MUSIC GCSE

ELEMENTS REVISION

Cardinal Hume Catholic School

Rhythm and Metre

Learn from your Revision Guide

You will be asked to identify note values and time signatures, indicate tempo – remember this goes at the top left of the score as you may be asked to write it in the correct place. You will be asked to identify re

Looking for clues? ...

Rubato

This is when performers make slight changes to a piece – often it is simply the performer’s response to the music, but composers may write ‘tempo rubato’ on a piece, indicating not to play in strict tempo.

Syncopation

If you are asked to identify a rhythmic feature, this is probably it!

Scotch snap

Short note, followed by long – common to Scottish folk tunes, but rare elsewhere!

Polyrhythms Bi-rhythyms

When two (bi) or more rhythms are played simultaneously – often in African music. It can mean that the metre (time signature) is different, too.

Triplets 3 notes played in the time of two – not the ‘slur’ and number 3.

Non-metrical / irregular metre When you can’t discern any pattern of strong beats

Tala the way Indian metre is organised

Cyclic rhythms repeated rhythmic patterns, found in Caribbean music (salsa , calypso)

Hemiola when the beat briefly changes to be twice the value e.g. I like to be in A- me-ri-ca

Texture

The main three...

Monophonicsingle melodic line(cheese slice)______

______

Homophonicmelody & chords(cheese on toast

Poyphonic / 2 or more melodies interweaving (spaghetti)

Contrapuntal

But also ....

Imitiationwhen one ‘voice’ copies or imitates another voice’s phrase

AntiphonalA kind of call & response – phrases are moved

around between voices / instruments in different

parts of the performance space

Rich textureLots of instruments / voices, lots of layers

Light textureFew instruments / resources, few layers of music

Describe the texture of the music in these extract in as much detail as you can.

______

______

Identifying keys

FLAT KEYS: The second last flat is the tonic

SHARP KEYS: The last # if the leading note – so go up a semi-tone to the tonic

To find the relative minor: From the tonic, go down 3 letter names, 3 semi-tones

e.g. C major / a minor

F major / d minor

Modulation

Key changes – always to related keys

A key chart for C major

SUB-DOMINANT
IV
F / TONIC
I
C / DOMINANT
V
G
SUB-DOMINANT MINOR
II
Dm / RELATIVE MINOR
VI
Am / DOMINANT MINOR
III
Em

Now try D Major

And A major

Looking for clues?

  • Listen – you can hear when a modulation occurs. The music ‘changes gear’.
  • Look for #7th in modulations to a minor key
  • Look out for other accidentals (# and b)
  • Look and listen for a perfect cadence into the new key

Melodic devices

‘devices’ just means composers ‘tricks of the trade’

OstinatoRepeated pattern (can be rhythmic)

RiffAn ostinato, but usually associated with jazz or pop

RepetitionDuugh!

SequenceRepeated shape and rhythm, but getting higher or lower

Inversion‘Upside down’

DroneA constant note which continues while melodies and harmonies develop

Pedalsimilar to drone, but either on the tonic or dominant

Conjunctmoving by step

Disjunctmoving by leap

Which musical devices can you hear in this excerpt?

______

______

Melody

Intervals

You will be asked to identify intervals – you can practice this on Aurelia, but here is a helping hand:

INTERVAL / C / First notes of tune ... / Add your own idea
Maj 2nd / D / Frere Jaques - moves by step
Maj 3rd / E / While Shepherd’s Watched
Min 3rd / Eb / Green sleeves
Perfect 4th / F / Blackadder, Here comes the bride
Perfect 5th / G / Last post, Wise men know...
Maj 6th / A / My Bonny Lies Over The Ocean
Min 7th / Bb / There’s A Place For Us
Maj 7th / B / Maria – big, awkward interval, nearly an 8ve

Melodic shape

You may be asked to distinguish one shape from another, or describe a shape e.g.

Ascending / descending scale Descending/ascending scale repeated or sustained note then ascending scale ascending arpeggio /

broken chord

Describe the shape of this melody

______

Timbres

You will need to be able to identify specific instruments, and the family to which they belong.

Be sure you can identify less commonly heard instruments such as oboe and bassoon!

Within families, describe how instruments produce their sound, e.g.:

You will need to identify instrumental techniques ‘How is the guitar/violin / piano playing in the instrumental’

Pizzicato

Bowed (arco)

Staccato (spiccato on violin)

Glissando

Bending notes

Tremolo (tremolando)

Articulation – the way notes are joined (or how much they are separated!)

Staccato – detached, short

Legato - smooth

Tempo & mood

Indications of how fast or slow – see Planner!

Dynamics

Indications of how loud or soft to play – see Planner

Vocal Music

Choir

Soprano [treble for a child]

Alto

[Counter tenor – male alto]

Tenor

Bass

Solo vocal ensemble

Used for madrigals – one voice per part, but up to 16 voices!

Vocal techniques

A capellaunaccompanied vocal music

Bending notessliding pitch – all pop singers do it

Chantinggroup vocalization, generally repeated phrases , a bit coarse

Coloratura‘flashy’ operatic singing, lots of scales and ornaments

Falsettoa bloke singing like a girl

Growlinga blues device

Harmonysinging different parts together

Melismasetting one syllable to several notes

Solo on your own, buddy!

Ululatinga bit like Tarzan (don’t make the classic mistake!)

Unisonseveral people singing the same thing at the same time

Vibratowhen the vocal chords vibrate to create a light ‘wobble’ – often mor apparent at the end of a phrase

Structure

The way compositions are constructed. Most structures rely on repetition and contrast e.g.

Binary A B

Ternary A B A

Rondo A B A C A

Call & Response

Through-composed – constantly developing sections, no sense of repetition

Song form: INTRO VERSE BRIDGE CHORUS MIDDLE 8 INSTRUMENTAL OUTRO/CO

You will also need to identify GENRES p.39-41 (types of composition, such as:)

Harmony & Tonality

You will need to identify the different types of scales, or modes, upon which a composition is built e.g

Whole tone scale

And don’t forget Rag!

Revision resources

  • Go to gcsebitesize/music/ - the GCSE Music section is very useful and includes listening examples and appropriate questions
  • GCSE Popular music revision video
  • Identifying instruments
  • Answer a selection of the questions below for a variety of selections of musical extracts

(30-60 seconds)

  • What is the time signature?
  • Describe the texture
  • Identify the tempo / changes in tempo
  • Identify the culture in the extract
  • Identify the structure
  • Identify any rhythmic features
  • What is the tonality of the music
  • Name / describe instrumental techniques
  • What is the tonality of the music (key / scale )
  • Identify key intervals (aurally)
  • Identify cadences
  • Identify the ensemble / instrument / voice
  • Identify instruments (don’t do too much of this)
  • Identify compositional devices
  • Describe the dynamics (including variations)
  • Identify the genre (concerto / song / sonata)
  • Describe the structure of the music

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