5 STYLES: LISTENING

Reggae

Question 1: In the first song, describe the melody (especially saying what notes it uses - feel free to use a keyboard to help you with this).

The melody you hear in this piece is very simple and in a middle range, which is usual for a reggae tune. It is based on a pentatonic scale and has a small range.

Question 2: For each song, name the style/genre of the song and list three things (musical and/or sonic) that support your assertion.

The first song is a reggae song. You can easily recognise it because of the skank, which is a strum on the off beat, the one drop, which takes away the emphasis on the first beat of the bar and because of the simple triads which are used in this tune.  

the second song is a dub version of the first song. Dub is heavily influenced by reggae as it is basically taking an excisting reggae song and using electronic instruments to change it. You can hear that because of the reverb and echo, because there are hardly any vocals, which is usual in Dub music and the delays.

This is a dub plate of a famous reggae song which has more reverb and echo effects on it to give it a more 'dub' feel. Both songs use the skank and the one drop which are two very common features of Reggae music by using these features. This piece also uses basic major and minor triads that provides a simple harmony but on the other hand the melodic line in the bass part uses chromaticism on top of the basic triads which creates a slightly more interesting and complex harmony that gives the piece a more 'Reggae' feel. There is a lot of distortion on the guitar and very well timed delay used on this piece.

Funk

Question 1: Describe the mixing and panning in this track. (Which instruments are prominent and which are in the background; which are central, which are left and which are right?) Make some suggestions about why the track has been mixed and panned in this manner.

I think it is quite oddly mixed. There is a lot of change in volume, especially in the organ. The piano is panned to the left side, but the organ to the right which I found quite weird as they are similar instruments. I probably would have panned them on the same side. The vocals are centred and so is the bass, the horn section and the drums. The phone ringing is panned to the right side 

 Question 2: Is this track a funk track? What musical / sonic components of the track suggest that it is and which suggest that it is not?

There is definitely a lot of Funk influence in this song, but the odd thing about it is that it feels quite empty and it kind of lacks groove, which is necessary for a Funk song. There are a lot of extended chords, you can hear syncopation in the bass and the first beat of the bar is highlighted which all signs of a Funk song. The horn section is typically funk

Latin

Question 1: Give an account of the vocals in this track. Things to consider: effects, timing, style, articulation/phrasing, improvisation etc.

First of all, there is loads of reverb on her voice which causes it to sound a bit more 'floaty'. Further the articulation is very bad, I can hardly understand what she is saying but I am assuming that it is intentional as she does not have a similar problem in her other track. My thought behind it is that she is doing it because the original is partly in Portugese, as she does not know that language and is forced to sing it in English, she might want to achieve the same  feeling by not singing the words clearly and by 'skatting', which is a non-verbal way of improvisation, her way through the song, so that the listener does not necessarily listen to the words, but to the melody and the music in it's whole. 

Question 2: Compare this track with the other version above. Does the track feel different? If so, why?

The track definitely feel different compared to the other track. I think the biggest different is the use of instruments. Where the original is just a guitar, a bit of piano and vocals, Amy Winehouse uses drums, strings, guitar and vocals. The original is very relaxed and laid back but Amy's version is more up beat and makes me want to dance more than relax. I find that Amy's version has some jazz influences in there because of the skatting and the use of more instruments, which is not surprising as Amy's original style is jazz. Where the original version seems to be about the words that they are singing, Amy's version is more about the total feel of the song as you can not even understand all the words she is singing.

Blues

Q1: Describe the harmony in this song. (Try and describe the pattern even if you cannot pick the chords - eg. the first chord lasts for two beats then it changes to a chord that last for 8 bars). Is the pattern familiar at all?

I think that this song is a 24 bar blues in 2/4. It Starts on A major for, then goes to D major, after that to E major and back to A major, which means it is a 1-4-5 chord progression, a very common progression in blues. The chords are rather simple, triads with a couple of seventh chords which means that there is a lot of room for the guitar licks and the vocals. The way Bob Dylan sings is called 'talking blues' and is a combination of modern rap and blues.

Q2: This song has "Blues" in the title. Is it a blues song?
It is definitely a Blues song, which can be proven by the 1-4-5 progression and the 24-bar blues. The way Bob Dylan sings seems to be odd for an blues song, but it is actually called 'talking blues' and is a combination of modern rap and blues. Even though the instrumental is upbeat which makes it sound a bit happier, the lyrics are full of negativity, which is also a characteristic of blues.

Electro

Q1: Give as clear as possible an account of all the different sounds and instruments in the first 3 minutes and 35 seconds. You probably won't know exactly how each sound is made but you should be able to make an educated guess whether something is sampled, synthesized or actually recorded in.

The sound of the drums are produced by a drum machine, which is synthesised, just as the arpeggiator which creates the separate notes played in this song. I am guessing that the backing vocals are sampled and have effects added afterwards and the main vocals are recorded with effects added afterwards.

Q2: What is this song about? How do the electronic instruments / sounds help to create the mood?
This song is about a relationship that is doomed to go wrong, which is very well reflected by the gloomy sound of the electronic instruments and the very low vocals. There is a lot of reverb which makes it sound quite mysterious and sad.