The Beatles - Within You, Without You

Question 1

What does the dilruba play in bar 2?

Answer 1

The dilruba enters with a melody containing slurred notes using the notes of the khamaj thaat raga. It plays glissandos between these slurred notes.

Question 2

What happens melodically when the dilruba melody finishes?

Answer 2

The swarmundal enters with an ascending glissando, playing the notes C,E,F,G,Bb.

Question 3

What is significant about the tambura drone that lasts throughout?

Answer 3

It is pitched at C, but sounds like C# on the recording as it was played back at a higher speed

Question 4

On what notes is the opening vocal melody based and what effect does this have?

Answer 4

The melody is based on a tritone (augmented 4th - E to Bb) which gives an unstable feel to the tonality

Question 5

Describe the vocal melody in bars three to four of it

Answer 5

It is constructed from a sequence of descending perfect fourths

Question 6

What does the cello do in the one-and-a-half bars between verses 1 and 2?

Answer 6

The cello plays a riff in these bars

Question 7

What do the cello and violin do in verse 2?

Answer 7

They play a melody in unison

Question 8

What happens to the vocal melody at the end of verse two?

Answer 8

It moves to a high register on the words “if they only knew” to emphasise the lyrics.

Question 9

What does the dilruba do in the chorus?

Answer 9

It doubles the vocal melody

Question 10

What do the violins play in the chorus?

Answer 10

They play a riff similar to that of the five-note cello riff between verses 1 and 2

Question 11

What does the dilruba play in the instrumental?

Answer 11

The dilruba plays repeated variations of the melody from the verses adapted for 5/4

Question 12

What do the violins play in the instrumental?

Answer 12

The violins play a pizzicato and arco melody and a call and response with the dilruba

Question 13

What happens between the vocals and strings in verse 3?

Answer 13

There is imitative dialogue between them

Question 14

What happens after verse 3?

Answer 14

There is a seven bar link to the final chorus during which the dilruba and strings play improvisatory passages based on the opening melody line heard in the intro

Question 15

What is unusual about the harmony of the song?

Answer 15

There are no set chords on the score to indicate a key signature

Question 16

What does the tambura do throughout harmonically?

Answer 16

The tambura plays a drone on C throughout in order to provide a tonal centre to the song. It is also played by the cello in the chorus

Question 17

What type of harmony is featured in the verses?

Answer 17

Tritone (augmented fourth) harmony, in this case E and Bb

Question 18

How does the song end harmonically and what does this represent?

Answer 18

The song ends with an unresolved harmony with the notes C and D sounding simultaneously, reflecting the idea that the issues relayed in the song have not been resolved

Question 19

What is the tonality of the song?

Answer 19

The song is modal, having no discernible key signature

Question 20

In what raga is the song written in?

Answer 20

The song is written in the khamaj thaat raga, similar to the western mixolydian mode. It uses he notes C, D, E, F, G, A, Bb

Question 21

What is the structure of the song?

Answer 21

The structure of the song is:

• Introduction
• Verse 1
• Verse 2
• Chorus
• Instrumental
• Verse 3
• Chorus

Question 22

What two genres is the song a fusion of?

Answer 22

Pop and classical Indian traditional music

Question 23

Which Indian instruments does the song use?

Answer 23

The sitar, the swarmundal, the dilruba, the tabla, and the tambura

Question 24

What western instruments does the song use?

Answer 24

Violins, cellos, acoustic guitar, and voice

Question 25

What technology is used with the dilruba to create a specific timbre?

Answer 25

The dilruba is tripple-tracked which creates a thick timbre in the main instrumental section

Question 26

What do the violins play in the instrumental?

Answer 26

The violins play pizzicato notes on a repeated high C. During this section, 8 violins and 3 cellos are added

Question 27

What happens at the end of the song?

Answer 27

There is a short burst of laughter in order to relive the tension of the song

Question 28

What is the tempo of the song?

Answer 28

The tempo of the song is written as rubato, so the speed is flexible

Question 29

At what tempo is the into played?

Answer 29

A medium tempo called madhya laya

Question 30

What happens to the time signature throughout the song?

Answer 30

It changes between 4/4, 2/4 and 5/4

Question 31

In the introduction, what does the tabla play?

Answer 31

A triplet rhythm in the 2/4 bar

Question 32

What does the tabla play throughout?

Answer 32

A 16-beat tintal

Question 33

What does the dilruba melody in the introduction do rhythmically?

Answer 33

It combines dotted rhythms with syncopation

Question 34

What does the vocal melody in the verses do rhythmically?

Answer 34

It contains lots of minims, reflecting the slow, reflective mood of the song

Question 35

What happens to the time signature at the end of the verse line?

Answer 35

It changes from 4/4 to 5/4

Question 36

What takes place in the chorus rhythmically?

Answer 36

It follows a simple crotchet rhythm throughout because it has a 4/4 metre with two time signature changes to 5/4 to accommodate the lyrics

Question 37

What happens to the metre during the 35-bar instrumental section?

Answer 37

There are 27 bars in 5/4 and eight bars in 4/4. A new tala called the jhaptal is played in the 5/4 section and consists of ten beats