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Edexcel GCSE Music > Killer Queen from 'Sheer Heart Attack' (Queen) - Freddie Mercury > Flashcards

Killer Queen from 'Sheer Heart Attack' (Queen) - Freddie Mercury Flashcards

1
Q

what does the introduction consist of?

A
  • 6 clicks - bar 1
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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
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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
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4
Q

what bars does verse 1 consist of?

A
  • bars 2-14
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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
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6
Q

what is syncopation?

A
  • where stressed notes are played off the beat
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7
Q

where is an example of an anacrusis in verse 1?

A
  • every verse and chorus starts with an anacrusis (upbeat)
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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
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9
Q

describe the harmonic rhythm bars 6-9.

A
  • builds from one chord per bar to two chords per bar
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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
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11
Q

describe the backing vocals in verse 1.

A
  • use words and vocalisations like oohs and aahs -> bar 8-11
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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
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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
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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
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15
Q

what is falsetto?

A
  • upper range of a man’s voice
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16
Q

what bars is chorus 1 comprised of?

A
  • bars 15-22 - 8 bars (upbeat in 14)
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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’
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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
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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
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20
Q

describe the harmony in bar 16.

A
  • chords in parallel motion
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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
Q

which bars does verse 2 consist of?

A
  • bars 27-38
26
Q

describe melody, texture, timbre and harmony of verse 2.

A
  • 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
Q

which bars does chorus 2 consist of?

A
  • bars 39-43
28
Q

compare chorus 1 to chorus 2.

A
  • shorter than chorus 1 -> consisting of only the 5-bar phrase - not an exact repeat unlike most rock/pop music
29
Q

describe the vocals in chorus 2.

A
  • 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
Q

what is multi track recording?

A
  • 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
Q

what is overdubbing?

A

a process where new sounds/ music are added to an existing recording.

32
Q

what bars is the guitar solo comprised of?

A
  • bars 44-51 and 52-61
33
Q

describe the melody and texture of the guitar solo in bars 44-51.

A
  • 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
Q

state the guitar FXs used in the guitar solo.

A
  • string bend - bar 49
  • glissando/slide - bar 50
  • vibrato - bar 51
35
Q

describe the melody and texture of the guitar solo in bars 52-61.

A
  • 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
Q

what bars is verse 3 comprised of?

A
  • bars 62-69
  • only 7 and 1/2 bars long
37
Q

name the studio/guitar effects used in verse 3.

A
  • 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
Q

when is the climax of the piece and how does Queen do this?

A
  • 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
Q

describe the dynamics throughout the piece.

A
  • played mezzo forte throughout
40
Q

describe the texture in verse 3.

A
  • imitation in bar 62 between guitar and vocal
41
Q

what is word setting?

A
  • the way music is written to match or emphasise syllables of words.
42
Q

which bars is chorus three comprised of?

A
  • bars 71-78
43
Q

what is the purpose of the backing vocals?

A
  • 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
Q

describe studio FX used in chorus 3.

A
  • panning in backing vocals - ‘anytime’ -> bars 73-74
  • flanger - ‘wanna try’ -> bar 77-78 -> ‘swooshing’ effect
45
Q

describe the melody in chorus 3.

A
  • conjunct melody with some wide angular leaps, intervals of 6ths and octaves -bar 75-76- ‘insatiable’
46
Q

which bars is the outro comprised of?

A
  • bars 79-83
47
Q

describe the outro.

A
  • starts with a one-bar answer to final vocal phrase and repeats syncopated rhythmic motif and then fades out
48
Q

state music technology effects used by Queen.

A
  • multi-tracking
  • overdubbing
  • flanger, wah wah and distortion
  • panning - helps to separate out sounds and create anti-phonal effects
49
Q

what does anti-phonal mean?

A

music which is performed by two choirs in interaction, often singing alternate musical phrases

50
Q

state guitar techniques used by Queen.

A
  • string bends
  • slides
  • palm mutes
  • vibrato
  • pull offs

Edexcel GCSE Music (18 decks)

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