Exploring different musical genres.
Brit Pop:
Brit Pop is known as the response to the American grunge scene with bands such as Nirvana. Brit pop bands were usually from London and Manchester, they contained the usual line up of guitar, bass, drums and vocal. The lyrical content is focused on British culture and ‘lad culture’.
The background of britpop:
During the time Brit Pop was big there was a conflict between the two biggest Brit Pop bands, Oasis and Blur. This Conflict bought Brit Pop to the front of the press in 1995. in the same year on the 14th August Oasis released the single ‘roll with it’ and Blur released ‘country house’, this was seen as ‘the battle of Brit Pop’. Blur won the battle between these two songs reaching number one in the charts and selling 274,000 copies while Oasis sold 216,000 copies. However, in the long term Oasis became more commercially successful with tracks such as ‘Wonderwall’. I think ‘Oasis’ were more successful, as I have heard their songs more, and before researching Britpop I hadn’t really ever heard of ‘Blur’. In 1997 a new prime minister moved into 10 Downing Street, Tony Blair, who represented labour. With Blair as Prime Minster Blur were invited to a party with parliament as he was very invested in the Brit Pop scene. Many fashion trends from the Brit pop era are coming back into style in 2020/20201, things like bucket hats, polo shirts and big round glasses are being seen more often.
defining characteristics-
~ lyrics about ‘lad culture’
~ repeated chords and bass line
~ typical structure (verse, chorus, verse chorus, bridge, outro)
~ softly distorted guitars
~ talking through the words rather than singing
music analysis:
‘Parklife’ by Blur was known as the Brit Pop anthem. it is in the key E major and has a tempo of 139 BPM which gives it a happy upbeat feeling. It consists of the normal guitar, bass and drums however, the verse of the track is spoken and talks about typical British things, in the chorus it is sung more but still isn’t sung as you would typically hear a song, the pitch is quite low as it is sung by a male and the duration of the words are longer than the spoken chrous’. the structure of ‘parklike’ is like most other songs it starts with a 12 bar intro before going into the first verse, then then chorus, a four bar interlude section, verse two, chorus, into a bridge, third verse and finally a double chorus. The verses have a polyphonic texture making the piece feel chaotic, when it is very simple to play with just two chords needed on guitar (E and A).
‘don’t look back in anger’ by Oasis was written by John Osborne. it is written in C major meaning there is no sharps or flats, it has a tempo of 162 BPM so is faster then ‘Blurs’ Parklike. There is an piano intro which to me sounds like John Lennon’s ‘imagine’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8). don’t look back in anger is structured in as what is seen as a ‘normal’ structure for pop/britpop, it has an introduction, two verses and chorus’ . however it has a coda, which when written the musician goes to the coda symbol and plays until the end. the bass in verse one is repetitive creating a sense of movement in the verse. the duration of the words are long and legato which opposes short stabs on the guitar at 0:36. the vocal range is pretty low and isnt very diverse and stays consistant throughout. the dynamic of the piece is the same throughout until the end when it begins to slow down and get quieter.
pioneers:
There were four pioneering bands in britpop. These being ‘Blur’, ‘Suede’, ‘Pulp’ and ‘Oasis’. ‘Blur’ were formed in 1988 and consisted of Damon Albarn (singer), Graham Coxon (guitarist), Alex James (bassist) and Dave Rowntree (drummer). Albarn and Coxon met James when they were studying at Goldsmiths College in 1988. Damon Albarn was in a group called circus and in October of that year Rowntree joined. After the previous guitarist left circus Coxon was asked to join, December of that year two members of circus were fires and James joined as the bassist, this began the group ‘Seymour’. The first performance of ‘Seymour’ was in the summer of 1989. later in the year Andy Ross; a representative from Food Records attended a performance and liked the band. However, Ross and Food Records didn’t like the name ‘Seymour’, Food Records came up with a list of new names and the band was named ‘Blur’ and signed in 1990. ‘Oasis’ were formed in 1991 and developed from the group ‘the rain’. The originally band consisted of four members: Liam Gallagher, Paul McGuigan, and Tony McCarroll.
recording of britpop:
evaluation- overall this recording of britpop was not my best. i found it very hard to capture the style and characteristics of the britpop genre. the phrasing and pronunciation was hard to capture and i could have done with more time to perfect it.
BRITPOP COMPOSITION:
potential lyrics: the pubs ain’t even serving, all I’m doin’ is working, I just wanna scream at the top of my lungs, mom said it’d be over, but I’m just gettin’ older, guess no school for a couple a months.
evaluation- i had to use production techniques like volume control, effects such as putting distortion on the guitars. this allowed me to create the defining characteristics of britpop. however, i did run out of time to add an actual vocal line onto the track, if i did i would have added reverb to make it sound more commercial.
2010’s pop:
the 2010s saw the involvement of rap in mainstream music, with songs such as starships ( Nikki minaj) and Baby (Justin Bieber). it also involved more synths and electronic drums and choppy vocals, witch are some key elements of EDM.
background of 2010’s pop:
2010’s pop was the step from from the 00s where acts like Eminem, the killers and the white stripes dominated the charts. during the 2010s pop started to have a more interesting bass line and more synths used. the lyrical content was mostly to do with love and relationships. in 2011 spotify was released in the US, this was the start of music download, in 2019 spotify got into podcasting, this meant it was no longer an app just for music but for podcasts too. 2010 also saw the forming of the band One Direction who would go on to rule pop in the 10s.
defining characteristics-
~ sawtooth synths
~ overly produced
~ catchy melody, repetitive lyrics
~ defined structure (verse, chorus etc)
~ regular time signature 4/4 kick
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
Payphone by Maroon 5 is written in B major and has a tempo of 110 BPM. the main instruments used in payphone are : funk guitar, bass, synths and vocals. payphone is structured with three verses and the third being a rap by Wiz Khalifa. the melody notes have a long duration and are legato. the dynamics of the piece never really change it is all at a consistent volume. because in the chorus there is a homophonic texture the song feels full and like its moving rather than dragging and feeling slow. the pitch of the song is all pretty much the same until you get to the chorus where it gets higher.
PIONEERS:
Adam Levine/ Maroon 5 were one of the pioneering bands of the 2010s, they performed tracks like ‘moves like jagger’, ‘payphone’ and ‘maps’. Maroon 5 have been running since 2001 and consists of Adam Levine (vocalist), Jesse Carmichael (rhythm guitarist, keyboardist), James Valentine (lead guitarist) Matt Flynn (Drums) PJ Morton (keyboardist) and Sam Farrar (multi-instrumentalist). another boy band who dominated the 2010s pop chart was One Direction, 1D consisted of 5 members: Harry Styles, Zayn Malik, Niall Horan, Liam Payne and Louis Tomlinson. 1D released songs like what makes you beautiful, night changes and story of my life. Zayn left in 2015, this is when the band released songs like perfect and infinity. they are all pioneers as they made the genre what it is by adding their own elements.
COVER OF STARSHIPS:
evaluation- this cover was okay for me to do it was in my vocal range and over all was pretty easy to put together and achieve a decent outcome. however the mixing was a bit out and i couldn’t really be heard behind josh. one difficulty was harmonising with the other singer as we have very different singing styles.
composition of 2010s pop:
evaluation- for this composition i had to adjust the volume of my tracks so that everything could be heard. i had to add effects onto my tracks to make them sound more like synths to capture the sound of 2010s pop. i had to use my playing skills to do the chords as i was playing both hands at the same time which is a technique. i used a synth rather than actual piano. i think this composition fits in with the genre as i have tried to include all of the defining characteristics of 2010s pop.
COUNTRY:
modern country music keeps elements from traditional country while advancing with whats popular. It originated with blues and folk music.
THE BACKGROUND OF COUNTRY:
country music uses string instruments, the verses are normally narrative and chorus’ are repeated. in the 2010s (era of modern country) many things happened one of them being Occupy wall street, this was a protest for income equality and the influence of money in politics, this may have affected country music as the lyrical content is about political beliefs and where they are from/ how proud they are to be classed as country. another thing that impacted country music was Covid-19, one of the pioneers (Luke Combs) wrote a song called six feet apart which is a bout the restrictions faced.
defining characteristics-
~ guitar solos
~ lyrics about life and alcohol
~ acoustic guitar
~ vocal delivery is very similar (because of where in america its from)
~ very repetitive
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
the song the way I talk by Morgan Wallen is written in the key of E major and has a tempo of 138 BPM. the structure of the song is an intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge, chorus and then an out chorus. the length of the notes are long and legato there aren’t really ant staccato notes making the song feel smooth and put together rather than it feeling rushed. the instrumentation is that of a typical country song guitar, bass, drums and vocals. the dynamics of the piece is consistent throughout, other than the end where it fades out to finish the song. the pitch of the vocals is towards the lower end of the scale as Wallen has a lower tone, this stays pretty much the same other than in the chorus which go slightly higher.
PIONEERS:
The pioneers of modern country are Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Thomas Rhett. Morgan Wallen was born in Tennessee and is 27 years old. He competed on the sixth season of the voice as a part of Usher’s team but later moved to Adam Levine’s team. He has released three albums in total: “stand alone-EP” (2015), “If I know me” (2018) and “dangerous: the double album” (2021). Luke Combs was born in North Carolina and is 31 years old. From a young age Luke has been performing with one of his most noticeable performances being at Carnegie hall. He has released four albums: “this one’s for you-EP” (2016), ” “This one’s for you” (2017), “the prequel-EP” (2019) and “What you see is what you get” (2019). Thomas Rhett was born in Georgia and is 31 years old. He has released five albums: “Thomas Rhett-EP” (2012) “it goes like this” (2013), “tangled up” (2015), “life changes” (2017) and “centre point road” (2019). these three men are all pioneers as they take elements from old country and mix them with whats popular in the charts so their songs become popular but still stat true to the genre of country.
RECORDING OF A COUNTRY SONG:
evaluation- i found this one fun to perform as it was different, however it may have been slightly out of my range as some sections sounded like they could do with more refinement. before this i had never really done vibrato with my voice. this was a new technique which took some time for me to get to a decent standard.
COMPOSITION OF COUNTRY:
evaluation- I used instruments which allowed me to get the feeling of a country song even though there is no lyrics. I believe that you can tell its country just from the track.
EDM:
EDM is short for Electronic dance music. EDM is mainly made for the night clubs, raves and festivals.
the background of EDM:
EDM came from disco and was very popular from 1970s to now. it uses midi instruments and also many percussive instruments. EDM is all about partying and the club culture. it stemmed from disco and became very popular from the 1970s. the first EDM song was Oscillations by Silver Apples and was released in 1968.
defining characteristics-
~ no live instruments, all produced
~ synth sounds
~ heavily produced vocals
~ ‘drop’
~ typical time signature 4/4 kick
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
summer by Calvin Harris is in the key G major and has a tempo of 128 BPM. the instrumentation is Piano,Vocal,Guitar and synths (these give it the EDM feel). the structure is chorus, instrumental, chorus, instrumental, chorus, instrumental. the track is very repetitive making the melody memorable. the length of the notes are staccato which gives it that up-beat and dance feel to the track. they dynamics of the piece are the same all the way through and don’t change. there also many drops throughout the song which is a characteristic of EDM music.
PIONEERS:
The pioneer of EDM is, Calvin Harris he is the highest paid EDM artist too. he has released five studio albums and runs his own recording studio which he founded in 2010. his debut single i created disco was released in 2007 and shaped his career. in 2014 he became he was the first artist to to place three tracks simultaneously on the top 10 of Billboard’s dance/electronic songs chart.
RECORDING OF EDM:
evaluation- i played piano for this cover, when learning it i learnt both hands separately rather than together which makes it feel a bit disjointed and not flow as well as it could. i could have worked for a little longer on getting it more legato rather than just putting them together straight away.
COMPOSITION OF EDM:
evaluation- I used production techniques like adding drum beats every half beats and risers which are all elements of EDM, this gave me a good base for a track to be built on.
POP PUNK:
Pop punk takes elements from rock and also other genres and mixes them all into pop punk.
THE BACKGROUND OF POP PUNK:
pop punk officially started around 1974 and came from the punk rock sound with the Ramones. pop punk takes elements of rock, punk and pop music to create the hybrid. the lyrical content of pop punk is usually about teens rebelling or just about rebelling its self. usually the look of pop punk artists is like rock and garage.
defining characteristics-
~ distorted guitar
~ guitar solos
~ ‘raw’ sounding vocals
~ there is usually a breakdown in the song
~ interesting drum beats (can include a drum solo)
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
Bloody valentine by machine gun jelly is written in the key of D and has a tempo of 160 BPM. the structure of the piece is intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, instrumental, bridge. The notes are legato and not staccato however he drum beats are short and fast. The dynamics of the song change when it gets to the bridge where there is a diminuendo. The panning of the song can mostly be heard in the drum fills where it is panned from left to right. The textures for the track is neither tick or thin there are bass, guitar, drums and vocals which is the typical instrumentation of a pop punk song.
PIONEERS:
The pioneers of pop punk are Green Day, Blink-182 and Alkaline Trio. Green Day were formed in 1o987 and lead my Billie Joe Armstrong. the band consists of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Drint and Tré Cool. they have 20+ albums. Blink-182’s members have changed around a lot since they were formed in 1992, but since 2015 the line-up of the band has consisted of bassist and vocalist Mark Hoppus, drummer Travis Barker, and guitarist and vocalist Matt Skiba. Since 2001, Alkaline Trio has consisted of Matt Skiba, Dan Andriano and Derek Grant. Founded in late 1996 by Skiba, bassist Rob Doran, and drummer Glenn Porter
Recording of POP PUNK:
evaluation- i played bass in this track, i used a pick and did mainly root notes and down strokes. the rhythm was mainly crotchets to keep the song driving. i found this quite easy as its what i’m used to and what i enjoy playing.
evaluation- I used production techniques like adding distortion to my guitar tracks to make it suit the genre of pop punk.
GRIME:
Grime is the UK’s main form of rap music, and is seen as ‘music from the streets’.
the background of grime:
Grime started in the early 2000s in East London. it is usually associated with UK pirate radio stations such as Rinse FM and Major FM. these radio stations were used for grime artists to promote themselves and build a fanbase for themselves and for grime. Grime usually has very grungy bass lines which makes it different to rap. he culture of grime is usually associated with gangs and violence which also stems over to their concert reputation. grime came from two genres that were big already grunge and rap and is considered a hybrid with the vocal style of rap but the bass lines of grunge. the lyrical content is usually about where they live or what they’ve been through or even their friends and family.
PIONEERS:
The pioneers of grime are Stormzy and Wiley. Wiley is named as “the godfather of grime”, he is considered to be the first official grime artist and arguably the biggest. In the early 2000s, he independently released a series of highly influential eskibeat instrumentals on white label vinyl, such as the first in the series “eskimo” and is known as a grime MC both for his solo work and for material released with his crew roll deep.
defining characteristics-
~ pre recorded/ produced instrumentation
~ fast tempo
~ catchy melody
~ lyrics about home place and home life
~ repetitive
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
the song shutdown has a tempo of 140BPM, there isn’t a thick texture mostly the song is grungy bass and vocals. there isn’t really any structure to the song however the main melody is catchy. it is written in the key of G minor. the dynamic of the piece are all the same and the pitch stays the same throughout too.
RECORDING OF GRIME:
evaluation- I found it difficult to capture the elements of grime as I played it on piano and it didn’t have proper effects to make it sound fully like stormzys track.
COMPOSITION OF GRIME:
evaluation- I used instruments that suited the genre, I made sure to make the tempo suitable for a grime track. I adjusted the eq to make it sound more commercial.
film music:
Film music is used in film to add feeling or excitement to the films.
the background of film music:
Film music was introduced in 1933 by Max Steiner and was used for the film ‘King Kong’. it started in the silent film era where pianists or small ensembles would improvise a soundtrack to the film to give the audience something else to go along with the film. nowadays you wouldn’t watch a film without some kind of music to give impact or help create an effect.
defining characteristics-
~ orchestral
~ usually built up in tempo as the track progresses
~ varying volume throughout
~ homophonic texture
~ instrumental (no lyrics)
MUSIC ANALYSIS:
the piece ice dance from Edward Scissorhands is written in the key of E and has a tempo of 87 BPM. there isn’t really a structure. the notes are long and slow with a legato feel. there is a homophonic texture with the woodwind and the strings, which makes it feel full. the dynamic change around the time stamp of 01:30 where it goes quiet to give a contrasting impact when it crescendos back. the texture of the piece is thick with a full ensemble and choir performing it, this is common within film music to have.
PIONEERS OF FILM MUSIC:
there were two main pioneers of film music in my opinion one was Max Steiner and the other was John Williams. Steiner first used music in film in 1933 for ‘King Kong. he used leitmotif (when a specific instrument or theme is used for a certain character) in his work. he was known as ‘the father of film music’. he was born on the 10th May 1888 in Austria. williams is a pianist and trombonist over the span of seven decades he composed soundtracks for movies such as jaws, star wars a new hope and schindler’s list.
RECORDING OF FILM MUSIC:
evaluation- I had to play both parts left and right hands together, when this was recorded I had only just started playing piano so its very rough.
composition of Film Music:
evaluation- I used my production skills like automation, this allowed me to capture the characteristics of film music. I used instruments that suited the genre.
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