melody
Voices/instruments interacting with each other in alternation; a fundamental idiom especially of the blues and its West African predecessors.
What is call-and-response?
A common type of syncopation in which beats 2 and 4 of each bar are accented.
What is a backbeat?
Three or more pitches sounding together, or in close succession.
What is a chord?
What is a "middle 8"?
What is the pedal-steel guitar?
Many notes sung on a single syllable of text
What is a melisma?
Thomas will perform a bass line on the piano. Which sub-category of the blues is defined by bass lines like these?
What is boogie-woogie?
In this class, what have we named the progression I–vi–IV–V–I?
"Heart and Soul"
Characteristic of gospel and its consequent styles, a sudden pause in the background making way for declamation, improvisation, or other vocal/instrumental display.
What is stop-time?
Name three instruments used in Latin music styles inherited by rock and roll.
What are claves, maracas, guiros, bongos, congas, and bells?
A short rhythmic/melodic phrase repeated at key moments, like beginnings of songs, or ends of vocal phrases.
What is a riff?
Uneven subdivisions of a beat (another name for the "shuffle beat").
What is swing?
What is "La Bamba"/"Louie Louie"? (I-IV-V-IV)
What is a vamp?
Characteristic echo effect of 1950s rock and roll (incl. Bill Haley, Elvis).
What is slap-back tape delay?
The blues scale modifies (into "blue notes") which scale degrees of the 7-note Western scale?
What are (flat) 3 and (flat) 7?
Clap the "clave" (aka "Bo Diddley") rhythm.
What is – (1 a and, and 4)?
Sing the bass line (with corresponding Roman numerals) of a 12-bar blues
What is –
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I
Name two songs from the first day of class that use the 32-bar "AABA" template.
What are "Heart and Soul" and "A Thousand Miles"?
Describe some sonic differences between Motown and Southern soul genres.
Motown: orchestral instruments, smoother pop vocals, distinctive melodic basslines, hearkens back to sweet gospel
Southern soul: more rhythmic than melodic, no overdubbing, "raw" vocal style, taking after hard gospel
What is glissando?
Thomas will sing and clap the "bembe asalo" melody and rhythmic pattern 3 times. You have one try to perform it yourself correctly.
What is – (bembe asalo, asalo bembe)?
What chord progression is used in the chorus of The Ronettes' "Be My Baby"? (Thomas will play it)
What is "Heart and Soul" (I-vi-IV-V-I)?
This refrain from Little Richard's "Tutti Frutti" (Thomas will play it) takes place over what harmonic structure?
What is 12-bar blues?
How did rock and roll emerge as distinct from rhythm and blues? Prof. Peraino offered three broad narratives: briefly summarize one of them.
1. Rock and roll and rhythm and blues were in fact the same, but the music industry attempted to segregate them.
2. Rock and roll and rhythm and blues were in fact musically distinct, as comparing cover songs would show.
3. Rock and roll was a mass media and sociological phenomenon.