Pop Music

Pop Music

1. Timeline

   • 1980s
     • Mid 1970s to 1980s
       • Mid 1980s
         • Early 1990s
           • Late 1990s
             • 2000s
               • Due to the rise of the internet, underground music became more accessible to the mainstream. Artists were being influenced by a wide range of genres therefore musical style was much harder to define
             • The term Indie is used to describe artists who signed to independant record labels instead of mainstream. Many indie artists emerged such as The Stokes, The White Stripes, Bloc Party, and Snow Patrol
           • Grunge developes in Washington State, Britpop develope in the UK, Alternative music artists begin to sign to record companies and become more mainstream, Artists begin to experiment with sound, using electronic sounds. Electronica develops as a term for songs with mostly electronic sounds
         • Alternative Music begins in the underground music scene
       • New Wave developes with the rise of synthesizers
     • Punk rock has been happening in underground music for a decade

2. Punk Rock

   • Melody
     • Harmony
       • Instrumentation
         • Form and Structure
           • Rhythm
             • Timbre
               • distorted guitars, loud/shouting vocals, heavy energetic, fast paced drumming, loud/crashing cymbols
               • Power Chords
                 • the guitar using the same singering and moving up and downthe fret to create different chords
                 • Drum fill
                   • a more elaborate drum pattern used to highlight the end of a section/phrase
                   • Distortion
                     • this is an effect used with the guitar to create a fuzzy/distorted sound
             • simple 4/4 time sig, simple rhythms, some use of vocal syncopation
           • verse, chorus, bridge, drum fills, guitar solos
         • lead guitar, lead vocals (mainly male), bass guitar, drum kit
       • diatonic, major chords, power chords, generally simple chord progressions, backing vocals often sung in unison rather than in harmony
     • loud guitar riffs, repetitive phrases often shouted instead of sung, small range of notes

3. New wave

   • Melody
     • Harmony
       • Instrumentation
         • Form and Structure
           • Timbre
             • Texture
               • vocal layering
               • Underground music
                 • Hook
                   • Vocal Layering
                     • Reverb
                       • Flanging
                         • the electronic effect used to create a wavy sound
                       • the electronic effect used to create an echo sound
                     • a recording technique associated with popular music involving recording the vocals a number of times and layering them on top of each other
                   • the term used to describe the part of the song that's catchy to listeners
                 • music that is found outside mainstream culture and int's commercialised. It is often written and produced by the artists themselves
             • synthesizers, drum machines, percussion, reverb, flanging
           • intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, hook
         • guitar, vocas (male and female), bass, percussion, keyboard, electronic,instruments such as synthesizers
       • more interesting harmonies, harmonies often heard in backing vocals
     • tinato, riff, hook, smooth melodic vocal phrasing, prominant bass lines

4. Alternative Rock

   • Melody
     • Harmony
       • Instrumentation
         • Form and structure
           • Timbre
             • distorted guitars, acoustic guitars, drum fills
           • intro, verse, chorus, bridge, solo, regular drum fills
         • basic rock band formation. prominant guitars, vocals, bass, drum kit, later use of strings to accompany
       • diatonic, cadences, later music with harmony in strings
     • riffs, basic guitar solos, no recognisable hooks

5. Brit-Pop

   • Melody
     • Harmony
       • Instrumentation
         • Form and Structure
           • Rhythm
             • Timbre
               • distorted guitars, electric/acoustic guitars, raw vocals often with accents
             • 4/4 time, distinctive acoustic guitar strumming pattens
           • verse/chorus form, drum fills
         • basic rock band formation (see Alternative) + tambourine and later use of electronic instruments
       • simple chord progression
     • riff, hook, simple melodic phrases, limited solo roles

6. Electronica

   • Melody
     • Harmony
       • Instrumentation
         • Form and Structure
           • Rhythm
             • Texture
               • Timbre
                 • electronic sounds and instrumentation, audio effects
               • polyphonic
             • elaborate drum rhythms
           • intro, verse, chorus, bridge
         • synthesizers, drum machines, vocals, sometimes combined with traditional instruments such as guitars
       • often sparse harmony
     • riff, repetitive melodies and phrases