AoS2 - Killer Queen Flashcards
How many members were there in Queen?
Four - Freddie Mercury on lead vocals and piano, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor on drums
Freddie Mercury is considered to be virtuosic - what does this mean?
He’s the master of his craft, and performs incredible difficult things because of his insane ability
In what year was Killer Queen released?
1974
What was different about the writing of Killer Queen compared to the other Queen songs?
Freddie Mercury usually wrote the music first, but in Killer Queen he wrote the lyrics first, and then the music
What was unusual at the time about Queen’s instrumentation of Killer Queen?
No synthesisers were used
What key was Killer Queen written in?
Eb Major, which is unusual for rock songs as Brian May would have had to use a capo
What is the form and structure of Killer Queen?
It is in extended verse-chorus form, with a brief intro, a guitar solo acting as the middle 8, and an outro
Is the chord sequence more similar to those in musicals or Blues?
Musicals - the harmonies are far more adventurous than standard rock songs
Are there any modulations in Killer Queen?
Yes, the piece modulates frequently, adding harmonic interest
What key does Killer Queen start in and how does this make the song sound?
The first chord is C Minor, the relative of Eb Major, and this makes the audience unsure of the key, also known as tonally ambiguous
How does Killer Queen start?
Six finger clicks
What types of chords are used in Killer Queen?
Extended and slash chords, mostly in root position.
What does diatonic mean?
Chords within the scale of the piece, and if a piece is diatonic, it tends to use the chords I, II, IV and V. Killer Queen is in Eb Major, so usually the chords are related to that key.
What is a circle of fifths?
Where the chords of the song go down 5 chords at a time (bar 20-21)
What is it called when a note is held at the bottom of the texture?
A pedal note, usually in the tonic or dominant.
Give an example of word painting in Killer Queen
Laser-beam - the flanger effect makes it sound like a laser
Queen - the pitch glissando up
Are the lyrics in Killer Queen syllabic or melismatic?
Almost entirely syllabic
What do the x-headed notes mean in the score of Killer Queen?
Half spoken words in the indicated rhythms
What is harmonic rhythm and how does it change?
Harmonic rhythm is the speed in which the chords change, and in Killer Queen, it goes from one chords per bar to two chords per bar and then later, four chords per bar.
Queen’s melodies were considered as ‘anthemic’. What does this mean?
A song with a strong, memorable melody which has uplifting characteristics
What is unusual about the phrase lengths in Killer Queen?
The phrase lengths are unbalanced, with some being longer than others, creating verses of different lengths
Name the seven instruments in Killer Queen
Vocals Backing vocals Piano Jangle piano Electric guitar Bass guitar Drums and percussion, including a
If there were seven instruments and four performers, how did the record get made?
Use of a process known as overdubbing. This is recording one layer on top of another, building texture.
Why would Queen use multi-tracking?
Multi tracking means that each individual track can be manipulated and edited
Where is an obvious example of overdubbing?
Anything with choral backing singers
Guitar solo, and the interweaving parts in it
Which genre were the vocal harmonies inspired by?
Gospel
What is the metre of the song?
12/8 - compound quadruple time
What is syncopation and how is it used?
Off beat patterns which emphasise the weak beats of the bar
What is an anacrusis and where can it be found?
An upbeat, putting the important words one the stressed beats of the bar
What is interesting about the way Brian May plays his guitar?
He plays using an old sixpence instead of a plectrum creating a more metallic sound
What is the most common texture heard in Killer Queen?
Homophonic - the verse and first chorus are homophonic (melody dominated homophony)
What other textures are heard in Killer Queen?
Monophonic at the start (finger clicks)
Antiphonal at points where the vocals are in call and response style
Polyphonic as more parts are introduced (interweaving)
Name the technological effects used in Killer Queen
Panning
Flanger
Multi tracking
Reverb
Name the guitar effects used in Killer Queen
Distortion
Wah-wah
What unusual techniques did Brian May use when playing guitar?
String bends
Slides
Pull offs
Vibrato
