AREA OF STUDY: DANCE

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AREA OF STUDYDANCE

• GCSE AQA MUSIC

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ORIGINS OF DANCE GENRES

• ALL ABOUT MOVEMENT
• ELEMENTS ARE METRE
• TEMPO
• RHYTHM
• PHRASE STRUCTURE

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Element of METRE

• Pulse organized into repeating patterns of strong
  weak beats
• Time signature is either simple 2/3/4 or compound
  2/3/4

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Element of TEMPO

• Speed of the beat being fast, medium or slow
• Similar dances can have different tempos
• eg fast or slow minuet, medium or slow waltz

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Element of RHYTHM

• Organized long short notes
• Dances feature particular rhythms which identify
  one from another
• Eg polka rhythm is different to the gavotte
• Waltz rhythm is different to the salsa

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Element of PHRASE STRUCTURE

• Regular symmetrical phrases to which dance steps
  can be fitted maintained
• Anacrusis (upbeat of the bar) phrases must also
  be symmetrical in structure

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• Important to realize that many pieces discussed
  are not intended for actual dancing, but were
  written to be played in concerts or in the home,
  evoking the spirit of dance music for the passive
  listener.

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BAROQUE SUITE DANCES

• GAVOTTE
• Fairly fast
• Uses melodic sequences based on simple rhythmic
  patterns with little or no syncopation
• Simple 2/2 time
• Usually begins with anacrusis that occupies 2nd
  ½ of the bar

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• SARABANDE
• Slow, serious
• Slow tempo encourages the use of ornamentation to
  decorate the melodic line
• Simple ¾ time
• Sometimes the 2nd beat is given special emphasis

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• GIGUE
• Fast
• Regular 4 bar phrases in AB (binary) form
• Compound 2 time 6/8 time 
• Baroque suites often end in gigue
• Texture is contrapuntal 2 or more melodic lines
  playing together, with imitations in A which are
  inverted in B section

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• BOURREE
• Like the gavotte fairly fast tempo
• AB (binary) form
• Simple 2/2 time
• Also starts with an anacrusis, BUT this is on the
  last ½ beat of the bar

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• MINUET and trio
• Minuet is an elegant dance performed at a
  moderate pace
• In AB (binary) form usually marked with repeat
  signs
• Consists of regular phrase lengths
• Contains well defined cadences (closures of
  phrases)
• Uses sequences simple rhythm patterns 
• Simple ¾ time
• The only Baroque dance which survived into the
  Classical period 

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Extra information about the Minuet

• In Baroque suite Minuet 1 2 were played one
  after the other, with 1 being repeated after 2
  so the format became 1 2 1 or ABA.

• In the Classical symphonies, the Minuet 2 became
  known as a Trio, because the texture was reduced
  to 3 parts. The Minuet 1 was then repeated after
  the trio (Minuet 2). Minuet 1 was usually
  embellished with improvised ornamentation, making
  the form ABA1, which in realist is ternary form.

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19TH CENTURY dances

• WALTZ
• Popular ballroom dance of European 19th century
• Emphasis on melody, with supporting accompaniment
• On the beat accompaniment, with the lowest chord
  note followed by the upper notes on beat 2 3
• Eg C eg
• F ac
• G bd etc. Almost OOM-CHA-CHA like
• Tempo was flexible
• Simple ¾ time
• Tempo flexible
• Waltzes written for dance listening purposes
• Those for dancing a more regular tempo
• Those for listening use of pauses / fermata
  rubato to disguise the um-cha-cha constant triple
  time
• Composers for listening dances varied whilst the
  Strauss family wrote ballroom waltzes,
  Tchaikovsky wrote for professional ballet dances

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• POLKA
• Energetic Bohemian folk dance
• Rhythm is often
• (ta-fa-te)-fe Ta tay ta say
• Simple 2/4 time
• Basic dance steps of quick-quick slow
• Physically learn saying hop step step jump 

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AMERICAS DANCES

• SALSA from Cuba (south of Florida)
• Cuban dance from 1960s
• Syncopated rhythms energetic moves
• Consists of a 5 note spread out over 2 4/4 bars
• Every musical element fits around the clave
  pattern
• Simple 4/4 time
• Influences are from
• Africa percussion thumb piano
• Spain guitar simple chords

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• SAMBA from Brazil
• Brazilian national dance
• Percussive rhythms syncopated harmonies
• Call response vocals
• In a Major key with emphasis on the 2nd beat
• Simple 2/4 time
• Influences are from
• West Africa percussion
• Portugal guitars 
• Often combines other dances, for eg
• Samba tango
• Samba rumba
• Samba cancao (sung samba)
• Samba salao (samba played at public balls)

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• TANGO from Argentina
• Argentinas popular folk dance of the 19th
  century
• Repeated rhythmic patterns
• Instruments violin, piano, double bass
• Simple 2/4 or 4/4 time
• Modern bands fuse tango with ideas from jazz,
  rock, dance music to form new club rave rhythms

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POPULAR DANCES

• RHYTHM BLUES
• Emphasis on song instead of instruments
• Improvising was NOT a great part of this new RB
• Had a consistent backbeat with 12 bar blues chord
  changes eg
• C C C C / F F C C / G F C G
• Simple 4/4 time
• Evolved out of 1940s jump Blues
• Laid groundwork for Rock N Roll
• Artists Toni Braxton, Mariah Carey, Ray
  Charles,The Drillers

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• REGGAE
• Up tempo RB
• Skimming string rapidly on a guitar on ever
  changing rhythms
• Happy get up go dance kind of music
• Simple 4/4 time
• Reggae came about one hot summer, when it became
  too hot to dance perform Ska, so the rhythm was
  slowed down a new music genre was developed
• Origin in New Orleans RB scene, called Ska
• Jamaicans heard music over transistors from USA,
  cribbed it after their 1962 independence, poor
  districts shanty towns sprung up increased
  unemployment, crime, abuse, anger, lawlessness
  violence. Rudeboys adopted reggae into Jamaican
  culture, brought new dimension to reggae lyrics
• Artists Bob Marley, Lee Perry, UB40, Desmond
  Dekker

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• DISCO
• Strong steady beat for dancing
• Clear cut rhythms throughout song
• A memorable / easy melody
• Simple 4/4 time
• Developed in 1970s
• Longer than the usual 3 minutes of a pop song
• First disco film Saturday night fever
• Followed by film of Grease,Flashdance,Footloose,D
  irty Dancing
• Artists Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Rose Royce,
  Chic

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• RAP
• Breakdown of familiar songs which are changed
  through speaking in rhythmic patterns to music
  backings
• Early days scratching records drum loops were
  used
• Later, introduced hardcore guitars major
  beatboxes, scratching was replaced with samples
  (segments of other songs)
• MC raps over the beat backing
• Themes political issues of drugs, alcohol,
  abortion,sexuality,gender, racism,race
  intergration, discrimination, gang cults
• Simple 4/4 time
• Form of rap hip hop
• Rap emerged as the alternative to disco in USA in
  1970s
• Gangsta rap developed in 1990s
• Artists Puff Daddy, Eminem, Will Smith,Ice T, M
  C Hammer, Snoopdogg, So Solid crew, only
  successful female rapper to date , being Missy
  Elliott

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• HOUSE
• Deeper bass grooves
• More electronics
• Basic beat
• Instrumental layering
• Occasional female vocals
• Simple 4/4 time
• Grew out of post-disco era of the 1980s
• DJs wanted dance music, so House developed with
  the hallmark of synthesized sound effects
• Large club scene in USA UK, where tourists from
  Spain Greece club scenes had returned home
  took music with them
• Artists Seb Fontaine, John Kelly, Eddie Amador

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SUB-GENRE OF HOUSE IS

•  HIP HOP
• Dance types which immerged were
• Break dance
• Roboty o
• Footloose
• Form of rappin
• Simple 4/4 time
• Describes the music, dance art form of the New
  York Bronx district

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SUB-GENRE OF HOUSE IS ALSO .

• AMBIENT HOUSE
• Sampled looped sounds along with a vodacoder
  (speech synthesizer)
• Also known as chill out music where one
  blends timbres of instruments voices
• Simple 4/4 time
• DJs taped peoples voices repeating sentences /
  words etc, mixed these produced backing to a
  rhythmic beat

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SUB-GENRE OF HOUSE IS ALSO

• ACID HOUSE
• Style of dance from Chicago USA
• Squelchy sounds deep bass lines of Roland TB303
  synthesizer
• Got term from 1st song by band Phuture, called
  acid tax
• Simple 4/4 time
• Jelled in warehouse parties in London in 1986
  onward forerunner of raves
• Hit British TOTP with groups like M/A/R/R/S,
  SExpress Techno-tronic

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• TECHNO
• Electronically produced
• Designed for small audiences
• Tempo either sped up or drastically slowed down
• Simple 4/4 time
• Roots in electronic house music in Detroit in mid
  1980s
• Artists The Prodigy, 2 Unlimited, Orb

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•  
• HARDCORE
• Beats per minute on recording are sped up to
  undanceable levels
• Designed to alienate the broader audience
• Very fast simple 4/4 time
• Only appeals to minority of the music lovers
• Artists Plastikman, Aphex twin

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• JUNGLE
• Aggressive hardcore combining driving techno
  beats with breakbeat dancehall reggae
• Frenetic, fast head banging up tempo music, where
  an MC initiates call response between clubbers
  the DJ
• Frenetic simple 4/4 time (up to 160 beats per
  minute)
• Uk Jamaican raga white English rave jungle
  music
• Ragga is an extension of reggae DJs rave
  involves all night dancing to synth-lead tunes.

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• GARAGE
• More soulful with synths not sustained, melodies
  less dense in texture, individual instruments
  heard only for a short period of time
• Vocalists are important
• Rhythms are chopped up played back in
  syncopated sections
• Medium simple 4/4 time
• Named after Paradise Garage club in New York
• 1996 UK club scene added aggressive drum beats
  bass lines some even added raga
• Artists Oxide Neutrino, Miss Ultra Nate, True
  Slappers, Craig David 

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• GRUNGE
• Form of Indie Rock music post punk of the
  1980s
• Lots of rhythms strung together to make a
  distorting sound not always rhythmical
  regular almost sounds like poli-rhythms
• Thick textured head banging simple 4/4 time
• Artists Nirvana, Limp Biskit,Kurt
  Cobain,Korn,Smashing Pumpkins,Pearl Jam
• Almost teeters on the edge of UNMUSICAL /
  UNRHYTHMICAL pop bands the above artists
  always being under the influence of drugs and
  alcohol when performing.

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• TRANCE
• Brief synthesizer lines of endless track repeats
  with very slight rhythm changes
• Trance is DJ led, using echo, repetition,
  sequences, very fast beat, very slow harmonic
  bass co-ordinated lighting all these effects
  set up a trance like state in the clubbers
• Heart paced sense orientated simple 4/4 time
• Combination of Techno Hardcore which broke out
  in the 1990s
• Trance has developed on its own since 2000, being
  popular in the Mediterranean summer rave scene
• Artists Sacha, William Orbit, Chicans, Ferry
  Corsten

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• INDIE INDEPENDENT LABELLED MUSIC
• Known as alternative music, describing music
  which comes from independent labels tracks not
  found in the mainstream charts, until Nirvana in
  1991
• 2 forms of indie
• indie rock post punk of 1980s
• indie pop sweeter 3 chord very simple
  melody
• Guitar based mix of lead, rhythm bass guitar
  for melody accompaniment
• Simple 2/4 or 4/4 time
• Experimental bands fall into this category
  where music is very loud guitar based
• Similar to Brit-pop, which is based on RR models
  like the Beatles.
• Artists Nirvana, Kate Bush, Goo Goo Dolls,
  Oasis, Blur

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• CLUB DANCE
• Defined by its percussion, 4/4 time, strict dance
  tempo
• Caused a separation between live recorded music
• The DJs manipulate the recordings more than a
  live performer can, since technology has advanced
  so fast since 1995
• Simple 4/4 time
• Devices used are as follows
• LOOP
• MIDI
• REMIX
• SAMPLER
• SEQUENCER

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DEVICES USED IN CLUB DANCE MUSIC

• LOOP 4 bar section which fits harmonically
  rhythmically with a combination of loops being a
  short melody, arpeggio (dmsd), vocal hook (short
  repeated line)
• MIDI musical instrument digital interface
  connects electronic musical instruments with PCs
  effects units
• REMIX small extracts are taken from existing
  music it is electronically transformed into a
  new piece of music, with hooks in chorus, bass
  riffs, new chord structures, borrowed rhythms or
  instrument changes
• SAMPLER device which records, manipulates
  replays digital audio samples. These samples can
  be modified to create new sounds or to play back
  original sounds in different order
• SEQUENCER device which is used to record, edit
  replay any performance instructions eg MIDI
  note off / on, sequences control synthesizer
  sampler
•  

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• DRUM N BASS
• Consists of sampling sequencing
• Vocals are taken from other tunes, speeded up
  new rhythmic sections are created
• Drum loops are arranged to move from 1 rhythm to
  the next
• Simple 4/4 time
• Drum n bass crafted jazz influenced styles
  funk Latin American influences
• Artists Bukem, The Jingleberries

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• WHAT TO LISTEN FOR
• GAVOTTE- LONGER ANACRUSIS
• SARABANDE SLOW ORNAMENTATION
• GIGUE - FAST 2 TIME
• BOURREE- SHORT ANACRUSIS
• MINUET- ELEGANCE 1 23

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• WALTZ- UM-CHA-CHA 1 23
• POLKA - QUICK QUICK SLOW

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• SALSA- CLAVE RHYTHM STICKS
• SAMBA-LOUDER 2ND BEAT
• TANGO- CONSTANT RHYTHM VIOLIN, PIANO DOUBLE
  BASS

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• R B- LOUDER VOCALS THAN INSTRUMENTS
• REGGAE- UNIQUE EVER CHANGING RHYTHMS
• DISCO- STRONG BEAT MEMORABLE MELODY
• RAP- MC RAPPER WITH BEATBOX

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• HOUSE- ELECTRONIC BASS GROOVES
• HIP HOP - BREAKDANCE RHYTHMS
• AMBIENT - SPEECH SYNTHESIZING
• ACID - SQUELCHY DEEP BASS

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• TECHNO- TEMPO SPEEDS FLUCTUATING
• HARDCORE- VERY FAST TEMPO HEADBANGING
  ELECTRONICS
• JUNGLE- AGGRESSIVE MC CALL RESPONSES
• GARAGE - VOCALS SOULFULVARIED INSTRUMENTS
  APPEARING

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WHAT TO LISTEN FOR

• GRUNGE- DISTORTED RHYTHMS SOUNDS
• TRANCE - ENDLESS TRACK REPEAT
• INDIE- LOUD GUITAR BASE
• CLUB DANCE - STRICT PERCUSSIVE
• DRUM N BASS- DRUM LOOPS CONNECTING 1 SECTION TO
  ANOTHER