Breathing Under Water - Shankar

Question 1

harmony

Answer 1

1. Chords and progressions used are Western rather than Eastern, but not completely conventional functional diatonic harmony. e.g few cadences - coda of BUW - repeated IVm-I chord progressions, plagal cadence variation common in pop songs.
2. Dissonances in all songs e.g. Easy b6 - Gb in sitar, F in piano. I WANT TO TELL U BEATLES - F OVER E CREATES Em9th
3. Pandiatonic harmony created by using Added note, extension, slash chords e.g. C#m(add4)/G# beginning of BUW.
4. Sus chords e.g. Db(sus4) in Easy. CLOUDBUSTING BUSH Badd9 in verse, F#7(sus4) in chorus.
5. Tonic pedal note C# b22 in Burn, sounds like drone. TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS BEATLES
6. Slow harmonic rhythm in Burn. PAGODES DEBUSSY - fusion
7. Parallel harmony in b27 BUW. LA SOIREE DANS GRENADE DEBUSSY.

Question 2

Texture

Answer 2

1. Burn melody domhom. Sitar melody accompanied by strings. CLOUDBUSTING
2. doubled 3rd below in Verse 2. PINE LOVE AND AFFECTION - WESTERN POP. HERE,THERE,+EVERYWHERE.
3. Burn dialogue between sitar and vocals in verse3. THE SUN WONT SET
4. Burn polyphony and contrapuntal in chorus and bridge
5. Burn strings countermelody in verse extension. CLOUDBUSTING VERSE 2 vln countermelody
6. BUW monophonic vocal line in link to verse2. INNER STATE OF MIND BEGINNING

Question 3

instrumentation

Answer 3

1. Burn and BUW orchestral strings CLOUDBUSTING, ELEANOR RIGBY STRINGS
2. Burn and BUW sitar solo sound improvised like an Alap
3. Sitar techniques - vibrato (andolan), slides (meends), mordents/trills (gamak). BOAT TO NOWHERE
4. Burn octave figure in synth bass and percussion ostinato. SINISTER GRAINS SHANKAR SYNTH BASS
5. . Burn Manjira and Sarangi solo at bridge
6. Burn end cello solo. BOAT TO NOWHERE
7. Easy warm pad. guitar plucked accompaniment. THE SUN WONT SET guitar plucked.
8. Easy Piano added. Western. PRAYER IN PASSING.
9. Easy RandB style vocals.

Question 4

melody

Answer 4

1. Burn low register in sitar to start. PD7
2. Burn vocals mainly stepwise, small tessitura range. THE SUN WONT SET
3. Uses first 6 notes of C#min scale.
4. Sarangi solo- repeated phrases over continuation of chorus accompaniment - Indian feature.
5. BUW mainly stepwise wordless vocals.
6. Vocal descent in refrain3 above sitar melody
7. Easy melisma. I WANT TO TELL YOU
8. Arpeggios in sitar and piano ends the song. SE QUEMA LA CHUMBAMBA - fusion. broken chords in cuatro

Question 5

rhythm/metre/tempo

Answer 5

1. metre all 4/4 mainly throughout. Burn has slow intro w lack of pulse characterised by improv sitar - ALAP
2. Burn more stricter rhythmic feel when percussion join in - JIHALA. MORE TRADITIONAL RAG - BOAT TO NOWHERE
3. Sitar improvised, free flowing rhythms. triplets and quintuplets. PAGODES QUINTUPLETS B80
4. Syncopations in voice is counterpointed by semiquavers in bass in chorus. TOMORROW NEVER KNOWS SYNCOPATION IN VOCALS
5. Easy Ostinato b2. RED SUN in bass
6. BUW slow, spacious - long held string chords, no rhythm section.
7. BUW scotch snaps in b2. UNDER ICE VERSE3. INNER STATE OF MIND AFTER 2ND RAP

Question 6

TONALITY

Answer 6

1. burn C#minor
2. Synth articulates C#. B# is leading to note to C#, gives feeling of diatonic C#minor. SE QUEMA LA CHUMBAMBA DIATONIC GMINOR
3. BUW Db major
4. BUW in the middle 8 modulates to A modal major
5. BUW ends with 2-4-3 cadence
6. Easy Mixolydian mode like Rag Khamaj. DUCHESS OPENING
7. Easy no key changes. ALLA VA CANDELA NO MODULATIONS
8. Ends unresolved on Dbsus4. AND DREAM OF SHEEP