Music Blog
This blog showcases the online components of various university assessment, and real-school materials designed on professional experience.
Pedal PointWhat is Pedal Point? In tonal music, a pedal point (also pedal tone, pedal note, organpoint, or pedal) is a sustained tone, typically in the bass, during which at least one foreign, i.e., dissonant harmony is sounded in the other parts. (from google) The above YouTube clip features the song Thunderstruck by ACDC. This song contains a pedal-point based riff that is played throughout the majority of the music. Pedal point is a great tool that can be used by composers to develop their melodies, riffs or broader compositions. What does pedal point look like on a score?As you can see above, the B note (the second string open on the guitar) is played on every 'e-a'' beat. This is how pedal point can be used. Pedal point, however does not necessarily need to be used in such a short, fast paced series of notes. It can span over multiple bars to provide a drone like quality. The last interactive activity that you completed which involved sus chords, actually had a pedal in the C for the backing track. ActivityHow can Pedal Point can be an effective tool for composers?
Create a youtube video (1-2 minutes) that describes the concept of Pedal Point. Below are some guiding questions to aid you in your response. What other compositional techniques can Pedal Point be combined with to make pleasant music? What other songs or pieces of music use pedal point? Can you play your own short pedal point riff on your isntrument? Why is pedal point useful? Remember, be creative in your presentation! Upload your video to youtube, (listed or unlisted) and submit the link onto the Discussion Board.
0 Comments
Suspended ChordsSus (suspended) chords are designed to add extra colour to your chords, to create slightly different harmonic balances that can create some variation in a song. The term 'Sus' or 'suspended' refers to the alteration of the Major 3rd interval in the Major Chord. This note is altered to become the 4th (sus/sus4) or the 2nd (sus2). Audio Examples of Major and Sus Chords Playing Sus Chords on Piano or GuitarImprovisation ActivityAttached is a 32 bar backing track. On your preferred pitch instrument of choice, record a short 32 bar improvisation. Think about how the changes in sus chords can influence your improvisation. Record your improvisation using a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) like Audacity or even Garage Band for iPad. Upload your original improvisation and the backing track as one audio file to dropbox, and submit the link to your personalised classroom discussion board. www.dropbox.com/s/ke7jl6oztfhlyod/Sus%20Chords%20Lesson%20Track.m4a?dl=0Sus Chords Backing Track DiscussionHow could sus chords further enhance your chosen material for the HSC?
Do you think they can be an effective tool to shake up your compositions? What other songs use sus chords? (Summer of 69' by Brian Adams is a great example) Submit your answers to the Discussion Board along with your improvisation. Just about ALL popular music contains chords. Composers (and musicians) vary these chords to add colour and interest. The largest driver of Genre is rhtymyn, all Genres of music use variations of chords in some way. C MajorC Major Contains the Root, the 3rd and the Fifth. C, E and G make the standard C Major Chord. Extended ChordsC7The C7 chord uses a Major Third, then two minor third intervals. This is a very 'bluesy' or 'Jazzy' chord. C9The C9 chord is a further extension of the C7 Chord. On guitar (and sometimes on piano) the 5th is dropped for play ability. In the musical Alphabet, notes repeat. The 9 refers to the D, up an octave from the root C. Slash ChordsSlash Chords simply ask the performer to play a different note in the bass. Ideally on Piano, another G up an octave would also be played. 'Sus' or Suspended ChordsC Sus (C Sus4)A SUS chord, or specifically a Sus4 chord subsitutes the 3rd, for a fourth instead. So instead of C Major being CEG, it is CFG. C Sus2Similarly to a Sus4 chord, a sus 2 chord replaces the 3rd, with a 2nd. Going from CEG to CDG. ApplicationThese sorts of variations add plenty of colour to music. Listen to Blame it on the Boogie by Michael Jackson. It is a great example of varied chords. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
This Lesson plan is aimed at Year 8 students, however it could also be utilised for year 7 depending on their skill level. This task aims to lead students into their Elective unit next year. (through encourage co-operating and performance).
Materials and Documents. Extensive files and information can be found on my Dropbox here .
Seven Nation Army - Riff Breakdown
Sheet Music
Sheet Music is available from here. Also, the .musx file is linked, which can be opened in Finale or Sibelius. This way you can interact with a more interactive recording of the song and see the relationships between written and aural material. Performance and Reflection Task
You will be assessed on:
A)Using the provided blog link, and in class material learn to perform Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes. You will not only be marked on your final performance, but your overall commitment throughout all of the lessons. B)Write a 500-word reflection of your performance task. In detail, evaluate your in class and ‘at home’ processes that helped develop your musical ability to perform Seven Nation Army. Guiding Questions: What did you like about this performance project? What did you not like about this performance project? What did you learn about this performance project? How do you think this unit could be better? Students are encouraged to keep a 'process diary' of their progress, so students can easily recall information learned from this unit! Student Prior Knowledge
Students are expected to be able to read sheet music at a basic level.
Students are expected to be able to perform music on their chosen instrument at a basic level. Students are expected to be familiar with using computers to aid in their study. Students are expected to be able to co-operate with performance tasks, and have the confidence to do so. Other Materials and Sources
Musical Elements
|
Music of a culture (African) / Music for film (Mandatory Unit) |
|
Music Of a Culture - German Folk Music (Elective Unit) |
|
Audio Demonstration
This in depth audio demonstration will help guide you through the process of creating a simple loop in Garage Band for Ipad. |
|