Afro American Flashcards
Hound Dog
Elvis Presely, 1956, Don’t Be Cruel
Rockabilly blues: guitar twang and reverb, country rock
Percussive, walking bass line, 12 bar blues, verse form
Lyrics: repetitive with not much symbolic meaning, Big Mama Thornton with Elvis’ reinterpretation of the lyrics
Influence: Mississippi Blues, gospel music, southern poor neighborhoods
Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood
The Animals, 1965, Single
Blues Rock: gritty, bluesy sound with electric guitar-and-organ doubled riff.
N.C. “Oh Lord”
Fermata: Pause
Lyrics: unifies with vocalists deep qualities, unique and impassioned to the band
Popular riffs and repetition with rhythmic ostinato’s in the bass
Highway to Hell
ACDC, 1979, Highway to Hell
Hard, heavy rock, heavy metal, pub gigs: raw and edged sound, vocal delivery raspy and screaming
D/F sharp chords, bending slides and vibrato in guitar, power chords, blues scale
Unique: ‘duck walk’ and school uniform
Lyrics: asked to describe life on the road with constant touring
Influence: Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple - British Blues rock
Smells Like Teen Spirit
Nirvana, 1991, Nevermind
Alternative Rock: Seattle Grunge
Small bars, clubs and pizza parlors with mediocre sound systems, as opposed to ballrooms and arenas. Nirvana struggled with hard fought integrity for alternative independence in music - Grunge became a popular trend
Power chords: take away tonality, solo’s follow the vocal line.
Music Video: iconic describing anger
Context: widening economic gap between the rich and poor. Generation X (Kurt Cobains gen.) felt alienated and confused.
Lyrics: Cobain was concerned with sound of words rather than meaning, expressing confusion and apathy of Gen. X
Chorus expresses the boredom and disconnectedness of youth.
Influence: Rejecting over-produced mainstream, British Punk
Rock Music: Compositional Devices and Chords
Devices: Ostinato, Syncopation, Repetition, Riffs.
Chords: Power chords, common triad, parallel 4th and 5th
Rock Music: Instrumentation and forms
Instruments: Drums, Backing Vocals, Vocals, Organ, Bass, Guitar, Lead Guitar
Form: Verse form, verse-chorus form
Rock Music: Symbols
Fermata: means to pause, a dot surrounded by a downward curve
N.C: No Chord
D/F-sharp: Second note is played in bass
Rock Music: Themes and Rhythm
Themes: romantic love, rebellion, sex, social concerns, lifestyles.
Rhythmic Characteristics: rhythmic ostinato, walking bassline, 2+4 drums
