Composing a Rock Song

Harris Academy

Higher Music

Composing a Rock Song Booklet

Name: _____________Date: _____________

“We believed anything worth doing was worth over-doing”

Steven Tyler (Aerosmith)

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Composing a Rock SongTo complete the Composing Skills Unit, you must complete all of the tasks in this booklet and compose a piece of film music including at least 8 concepts at Higher and National 5 level.

You must also complete the Composing Mini Tasks booklet.

Composing skills

1.1 Analysing how a range of compositional methods and music concepts are used by other composers and the influences on their music1.2 Experimenting and using complex music concepts and compositional methods in creative ways to develop refine and create original music1.3 Developing musical ideas which make musical sense and realise their creative intentions1.4 Critically reflecting on their music and their creative choices and decisions

Understanding Music

1.1 Identifying and distinguishing between complex level-specific music concepts in excerpts of music1.2 Analysing the impact of social and cultural influences on the development of specific music styles1.3 Analysing and using a variety of music signs and symbols and terms

Use this booklet as a guide to help your creative process throughout this task.

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Composing a Rock SongTick off each task as you complete it. You must also show your progress to

your teacher.

Task 1

Imagine listening Billie Jean listening

Date completed: CS 1.1UM1.1

Task 2

Compositional approaches

Date completed: CS 1.1

Task 3

Analysing Bohemian Rhapsody

Date completed: UM 1.3CS 1.1

Task 4

God Save the Queen task

Date completed: UM 1.2

Task 5

Creating 8 chords Modulating Adding a melody

Date completed: CS 1.2UM 1.1

Task 6

Rock music composition including reflection

Date completed: CS 1.3

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Composing a Rock SongWatch the following video which offers to the top 10 tips to writing a successful song. As you listen, jot down some ideas that might be of use to you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3IFkhRTYsI

Task 1 – Analysing rock and pop music

a) Listen to ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DVg2EJvvlF8

As you listen, identify the concepts you hear and complete the grid below, identifying the concepts you hear. If you wish to follow the score it can be found here (Computer>Subjects>Music>Higher Music>Imagine).

Consider the following questions:1. What instruments do you hear? How are they being played?

________________________________________

2. Is the piece major/minor/atonal?________________________________________

3. How fast or slow is this piece? Do you hear syncopation/cross rhythms/time changes?

________________________________________

4. Is this song strophic/through composed/binary/ternary form?________________________________________

5. How would you describe the dynamics? Are there changes in dynamics?________________________________________

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Composing a Rock Songb) Now listen to ‘Billie Jean’ by Michael Jackson.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXJcOduo0w4

As you listen, answer the questions below.

(i) What concept describes the bass guitar part?________________________________________

(ii) Would you describe the word setting as syllabic or melismatic? – circle the correct answer.

(iii) Complete the grid on the next page identifying the concepts you hear. Refer to the table on the previous page for points to consider.

Melody/Harmony Rhythm/Tempo Texture/Structure/Form

Timbre/Dynamics

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

Task 2 – Compositional Approaches – Pair and Share

What makes a song special?

With a partner, look at the following website, it has lots of useful information about how to go about the song writing process and how to write a ‘good’ song! Spend time reading the information and watching the video clips. Use this website in collaboration with the information below to help you answer the questions.

http://robinfrederick.com/learn-how-to-write- a-song/

What makes a Good Song?

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Composing a Rock Song

The basics: Music

Most people say “words and music”. By music, they usually mean “melody”. But in fact, music has three important parts: the melody, the harmony and the rhythm.

Rhythm – you’re probably thinking, does it have a good beat? Well, rhythm is probably better referred to as ‘groove’. It’s not just what the drums are playing, but how the other instruments and how the singers are playing off each other’s rhythmic patterns. In fact, if you listen to Glen Miller’s “In the Mood” in your own head, it’s possible that you don’t even recall what the drums are doing in that recording, but you remember the groove don’t you?

The harmony and rhythm can affect the mood of a song. For example, a melody can seem bleak when sung against darker minor chords and a slower rhythm, or positive when it’s sung against brighter major chords and a more up-tempo groove.

The Rhyme

Rhyme acts as aural punctuation, using the rhyme patter to group ideas together, show relationships between different parts of the song, and even speed up or slow down the perceived speed of the lyric.

While most of us know that the ends of the important lines in a song are supposed to rhyme, it is especially interesting to listen for the “internal rhymes” – the two or more quick rhymes in the middle of a longer rhyming line. Listen to the incredibly tight rhyme scheme of “Any Man of Mine” by Shania Twain and you will never hear the song the same way again.

The Structure – Why is song structure such a big deal?

What structure are you going to use? The verses usually tell the actual story; the chorus typically is not directly part of the story. Instead, the chorus is where the writer sits back and tells you what the story means or makes an overriding comment about it.

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Composing a Rock Song

Listen to the following two songs and identify the structure of each.

All you need is love – The Beatleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=x9_vhYpR9xo

Happiness is a warm gun - The Beatleshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=xTU2Y0VFH0EStructure: Structure:

Harmony is simple – the chords. Some ideas to think of here is, do you want a well-known chord structure – I, IV, V or I, vi, IV, V? Or do you want to create a different chord structure, which is more individual to you?

Listen to the following song – can you identify the chord structure?

4 chord song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pidokakU4I

Chords: ___________________________________________

What about this song?

Same Jeans https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RpXTISw_Huw

Chords: ___________________________________________

The Hook

What makes every song different is the “hook”. This is usually the title of the song. This is the line that everyone remembers and makes your song distinctive.

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

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Composing a Rock Song

Task 3 – Analysing ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’

Go to the following website and look up the concepts below:

http://www.educationscotland.gov.uk/nqmusic/

Accent Added 6th Added 7th

Atonal

Augmentation Diminution Irregular time signature

Semitone Slur Staccato marks Tone

Annotate the score on the next page with the following concepts:

1. Time signature2. Key signature (what key is this piece in?) 3. Irregular time signature4. Music moves in semitones 5. Added 6th chord6. Added 7th chord7. Quaver rest8. Crotchet rest9. Semibreve rest10. Slur

11. Repetition12. Time changes 13. Tie14. Dotted crotchet15. Sharp16. Flat17. Natural18. Crotchet19. Quaver20. Semibreve

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

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Composing a Rock Song

Task 4 –(UM 1.3) You are required to analyse the impact of social and cultural influences on the development of specific music styles.

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Composing a Rock SongGod save the Queen – Sex Pistols

“God Save The Queen” is a song written by the punk band The Sex Pistols. It was released in 1977 at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee.

1. Write a short paragraph describing the controversy that this song created. You may want to include the following:

What did the press think of this song? Was it popular with the people? Where was this song first performed? How did it influence people’s opinion of the Monarchy (if at all)?

2. You are now going to look at the music and identify some key features. Listen to the audio here:The score can be found in Subjects>Music>

a) What key is this piece in? Do you think this has any relevance to the subject of the song? _____________________________________________________________

b) How would you describe the tempo? Use Italian words ________________________c) What technique(s) and effects is the guitarist using? Explain how this reflects the

mood of the piece. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

d) What form is this piece in (if any)? _________________________________________e) What term is given to the sign in bar 11?f) What term is given to the sign in bars 21/2?g) What accidentals are used in this piece? ________________________h) Describe the interval formed by the notes in bar 9 of the guitar part. ________________________ What type of chord does this make up?

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Film Music Composition Task

3. Look at the guitar solo and highlight the concepts used by the guitarist. You should refer to rhythms, techniques, chords and any other musical concepts. Explain how these reflect the mood of the piece.

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Composer: __________________________Piece: ______________________________

Film Music Composition Task4. Investigate any other composers of music (classical or rock) who have had difficult relationships with the government and/or

Monarchy. Choose one of their pieces and identify the key music concepts you hear in each section of music, using the following headings as a guide:

melody/harmony rhythm/tempo texture/structure/form timbre/dynamics You should place your concepts under the appropriate heading in the following table.

Melody/Harmony Rhythm/Tempo Texture/Structure/Form Timbre/Dynamics

Choose one of the pieces you have been listening to that are influenced by The Holocaust and create a mind map which demonstrates the impact of the social and cultural influences on the music. You should include concepts such as

features used in music, instruments and how they are used, tonality, form/structure, tempo.

Submit your mind map to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

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Film Music Composition TaskTask 5 – Experimenting and using music concepts and compositional methods in creative ways to develop refine and create original music

You will now build up your song writing skills by experimenting with different composition techniques.

(i) Using your Higher Composing Skills Mini Task booklet, look at the section on chords.Your task is to create an 8 bar chord structure in the table below, experimenting with added 7th, dominant 7th and diminished 7th chords.

Points to consider – What key will your song be in? The key of your song

usually determines the 1st and last chords. What will the time signature be? Will your chords be

in simple or compound time? Will you use irregular time signatures?

Time signature

Reflection

Did you find it easy to fit the chords together? Did they sound pleasing to the ear? Is there anything you could have done differently?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any skills/techniques that you’ve learned here that you could use in your final composition?__________________________________________________________

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

(ii) Using your Higher Composing Skills Mini Task booklet, look at the section on modulation.

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Film Music Composition TaskYour task is to create a 4 bar chord structure in the table below, which modulates to a new key.

Points to consider – What key is your original 8 bars in? What key do you want to modulate to, it can be a

related major key or can modulate to the relative minor?

Original key/last chord of previous section:

Reflection

Did you find this task easy or challenging? Why? Is there anything you could have done differently?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any skills/techniques that you’ve learned here that you could use in your final composition?__________________________________________________________

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

(iii) Your last mini task is to create a melody based on the chord sequence below and using the lyrics provided. (You may wish to look at ….)

Points to consider –

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Film Music Composition Task Remember to use the notes of your chord when

writing the melody. You may also wish to add passing notes.

You may wish to record the chord sequence so that you can play your melody over the chords.

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Film Music Composition TaskReflection

Did your melody sound good with the chords? If not, is there anything you could have done differently?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Are there any skills/techniques that you’ve learned here that you could use in your final composition?__________________________________________________________

Show your work to date to your teacher and tick off the task at the front of your composing booklet.

Outcome 1.3 Developing musical ideas which make musical sense and realise their creative intentions

Rock Music Composition task

Your task it to compose a piece of Rock Music by experimenting and using a variety of music concepts.

Consider how you want your own composition to sound; for example, o What instruments do you want to use?o What key will your song be in?o What tempo will your song be?o What will be the structure of your song?o What will the time signature be? Simple or compound

time?

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Film Music Composition Tasko Decide if you are going to have singing in your composition. If so,

you may want to write lyrics, or use lyrics that have already been written (for example, from a song or a poem).

Choose at least EIGHT music concepts (from the Higher and National 5 lists), which you identified in your rock music listening excerpts as a basis for developing your ideas. (Some examples may be, Jazz Funk, Soul Music, Relative Major, Relative Minor, Irregular Metres, Through composed, Strophic, Dominant 7th, Diminished 7th, Added 6th, Scales, Glissando, Modulation, Pitch Bend, but you can choose any concepts you wish)

Decide how you might experiment and use these concepts to develop music in a rock style.

Review your ideas as you are developing them, identifying ways you could improve and using this understanding to refine your music and ideas.

You may also want to consider any technology you might use. For example, will your finished composition go on to Sibelius, MuseScore or Notion, or will you use the Boss Multi-track Recorders, Pro Tools, Audacity, Garageband or Loopy to help you compose?

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Film Music Composition TaskTitle of composition:Concepts:1. Explain the style of your music –

why have you chosen this particular style?

2. What structure (if any) is your composition in? i.e. binary, ternary, rondo, ritornello, verse and chorus, strophic etc.

3. What instruments have you included in your piece – have you used any techniques specific to these instruments?

4. Explain the changes that you have made throughout the process, i.e. how have you experimented with your ideas?

5. What would you improve and why?

6. Are you happy with your overall composition? Explain why.

Date: Pupil SignatureDate: Teacher Signature

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