Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

Question 1

What key is bohemian rhapsody in?

Answer 1

Bb major

Question 2

Who was bohemian rhapsody written by?

Answer 2

Lead singer, Freddie Mercury

Question 3

Which album is it from

Answer 3

Released as first single for them album “a night at the opera”

Question 4

Was this single expensive?

Answer 4

One of the most expensive singles ever made

Question 5

What is the structure?

Answer 5

Intro (a Capella)/ballad/guitar solo/operatic section/hard rock section/outro

Question 6

What is the melody like in the intro?

Answer 6

A Capella in four part harmony

Question 7

What happens at “look up to the sky”

Answer 7

Melody ascends, reflects the lyrics

Question 8

What does the melody do at “easy come, easy go”?

Answer 8

Slides up and down chromatically

Question 9

What is the melody like at the beginning of the ballad section?

Answer 9

Begins with descending melody “gun against his head” and “gone and thrown it all away” followed by an ascending melody “if I’m not back again this time tomorrow”

Question 10

What is the guitar solo based on?

Answer 10

Based on ballad section, rising and falling chromatically

Question 11

What is “let me go” sung on?

Answer 11

Descending dominant 7th before ascending on a dominant 7th for “no no no”

Question 12

What key does the piece begin in?

Answer 12

Bb major

Question 13

What is the bass line like in the ballad section and what does this create?

Answer 13

Bass line is chromatic crates modulation to Eb major

Question 14

What does the guitar solo modulate to?

Answer 14

A major for the operatic section

Question 15

What happens harmonically in operatic section?

Answer 15

Rapid series of harmonic changes

Question 16

Is the piece diatonic?

Answer 16

No, here is a massive amount of chromaticism

Question 17

How does Mercury play the piano?

Answer 17

With his iconic vamp style where the hands cross over

Question 18

How do the vocals evolve in the ballad section?

Answer 18

Vocals evolve from softly sing harmony to impassioned solo

Question 19

What does the drum beat do?

Answer 19

Features 1-1-2 rock rhythm as in “we will rock you”

Question 20

What happens at “send shivers down my spine”

Answer 20

May imitates bell tree by playing the strings on the guitar on the “wrong” side of the bridge

Question 21

What is at the end

Answer 21

Gong is at the end

Question 22

How long did the piece take to record?

Answer 22

3 weeks

Question 23

How many separate overdubs were there

Answer 23

180 separate overdubs, studios at the time only offered 24 track analogue tapes so it was necessary to “bounce” these down to successive sub-mixes

Question 24

When are the overdubs particularly prominent?

Answer 24

In the intro and operatic sections

Question 25

What kind of amplifier does John Deacon use?

Answer 25

An amplifier he designed himself, nicknamed the “deacy amp”

Question 26

When was Bohemian Rhapsody released?

Answer 26

1975

Question 27

What instruments are playing?

Answer 27

Vocals, guitar, bass, drums, piano, gong