10 popular songs that deserve study.
All the following songs have at least one
outstanding feature in their design. The focus is on mostly on instrumental
techniques but leaving out words altogether in popular music is imprudent so
two categories, word painting and the use of unconventional texts, are included.
A brief historical introduction will account for
many of the techniques used in the table. After the invention of the electric
guitar certain methods of sound manipulation became widely used, to mention a
few we have the flanger, reverberation, filters, wa-wa and fuzz. With advancements in tape recording further
modifications were made to the sounds, long delays and echo; reversed sounds
and the use of natural sources also became part and parcel of sound production.
The use of tape brought about new instruments like the mellotron which expanded
the popular sound canvas.
The process of sound modification accelerated
with digital recording methods and techniques already available through recording
on tape became considerably easier to control. The purity of sound available
through digital recordings and the ability to microscopically select sections
of music from a context led to a revolution in the form of sampled sounds.
The danger with rapid technological change is
that many useful processes can be overused and then neglected. This is particularly true for popular music
where one well crafted effect might make the difference between success and
failure.
The category "large scale" may seem contrived
but the ability to use musical material over extended periods of time creates
several technical problems, and understanding how to resolve musical problems
is always a source of interest for aspiring composers.
There is no shortage of popular songs that have
the potential to inform contemporary composers, there are many alternative
songs that would have performed just as well.
I hope at least that some readers might agree that the choices are well
made.
Category
|
Musicians
|
Song
|
Parody
|
Carla Bley / Robert Wyatt
|
I'm a Mineralist
|
Hybrid: serious contemporary/popular
(minimalism and vocoder use)
|
Coldplay
|
Midnight
|
Irregular time signatures
|
Radiohead
|
Sail to the Moon
|
Reversed tape effects
|
Beatles
|
Strawberry Fields Forever
|
Repetition
(in this instance in rhythmic cells)
|
Led Zepplin
|
Kashmir
|
Complex time signatures
|
Dream Theatre
|
The Dance of Eternity
|
Adapting ethnic rhythms
|
Paul Simon
|
The Obvious Child
|
Large scale composition
|
Transatlantic
|
Duel with the Devil
(particularly from the 18th minute
onwards).
|
Word painting
|
Joni Mitchell
|
Both Sides Now
(year 2000 version)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l18Nc_iOmyI
|
Unconventional use of text
|
King Crimson
|
Elephant talk
|
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