Ray Charles - Mess Around

The instruments used in this piece are commonly used in jazz music in the 20th century. Especially the jazz bass and the saxophone. These instruments are quiet different to each other offering a wide range of variety to sounds. The piano carries the main tune with the saxophone emphasising the main melody parts. The main tune is heard at the beginning of the song at 0:06. The bass and drum kit are used to keep the other instruments in time as well as making the song have a fuller feel to it. In the piano solo at 1:17 there is loads of trills in the right hand and block chords in the left hand. The saxophone solo at 1:36 is basic just keeping in time of the beats of the bar with some improvisation playing. The song is melody and accompaniment the whole way through.


The recording sounds like it was recorded with one microphone at the front recording all of the instruments at the same time, with a separate microphone for the lyrics. This means that some instruments such as the drum are quiet as they are further away from the microphone. I would have close miced the drum kit and had the bass and saxophone and piano on its own separate microphones. This would mean that all instruments are equally loud and you would have more control over how loud you want each instrument. If you were using just the two microphones with one for the vocals and the rest for the instruments then it would mean that if you wanted one instrument higher than the rest you would either have to raise the gain on the microphone which would increase every other instrument as well or use EQ to raise certain frequencies to make a certain instrument louder. This would however mean that other instruments that have similar frequencies would be louder as well.

Beethoven Symphony No.5 (Proms 2012)

The instruments used in this piece of music include the usual instruments found in an orchestra. Such as    the Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Bassoon, Contrabassoon, Trumpet, Horn, Trombone and Tuba. These instruments go well with each other as the string instruments fit well each other. They do this as they sound similar with slight alterations as well as being within the same key. In the Beethoven symphony there are many of the same instrument, playing the same notes, as this would create layers and give the song a fuller feel.

All the instruments that are the same are playing in unison as well as many other instruments playing the same note at the same time. This can be seen at 1:55 with most of the orchestra playing the same notes and then start playing separately again. When at the 1:55 mark the song is homophonic, with all the instruments playing in block chords of the same note together. At 2:05 it then becomes polyphonic with all the instruments playing separate parts that compliment each other. They do this as they are in the same key and play similarly to the other instruments blending well with the whole song.


I think the song was recorded using an omni-directional microphone. This is because the shape of the theatre is designed to have a specific reverb. However this meant that the audience can be heard throughout, such as a person sneezing at 0:17 and the audience coughing and moving about at 8:00. To prevent any of this I would have placed dynamic microphones in front of the groups of performers. The performers were split into the different groups based on what family group their instrument was in. Placing one or two microphones in front of these groups would mean that the recording would have been just of those instruments and there would be minimal disturbances in the recording. However placing the microphones in these positions would mean losing the reverb of the hall.

This piece of music is from the 19th century and is Classical music written and performed during the romantic era.

Rusted from the rain By Billy Talent
Melody and accompaniment
3/4-4/4 time sig
80BPM Adagietto
Simple Time
Tenor

Everybody Hurts – 6/4 Compound time

Melody and accompaniment


Happy – 4/4 Simple time

Homophonic first few seconds then melody and accompaniment


It’s a man’s world – 6/8 Compound time

Homophonic


Unchained melody – 6/8 compound time

Melody and accompaniment


Uptown funk 4/4 – simple time

Melody and accompaniment


Mission impossible – 5/4 simple time

Homophonic


Clown – 4/4 simple time
Melody and accompaniment 

Standing in the doorway – 6/8 compound time
Homophonic

Three songs

Not the same acapella is 120bpm - Allegro

Bass and tenor vocalists

All male vocalists

Choir has one main singer, the rest do harmonics and do the main tune for the song. With some parts of the song to completely stop and the bass vocalists of the choir say "Jim Jim Jim" This creates a slower feeling to the song. 

Also one member of the choir adds a slight pulse in the right headphone by using his voice to fluctuate. 

Near the end of the song it sounds as if Mezzo-soprano or soprano vocalists come in with the harmonies.

Vicks Beatbox is 85bpm. The choir consists of Bass tenor and alto

Marcia Moderato

Bass and tenor introduction. With then alto joining after reaching the high notes.

Choir has one or two bass voices with the rest being tenor/alto

The song starts with one beatboxer doing the main percussion with then two more adding in one after the other to add other noises such as higher note beats.

The choir do basic beatboxing notes and they are generally high notes whilst then beatboxers focus on lower notes.

Labrinth – Let the sun shine – ACM Gospel

50-55bpm

Bass,Tenor,Alto

Larghetto                               

Choir consisting of 2-3 bass/tenor voices

With then about 7-8 tenor/alto voices.

Has one main singer with the rest of the choir adding emphasise to certain lines and joining in on the chorus.

The main singer is a tenor/alto.

At the 1:36 mark of the song of Put it down by Destroid the Crizzly Remix

Bass line is boosted. Can be heard easily over the other tracks.

Isnt overpowering or strong and isn’t distorted.

After the lyrics “Switch” is heard all instruments are paused for a brief second allowing for the bass to be heard and provide a quick pause in the song before starting back up again at a more upbeat pace.  However this point with the bass line being by itself and the lyrics “Switch” are unique as it isn’t repeated through the rest of the song.  This part of the song is also more upbeat than the rest as it has a more fuller and exciting rhythm compared to the rest of the song. This is probably due to a higher pitched synth which is played longer than before. In the previous drop the high pitched synth has a fast release however at the part where “Switch” is heard the synth is changed. It’s being slightly higher pitched, and has a slower release.