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GCSE Edexcel Music > Queen - Killer Queen > Flashcards

Queen - Killer Queen Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the range of the melody?

A

The melody has a wide range, going very high and very low!

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2
Q

How does the guitar solo relate to the song?

A

The guitar solo borrows ideas from the chorus and verse sections of the song.

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3
Q

What do the backing vocals include?

A

The backing vocals use words and vocalizations, like oohs and aahs!

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4
Q

What is the nature of the melody?

A

The melody is often conjunct, but with some wide angular leaps, including intervals of 6ths and octaves.

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5
Q

Why is the melody harder to spot in the chorus?

A

In the chorus, the melody is harder to spot on its own because of the backing vocal harmonies.

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6
Q

What vocal techniques are used in the vocal part?

A

The vocal part sometimes uses falsetto and includes spoken text.

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7
Q

What is a notable feature of the vocal part?

A

The vocal part contains a slide upwards on the word ‘queen’.

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8
Q

How are the lengths of melodic phrases characterized?

A

The lengths of the melodic phrases are often uneven, like when the extra 6/8 bar is added.

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9
Q

What is word painting used for in the song?

A

Word painting is used on the words ‘drive you wild’.

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10
Q

What is the main tonality of the piece?

A

The main tonality for the piece is Eb Major, which is unusual because it’s a hard key to play in on the guitar!

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11
Q

What happens to the tonality during the song?

A

The key changes (modulates) during the song.

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12
Q

In which key is the chorus?

A

The chorus is in Bb major.

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13
Q

What is tonal ambiguity?

A

There are points where the tonality is not clear, like in the first verse which starts with a C minor chord, making the key signature unclear.

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14
Q

How do the chord sequences behave?

A

The chord sequences move quickly through different key signatures, such as in the first half of the chorus moving quickly through D minor and C major.

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15
Q

What happens at the end of the last chorus?

A

The last chorus ends in Bb major, so the outro features a repeated Eb chord to reestablish the original key signature.

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16
Q

What is the tempo of the piece?

A

The tempo is moderate, with a dotted crotchet measured at 112 bpm.

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17
Q

What type of chord sequences does Queen use?

A

Queen liked to use adventurous chord sequences.

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18
Q

What types of chords are used in the song?

A

The song uses several altered or extended chords, such as 7ths and 11ths.

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19
Q

What is the position of most chords?

A

Most of the chords are in root position, but there are some chord inversions.

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20
Q

What kind of progression is found in the chorus?

A

There is a circle of 5ths chord progression in the chorus.

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21
Q

How are the modulations to different keys indicated?

A

The modulations to different keys are shown by perfect cadences.

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22
Q

What chord does the song start with?

A

The song starts with a C minor chord.

23
Q

When is the piece’s key signature revealed?

A

You can’t tell that the piece is in Eb major until the chord is played halfway through the verse.

24
Q

What is a notable feature of the chord sequence’s rhythm?

A

Some parts of the chord sequence contain a faster harmonic rhythm, like one chord every beat on ‘guaranteed to blow your mind’.

25
Q

What effect do chord inversions create?

A

The chord inversions create descending and ascending basslines, such as the descending bassline during ‘built in a remedy’.

26
Q

What is featured in the instrumental before the second verse?

A

There is a ‘vamp’ based around an F chord.

27
Q

What is used in bars 27-30?

A

There is a pedal note used in bars 27-30.

28
Q

Who sings the vocal part?

A

The vocal part is sung by Freddie Mercury, who has a high tenor voice.

29
Q

What instruments are used in the piece?

A

The piece uses piano, electric guitar, bass, and drum kit.

30
Q

What is notable about the backing vocals?

A

There are overdubbed backing vocals.

31
Q

How many guitar parts are there?

A

There are 4 guitar parts that have been overdubbed to create a richer texture.

32
Q

What is unique about the piano sound?

A

There is a slightly out of tune ‘jangle’ piano recorded on top of the main piano line.

33
Q

What studio effects are used?

A

The song uses studio effects like multitrack recording, EQ, flanger, distortion, reverb, wah-wah, and panning.

34
Q

What techniques does the guitar part use?

A

The guitar part uses slides, bends, pull-offs, and vibrato.

35
Q

What is the main texture of the piece?

A

The main texture of the piece is homophonic.

36
Q

How does the texture build at the start of the song?

A

The texture builds up gradually at the start of the song with each instrument entering one at a time.

37
Q

What texture does the guitar solo use?

A

The guitar solo uses a three-part texture.

38
Q

How are sounds spread out?

A

Sounds are spread out using panning.

39
Q

What effect do the interweaving guitar and vocal parts create?

A

The interweaving guitar and vocal parts from the second verse give the piece a polyphonic feel at times.

40
Q

What technique does the guitar solo employ?

A

The guitar solo uses imitation.

41
Q

What effect does panning create in the backing vocals?

A

The use of panning in the backing vocals creates an antiphonal feel.

42
Q

What genre is the song?

A

This is a Glam Rock song from the band’s third album.

43
Q

When was the song released?

A

It was released in 1974.

44
Q

How does Queen’s sound differ from standard rock bands?

A

Queen’s sound is unlike many ‘standard’ rock bands as they use adventurous harmonies and structures, and a theatrical style influenced by musical theatre and opera.

45
Q

What is the time signature of the piece?

A

The time signature is mainly in 12/8 time.

46
Q

What rhythmic feel does the piece have?

A

This gives the piece a swung feel, using swung rhythms.

47
Q

What kind of beat does the song have?

A

There is a regular, danceable beat with a steady tempo.

48
Q

What rhythmic technique is used throughout the song?

A

There is syncopation used throughout.

49
Q

What is an anacrusis?

A

Every verse and chorus starts with an anacrusis (upbeat).

50
Q

What extends phrase lengths?

A

There are occasional extra bars of 6/8 time to extend phrase lengths.

51
Q

What rhythmic element is used in bar 18?

A

There are some use of triplets in bar 18.

52
Q

What is the structure of the piece?

A

The piece has a verse-chorus structure.

53
Q

What is the full structure of the song?

A

The full structure is: Intro (clicks), verse 1, chorus, instrumental, verse 2, chorus, guitar solo, verse 3, chorus, outro.

GCSE Edexcel Music (7 decks)

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