a biography and music composition guide. an accomplished, famous, country singer/songwriter from...

A biography and music composition guide

TAYLOR SWIFT

• An accomplished, famous, country

singer/songwriter from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania

• Career started at the young age of 16

WHO IS TAYLOR SWIFT?

• She has come out with 3 successful albums, as a majority of her songs

have reached the top of the music charts

• Music was therapy to her in her life, always

composing songs about real experiences in her

life

The song entitled “Tim McGraw” was the song that jump started Taylor’s music career, as it immediately hit the top of the country music

chartsHer first CD release, “Taylor Swift”, reached and stayed

at the top of the music charts for 8 consecutive

weeks in 2006

SUCCESSFUL MUSIC CAREER

In 2008, Taylor’s 2nd album was released, entitled

“Fearless”7 of the songs from this

album reached the top of the music charts

592,304 albums were sold and was the highest debut of any other country artist

in 2008


In 2010, Taylor released yet another smashing album

entitled “Speak Now”The album sold over 1

million copies in the first week of being released, making Taylor the first

female artist to sell over 1 million copies in the first week of release in over 6

years


•Taylor Swift was never the popular kid at school and never had a lot friends•She turned to music as her therapy to get through life•Every song that Taylor writes are real life experiences that she has had•Taylor makes it easy for her fans to relate to her and understand what she is feeling, because we have all been there too•She tells the story of her life!

INSPIRATIONS BEHIND THE SUCCESS

Words to a song aren’t the only thing that bring emotion and feeling out in a song

• Forma balance of repetition and contrast in a musical composition

• Rhythmthe division of time into measurable durations, or the

element of music that manipulates the framework of time and duration• Melody

musical sounds arranged in a distinct sequence. The theme or main idea of a song or composition

MUSIC IN DETAIL: BEHIND THE WORDS

•Harmonytwo or more different pitches being executed simultaneously

•Dynamics(The symbols used to represent how loud or soft the music

should be played (for example: ff f mf mp p pp)•Timbre

the distinctive quality of sounds, depending on strength of frequencies and resonance•Texture

the interwoven structure of separate musical lines or melodies in the harmony of music

These characteristics are always changing throughout a song

MUSIC IN DETAIL: BEHIND THE WORDS

Examples from Taylor Swift:Mary’s Song (Oh My My My) – 3:30

LISTENING TO THE MUSIC

2:00

Keeps a steady flow and beat

Stays consistent at medium pace

Melody stays consistent

Every instrument plays different notes, but sounds amazing mf

Consistent sound

Drums make you anticipate upcoming chorus while everything else keeps a steady background flow

2:30

Chorus: repetive notes and consistent flow

Strong flow of music

Becomes strong and bold

Great harmony and uplifting beats Song turns to f Sounds geat

Great chords with the guitar as the banjo plays different notes

Time Form Rhythm Melody Harmony Dynamics Timbre Texture

4:00

Form changes a bit by a few notes, but stays ultimately consistent

Rhythm stays strong

Melody takes charge with great pitches and sounds

The harmony sounds great, and changes the song a bit because of the different notes used in this segment than the rest of the song

Dynamics grew slightly stronger - m

The timbre sounds great. Very strong and well-put together

All instruments are put together and they sound great. It makes the whole framework of the song come together

4:30

Form goes back to it's consistent form

Rhythm is strong, but then goes soft Melody is soft again

Harmonizing is excellent on this segment

Dynamics changed from mp to p

The sound quality is excellent

Violin, drums, and voice are the main instruments. They stay together consistently

Breathe – 4:27




Fifteen – 4:57

3:30

Form stays the same from the segment before, but then begins to change again

The rhythm is fantastic

I love that melody changes here. One part is one melody, and then next part is a different melody, but they interconnect great.


Dynamics were sticatto at the beginning, and then began to cool down - f to mp

Timbre sounds fabulous

This part of the song is strong and emotional with they lyrics. The instruments playing here make the segment much more personal.

4:00

Form stays consistent

Rhythm is stong, as it is leading into the chorus of the song

Melody stays consistent and bright

The harmony sounds perfect

Dynamics grew slightly stronger - mf


Everything sounds in order and goes great together. Everything is tuned up together.


These 7 characteristics make the music come to life by always changing!

Mary’s Song (Oh My My My)• Released in October 2006 in the

album release of “Taylor Swift”

Breathe• Released in November 2008 in the

album release of “Fearless”• Was nominated for a Grammy Award

for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals• Hit #87 on the Billboard Hot 100

Fifteen• Released in November 2008 in the

album release of “Fearless”• Reached #38 on the Billboard Hot 100

HISTORY OF THE MUSIC

LISTENING GUIDE

Mary's Song (Oh My My My) - 3:30

Each song that I chose to do for this assignment was chosen for a specific reason due to the lyrics and melody, rhythm, harmony, etc. I chose Mary's Song (Oh My My My) because it talks about a boy and a girl who grow up together and later become married. This song is a true story and I think that is why I love it so much. The song is very upbeat and positive, which works great with what is being sang.

Form Rhythm Melody Harmony Dynamics Timbre Texture

0:30 The form is repetive using an accoustic guitar

Slow and steady

Melody was beautiful and soft Harmonizes well

Dynamics were soft - p

Timbre was rough at the beginning

Accoustic guitar, bass guitar, and singing fit together very well

1:00Structured very well

Strong & catchy

Strong beat that flows well Perfect harmony

Dynamics grew louder and stronger - f

Sound was excellent

Drums and symbols come in to play, sounds great

1:30 Form is well put together with great transitions

Fast, but then slows down Melody slows down

Banjo and guitar play a harmonizing duet Goes from f to m Great sound

Banjo, guitar, base, drums, and voice sound beautiful

2:00Keeps a steady flow and beat

Stays consistent at medium pace

Melody stays consistent

Every instrument plays different notes, but sounds amazing mf

Consistent sound

Drums make you anticipate upcoming chorus while everything else keeps a steady background flow

2:30 Chorus: repetive notes and consistent flow


Becomes strong and bold

Great harmony and uplifting beats Song turns to f Sounds great

Great chords with the guitar as the banjo plays different notes

3:00 Great transitions in this part of the song

Rhythm starts slow, then speeds up

Beautiful melody that starts soft and slow, and becomes strong and loud

Sounds perfectly harmonized

Song is p until chorus comes along, then turns f


Before the chorus, song is soft with just the banjo, then turns strong with the drums, guitar, and voice

3:30 Repition melody from previous bars in the song

Rhythm is fast, but then goes slow

Melody is bold, then turns soft and meek

The harmony sounds perfect, and fits together great

Song goes form f to p, in which ends the song with p

The quality of the sound is great

Instruments intertwine great together, each playing their own melody and rhythm, but tying in together beautifully

Breathe - 4:27

I chose the song Breathe because this song is a song that anyone can relate to. It is a break up song, so the melody is very soft and not really a negative kind of beat, but very relaxed and slow. I chose this song because I think that the melody has everything to do with bringing the emotions out of this song. The melody is a very powerful thing for this song.


0:30The form is repetive using 2 accoustic guitars Slow and steady Melody was beautiful and soft Harmonizes well Dynamics were soft - p

Timbre was excellent

Accoustics guitars and voice intertwine beautifully

1:00

Form changes a bit as melody changes

Slow and soft, along with a stronger beat (drums) Melody stays consistent

Harmony becomes more involved when drums and harmonizing voices come in Dynamics were soft - p

Sound was excellent

When the drums and harmozing voices came in, it made the song more involved and very pretty

1:30

Stays the same as beforeStrong, slow, soft beat

This song is great because even when the chorus comes around, song stays soft and emotional

Harmonizes great with all other parts of the song Dynamics were soft - p Great sound

Accoustic guitar with the drums and soft voice sound great together. They fit.

2:00

Form stays consistent Soft, strong beat Melody stays consistentEvery instrument plays different notes, but sounds amazing Dynamics were soft - p Consistent sound

Emotions run high when all instruments are playing and sounding beautiful together. It creates a great structure

2:30Form stays consistent


Gorgeous melody as violins are introduced Everything harmonizes perfectly Dynamics were soft - p Sounds great

I think the violin brings the structure even more together in this segment

3:00


Drums make smooth rhythm become more rough

Beautiful melody that starts soft, and becomes rougher, but still soft Sounds perfectly harmonized Dynamics were soft - mp


All instruments have been introduced and the sounds are perfectly pieced together

3:30


Rhythm stays more rough with the drums and violin taking charge

Melody is rough, but then begins to lighten up again

The harmony sounds perfect, and fits together great

Dynamics were soft - mp but then turned back to p

The quality of the sound is great

The violin and the drums, along with voice, take charge and bring more, stronger emotions into the song. This provides a great structure for the song.

4:00

Form changes a bit by a few notes, but stays ultimately consistent

Rhythm stays strong

Melody takes charge with great pitches and sounds


Dynamics grew slightly stronger - m


All instruments are put together and they sound great. It makes the whole framework of the song come together

4:30Form goes back to it's consistent form

Rhythm is strong, but then goes soft Melody is soft again

Harmonizing is excellent on this segment

Dynamics changed from mp to p


Violin, drums, and voice are the main instruments. They stay together consistently

Fifteen - 4:57

Fifteen is a great song that everyone is able to relate to on some sort of level. It is about a girl who is fifteen and is a freshman in high school. It talks about how she feels, and how she can't see life past this stage of life because the stage of life that she is in is so important to her at the time. It talks about friendships made, mistakes made, lessons learned... the melody of this song is upbeat, but also relaxed at the same time.


0:30Form stays consistent and repetive Upbeat, but soft

Melody was pretty, and it kept consistent Harmonizes well

The dynamics were bold - mp/m Timbre was excellent

The banjo, bass guitar, accoustic guitar, and voice built a strong formation and building block for the rest of the song

1:00

Form is consistent

Rhythm starts slower and then speeds up as the chorus comes

Melody stays exciting and easy to listen to

Harmony becomes more involved as the chorus comes on and instruments and voice become louder

Dymanics were m and then turned to mf Sound was excellent

The song became exciting as drums had more beats in the measure. All instruments and voices stayed together

1:30

Stays the same as before

Fast, then transitions to a slower rhythm as chorus ends

Melody sounds great, very well put together

Harmonizes great with all other parts of the song Dynamics were mf to mp Great sound

I really liked this segment of the song because a cello came in and played in the background. All parts of the song sounded great together

2:00

Form stays consistent Soft, strong beat Melody stays consistentEvery instrument plays different notes, but sounds amazing Dynamics were mp to mf Consistent sound

Everything sounds perfect. Music stays consistent as in previous segments of the song and all instruments sound wonderful.

2:30The form changes as the chorus concludes

Music stays upbeat and strong

The melody becomes a little more bold towards the end of this segment

Every part of this segment is very well put together and sounds great together

Dynamics become a bit sticatto, but not by much - mf Sounds great

The texture of this segment brings in a lot of emotion, especially when adding lyrics to the melody

3:00

Form changes a little

The rhythm here is slow, but soon begins to quicken

The melody sounds very intact with everything Sounds perfectly harmonized Dynamics were mf The sound is excellent


3:30

Form stays the same from the segment before, but then begins to change again The rhythm is fantastic

I love that melody changes here. One part is one melody, and then next part is a different melody, but they interconnect great.


Dynamics were sticatto at the beginning, and then began to cool down - f to mp



4:00


Rhythm is stong, as it is leading into the chorus of the song Melody stays consistent and bright The harmony sounds perfect

Dynamics grew slightly stronger - mf


Everything sounds in order and goes great together. Everything is tuned up together.

4:30

Form is consistent Rhythm is strongMelody is same as before, but also changes a bit towards the end

Harmonizing is excellent on this segment Dynamics stay the same - mf


Everything sounds awesome together. Voice in this segment really brings everything together.

5:00Form changes a little as it brings the song to a close

Rhythm is strong and soft

Melody is strong, but becomes soft as the song comes to a close The harmony sounds beautiful Dynamics changed from mp

Everything sounds great

I really liked this segment because of the voice. I just feel like the voice brings the segment to a nice close.

(n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2010, from uuLyrics.com: http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://images.uulyrics.com/cover/t/taylor-swift/album-taylor-swift.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.uulyrics.com/music/taylor-swift/&usg=__5_5N8R8krMCT4R_zdIY_JsNK-X8=&h=500&w=499&sz=70&hl=en&start=0&sig2=lMUkMooab6PZ9vJSucJI8QTaylor Swift: Biography. (2009, October 18). Retrieved November 9, 2010, from CMT.com: http://www.cmt.com/artists/az/swift__taylor/bio.jhtmlSee The Cover of Taylor Swift's 'Speak Now' Album! (2010, August 19). Retrieved November 10, 2010, from WhyFame.com: http://gossip.whyfame.com/see-the-cover-of-taylor- swifts-speak-now-album-6473Fabian, S. (n.d.). Taylor Swift Biography. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from About.com.Ferrin, C. E. (n.d.). Master Glossary. Retrieved November 9, 2010, from Listen to the Music: http://webcom3.grtxle.com/musicapprec/index.cfm?pageid=16940Hollenbach, J. (2010, March 18). Taylor Swift’s FEARLESS Album Officially Lauded as Most Awarded Album in Country Music History. Retrieved November 10, 2010, from

TheHotZone.com: http://www.hotzoneonline.com/archives/3541Taylor Swift. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2010, from 8Notes.com: http://www.8notes.com/biographies/taylor_swift.asp

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