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GCSE Music > Popular Music > Flashcards

Popular Music Flashcards

1
Q

What are the main features of pop music?

A 
~ simple and clear structure
~ use of riffs
~ focus on primary triads
~ catchy melodies with small range
~ mainly electric instruments
~ mainly syllabic
~ use of backing harmonies
~ simple verse-chorus structure
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2
Q

What are some features of the blues?

A 
~ the walking bass
~ 12 bar blues
~ minor tonality
~ blues notes
~ steady 4 beat crotchet rhythm
~ syncopated rhythms in melodies
~ swing/swung rhythms
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3
Q

Describe vocal techniques used in blues

A

~ slide between blue note and ordinary note of scale

~ heavy vibrato

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4
Q

What are blues notes?

A

The 3rd, 5th, and 7th notes of the scales lowered

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5
Q

What does strophic mean?

A

Same music for each verse

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6
Q

What does Gm mean?

A

G minor chord

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7
Q

What does Gsus mean?

A

Suspension chord

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8
Q

What does G/B mean?

A

G chord with B in the bass (inversion chord)

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9
Q

What does Gm^7 mean?

A

G minor 7th chord - play one miss one 4 times (eg. G B D F)

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10
Q

What does G^5 mean?

A

Power chord (chord with just root and 5th - middle note removed) eg. G D

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11
Q

What are some features of 1970s rock?

A 
~ standard rock instrument line up with keyboard 
~ drum kit (esp. bass) forward in the mix
~ electric guitar solos
~ semi-shouted lyrics 
~ use of falsetto (large vocal range)
~ verse/chorus structure 
~ largely syllabic lyrics
~ use of syncopated rhythms 
~ use of power chords
~ use of whammy bar in the solo
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12
Q

What is the order of sharps?

A

Father Christmas Gave Daddy An Electric Blanket

F - C - G - D - A - E - B

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13
Q

What is the order of flats?

A

Blanket Explodes And Daddy Gets Cold Feet

B - E - A - D - G - C - F

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14
Q

What is the rule for sharps?

A

Go up one from the last sharp

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15
Q

What key is it if there are three sharps?

A

Father Christmas Gave - F C G -> 3 sharps
Last sharp = G
Up one from G = A -> A major

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16
Q

How many sharps does E major have?

A

Down one from E = D

Father Christmas Gave Daddy -> F C G D = 4 sharps

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17
Q

What is the rule for flats?

A

The penultimate flat is the name of the key

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18
Q

What is the exception of the key signature?

A

F major has 1 flat

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19
Q

How many flats does Bb major have?

A

Blanket Explodes - B E -> 2 flats

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20
Q

What key has 3 flats?

A

Blanket Explodes And - B E A

Penultimate flat = E -> Eb major

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21
Q

Describe what palm muting is?

A

Placing hand on the strings to dampen/ stop the sound

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22
Q

Half way through the introduction of Since You’ve Been Gone, the drum joins the guitar. Describe the use of the snare drum in the first two bars.

A

It plays on beats 2 and 4 (back beat)

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23
Q

What other percussion instrument (not part of the drum kit) is used in the introduction of Since You’ve Been Gone?

A

Tambourine

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24
Q

What technique does the bass guitarist use on the first note when it joins the introduction at the same time as the drums in Since You’ve Been Gone?

A

Slide

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25
Q

What type of cadence does the introduction of Since You’ve Been Gone end?

A

Imperfect cadence

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26
Q

Describe the use of the bass guitar in the first verse of Since You’ve Been Gone

A

G major descending scale in minims

27
Q

What are the main features of Britpop?

A

~ lyrics most important (melody)
~ regional dialects
~ simple accompaniments (but still electric guitar solos)

28
Q

What era is Britpop and name some bands associated with it?

A

1990s - Pulp, Verve, Oasis, Blur

29
Q

What are the main features of reggae?

A

~ started life as mento and ska
~ primary triads
~ use of backbeat (emphasising beats 2 and 4)
~ prominent and heavily syncopated bass guitar
~ guitars strummed up

30
Q

What era is reggae associated with?

A

1970s

31
Q

What are some features of rock n’ roll?

A 
~ based on 12 bar blues
~ walking bass (pizzicato in double bass)
~ lines 1 and 2 repeated
~ fast upbeat tempo
~ primary triads (12 bar blues)
32
Q

What are some features of punk?

A

~ semi-shouted lyrics, shouted/offensive lyrics
~ electric guitar, driving guitar/drum parts
~ lots of distortion
~ lots of syncopation
~ simple use of harmony
~ guitar solos

33
Q

What era is rock n’ roll?

A

1950s

34
Q

What era is punk?

A

1970s

35
Q

What are the main features of folk music?

A

~ lyrics tell a story (vocals in harmonies)
~ acoustic guitar, acoustic instruments
~ one artist
~ use of modal harmonies/ modal tonality
~ voices in harmonies
~ simple structures
~ regular cadences

36
Q

What era is folk associated with?

A

1960s onwards

37
Q

What are the features of soul/Motown?

A 
~ use of orchestral instruments (esp. strings)
~ use of piano in intros
~ extended harmonies
~ close harmonies/ backing harmonies
~ vocal gymnastics/ melismas
~ large vocal range
38
Q

What era is soul/Motown?

A

60s/70s

39
Q

What is Bhangra?

A

A fusion between Western pop music and Indian classical music - it started to emerge in 1970s (80s in UK)

40
Q

What is the order of voice categories?

A

Bass - baritone - tenor - alto - mezzo soprano - soprano

41
Q

What are the main features of jazz music?

A

~ roots in blues (12 bar blues sequence, blues notes)
~ rhythm section provides accompaniment
~ syncopated
~ swing rhythms

42
Q

What is the 12 bar blues sequence?

A

I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I V

43
Q

What are some features of disco?

A

~ use of open hi-hat
~ fast tempo
~ four to the floor

44
Q

What decade would you hear the Hammond organ in rock music?

A

60s

45
Q

What would a typical middle 8 section of a rock song have?

A

~ a distorted electric guitar solo

~ pitch bends/sides etc

46
Q

What are the prominent percussion instruments used in Bhangra?

A

Dhol, tabla, dhadd, chimtas

47
Q

What is a dhol?

A

A two sided drum with one head larger than the other - it plays rhythms that sound a little like swing rhythms with a long and short pattern

48
Q

What is rag/raga?

A

Indian scale

49
Q

What is chaal?

A

Indian rhythm pattern

50
Q

What is a tabla?

A

Pair of traditional Indian drums with a circle of hard black paste on the heads

51
Q

What is a sitar?

A

Indian string instrument, a little like a guitar

52
Q

What are the key features of Bhangra?

A

~ lively tempo that sounds upbeat
~ simple verse-chorus structure
~ repetitive melody that is limited in range and will be decorated with embellishments (similar to ornaments)
~ use of the chaal rhythm which features syncopation within a basic 4/4 time signature
~ mix of Indian instruments with western technology used as drum machines,synthesisers and samples
~ use of Punjabi language and shouts of Hoi

53
Q

What is a flanger?

A

An electric guitar effect that makes a ‘whooshing’ sound like an aircraft

54
Q

What does compression do?

A

Evens out variations in dynamics so the volume of the sound is even

55
Q

What is panning?

A

The instruments sound through different speakers - separate sounds

56
Q

What does ADT do?

A

(Automatic Double-Tracking) - copies track and plays it with a small delay - echo-like sound

57
Q

What is a vocoder?

A

A speech synthesiser that makes a human voice sound synthetic with a robotic effect

58
Q

What is DI?

A

Direct Input - allows electric instruments to be played into a mixing desk without a microphone - improves sound quality by reducing background noise and feedback

59
Q

What is a portamento?

A

A slide

60
Q

What is rallentando?

A

A gradual slowing down or decrease in tempo

61
Q

How many bpm do dance-pop/ techno-pop/disco songs usually have?

A

126 bpm

62
Q

What decade is disco associated with?

A

70s

63
Q

Which instrument is used in 70s rock that isn’t used in current rock?

A

Keyboard

GCSE Music (11 decks)

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