Pop Song Project

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Pop Song Project
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Riff

• A repeated phrase usually found in jazz and
  popular music.
• Click on a riff below to listen to its song!

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• Click on a riff below to listen to its song!

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Task 1

• Listen to the following examples and state
  whether a riff is present in the music. If a riff
  is present, write down the name of the instrument
  playing the riff.

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Task 2

• Listen to this song by Bruno Mars and highlight
  the lyrics where you hear a riff present.
  Highlight the middle 8 using a separate colour.
• Middle 8 In popular music, a section which
  provides a contrast to the opening section. It is
  often eight bars long.

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Composing Task 1

• You are now going to compose your own riff.
  Remember, a riff must be short and memorable for
  your listener. You should play your riff to your
  peers to judge how memorable it is. Remember to
  include a time signature.

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Composing Task 1
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Evaluation of Riff

• How memorable is my riff?
• What makes it memorable (rhythm, intervals used,
  instrument it is written for, etc)?
• What did other people think of my riff?
• How much help did I need from my teacher to
  complete this task?
• Do I like my riff?
• What could I do to improve my riff?

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Task 3

• Watch the video from Axis of Awesome on 4 chord
  songs and in the space below write down as many
  songs as you recognise.

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Task 3 continued

• Now think about the pieces that you are learning
  in class. Do any of these works use a repeated
  chord pattern? In the space below, write down the
  names of any songs you have learned which feature
  a repetitive chord structure and the chords used
  in that song. Find at least four songs by
  discussing your answers with your peers.

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Composing Task 3

• In the space below, write down the key of your
  riff, the scale associated with this key and the
  notes of the chord in each degree of that scale.

Degrees of scale I ii iii IV V vi vii
Chord m m m dim
Notes of the chord
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Composing Task 3

• Key of C major
• No flats or sharps
• Remember to use the same key as your riff!

Degrees of scale I ii iii IV V vi vii
Chord C Dm Em F G Am Bdim
Notes of the chord c,e,g d,f,a e,g,b f,a,c g,b,d a,c,e b,d,f
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Composing Task 3

• Key of G major
• One sharp (f)
• Remember to use the same key as your riff!

Degrees of scale I ii iii IV V vi vii
Chord G Am Bm C D Em Fdim
Notes of the chord g, b, d a, c, e b, d, f c, e, g d, f, a e, g, b f, a, c
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Composing Task 3

• Key of D major
• 2 sharps (f and c)
• Remember to use the same key as your riff!

Degrees of scale I ii iii IV V vi vii
Chord D Em Fm G A Bm Cdim
Notes of the chord d, f, a e, g, b f, a, v g, b, d a, c, e b, d, f c, e, g
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Composing Task 3

• Key of F major
• 1 flat (bb)
• Remember to use the same key as your riff!

Degrees of scale I ii iii IV V vi vii
Chord F G Am Bb C Dm Edim
Notes of the chord f, a, c g, bb, d a, c, e bb, d, f c, e, g d, f, a e, g, bb
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Composing Task 4

• You will now compose an 8-bar chord progression
  using the chords found in the table above. You
  must
• Begin and end with chord I.
• Use a mixture of major and minor chords.
• End with a perfect cadence (V-I) to make the
  music sound finished.

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Composing Task 4
Bar 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Chord G Em C D Em Am D G
Perfect cadence (Chords V-1, sounds finished)
Imperfect cadence (Chords IV-V,
sounds unfinished)
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Evaluation of chord progression

• Can I name the key of my piece?
• Can I work out the chords in that key?
• Can I state the names of the notes in my key
  signature (flats or sharps)?
• Have I started and ended my chord progression on
  chord I?
• Does my chord progression include perfect and
  imperfect cadences?
• How memorable is my chord progression?
• What could I do to improve my chord progression?

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Accompaniment Patterns

• You are now going to select an accompaniment
  style to input your chord progression into the
  computer using your template on Notion. Select an
  accompaniment style from below or compose your
  own using the manuscript provided.

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Composing Task 5

• Now input this template into Notion and change
  the pitches of the notes to match your chord
  sequence.
• Instrument playing the accompaniment
  ___________________________

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Evaluation of accompaniment pattern

• Do you understand what is meant by an
  accompaniment pattern?
• Can you copy an accompaniment pattern onto your
  template using Notion software.
• Can you transpose an accompaniment pattern using
  Notion software to fit your chord progression.
• Can you compose your own accompaniment pattern?

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Adding a melody to your chord sequence

• You are now ready to add your melody to the
  chords you
• have chosen. You can do this in a number of ways
• Add a rhythm to each bar. Remember, each bar
  must add up to four beats. Your next step would
  then be giving each of your note heads a pitch
  using notes of the chord AND passing notes.
• Experiment with notes of the chord and passing
  notes of your chord sequence and invent a rhythm
  as you compose using these notes.
• Sing a melody over your chord sequence played
  back on the computer. Record this using a field
  recorded and notate the pitches onto the stave.

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Task 4 Do melodies repeat?

• Lets look at the use of repetition in some of
  the melodies that you or your peers may have
  learned in class. Highlight the use of repetition
  on the scores shown below and comment on the
  structure of the music.
• Click on the score to listen to the song.

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• Click on the score to listen to the song.

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• Click on the score to listen to the song.

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• Click on the score to listen to the song.

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Composing Task 6

• Write your eight bar melody in the space provided
  and insert it onto your template on Notion.
• Instrument ______________________

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Evaluation of my 8 bar melody

• Have you based my melody on my chord progression?
• Do you use a mix of notes of the chord and
  passing notes?
• Does your melody include repetition? If so,
  where?
• Does your melody include a sequence? If so,
  where?
• Does your melody move by step or leap?
• Is your melody memorable? How is it memorable?
• What do your peers think of your melody?
• How can you improve your melody?

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Counter-melody

• A melody played against the main melody.
• Step 1 Harmonise your melody
• The first step is to harmonise your melody,
  demonstrating that you understand what notes are
  in your chosen chords. This will give you a
  template to work with.
• Draw two minums (two beat notes) in each bar of
  your counter-melody.
• Give each minum in your counter-melody a note of
  the chord which is different to the melody note
  played at the same time. For example, in bar 1
  the first note of the counter-melody cannot be
  g as there is a g in the melody. Therefore,
  your options for the counter-melody are either
  b or d. It is up to you to choose the note
  that you think sounds best.

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Counter-melody

• Step 2 Adding passing notes
• The second step is to develop your counter-melody
  by adding passing notes.
• Look for any instances where the notes of the
  counter-melody are a third apart (for example
  b-d in bar 1) and insert a passing note in
  between these. Remember to alter the rhythm
  accordingly so that there is always four beats in
  a bar.
• Passing notes are non-harmony notes and so should
  generally by of a shorter rhythmical value to
  harmony notes.

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Counter-melody

• Step 3 Developing the counter-melody
• You now want to try and make your counter-melody
  sound more tuneful.
• Play over your counter-melody and alter any
  pitches to improve the tune where you think it is
  necessary.
• Add points of imitation into your counter-melody.
  For example, in bar 1 the rhythm of the first two
  beats of the melody are imitated in last two
  beats of the counter-melody. This pattern is
  continued in bar 2.

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Counter-melody

• Step 4 Avoid vertical clashes
• You should always listen back to your piece to
  ensure that you like how it sounds. Play your
  work to your classmates to evaluate your work.
• If you hear any clashes between parts, check that
  there are no vertical clashes between the melody
  and the counter-melody. You cannot harmonise with
  two letter names which are adjacent in the
  alphabet written on top of each other. For
  example, if the first b in the counter-melody
  lasted for two beats, it would clash with the
  first a in the melody as it does in Step 1.
  This is because we have the notes a and b
  playing at the same time. We have avoided this by
  placing a passing note in the counter-melody.

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Composing Task 7

• Write an 8 bar counter-melody to accompany your
  melody. You must follow steps 1-4, using notes of
  the chord, passing notes and points of imitation.
  Write your counter-melody in the space provided
  and input this into your template on Notion.
• Instrument ______________

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Evaluation of my counter-melody

• Can you harmonise your melody using notes of the
  chord?
• Can you add include passing notes in your
  counter-melody?
• Can you add points of imitation to your
  counter-melody?
• Are there any clashes between your counter-melody
  and your melody?
• What do you and your peers think of your
  counter-melody?

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Adding a bass line

• You will now add a bass line to your piece. Try
  experimenting with the different bass line
  patterns shown below. Remember, your final bass
  line must also include examples of passing notes.

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Using the root of the chord
Using the root and 5th of the chord
Using the root, 3rd and 5th of the chord
Moving by step
Bass riff
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Composition Task 8

• Compose an 8 bar bass line to accompany your
  melody. You should write your bass line using the
  notes of the bass clef.
• Notes of the bass clef follow a different set of
  rhymes
• to notes in the treble clef
• Notes on a space All Cows Eat Grass
• Notes on a line Glasgow Buses Drive Fast Always

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Evaluation of my bass line

• Have you demonstrated an understanding of bass
  clef notation (Higher extension)?
• Can you select a bass line or compose your own
  bass pattern and input this onto your template
  using Notion software?
• Can you transpose this pattern to fit the notes
  of your chord progression?
• What do you and your peers think about how your
  piece sounds with the bass line added?

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Developing your melody

• You are now going to write a further eight bars
  of music by
• developing your material. This can be done in a
  number of
• ways
• Sequence A melodic phrase which is immediately
  repeated at a higher or lower pitch.
• Modulation A change of key.
• Developing Initial Rhythmic Ideas
• Incorporate your initial riff into your melodic
  material

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Composing Task 9

• Write a further 8 bars showing evidence of
  developing your initial melody. You must include
  a bass line, counter-melody and accompaniment
  pattern, following the steps used to create bars
  1-8. Create this on Notion (or on manuscript)
  print your work to staple onto your booklet.
• Ways in which I have developed my melody in bars
  9-12 _____________

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Evaluation of the development of my melody

• In what ways have you developed bars 1-8 in bars
  9-16?
• Have you composed balanced, question and answer
  phrases?
• Did you create a coherent chord structure?
• Does your piece use perfect and imperfect
  cadences? Where?
• Does your counter-melody and bass line use
  passing notes?
• Does your counter-melody and bass line use
  imitation?
• What do you and your peers think about the
  development of your melody?
• How can you improve this development?

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Returning to the riff

• By this point you should have completed a 16
• bar melody which demonstrates and
• understanding of
• Music notation (writing rhythms and pitches on
  the stave).
• Keys signatures and how to work out the chords
  associated with a specific key.
• Cadences (perfect and imperfect).
• How to create an effective chord progression.
• Harmony.
• Passing notes.
• Riffs.
• How to develop a musical phrase using repetition,
  sequence, imitation and modulation.
• Music ICT software (Notion).

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Composing Task 10

• You are now going to incorporate your riff into
  your score on Notion. You may have to change the
  pitches of the notes depending on your chosen
  chords. For example, the notes of the riff in
  Chasing Cars are slightly altered to fit the
  chords of the melody.

E
D
A
A
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Evaluation of my piece as a whole

• I have demonstrated an understanding of key
  signatures and the chords associated with them.
• I can invent a riff.
• I can invent a coherent chord structure which
  demonstrates an understanding of perfect and
  imperfect cadences.
• I can transpose a riff/accompaniment pattern/bass
  pattern to fit a chord sequence.
• I can use notes of the chord and passing notes to
  invent a melody.
• I can develop my melody using repetition,
  sequence and imitation.
• I can use Music ICT (Notion software) to record
  and reflect upon my work.
• I can critically reflect on my work and use this
  reflection to inform my work.

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Rhythm Bank
On the beat
Off the beat/syncopated