Release Flashcards
African instruments
Talking drum
Kora
Celtic forces
Hurdy gurdy
Ullean pipes
Bodhran
Fiddle
Whistle
Accordion
Western instruments
Synthesiser
Sampler
Electric keyboard
Drum machine
Shaker
Tambourine
Bass guitar
Intro starts with a…
Low pass filter - sweep through all fréquences in a tone and modulate sound upper and lower keeping the harmony same fundamental.
Intro layering starts:
Talking drum
Synth strings
Vocal samples
Bodhran
Shaker
Drum machine
Techniques used in Release
Panning
Fade
Reverb
Echo
What key does the drone establish
C aeolian mode
Intro female voice
Use of female vocalisation with reverb and panning giving a sense of improvisation
Intro drum and bodhran
Establish steady tempo of 100bpm from rubato
Used as backbone of the piece
Heavy use of syncopation and remains same without elaborating
Intro shaker
Starts to introduce rhythm
At 0:43 seconds spoken male vocal samples through maninka lyrics as a storytelling style
Intro addition
1:20, addition of synth and drum loop
Even kora plays simple riff which is heard over the loops
Added with female vocalisation
V1 voice
- Female voice is repetitive and limited to a 6th.
- Syllabic with even 2 bar phrase and not more than 8 bars
- accompaniment is simple chords giving. A homophonic texture and dynamics and tension builds
What instruments accompany v1 voice
- drums + talking drum =very faint
- tambourine = takes over from shaker and plays steady semi-waivers
- kora with a new riff planned and enters at the end of the verse with
-low synth strings which play an ascending chromatic line
V1 drum break
- synth play 8 bar instrumental
- bass uses c and Bb making mods, feel
- texture thins outs so more dramatic
- short flute effect through delay of FX echo
- breath samples in syncopation
Ullean pipe solo
- polyphonic with pipe and hurdy gurdy
- whistle plays octave higher
- occasional glissandos
V2 voice
Gaelic vocalisation
Less phrasing
Accompanied with complex drum rhythm = double stopped, accents and triplets
End of V2 voice
- Repeated but increase in emotion through pitch and dynamics
- ascending chromatic line
- vocal line anticipated beats and soars over others
What is played with end of V2
- fiddle introduced (both Gaelic) where the chromatic line links from drum and bass into solos
Solo 2 - Low whistle solo
- Played with synth and accordion with rhythmic intérêts and bass returns after
- lighter texture with bass dropped
- bodhran is simper and scarce
Break after solo
Short vocal phrases of African male voice and hurdy gurdy
- all drop expect accordion and played 2 bars rhythm
V3 voice and Gaelic part (same)
Same as v1 but texture thinner with only synth and hurdy gurdy continued playing static chords
Build - drum break
- complex drum added
- bass uses c and Bb making modal feel
- texture thins so more dramatic
- pentatonic- 5 notes used by Irish triad
- drum and bodhran = backbone and synco
- shaker introduces rhyme
Build - change at 6:00
- electric piano = layered piano loops with syncopated melody of F and G
- electric piano 2 = ossiclating oattern og Eb and F
- hurdy gurdy makes piano drop and joins to create heterophonic texture with female voice samples
- ullean pipes also layer
Outro
- last verse of female voice and ends with stop to all layers
- ends with electric piano 1 and 2 layered and fades out
African melodic techniques
- pentatonic
- cyclic
- conjunct
- rhythmically interesting
- African dialect
Celtic features melody
- decoration
- virtuosic interments
- conjunct
- Gaelic language
Western features
- repetitive
- use of samples
- short
- layers and looped
Overall texture
MDH as it follows the vocal lines
Verse 3 texture
Polyphonic as they play two melodies at the same time
Rhythm mètre and tempo
- 44
- straight semiquavers
- syncopation and triplets
- polyrhythms
- rubato but steady after
Rhythm mètre and tempo
- 44
- straight semiquavers
- syncopation and triplets
- polyrhythms
- rubato but steady after
Context for technology
- multitracking
- parts faded to allow panning in stereo field
- synths and prerecord pet loops
- reverb
Structure
- strophic
- split into 8 bar phrases
- determined by texture not tonality
Melody
- based on opening motif
- solo parts played based on folk tunes
- idiomatic and suited for song
C aeolian
Natural minor and not raised 7th
C Dorian
6th raised - A natural not flat and raised by a semitone
Reverb
Echoing by delaying and layering over while it fades out. This shows that it is not in the studio and so gives a sense of large artificial space
What makes it a fusion
- Contrasting rhythm
- syncopation
- polyrhythms
- virtuosic melodies
- decorated
- pentatonic scale
- hetrophonic
- polyphonic
- instruments
Male voice range
13th
Harmony and Tonality
- modal
- c aeolian and Dorian
- diatonic
- chromaticism
- extended chords of 7th and 9ths
