Pop Musicians and musical trends in pop music DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

The genre We know that pop is short for popular. However, what is pop music? In a musical history timeline, which decade in the 20th century would you say that pop music emerged? Do you know of any pop stars from the 1960s, 70s, 80s and 90s? Who are they? With a partner, try to come up with a definition of pop music. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

What the experts say…. Musicologists (scholars who study the craft and culture of music) say that: (a) Pop music appeals to a general audience, not a specific subculture. (b) In pop music, a higher emphasis is placed on the recording and production processes through the use of technology (c) Pop music tends to reflect current trends, instead of being a progressive genre (although we could debate this!). DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Some facts… Pop songs tend to be two and a half to three and a half minutes long. They tend to have a steady rhythmic pattern and often follow the verse-chorus form There is often a catchy hook featured at the beginning of the song. Simple themes are usually featured, although there are some exceptions. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

The beatles Most successful and critically acclaimed band in the history of popular music From Liverpool, England Members are John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr Gained widespread popularity in 1962 with their first hit, “Love Me Do” Made their way into the United States popular music scene by early 1964 Wrote and produced five influential albums before their breakup in 1970 DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Michael Jackson Known as the “King of Pop” Was an American recording artist, actor, entertainer and businessman Eighth child of the famous Jackson family Made his musical debut as a member of the Jackson 5 Michael Jackson Air Recording Studios 8th Feb 1983 by Terry George, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/), Flickr®, accessed August 5, 2013, http://www.flickr.com/photos/30974608@N02/7784787750 DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Michael Jackson Began his solo career in the early 1970s By the 1980s, began turning his music into visual art with the new medium of the music video His 1982 album Thriller was the best-selling album of all time One of the only artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Madonna: the queen of pop? American singer/songwriter, actress, performer and businesswoman Best-selling female artist of all time Has sold over 300 million records worldwide Madonna by David Shankbone, CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en), Flickr®, accessed August 5, 2013, http://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/2601180182/ DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Madonna: the queen of pop? Born to a working-class family in Michigan, to an Italian father and a French Canadian mother Moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance with $35 in her pocket After joining The Breakfast Club, a musical and dance group, pursued her first solo record, which gained popularity due to two things: her racy, progressive lyrics and the imagery in her music videos DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Analyzing instrumentation and vocals: Timbre You now understand the importance of all musical elements, and how each is represented in their own way in music. Now, let’s focus on timbre. It is often a difficult element to describe when trying to articulate exactly how an instrument or a voice sounds. Let’s look at all the different adjectives we can employ to describe the timbre of a voice or instrument. DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Bright Sounds Brilliant, flashy, piercing, shrill, vibrant, vivid Angelic, alluring, beauteous, melodious Tight, strained, flat, feeble, scarce, thin, breathy, hoarse, tremulous DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Warm sounds Mature, developed, lush, rich, full Mellow, moderate, hushed, whispered Colourful, dynamic, edgy, balanced Gentle, tender, temperate, peaceful, collected, controlled DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Harsh sounds Chesty, husky, harsh, hard Gloomy, sad, melancholy, throaty, grave Breathy, hoarse, tremulous DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/

Culminating activity Write a pop analysis paper focusing specifically on: (A) a lyrics analysis (B) an instrumental/vocal analysis based on the new vocabulary you have acquired Today, you will be writing a practice analysis paper, to be completed during class time and submitted for marks. Be sure to choose a partner with whom you can work well! DEEN LES Resource Bank Project 2013-2014 Released under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 licence http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/