LARGS ACADEMY



LARGS ACADEMY

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

S1 COURSE

BOOKLET

The Basis of Musical Theory

PITCH

Musical notes are written on a system of five equally spaced horizontal lines called a Stave or a Staff. Their position on the stave can tell us their Pitch.

The higher pitched notes are written in the Treble Clef, the sign for which appears at the beginning of the stave like this:

The Bass Clef is used for the lower pitched notes and looks like this:

Notes are given letter names corresponding to the first seven letters of the alphabet, A to G. This sequence keeps repeating throughout the whole pitch range.

A B C D E F G, A B C D E F G, A B C etc

A note is written either on a line or in the space between two lines of the stave.

The notes on the lines of the treble clef are:

and the notes in the spaces are:

The notes on the lines of the bass clef are:

and the notes in the spaces are:

Notes which are too high or too low to be placed on the stave are written on short added lines called Ledger Lines, which effectively extend the stave upwards or downwards at that point.

The example below shows the commonly used notes with their letter names, written in the treble and bass clefs.

The note C which is written on a ledger line either just below the treble clef or just above the bass clef is called Middle C, and is found approximately in the middle of the piano keyboard.

RHYTHM

Each note in a piece of music has a specific length. Each type of note also has a corresponding symbol called a REST, which indicates a period of silence.

Here are some of the most common notes and their rests, starting with the longest:

A SEMIBREVE (Whole note)

is worth 4 BEATS and lasts twice as long as

A MINIM (Half Note)

is worth 2 BEATS and lasts twice as long as

A CROTCHET (Quarter Note)

is worth 1 BEAT and lasts twice as long as

A QUAVER (Eighth Note)

is worth ½ BEAT and lasts twice as long as

A SEMIQUAVER (Sixteenth Note)

is worth ¼ BEAT

A horizontal line called a BEAM often joins pairs of quavers, and similarly groups of four semiquavers may be joined by a double beam:

BARS & BARLINES

Most music has a regular pulse or BEAT. It is divided by BAR LINES into short sections of equal duration called BARS (or Measures), and each bar in a piece usually contains the same number of beats.

TIME SIGNATURE

Two numbers placed one above the other just after the clef sign at the beginning of the piece is called the TIME SIGNATURE. The upper number gives the number of beats in a bar, and the lower number shows the value for one beat.

In this example there are three beats in a bar, and each beat is a crotchet. (The number 4 indicates crotchets or quarter notes).

In this example there are six beats in a bar, and each beat is a quaver. (The number 8 indicates quavers or eighth notes).

DOTTED NOTES

When a dot is placed after a note it increases its length by half as much again:

In the above example the curved line joining the two notes of the same pitch is called a Tie, and means that the first note is held for the length of both notes added together without the second one being played.

|Story |Back of the newspaper lowers |Penguin walks by window of |[pic] | |Gromit folds the newspaper |Puts the newspaper on the |

|Board | |cafe | | | |table |

|Seconds | | | | | | |

|1-6 | | | | | | |

| | |Gromit leaves change on the |Gromit leaves the cafe |Gromit looks round corner |Penguin walking up the road | |

|Seconds | |table | | | | |

|7-12 | | | | | | |

| | | |Gromit hiding round corner |Gromit frowns – eyebrows go |Penguin walking | |

|Seconds | | | |down | | |

|13-18 | | | | | | |

| |Penguin stops walking |Penguin looks left then right|Penguin turns round |Gromit’s ears fly up in |Penguin walking | |

|Seconds | | | |fright | | |

|19-24 | | | | | | |

| | | |Gromit still hiding |Gromit starts to run |Gromit looks round corner |Stops |

|Seconds | | | | | | |

|25-30 | | | | | | |

LISTENING COURSE

STYLES OF MUSIC: - ORCHESTRAL MUSIC

The ORCHESTRA is a large collection of instruments, which play together as a group.

There are four main sections or ‘families’ of instruments in the orchestra, which are as follows:

1. The STRING family

2. The WOODWIND family

3. The BRASS family

4. The PERCUSSION family

Each of the groups is called a family because all of its instruments are related to each other in important ways.

Who is that waving their hands at the front? A CONDUCTOR does a lot more that just keeping time. They have to know the music inside out and back to front. They shape the music the orchestra plays and lead them during performances.

Their role involves them having to guide the musicians as they are playing, so that everyone will play together perfectly.

Holding a little stick called a BATON in the right hand, the conductor shows the musicians the TEMPO (speed) and RHYTHM of the music to be played. With the left hand he points to different parts of the Orchestra, as it is their turn to play.

The STRING family is by far the largest in the Orchestra. The strings are the ‘backbone’ of the orchestra. More than half of the members of the orchestra play string instruments, and so the sound of the full orchestra is based upon a strong foundation of string tone.

VIOLIN

The VIOLIN is the smallest member of the string family but it is very important because it often plays the melody (the tune). There are more violins in the orchestra than any other instrument and it can play up to 50 different notes.

There are many ways in which the violin can be played, showing the extremely wide range of its sound and tone-qualities.

A BOW can be used to play the Violin and other string instruments, which is called arco. It sounds smooth and sustained, which is called legato.

String instruments can also be played by plucking the strings with the fingers, which is called pizzicato. It sounds short and detached which is called staccato.

VIOLA

The VIOLA looks just like the violin but is a little bit bigger. This, together with the fact that its strings are slightly thicker, makes the tone generally darker, less brilliant, than that of the violin. Higher notes tend to sound rather thin and reedy, but the tone-quality in the lower and middle parts of the viola’s range is warm, dark and rich

CELLO

The CELLO is too big to be held under the chin like the violin and the viola. It must rest on the floor between the players’ knees. It is lower than both the violin and viola and has the widest dynamic range of all the string instruments. The longer, thicker strings and larger part of the body of the cello produce a sound, which can be full and penetrating. The tone-quality is gloriously warm and rich.

DOUBLE BASS

The DOUBLE BASS is so big that the player stands up to play it. It is the largest and lowest member of the string family. The double bass is very rarely given solos and is less agile than the other string instruments. The strings are very thick, producing a very gruff, dry, rather buzzy sound when played with the bow. However, pizzicato notes on the double bass are round and full, with splendid richness and depth.

HARP

The HARP does not look like any of the other members of the string family. It has 47 strings each of different lengths to make a different note. The other stringed instruments have only 4 strings. The harp is the only family member, which cannot be bowed. The harpist may pluck single notes; or play a melody, providing an accompaniment at the same time.

But the most characteristic sounds of the orchestral harp are chords - 2 or more notes played at the same time, arpeggios - notes of a chord played one after the other – spread out, and the glissando – sliding from one note to another taking in all the notes in between where possible.

All WOODWIND instruments are BLOWN. They are all narrow tubes with a row of holes in them. To play different notes the player covers different holes by pressing the keys over them.

FLUTE

The FLUTE is different from the other woodwind instruments. Instead of wood it is made of metal. The flute is also different because it is held sideways instead of up and down and is played by blowing across an open hole. It has a lovely soft sound.

OBOE

To play the OBOE the player blows between two pieces of wood. These pieces of wood are called reeds so the oboe is a double reed. When the player blows, the reeds vibrate very rapidly. This is what gives the oboe its’ special sound.

CLARINET

The CLARINET looks a lot like the oboe but instead of a double reed it has only a single reed attached to a mouthpiece. It has a nice smooth sound and a very wide range of notes.

BASSOON

The BASSOON is a very long tube folded in half to make it easier to hold and play. It has a double reed like the oboe but because the bassoon is much longer the sound is much lower. It can sound humorous when playing staccato and dignified and sad when playing legato.

As you would expect, the BRASS family, are all made of brass. They are also all BLOWN.

Brass instruments are all long tubes, which are bent and twisted into shapes that make them easier to hold and play.

BRASS instruments DO NOT HAVE REEDS so the players must blow and make a buzzing sound with their lips at the same time to make the air vibrate. To play the different notes, the Brass player presses on Valves. These change the length of the column of air in the tubing and so change the pitch of the notes.

TRUMPET

The TRUMPET is the smallest of the brass family, so it can play the highest notes. The trumpet sound can be bright and exciting.

The trumpet as well as all the other Brass instruments can use various mutes to change the tone-quality and sound. A Brass mute is shaped like a cone and fits into the bell of each instrument.

String players can also use a mute to make their instrument have a more hushed sound when it is required. They use a mute which is a comb-like device which sits on top of the bridge to dampen the strings.

FRENCH HORN

The FRENCH HORN has so many twists and turns that if it were straightened out it would be over 4 meters long. The large bell (the opening at the end) helps to give the French horn its full warm sound.

TROMBONE

The TROMBONE is the only brass instrument without valves. Instead it has a sliding section of tubing which the player moves in and out to change the pitch of the notes.

The TROMBONE can easily play a glissando due to the slide and can be muted in the same way as the trumpet, bringing a rather sinister quality to the tone but with a crisp attack.

TUBA

The TUBA is the biggest brass instrument. It has over 9 meters of tubing in it. With such a long column of air the tuba can play notes, which are very low.

PERCUSSION instruments produce sound when they are struck or shaken. Their name – percussion - means, "the hitting of one body against another." In the orchestra, the percussion section provides rhythm and tone color.

Percussion instruments are made from many materials, but usually consist of either a solid material or a stretched membrane (thin material). Drums, the most well-known members of the percussion family, come in many shapes and sizes, but are all constructed with a membrane stretched across a frame or hollow container.

Percussion instruments are classified as tuned or untuned. Tuned instruments play specific pitches or notes, just like the woodwind, brass and string instruments. Untuned instruments produce a sound with an indefinite pitch, like the sound of a hand knocking on a door.

The percussion section is an international family, with ancestors from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe representing musical styles from many different cultures. The following instruments are the most familiar members of the percussion section.

TIMPANI (or KETTLE DRUMS)

TIMPANI are like large bowls with a thin covering stretched over the top. There are usually 4 KETTLE DRUMS in an orchestra. One player plays them all. Each kettle drum is tuned to play a different note.

BASS DRUM

The BASS DRUM may have two drumheads, or only one. This drum does not produce a note of definite pitch, merely a low-pitched ‘boom’.

SNARE DRUM/SIDE DRUM

The SNARE DRUM came to the orchestra from the military parade ground. It is sometimes called the SIDE DRUM, as it was slung to the right side for playing while marching.

CYMBALS

CYMBALS are dishes of metal alloy. A pair of cymbals may be clashed and allowed to ring on, or be suddenly dampened.

GLOCKENSPIEL

The GLOCKENSPIEL has 30 oblong plates of steel, graded in length and arranged like a piano keyboard. The player uses light mallets with heads of hard or soft rubber, wood or metal. The tone is bright and silvery.

XYLOPHONE

The XYLOPHONE is similar to the glockenspiel except the bars are of hard wood instead of metal. The tone is hard and very bright, though softheaded mallets can be used.

TRIANGLE

The TRIANGLE is a narrow bar of rounded steel bent into a triangular shape with one corner left open. They are made in various sizes and are suspended and struck with a metal beater. The sound is very penetrating – high, but with no definite pitch.

TAMBOURINE

The TAMBOURINE is a small, single-headed drum with pairs of thin brass discs set into slots around the rim. It may be shaken, so that the ‘jingles’ sound; or the drumhead struck.

TUBULAR BELLS

This is a set of hollow metal tubes of different lengths suspended from a frame. The bars are struck with small hammers. The sound is rather like church bells.

OTHER PERCUSSION INSTRUMENTS

The number and variety of instruments, which may appear in the percussion section, are actually without limit. Others you may hear include; WHIP – two hinged pieces of wood slapped smartly together; GONG; WOODBLOCK; SLEIGHBELLS; MARACAS; GUIRO – a large gourd with notches, scraped with a stick; CLAVES – sticks clicked together; and various other drums like the BONGOS and CONGAS.

An orchestra can be used in a variety of ways and the following excerpts of music demonstrate some of the different ways an orchestra and some or all of the sections can be used.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

A full size orchestra may be sometimes called a Symphony Orchestra or a PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA. It may have in excess of 100 members, depending on the piece being played and the size of the venue, and will play large-scale works called symphonies.

STRING ORCHESTRA

A String Orchestra is an orchestra composed solely of instruments from the string family. These instruments are violin, viola, cello, double bass and sometimes the harp.

String orchestras can range from having 12-30 musicians and sometimes perform without a conductor.

STRING QUARTET

A String Quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually 2 violins, a viola and a cello.

Remember that string instruments can be played with a bow – ARCO – or plucked with the fingers – PIZZICATO.

CHORAL MUSIC

Choral Music is a CHOIR accompanied by an orchestra. A choir is a musical ensemble of singers both male and female. They are sometimes referred to as S.A.T.B., which stands for –

S SOPRANO a high female voice

A ALTO a low female voice

T TENOR a high adult male voice

B BASS a low male voice

They can sing in UNISON or in HARMONY.

If they are singing in UNISON then they are all singing the same tune.

If they are singing in HARMONY then they are singing different notes of the chords/harmonies.

OPERA

opera is a form of musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama. An opera performance incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, costumes and dance. The performance is usually given in an opera house, accompanied by an orchestra or smaller musical ensemble.

MUSICAL

A musical is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. The emotional content of the piece as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an integrated whole.

In recent years the musical has seen a revival and may now deal with very dramatic stories and contain no dialogue. Some popular musicals include The Sound of Music, Joseph and his amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, Les Miserables, Mary Poppins, Grease, Wicked and Hairspray.

Songs from musicals are similar to songs from operas where they can be a solo a duet or a song for the chorus members. They can even be a combination of all of these options.

WIND/MILITARY BAND

A Wind/Military Band is a band, which originated in the armed forces comprising of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

The military band should be capable of playing ceremonial and marching music.

A wind band, also called concert band, symphonic band, or wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of woodwind, brass, and percussion instruments. Its various repertoires include original wind compositions, arranged classical items, light music, and popular tunes. Though the instrumentation is similar, it is distinguished from the marching band in that its primary function is as a concert ensemble. The repertoire for a concert band may, however, contain marches.

STYLES OF MUSIC: - ORCHESTRAL MUSIC CONCEPTS

ORCHESTRA – The orchestra is a large collection of instruments which play together as a group. The 4 main sections in an orchestra are Strings, Woodwind, Brass and Percussion.

ARCO – An instruction for string players to use their bow when playing.

PIZZICATO – An instruction for string players to pluck the strings with their fingers.

LEGATO – A term used to describe notes which are played smooth and sustained.

STACCATO – A term used to describe notes which are being played short and detached.

CHORD – 2 or more notes played together at the same time.

ARPEGGIO – The notes of a chord played one after the other – spread out.

GLISSANDO – Sliding from one note to another taking in all the notes in between where possible.

MUTED – A device used to change the tone-quality and sound of either a Brass instrument or a String instrument.

SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA – A full size orchestra which plays large-scale works called symphonies.

STRING ORCHESTRA – An orchestra composed solely of instruments from the string family.

STRING QUARTET – A musical ensemble of 4 string players – usually 2 violins, a viola and a cello.

CHORAL MUSIC – A musical ensemble of singers comprising of both male and female voices who are accompanied by an orchestra.

UNISON – All parts play or sing the same pitch at the same time.

HARMONY – All parts play or sing different harmonies at the same time.

OPERA – A musical and dramatic work in which singers convey the drama. There is acting, singing, scenery, costumes and dance all of which is accompanied by an orchestra.

MUSICAL – A musical form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance.

WIND/MILITARY BAND – A band which originated in the armed forces comprising of woodwind, brass and percussion instruments.

STYLES OF MUSIC: - POPULAR MUSIC

BLUES

Blues is a vocal and instrumental musical form which evolved from African American spirituals, work songs, shouts and chants and has its earliest roots in West Africa. Blues has been a major influence on later American and Western popular music, finding expressions in ragtime, jazz, big bands, rhythm and blues, rock ‘n’ roll and country as well as conventional pop songs and hip-hop.

A great deal of the blues was written with a 12 bar structure which was later used in songs in many forms of popular music. The chord progression is simple to identify and uses only 3 chords. It uses a great deal of REPETITION where the same musical idea is heard more than once.

RAGTIME

Ragtime is an American musical genre which enjoyed its peak popularity between 1899 and 1918. It has had several periods of revival since then and is still being composed today.

Ragtime was the first truly American musical genre, predating jazz. It began as dance music in popular music settings years before being published as popular sheet music for piano. It has a predominant left hand pattern of bass notes on the beat and chords off the beat accompanying a syncopated melody in the right hand. A composition in this style is called a "rag".

Scott Joplin, the composer/pianist known as the "King of Ragtime", wrote many famous rags – The Entertainer and the Maple Leaf Rag are 2 of his most famous pieces.

JAZZ

Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans in the United States around the start of the 20th century. Jazz uses improvisation, blue notes, swing, call and response, and syncopation, and blends West African musical styles with Western music technique and theory.

TRADITIONAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE

A JAZZ BAND or JAZZ ENSEMBLE is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music usually without a conductor. It is normally a small group of 3-8 players and the instruments can be a variety of combinations. However it is likely that drums, bass and piano or guitar will be used in most combinations with other instruments like the trumpet, saxophone or even a singer taking a solo part.

SCAT SINGING

SCAT SINGING is the vocalising either wordlessly or with nonsense words and syllables e.g. ‘be-bop-do-wop’ as employed by jazz singers who create the equivalent of an instrumental solo using only the voice.

As with any form of jazz, scat singing involves improvisation which is essential in jazz. Improvisation is the spontaneous creative process of making music while it is being performed

MODERN JAZZ

Jazz has hit the pop charts in recent years blended with contemporary music through the work of artists like Norah Jones, Amy Winehouse, Jamie Cullum, Christina Aguilera and many more. There has also been a revival of ‘Jazz Standards’ by the likes of Robbie Williams and Michael Buble backed by a big band.

BIG BAND

A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with playing jazz music and which became popular during the Swing Era from 1935 until the late 1940s.

A big band typically consists of approximately 15 to 25 musicians and contains saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section with percussion, guitar, bass guitar and piano.

In contrast to smaller jazz combos, in which most of the music is improvised, or created spontaneously, music played by big bands is highly "arranged", or prepared in advance and notated on sheet music. Improvised solos may be played only when called for by the arranger.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

Rock 'n' Roll is a genre of music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and became popular in the early 1950s, and quickly spread to the rest of the world. It later spawned the various sub-genres of what is now called simply 'rock'.

Classic rock ‘n’ roll is played with one electric guitar or two electric guitars (one lead, one rhythm), an electric bass guitar, and a drum kit. Keyboards are a common addition to the mix. In the rock and roll style of the early 1950s, the saxophone was often the lead instrument, replaced by guitar in the mid 1950s. In the earliest form of rock and roll, during the late 1940s, the piano was the lead instrument, and indeed, among the roots of rock and roll is the boogie woogie piano of the big-band era that dominated American music in the 1940s.

The massive popularity and eventual worldwide scope of rock and roll gave it an unprecedented social impact. Far beyond simply a musical style, rock and roll influenced lifestyles, fashion, attitudes, and language. Many of its early stars, notably Elvis Presley, built movie and/or television careers around their music.

ROCK

Rock music is a form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums, and bass. Many styles of rock music also use keyboard instruments such as organ, piano, or synthesizers. Rock music usually has a strong back beat, and often revolves around guitar, either electric or acoustic and sometimes both.

In Rock music the electric guitar is nearly always prominent and very often uses DISTORTION which is an effect which changes the light guitar sound to a heavier sound.

The drums are also prominent with a great deal of cymbals being played. The drummer also plays DRUM FILLS where they break from the steady drum beat and go round the whole kit. A DRUM FILL can come at the end of a phrase or at the end of the verse or chorus or just simply to enable the drummer to show-off.

Rock and Pop music involves singers. Lead singers are the main focus of the group and sing LEAD VOCALS. Other members who sing in the background are known as BACKING VOCALS. They can either be singing in UNISON with the lead singer or they can be singing in HARMONY.

An effect can also be used for singers in Rock and Pop music which is called REVERB. This can make it sound as if it was recorded in a large venue and not in a small studio. It can sound as if there is an echo.

POP MUSIC

Pop music, often called simply pop, is a common type of popular music.

The broad appeal of pop music is seen to distinguish it from more specific types of popular music, and pop music performers and recordings are among the best-selling and most widely known in many regions of the world.

Today distributed by major record companies as part of a global music market, pop music often involves mass marketing through radio, television and other media, making it a part of many people's daily life.

DANCE MUSIC

Electronic dance music is a style of popular music commonly played in nightclubs, on radio stations, and at raves.

The term dance music is usually used for more commercial forms of Electronic dance music. Styles include house, jungle, trance, techno, funk, garage, and many others.

Electronic dance music experienced a boom with the use of personal computers in the 1980s. It is typically composed using computers and synthesizers, and rarely has any physical instruments. Instead, this is replaced by digital/electronic sounds.

Various effects are commonly used in dance music similar to REVERB.

RAP

rap music, also known as Hip hop music, is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s.

It consists of two main components: Rapping (MCing) and DJing (production and scratching). Along with hip hop dance (notably breakdancing) and urban inspired art, or notably graffiti, these compose the four elements of hip hop culture, a cultural movement that was initiated by inner-city youth, mostly Blacks and Latinos in New York City, in the early 1970s.

Though it can be referred to as African American music, its creation can be credited to many groups of people within the United States and around the world.

STYLES OF MUSIC: - POPULAR MUSIC

CONCEPTS

BLUES – A vocal and instrumental music form which evolved from African American spirituals and work songs.

REPETITION – A musical idea is heard more than once.

RAGTIME – An American musical genre before Jazz composed for the piano where the left hand plays a pattern of bass notes on the beat and chords off the beat whilst the right hand plays a syncopated melody.

ON THE BEAT - The music is played on the strong beats of the bar.

OFF THE BEAT – The music is played on the weaker beats of the bar.

SYNCOPATION – The music is played off or against the beat.

JAZZ – A musical form that originated in New Orleans around the start of the 20th Century and uses a great deal of improvisation.

IMPROVISATION – Music which is created on the spot whilst it is being performed.

JAZZ ENSEMBLE – A musical ensemble of 3-8 players which play jazz music.

SCAT SINGING – A style of jazz singing where the singer improvises nonsense words and syllables.

BIG BAND – A type of musical ensemble of 15-25 musicians playing jazz and swing music. Instruments include saxophones, trumpets, trombones and a rhythm section with percussion, bass, guitar and piano.

ROCK ‘N’ ROLL – An early form of Rock music which originated in the 1950’s. Elvis Presley was one of the most famous Rock ‘N’ Roll stars.

ROCK – A form of popular music with a prominent vocal melody accompanied by guitar, drums and bass. Distorted guitars and drum fills are both features of Rock music.

DISTORTION - An effect which changes the light guitar sound to a heavier sound.

DRUM FILL - The drummer breaks from the steady drum beat and goes round the whole kit. The fill can come at the end of a phrase or at the end of the verse or chorus or just simply to enable the drummer to show-off.

LEAD VOCALS – The main singer in a band.

BACKING VOCALS – The singers who support the lead singer in a band.

UNISON – All parts play or sing the same pitch at the same time.

HARMONY – All parts play or sing different harmonies at the same time.

REVERB – An effect which is added to vocals which can make it sound as if it was recorded in a large venue and not in a small studio. It can sound as if there is an echo.

DANCE MUSIC – A style of electronic music which is composed using computers and synthesizers.

RAP – A style of music which is also known as Hip-hop. Rap performers speak in time to the music instead of singing.

STYLES OF MUSIC: - WORLD MUSIC

SCOTTISH MUSIC

Scotland has a rich tradition of music, song and dance. We have the Ceilidh which is an informal evening of dancing, singing and, of course, drinking good whisky.

A Ceilidh involves Scottish Country Dancing, which is enjoyed by a large number of people and can be as formal or informal as people wish to make it.

Dance music is played across Scotland at country dances, ceilidhs, Highland balls and frequently at weddings. Group dances such as jigs, strathspeys, waltzes and reels are performed to music provided typically by a SCOTTISH DANCE BAND, which can include fiddle (violin), bagpipes, accordions, keyboard and percussion.

PIPE BAND

A PIPE BAND is a musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers. The term used by military pipe bands, PIPES AND DRUMS, is also common.

The most common form of pipe band, the Scottish pipe band, consists of a section of pipers, a section of snare drummers (often referred to as ‘side drummers’), several tenor drums and a single bass drummer. The band follows the direction of the pipe major.

REGGAE

Reggae is a music genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.

The term reggae is sometimes used in a broad sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music.

Reggae is often associated with the Rastafarian movement, which influenced many prominent reggae musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. Reggae song lyrics deal with many subjects, including faith, love, relationships, poverty, injustice and other broad social issues.

Reggae is always played in 4/4 time and the music is often very simple, and sometimes a whole song will have no more than one or two chords. The songs are easily recognisable as there is a strong emphasis on the off-beats.

CARIBBEAN MUSIC

The Caribbean is a region of the Americas consisting of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (most of which enclose the sea), and the surrounding coasts. The region is located southeast of Northern America, east of Central America, and to the north and west of South America.

Steelpan (also known as steeldrums or pans, and sometimes collectively with the musicians as a steelband) is a musical instrument and a form of music originating in Trinidad and Tobago.

The pan is a pitched percussion instrument, tuned chromatically, made from a 55 gallon drum of the type that stores oil. In fact, drum refers to the steel drum containers from which the pans are made.

The steel pan evolved out of earlier musical practices of the country's enslaved Africans and Afro-descendants, who had to make do with discarded materials for constructing musical instruments.

LATIN AMERICAN MUSIC

Latin American music, sometimes simply called Latin music, includes the music of many countries and comes in many varieties.

Latin music is very diverse, with the only truly unifying thread being the use of the Spanish language, or the Portuguese language, in Brazil.

Syncopation, a musical technique in which weak beats are accented instead of strong ones, is a major characteristic of Latin music.

SALSA

Salsa music incorporates multiple styles and variations and refers to a particular style developed in the 1960s and '70s by Cuban immigrants and Puerto Rican migrants to the New York City area.

Salsa is essentially Cuban in stylistic origin, though it is also a mixed with pop, jazz, rock, and R&B.

The most important instrumentation in salsa is the percussion, which is played by a wide variety of instruments, including claves, cowbells, timbales and congas. Apart from percussion, other important instruments are the trumpets, and trombones. Other melodic instruments are commonly used as accompaniment, such as a guitar, the piano, and many others.

SAMBA MUSIC

Samba is one of the most popular forms of music in Brazil. It is widely viewed as Brazil's national musical style.

Samba is a very lively, rhythmical dance in 2/4 time. It is extremely syncopated and has percussion instruments as its strong foundation.

INDIAN MUSIC

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, and classical music.

The sitar is a plucked stringed instrument. It uses sympathetic strings along with a gourd resonating chamber to produce a very lush sound.

The SITAR is accompanied by Indian drums called tabla and is probably the most popular Indian percussion instrument used in classical, popular and religious Hindustani music.

AFRICAN MUSIC

Music is everywhere in Africa. From a mother singing a lullaby to her newborn baby, to elaborate village festivals full of colour and costumes, musical instruments and song are a basic part of the African way of life. People use music to break the monotony of the working day. A farmer, for example might sing a song to encourage his crops during hoeing and sowing.

When people think of African music they tend to think of the drum. The heartbeat of Africa is musical rhythm and many African societies have developed their own set of rhythm patterns.

Music from Africa has been around for centuries, and is still an essential part of African life. Whether it is an African call-and-response song or African drumming, the spirit of African music lives on.

STYLES OF MUSIC: - WORLD MUSIC

CONCEPTS

SCOTTISH DANCE BAND – A musical ensemble which provides the accompaniment for group dances such as jigs, strathspeys, waltzes and reels. Instrumentation can include fiddle (violin), bagpipes, accordion, keyboard and percussion.

PIPE BAND – A musical ensemble consisting of pipers and drummers.

REGGAE – A musical genre developed in Jamaica in the late 1960’s where the lyrics of the music deal with relevant social issues. The music is played in 4/4 time and there is a strong emphasis on the off-beats.

OFF THE BEAT – The music is played on the weaker beats of the bar.

STEEL BAND – A musical ensemble comprising of steel drums or steel pans which originates in the Caribbean.

LATIN AMERCAN MUSIC – Music from South America where rhythm is the most important element. Percussion instruments provide a strong foundation for Latin music.

SYNCOPATION – The music is played off or against the beat.

SALSA – A type of Latin American music which originates in Cuba. As well as a variety of percussion, brass instruments are commonly used alongside the guitar and piano.

SAMBA – A type of Latin American music which originates in Brazil. Samba is a lively, rhythmical dance in 2/4 time with percussion instruments being the main focus.

INDIAN – A style of music using traditional instruments like the sitar and tabla.

SITAR – A plucked stringed instrument from India.

TABLA – Two different pitched drums from India.

AFRICAN DRUM ENSEMBLE – A musical ensemble consisting of drums, shakers and bells from Africa.

AFRICAN SINGING – A vocal ensemble from Africa.

-----------------------

=

=

‘BACKTRACKS’ STORY BOARD

C B A G F

A B C D E

= 3 beats

= 11/2 beats

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download