GCSE MUSIC REVISION NOTES

Salsa 

·        Up-tempo dance style mixing Latin-American music (mainly from Cuba and Puerto Rica) with American Jazz.

·        Salsa means ‘sauce’ –the word shouted after a ‘hot’ solo.

·        Originates from dance-song style from Cuba called ‘Son’.

·        Structured round a rhythmic pattern called ‘Clave’.

 Features of Son

·        Contains features from Spain and Africa.

·        Clave rhythm pattern.

·        Call and Response between Lead singer and Chorus.

·        Ostinato patterns based on syncopated rhythms.

·        Syncopated bass.

·        Simple harmonies (based around primary chords).

·        Melodies played in intervals of 3rds and 6ths.

 The Influence of Jazz (Big Band Style)

·        Syncopated rhythms and Riffs.

·        Use of complex chords (7ths, 9ths etc.).

·        Dialogue between different sections of the band.

·        Walking Bass (constantly moving bass line).

 Typical Salsa Band

·        A small frontline (brass and/or saxophone).

·        Vocals (lead singer and chorus).

·        Rhythm section (piano, guitar and bass).

·        Latin Percussion (drum kit, congas, maracas, guiro, timbales).

MINIMALISM 

·        A new style of music in the 1960s and 1970s. 

·        Simple music in that it uses much repetition (or loops). 

·        Can be very complex in terms of rhythm. 

·        Often harmony stays the same for a long time; not much melody. 

·        Interest comes from subtle changes to the repeated patterns. 

·        Can have a hypnotic effect. 

·        Influenced by non-western music e.g. African Drumming and Gamelan (percussion orchestras from Bali and Java). 

·        Often uses electronic recording techniques. 

2 Minimalist pieces by Steve Reich 

Electric Counterpoint (1987) uses multitracking so that one performer can record up to 12 guitar parts, each one a different ostinato. The performer will record one track at a time while listening to what has already been recorded through headphones. For the performance the final guitar part is played live against the tape backing. 

Different Trains (1988) uses recordings of train sounds and people talking about their experiences of train travel as a backing track (a process a bit like sampling). In the performance a live string quartet plays alongside the tape. The string parts imitate the pattern of the speech “samples” as closely as the composer could in terms of rhythm and pitch.

Disco Music 

·        Disco developed in the 1970s in the USA to meet the needs of young people who attended nightclubs to dance. 

·        Improved quality of equipment (turntables, amplifiers, loudspeakers) allowed DJs to present music without the need for live musicians. 

·        Mixture of influences – soul, jazz, funk.

·        This new dance culture allowed young people to dance as individuals, without a partner or following dance routines.

·        The clubs allowed dancers to display latest fashions. 

What is the Style?

o       Strong emphasised beat. Often about 120 bpm.

o       Clear-cut rhythms throughout the song.

o       A simple verse-and-chorus structure.

o       Memorable melody and hook lines.

o       Dazzling light effects and amplified sound. 

Instrumentation

·        Lead and Rhythm guitar

·        Bass Guitar

·        Drum kit or Drum Machine

·        Sometimes Keyboards/Brass 

Examples

·        Saturday Night Fever, Bee Gees

·        Blame it on the Boogie, The Jacksons

·        YMCA, Village People

·        I will survive, Gloria Gaynor

·        Hot Stuff, Donna Summer

Elizabethan Pavan & Galliard 

·        Queen Elizabeth 1^st reigned 1558 – 1603 

·        Pavan & Galliard = 2 important dances of the era.

·        Pavan = slow and in duple time.  The dance movements were slow and stately (almost processional).

·        Galliard = much faster and in triple time. Used syncopated and dotted rhythms. Dance steps involved high jumps, including kicking motions in mid-air. 

·        Pavan was usually followed by a Galliard.

·        These dance often use sections that are repeated, usually in a more elaborate variation.  A A1 B B1 C C1. 

Elizabethan Instruments 

Cornett: Curved wooden instrument with finger holes and trumpet-like mouthpiece.  

Crumhorn : Hook shaped instrument. Double reed. Finger holes. Wooden. 

Recorder : End-blown flute. Finger holes. Wood. 

Lute : Fretted instrument plucked with fingers. Pear shaped. Similar to a guitar. 

Tabor : A small drum.

Viol : Early violin. Bowed. 6 Strings. 

Keyboards : Harpsichord.

                    Virginals. (Small oblong harpsichord).

19^th Century Waltz 

·        Waltz first became popular in Vienna (capital of Austria) in the 1790s 

·        One of the most famous dances of the 19^th century. 

·        Could be heard not just in a ballroom, but also in ballet, opera, orchestra and in the home (on the piano). 

·        Still remained popular in the 20^th century (light music, musicals). 

·        Fast, flowing 3 beats in a bar.  

·        Slow harmonic pace (chords change quite infrequently). 

·        Accompaniment pattern often described as um-cha-cha. 

·        Movements were ‘whirling’ – couples rotated in time to the music.

Male and female partners pressed close together. (Controversial and considered immoral at the time!). 

·        Often includes a slow introduction while the dancers got into position.

·        Often played with subtle rubato. (Small variations in tempo).

Johann Strauss II 

·        Austrian composer of waltzes in the 19^th century.

·        Composed for large Romantic orchestras.

Bhangra

Roots:

·        Originally a folk dance from Punjab region in North India.

·        Music is led by the Dhol (a 2 sided wooden barrel drum).

·        The rhythm that dominates is known as Chaal. 

·        Both sides of the dhol are played on the notes marked “dha”, while only the treble side is struck on notes marked “na”. 

Modern Bhangra:

·        Developed in Asian communities of the UK.

·        Mixes traditional dance rhythms and tunes of the east with club dance culture.

·        Resulted from Asians moving to Britain.

·        Uses modern instruments: bass,electric guitar, keyboard.

·        Recently produced Bhangra has combined traditional elements with styles like rap, reggae, hip-hop, disco & drum ‘n’ bass.

·        IT often used: sampling, remix, effects and sequencing.

·        A drum machine often replaces the Dhol, but the basic Bhangra beat survives.

·        Often hear shouts of “Hoi”. 

Examples:

1.      Alaap was one of the first Bhangra groups in UK (early 1980s). A relatively traditional sound – chaal is clearly heard on the dhol.

2.    Boliyan by Malkit Singh uses a wide range of samples – film extracts, classical music and dance music patterns.

3.  Mundian to Bach Ke by Labh Janjua & Panjabi MC uses a sampled version of the Busta Rhymes/Knightrider theme.

Year 7 

Unit 1: Melody, Pitch and Rhythm 

Learn about Rhythm and how we can write it down. Design and perform your own Rhythm Clock and Rhythm complex. Get an introduction to the keyboards with some Pentatonic tunes, some of which we will sing too.

Key Words: Pentatonic, Time Signature, Crotchet, Quaver, Minim, Semibreve, Folksong, Ostinato 

Unit 2: Group and Whole Class Performance 

Try performing some pieces like Hill Street Blues and Mad March with the whole class. Listen to the Frog Chorus and then try playing it in a group using keyboards, xylophones and glockenspiels.

Key Words: Key Signature, Sharp, Flat, Natural, Tone, Semitone, Scale 

Unit 3: Guitar and Vocal Skills 

Learn to play some chords on the guitar, and use these to accompany some songs in whole class performances. Perform some duets for keyboard and guitar, and compose your own piece for guitar with other instruments.

Key Words:  Acoustic Guitar, Fret, Fingerboard, Chord, Tuning Peg, Sound Hole, Strum 

Unit 4: Experimenting with Voices and Instruments 

Find out about some of the different ways composers have used instruments and voices in music. Listen to some unusual music by “Zap Mama”. Perform some “Vocalise” pieces and design your own piece using a “Graphic Score”.

Key Words:  Opera, Oratorio, Rap, Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass 

Unit 5: Nationalism and Programme Music 

Learn about some of the ways composers have represented their own country through the music they write. Learn the story of “Peer Gynt” and play some tunes from it like “Morning” and “Hall of the Mountain King”.

Key Words:  Pitch, Duration, Dynamics, Tempo, Timbre, Structure, Nationalism, Programme Music 

Unit 6: Film and TV Music 

Listen to the music from the film “Scott of the Antarctic” and find out how it matches the story, then compose your own version. Finish off Year 7 by learning to play some fun TV themes like “Eastenders” and “Neighbours”.

Year 8 

Unit 1: Two Part Work and the Blues 

Trace Blues music from it’s origins in the Slave trade to its development into Rock & Roll. Work with a partner to compose your own Blues music. Listen to Blues music and research a famous artiste. Perform the Rock & Roll Boogie Bass.

Key Words: Ostinato, Riff, Syncopation, Blue Notes, Ternary, Rondo 

Unit 2: Folk Music (Structures and Forms) 

Learn about some of the different traditional music from the different countries of Britain. Perform some folk tunes and try playing a three part performance of Mull of Kintyre in a group using a range of instruments.

Key Words: Reel, Binary, Ternary, Rondo, Strophic,       Scotch Snap 

Unit 3: Animals in Music 

A fun Unit where we look at the different ways composers have written music to portray animals. Listen to and perform pieces from Jungle Book and Carnival of the Animals. Compose your own “animal” piece.

Key Words: Anacrusis, Key Signature, Time Signature, Accidental, Timbre, Programme Music 

Unit 4: Caribbean Music 

Listen to some of the different styles of music from the Caribbean. Perform some Calypso songs in pairs and small groups. Compose your own tune based on the style of a Calypso song.

Key Words: Calypso, Reggae, Syncopation, Ostinato, Ternary, Counter-Melody 

Unit 5: Carmen by Bizet 

Learn the blood-thirsty story of the Opera “Carmen”. Learn some of the songs from the opera – you’ll be surprised how familiar they are! Compose some music in groups to represent scenes from the story. Learn about different types of song.

Key Words: Opera, Aria, Chorus, Recitative, Habanera, Accidentals, Chromatic 

Unit 6: Music from the Far East 

We will focus on the music of Japan in this unit, but we will also learn about other styles from the Far East, like Gamelan. Learn about the Japanese instrument the Koto, and play a Koto song “Sakura”. Compose your own version of Sakura.

Year 9 

Unit 1: Working with Chords 

Use chords to enhance your performance work. Learn about different types of chord, and how to use the “auto chord” functions on the keyboards. Compose a piece based on a chord sequence and learn how to create an effective melody.

Key Words: Chord, Triad, Chord Sequence, Major, Minor, Single-Fingered Chords 

Unit 2: Theme and Variations 

Take a simple tune, and create different versions of it in as many different ways as possible. Participate in a group performance of the famous “Pachelbel Canon”. At the end of term, create variations on a well known Christmas tune.

Key Words: Variation, Canon, Ground Bass, Augmentation, Diminution, Imitation 

Unit 3: The Baroque, Classical and Romantic Eras 

Learn about how the orchestra grew and developed from the 1600’s up to the 20^th century. Find out about some of the famous composers of these eras, and learn to play some of the most well known tunes they have written.

Key Words: Baroque, Classical, Romanticism, Harpsichord, Minuet, Imitation, Programme Music 

Unit 4: Music in the Media 

Learn about the important role that music plays in television and film. Create a storyboard for a movie clip and compose music to fit with the “on screen” action. Compose your own theme for a film, a TV show or even an advert!

Key Words: Incidental Music, Cue, Mickey Mousing, Motif, Symbolism, Timbre 

Unit 5: Music from around the World 

Experience some of the different musical sounds from around our planet. We will especially focus on Indian music, and we will learn to compose our own Indian piece using the very special and unique rules. Also perform some Reggae by Bob Marley.

Key Words: Raga, Tala, Tintal, Drone, Alap, Jor, Gat 

Unit 6: The History of Pop 

Find out just how sad your Mum and Dad were as we learn about the different pop music styles from the 1950’s up to the present day. Perform some songs by artistes like Bill Haley, Abba and Oasis. Try a “Music through the Decades” quiz.