaked, bar-room queen in Memphis, She tried to take me upstairs for a ride. She had to heave me right across her shoulder 'Cause I just can't seem to drink you off my mind."
• Chorus 1:
  • Lyrics: "It's the honky tonk women Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues."
• Verse 2:
  • Lyrics: "I laid a divorcee in New York City, I had to put up some kind of a fight. The lady then she covered me with roses, She blew my nose and then she blew my mind."
• Chorus 2:
  • Lyrics: "It's the honky tonk women Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues."
• Verse 3:
  • Features an instrumental break.
• Chorus 3:
  • Lyrics: "(Yeah!) It's the honky tonk women. Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues."
• Final Chorus:
  • Lyrics: "(Yeah!) It's the honky tonk women. Gimme, gimme, gimme the honky tonk blues."