Killer Queen from 'Sheer Heart Attack' (Queen) - Freddie Mercury Flashcards
1
Q
what does the introduction consist of?
A
- 6 clicks - bar 1
2
Q
what is the structure of this piece?
A
- verse-chorus structure
- intro
- verse 1
- chorus
- short instrumental
- verse 2
- chorus
- guitar solo
- verse 3
- chorus
- outro
3
Q
what is the time signature of the piece?
A
- mainly 12/8 (compound quadruple time) which gives piece a swung feel, regular danceable beat with steady tempo
4
Q
what bars does verse 1 consist of?
A
- bars 2-14
5
Q
describe the melody, tonality, rhythm and texture of verse 1.
A
- melody : word setting is mainly syllabic (bar 4)
- tonality : 3 flats, main tonality in Eb major (only first heard in bar 6) but music does modulate and at points there is tonal ambiguity - first verse starts with C minor chord
- rhythm : syncopated - e.g. bar 5 and 6 - ‘cake’ and ‘marie antoinette’ - reflects the theatrical energy of the piece
- texture : frequently changing, more orchestrated than standard rock song, parts come and go but piano is present for almost all the song, melody- dominated homophony
6
Q
what is syncopation?
A
- where stressed notes are played off the beat
7
Q
where is an example of an anacrusis in verse 1?
A
- every verse and chorus starts with an anacrusis (upbeat)
8
Q
describe the changing texture in verse 1.
A
- opening is homophonic - melody dominated homophony
- gradual build-up of texture
- 6 clicks, voice + RH chords only, then LH piano and then finally bass and drumns
9
Q
describe the harmonic rhythm bars 6-9.
A
- builds from one chord per bar to two chords per bar
10
Q
describe the melody and harmony of bars 7-11.
A
- 5 bar phrase ending with a rhythmic trip
- chromatic descending bass line and use of chord inversions during the passage - presents flamboyancy of piece
- use of extended chords
11
Q
describe the backing vocals in verse 1.
A
- use words and vocalisations like oohs and aahs -> bar 8-11
12
Q
describe what happens to the time signature in bar 10.
A
- brief change in time signature to 6/8, compound duple time and back to 12/8 in bar 11
- used to extend phrase lengths and use of unusual phrase lengths and clever reuse of phrases in different sections
13
Q
describe the melody and harmony in bars 12-14.
A
- harmonic sequence
- series of 3 bars of V-I
- modulating quickly from Cm to Eb major to G minor with F chord and preparing for modulation to Bb major in chorus
- syllabic text setting
14
Q
describe the vocal melody throughout the piece.
A
- wide range - over two octaves
- vocal part (Freddie Mercury) sometimes uses falsetto for very high parts - e.g. bar 13
- spoken text in bar 13
15
Q
what is falsetto?
A
- upper range of a man’s voice
16
Q
what bars is chorus 1 comprised of?
A
- bars 15-22 - 8 bars (upbeat in 14)
17
Q
describe the tonality, melody and harmonic rhythm in chorus 1.
A
- tonality : modulates to Bb major
- melody : backing vocal harmonies
- harmonic rhythm : faster harmonic rhythm, one chord every beat on bar 18 -> ‘guaranteed to blow your mind’
18
Q
describe the purpose of the backing vocals in chorus 1.
A
- echo/answer - bar 19 - ‘anytime..’
- bar 18 - ‘ba, ba, ba’ - makes it sounds like synthesiser
- creates gospel-inspired parallel harmonies that weave in and out of the main vocal
- provides harmonic support, like synth chords
19
Q
describe the use of studio effects in the chorus.
A
- bar 17 - ‘laser beam’ -> flanger FX which creates a distinctive swooshing sound
- panning of backing vocals - bar 16 - creates sense of space
- reverb in lead vocals
20
Q
describe the harmony in bar 16.
A
- chords in parallel motion
21
Q
what is the purpose of the last 3 bars of the chorus - bars 20-22?
A
- dovetails with the next section
- harmonic sequence -> contains a circle of fifths in the first two bars
22
Q
what is the circle of fifths?
A
- a series of chords in which the root of each chord is a fifth lower or a fourth higher than previous
23
Q
which bars does the instrumental link consist of?
A
- bars 23-26
24
Q
describe the instrumental link.
A
- phrase gives us a break from fast-moving chords with a piano vamp based around an F chord
- guitar parts harmonise in 3rds
- bar 26- roll on suspended cymbal to introduce verse 2
25
which bars does verse 2 consist of?
- bars 27-38
26
describe melody, texture, timbre and harmony of verse 2.
- melody : uneven length of melodic phrases-> extra 6/8 bar added in bar 34
- texture : bars 27-30 -> pedal note used - C pedal ; prominent guitar part -> interweaving guitar and vocals give piece a polyphonic feel at times ; 4 part vocal harmonies (bars 31-33) ; backing vocals echo soloist - bar 36 -> 'naturally'
- timbre : bar 28 - snare/side drum roll ; bar 29- bell ; prominent guitar parts ; interweaving guitar and vocals ; pitch bend - bar 30
- harmony: most chords in root position - are some chord inversions ; several extended chords such as 7ths and 11ths -> bar 34+35;
27
which bars does chorus 2 consist of?
- bars 39-43
28
compare chorus 1 to chorus 2.
- shorter than chorus 1 -> consisting of only the 5-bar phrase - not an exact repeat unlike most rock/pop music
29
describe the vocals in chorus 2.
- spoken text in bar 38 for dramatic effect
- backing vocals -> bar 40
- rich texture - multitracking and overdubbing of the vocals - compared to opening - sparse texture
- backing vocals - bar 42- 'ba,ba,ba' - makes it sound like synth
30
what is multi track recording?
- a method of sound recording which allows for the separate recoding of multiple sound sources or of sound sources recoded at different times to create a cohesive whole
31
what is overdubbing?
a process where new sounds/ music are added to an existing recording.
32
what bars is the guitar solo comprised of?
- bars 44-51 and 52-61
33
describe the melody and texture of the guitar solo in bars 44-51.
- borrows ideas from chorus and verse sections of the song -> clever reuse of phrases and development of vocal melody in guitar solo
- starts by mimicking lead part of chorus 'recommended at the price' -> 4 bars borrowing ideas from the 2nd half of chorus
- return of a similar melodic motif through several sections of the piece
- next 3 bars 48-50 -> guitars 3 + 4 imitation against guitar 1 before coming together in bar 50 to create a three part texture
- bar 51 - 4 bar phrase same as verse 1
34
state the guitar FXs used in the guitar solo.
- string bend - bar 49
- glissando/slide - bar 50
- vibrato - bar 51
35
describe the melody and texture of the guitar solo in bars 52-61.
- bar 54 - guitars play an octave higher
- bar 55 - bell effect created as guitar entries are overlapped
- 55-59 - 5-bar phrase same as verse 1
- overlapping, 3-part harmony, multi-tracking and layered electric guitars -> major part of Queen sound - 58-61
- 60 + 61 - 2 bar phrase leading to v.3
36
what bars is verse 3 comprised of?
- bars 62-69
- only 7 and 1/2 bars long
37
name the studio/guitar effects used in verse 3.
- wah wah FX on guitar -> creates musical onomatopoeia - 'pussy cat'
- backing vocals - mostly 'oohs' and 'aahs' - 63-64
- panning - bars 67 and 68
- palm mute - bar 69
38
when is the climax of the piece and how does Queen do this?
- bar 67 -> 'wild' -> vocals singing v.high in 4 parts followed by a response from band
- word painting - 'drive you wild' -> panning in backing vocals in bars 67-68 -> creates antiphonal texture/feel -> call and response
39
describe the dynamics throughout the piece.
- played mezzo forte throughout
40
describe the texture in verse 3.
- imitation in bar 62 between guitar and vocal
41
what is word setting?
- the way music is written to match or emphasise syllables of words.
42
which bars is chorus three comprised of?
- bars 71-78
43
what is the purpose of the backing vocals?
- creating gospel-inspired parallel harmonies which weave in and out of the main vocal
- providing harmonic support like synth chords - e.g. 'ba,ba,ba'- bar 73
44
describe studio FX used in chorus 3.
- panning in backing vocals - 'anytime' -> bars 73-74
- flanger - 'wanna try' -> bar 77-78 -> 'swooshing' effect
45
describe the melody in chorus 3.
- conjunct melody with some wide angular leaps, intervals of 6ths and octaves -bar 75-76- 'insatiable'
46
which bars is the outro comprised of?
- bars 79-83
47
describe the outro.
- starts with a one-bar answer to final vocal phrase and repeats syncopated rhythmic motif and then fades out
48
state music technology effects used by Queen.
- multi-tracking
- overdubbing
- flanger, wah wah and distortion
- panning - helps to separate out sounds and create anti-phonal effects
49
what does anti-phonal mean?
music which is performed by two choirs in interaction, often singing alternate musical phrases
50
state guitar techniques used by Queen.
- string bends
- slides
- palm mutes
- vibrato
- pull offs
