Post on 14-Dec-2015
Listening
Deans Community High SchoolMusic Department
popular music
For your Intermediate 2 exam you have to be able to recognise
different styles of popular music …
Many of these styles you will have heard of before … but you
may not have heard any examples of music in those styles
The SQA go back more than 100 years when they talk about
popular music and most of the styles they expect you to
recognise come from the years 1900 - 1970
List as many different styles of popular music as you can …
popular music
Ragtime
Blues
Jazz
Dixieland
Boogie-Woogie
Swing
Rock
Pop
Country
Soul
Latin American
Samba / Salsa
popular music ragtime
Scott Joplin
Ragtime music developed in the southern states of the USA in the late 1890s
It is a mixture of European music (the march) and Afro-American music (syncopated melodies)
Ragtime music was written down (not improvised) and played on the piano
The most important and well-known composer of ragtime music was Scott Joplin (1868-1917)
popular music ragtime
Features of Ragtime music
• piano music
• ‘on the beat’ left hand accompaniment
• march-like (‘oom pah’)
• syncopated melody in right hand
• regular 16 bar melodies (4 bars X 4)
extracts
• Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag• Scott Joplin: The Entertainer• Scott Joplin: Bethena
popular music ragtime
Example of ‘on beat’ LH
Example of ‘syncopated’ RH
popular music blues
The blues was a type of folk music that grew out of a mixture of African and European music
It first developed in the southern states, (the slave states) of the USA
The blues told of the feelings, fears and hopes of the singer
Originally the blues was performed by one singer usually accompanied by guitar or banjo
Some of the notes of the scale were ‘bent’ (sung below pitch) and this gives the blues its special flavour
popular music blues
Features of Blues music
• use of the ‘blues’ scale
• 3rd and 7th of the scale sung ‘flat’
• ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• improvised
• slide guitar
extracts
• ??• ??• ??
popular music blues
Example of blues scale
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I
12 bar blues chord pattern
blue note blue note
popular music jazz
Jazz developed in the first two decades of the 1900s in New Orleans
Like Ragtime and Blues it was a mixture of African and European music
Many different types of music probably influenced how jazz developed … including:
• Ragtime/Blues• Marches• Hymns/Spirituals• Work songs• Minstrel show music
Early jazz was not written down, it was ‘improvised’
Jazz bands often used instruments left over from the marching bands of the civil war
popular music jazz
Features of Jazz
• use of the ‘blues’ scale
• 3rd and 7th of the scale sung ‘flat’
• ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• improvisation
extracts
• ??• ??• ??
popular music dixieland
Dixieland Jazz or Traditional Jazz was the first type of Jazz
Dixieland Jazz groups were small - around 6 players
cornet, clarinet, banjo/piano, trombone, string bass, drums
most of the early jazz musicians were not formally trained
the jazz was improvised - relying on the skill of the performers
often used ‘12 bar blues’ form
often each player had a chance to improvise on the main tune
popular music dixieland
Some important early dixie players were:
Jelly Roll Morton
Louis Armstrong
Joe King Oliver
Bix Beiderbecke
popular music dixieland
Features of Dixieland Jazz
• use of the ‘blues’ scale
• ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• equal emphasis on all 4 beats
• improvisation
• small group of players
extracts
• ??• ??• ??
popular music boogie-woogie
Boogie-Woogie was a style of jazz that was nearly always played by solo piano
It had a strong, driving, ‘ostinato’ type bass pattern in the left hand
The right hand improvised using a blues scale
Boogie-woogie usually used the 12 bar blues form
A Boogie-Woogie Bassline
popular music boogie-woogie
Features of Boogie-woogie
• usually for solo piano
• strong, ‘driving’ left hand riffs
• improvised melodies in right hand
• ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• improvisation
extracts• Meade Lux Lewis: Honky Tonk Train Blues • Jimmy Blythe: Chicago Stomp• Jools Holland: Let the Boogie Woogie Roll
popular music swing
During the 1920s jazz bands gradually became larger with 10 or more players
These larger groups needed more organising than the original smaller groups
Music began to be written down to avoid the clashes that would happen if all the players improvised together
A typical swing band might consist of:
• Brass: 3 trumpets, 3 trombones
• Reeds: clarinet, 2 alto/2 tenor saxes
• Rhythm: piano, guitar, bass, drums
popular music swing
The brass and the reeds would often alternate - one section having the tune the other providing the accompaniment - then they would swap over
The instruments in each group often played together in chords (harmony) giving a smooth, mellow sound
Individual instruments might improvise
Arrangers were beginning to use ‘added’ chords to give their harmonies a ‘richer’ feel - ‘added 6th’ chords, 7th chords
Melodies became more complex, going beyond the simple ‘blues’ scale and using all the notes of the chromatic scale
popular music swing
Features of Swing
• large ensemble: brass, reeds, rhythm
• instruments used in ‘close’ harmony
• rich, smooth, mellow sound
• ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• mainly written out, notated
• use of ‘added 6ths’ and 7th chords
extracts
• ??• ??• ??
popular music rock
Rock music is a form of pop music which usually has a strong driving beat.
It was developed in America in the 1960s and combines elements of folk, blues, rock’n’roll and pop music.
Lyrics were still aimed at a youth audience but were sometimes more complex talking about political issues.
Some early musicians who played rock music are listed below along with the style that influenced them:
Bob Dylan; folk music & bluesThe Beach Boys; rock’n’roll and pop musicThe Rolling Stones; rock’n’rollThe Beatles; pop
popular music rock
Feature of Rock Music
• form of ‘pop’ music with a driving beat
• change from acoustic to electric sounds
• often included vocal harmonies
• simple time, often 4/4
ExtractsBob Dylan: Masters of WarThe Beach Boys: Fun, Fun, FunThe Rolling Stones: Come OnThe Beatles: A Hard Days Night
popular music rock ‘n’ roll
Rock’n’Roll developed in America in the late 1940s combining elements of blues, boogie-woogie and jazz.
It was also a mixture of African and European music but was mainly aimed at a white American audience.
In early Rock’n’Roll a saxophone was often the lead instrument but this was later replaced by the electric guitar.
A Rock’n’Roll group would usually include: • Electric Guitars: 1 lead, 1 rhythm• Bass Guitar• Drumkit• Keyboard: sometimes
popular music rock ‘n’ roll
Features of Rock’n’Roll
• move from acoustic to electric instruments
• emphasis on 2nd & 4th beats
• strong, driving bassline
• use of ‘12 bar blues’ structure
• lyrics aimed at youth audience
extracts
• Fats Domino: The Fat Man• Elvis Presley: That’s All Right (Mama)• Bill Hayley: Rock Around the Clock
popular music pop
Pop music developed in America in the late 1940s and 1950s from a variety of other styles including ‘big band’ and ‘swing’ music and refers to popular music of the day.
Frank Sinatra was an artist who crossed over between big band and pop music.
Pop music was sold to a wide audience but was aimed at a youth audience. This was reflected in many of the lyrics.
Today the term pop music covers a range of different styles such as:• Rock• Hip Hop• Dance• R&B• Country
popular music pop
Features of pop music
• refers to popular music of the day
• smoother vocal sound
• lyrics aimed at youth audience
• simple time, usually 4/4
ExtractsFrank Sinatra: I get a kick out of youThe Everley Brothers: All I have to doCliff Richard: Summer Holiday
popular music country
On this page some background info about the style ….
HistoryFamous namesInstrumentsetc
popular music country
This page will list some of the concepts associated with this style
Will introduce the musical extracts used to exemplify the musical style
popular music soul
On this page some background info about the style ….
HistoryFamous namesInstrumentsetc
popular music soul
This page will list some of the concepts associated with this style
Will introduce the musical extracts used to exemplify the musical style
popular music latin american
On this page some background info about the style ….
HistoryFamous namesInstrumentsetc
popular music latin american
This page will list some of the concepts associated with this style
Will introduce the musical extracts used to exemplify the musical style
popular music salsa / samba
On this page some background info about the style ….
HistoryFamous namesInstrumentsetc
popular music salsa / samba
This page will list some of the concepts associated with this style
Will introduce the musical extracts used to exemplify the musical style