Popular Music

Lesson 35

March 25th, 2022

Lesson 35

Lecture notes:
  • The quaternary form is a song with four phrases. Each phrase is usually either four or eight measures long. If the phrases are eight measures each, the form would also be called the thirty-two-bar form. In this form, the first two phrases mostly always begin the same, differing only with an altered cadence when they're not entirely identical. The two phrases are followed by a contrasting section and then returned to the opening section.
  • A visual example of the quaternary form is (a a b a). The (b) section is the contrasting section formally known as the bridge in this form.
  • Quaternary songs can also be written in other designs such as (a b a c), which doesn't have a bridge, or (a b c b) and (a b c a), which utilizes (c) as the bridge.
  • A refrain is a line or pair of lines that usually appear at the end of each verse with the same music and words.
  • A refrain also includes what is known as a song's hook. This is usually a song's main idea, which is the most memorable part.
  • Any triad or seventh chord can be extended in a diatonic scale. The two most common extensions used are the added sixth and ninth. Additionally, no matter the underlying harmony's quality, the added sixth and ninth are generally major. The added ninth can sometimes be a minor when the chord is a dominant seventh.
  • Sometimes 4-3 suspensions are added to music without a resolution. In other words, an interval of a fourth is added above the bass note to displace the third but never resolves. This is formally known as a sus chord and is labeled sus or sus4.
  • Triads or seventh chords can be colored and intensified by either lowering or raising a fifth of a chord by a half step, resulting in an augmented or diminished fifth between the root and fifth degree.
  • The blues is an early twentieth-century song style that helped to influence popular music. It originated in the 1950s in the Mississippi Delta among African American musicians and became a global phenomenon in the music scene.
  • Blues songs commonly feature a minor sounding vocal melody and are accompanied by chords in a parallel major key.
  • The blues scale consists of six notes inclusive of (1, b3, 4, #4, 5, b7, 1 [ascending]) and (1, b7, 5, b5, 4, b3, 1 [descending]) respecfully.
  • The pentatonic scale consists of five notes inclusive of (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 1) ascending and descending.
  • The most recognizable progression that makes up many blues compositions is the twelve-bar blues progression. A visual example of the progression is (I, I, I, I, IV, IV, I, I, V, IV, I, I or V7). When the phrase ends on a V7, it is used as a turnaround to take you back to the beginning.
  • In jazz tunes, musicians sometimes get the opportunity to play improvised solos over the harmonic progressions. Upon completion, the song returns to the original recognizable melody, called the head.

The photo above shows the formula for the blues scale, showcasing each letter name scale using the blues formula. Photo Credit: Carlinton (https://www.choose-piano-lessons.com/blues-scale.html)


The photo above shows the 12-Bar blues progression in the key of F major. Photo Credit: (https://dictionary.onmusic.org/appendix/topics/12-bar-blues-chord-progression)


The video above explains what a minor blues scale is and how to construct it. The presenter uses the piano to give audible illustrations in his presentation, and he uses the A minor blues scale for his demonstration. Video Credit: Pianote (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eosor-ncv7Y)


The video above explains the structure and form of a song. In addition, it outlines the various sections typically found in the makeup of a piece of music. The presenter also turned his explanation into a song and started with an introduction leading to a verse, then pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, instrumental break, bridge, chorus, and finally, the ending. Video Credit: Mr Morley Music Education (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXifpcE7ewU)





The photos above are a composition I wrote over a 12-Bar Blues progression in the key of C major.


The video above is the midi recording of my composition for your enjoyment and convenience.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Diatonic Sequences

Image
   Lesson 23 October 19th, 2021 Lesson 23 Lecture notes: A sequence is made when a musical idea is expressed , then repeated one or more times . Each repetition of the original idea is transposed up or down from the previous iteration by a consistent interval . A basic musical idea usually comes in either  half , full , or t wo measures . This is what ultimately becomes the sequence pattern when expressed in successive repetition . There are two main types of sequences in music which include the ascending sequences and the descending sequences . The ascending sequences include the ascending-fifth sequence and the parallel 6/3 chords sequence . The descending sequences include the descending-fifth sequence , the Pachelbel sequence , and the descending parallel 6/3 chords sequence . The various sequences follow a specific chord progression pattern . For example, the descending-fifth sequence progression would be I - IV - viio - iii - vi - ii - V - I . The Pachelbel
Read more

Dominant Sevenths

Image
  Lesson 17 March 22nd, 2021 Lesson 17 Lecture notes: The dominant seventh chord contains two tendency notes , including the leading tone and the chordal seventh . In a dominant seventh chord , the third degree of that chord is the leading tone for the tonic chord, which would resolve up to the tonic note ( 7 - 1 ). In a dominant seventh chord , the seventh degree , also known as the chordal seventh , is the tonic chord's fourth degree. This note would resolve down to the third degree of the tonic chord ( 4 - 3 ). The two predominant chords that lead to the dominant chord are the minor second and the perfect fourth . The basic phrase model would look like ( T - PD - D - T ) whenever used. Parallel fifths are easy to occur. An excellent way to avoid this is by omitting a note in either the dominant seventh chord or the tonic chord. The note that can be left out of either chord is the fifth-degree note .  Root position ( 7 ) and second inversion ( 4/3 ) dominant seve
Read more

Variations

Image
  Lesson 30 February 4th, 2022 Lesson 30 Lecture notes: There are multiple types of variations , inclusive of the continuous variation , sectional variation , figural variation , chromatic variation , textural variation , and timbral variation . The continuous variation is the continuous flow of a musical idea and a Fortspinnung phrase structure. This variation type was widely used in the Baroque era of music. Fortspinnung is the development process of a specific musical motif . First, the motif in question is developed into a complete musical using sequences , intervallic changes , and simple repetitions . There are two different types of continuous variations . Ground bass or passacaglia and chaconne . The ground bass / passacaglia  is when there is a repeating bass line , and only the upper voices change or vary . In the chaconne , the harmonic progression is repeated and varied while the bass remains the same for several successive variations , but it e
Read more