AoS2 - Killer Queen

Question 1

How many members were there in Queen?

Answer 1

Four - Freddie Mercury on lead vocals and piano, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass and Roger Taylor on drums

Question 2

Freddie Mercury is considered to be virtuosic - what does this mean?

Answer 2

He’s the master of his craft, and performs incredible difficult things because of his insane ability

Question 3

In what year was Killer Queen released?

Answer 3

1974

Question 4

What was different about the writing of Killer Queen compared to the other Queen songs?

Answer 4

Freddie Mercury usually wrote the music first, but in Killer Queen he wrote the lyrics first, and then the music

Question 5

What was unusual at the time about Queen’s instrumentation of Killer Queen?

Answer 5

No synthesisers were used

Question 6

What key was Killer Queen written in?

Answer 6

Eb Major, which is unusual for rock songs as Brian May would have had to use a capo

Question 7

What is the form and structure of Killer Queen?

Answer 7

It is in extended verse-chorus form, with a brief intro, a guitar solo acting as the middle 8, and an outro

Question 8

Is the chord sequence more similar to those in musicals or Blues?

Answer 8

Musicals - the harmonies are far more adventurous than standard rock songs

Question 9

Are there any modulations in Killer Queen?

Answer 9

Yes, the piece modulates frequently, adding harmonic interest

Question 10

What key does Killer Queen start in and how does this make the song sound?

Answer 10

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

Question 11

How does Killer Queen start?

Answer 11

Six finger clicks

Question 12

What types of chords are used in Killer Queen?

Answer 12

Extended and slash chords, mostly in root position.

Question 13

What does diatonic mean?

Answer 13

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.

Question 14

What is a circle of fifths?

Answer 14

Where the chords of the song go down 5 chords at a time (bar 20-21)

Question 15

What is it called when a note is held at the bottom of the texture?

Answer 15

A pedal note, usually in the tonic or dominant.

Question 16

Give an example of word painting in Killer Queen

Answer 16

Laser-beam - the flanger effect makes it sound like a laser

Queen - the pitch glissando up

Question 17

Are the lyrics in Killer Queen syllabic or melismatic?

Answer 17

Almost entirely syllabic

Question 18

What do the x-headed notes mean in the score of Killer Queen?

Answer 18

Half spoken words in the indicated rhythms

Question 19

What is harmonic rhythm and how does it change?

Answer 19

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.

Question 20

Queen’s melodies were considered as ‘anthemic’. What does this mean?

Answer 20

A song with a strong, memorable melody which has uplifting characteristics

Question 21

What is unusual about the phrase lengths in Killer Queen?

Answer 21

The phrase lengths are unbalanced, with some being longer than others, creating verses of different lengths

Question 22

Name the seven instruments in Killer Queen

Answer 22

Vocals
Backing vocals
Piano
Jangle piano
Electric guitar
Bass guitar
Drums and percussion, including a

Question 23

If there were seven instruments and four performers, how did the record get made?

Answer 23

Use of a process known as overdubbing. This is recording one layer on top of another, building texture.

Question 24

Why would Queen use multi-tracking?

Answer 24

Multi tracking means that each individual track can be manipulated and edited

Question 25

Where is an obvious example of overdubbing?

Answer 25

Anything with choral backing singers

Guitar solo, and the interweaving parts in it

Question 26

Which genre were the vocal harmonies inspired by?

Answer 26

Gospel

Question 27

What is the metre of the song?

Answer 27

12/8 - compound quadruple time

Question 28

What is syncopation and how is it used?

Answer 28

Off beat patterns which emphasise the weak beats of the bar

Question 29

What is an anacrusis and where can it be found?

Answer 29

An upbeat, putting the important words one the stressed beats of the bar

Question 30

What is interesting about the way Brian May plays his guitar?

Answer 30

He plays using an old sixpence instead of a plectrum creating a more metallic sound

Question 31

What is the most common texture heard in Killer Queen?

Answer 31

Homophonic - the verse and first chorus are homophonic (melody dominated homophony)

Question 32

What other textures are heard in Killer Queen?

Answer 32

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)

Question 33

Name the technological effects used in Killer Queen

Answer 33

Panning
Flanger
Multi tracking
Reverb

Question 34

Name the guitar effects used in Killer Queen

Answer 34

Distortion

Wah-wah

Question 35

What unusual techniques did Brian May use when playing guitar?

Answer 35

String bends
Slides
Pull offs
Vibrato