Structure and Context
What is the overall structure?
Verse-chorus
What voice type is Freddie Mercury?
Tenor
What is the word setting like for most of the song?
Syllabic
What is the time signature?
12/8
Seventh chords (C7 etc.), Eleventh chords (C11 etc.)
What happens in between verse 1 and 2?
instrumental
What instruments can be heard in the piece?
Piano, electric guitar, bass and drum kit
vocalisations
What is the tempo marking?
112 bpm (moderate)
What is a chord inversion?
When the order of the notes in the chord are switched around
eg C E G
E G C
G C E
When was this song released?
1974
How have the backing vocals being created?
Overdubbing
What is it called when Mercury sings really high (above the normal range for a tenor0?
Falsetto
What is syncopation and where can it be heard in the piece?
When the offbeat is accented - examples are b6,b23, b24, b47-50
What key is the piece in?
Eb major
What genres influenced this piece?
Musical theatre - cabaret with a swung feel
Why are there two pianos used and what is the difference between them?
the second piano is a 'jangle piano' which is slightly out of tune from the first
What can be found in bar 38?
Spoken text
Where would you find a 6/8 bar and what is the purpose of this?
b10 - to extend the phrase lengths
What can be seen in the bass clef line of the piano in bar 27?
Pedal note
What is unusual about the verse structure?
Very unbalanced phrase structures
Name the guitar techniques used in the song.
Slides, bends, wah-wahs and vibrato
Where would you find an octave leap in the vocal melody and why is this significant?
Bar 62
What does anscrusis mean and where could you find one?
When the section starts with a 'pick up' (an extra beat used from the bar before) - every verse and chorus uses one.
What key is the chorus in?
Bb major