Unit 3 Session Styles

  Musical characteristics of Soul Tonality   Soul has a blend of major and minor pentatonic scales, it takes influence from gospel with it's use of dominant chords and "blue notes". Harmony   The vocal harmonies are complex to make a fuller, more resonant sound. However, soul songs itself have simple harmony and rhythm featuring a catchy melody. Extensions   Soul music typically have extensions such as 9th, 11th and 13th with minor 7th and major 7th chords being the foundation of the song. Scales   The most common scale for soul music is major pentatonic which is a "slimmed down" major scale using 5 notes. Riffs   Soul riffs are known to have a shuffle sound and can usually be played in intervals like thirds and sixths. Rhythms   Soul rhythms feature a strong groove with emphasized syncopation and a heavy backbeat. It often features a call and response section where the rhythms is responding to the singers call. Melody   Soul melodies are usually ...

  Individual practice and preparation  What practical preparation do you do before playing the song? E.g. sourced lead sheets, tabs, chord charts or notation; listened to songs on playlists; notated/learnt riffs by ear; selected correct equipment; took care of your voice with correct warm-up; made sure parts were allocated sensibly by instrument/ability etc. - For practical preparation on the song I listened to the song learning the structure and tried to sing it. I had an idea that I'd be singing for this performance anyways so I didn't waste time learning it on an instrument I wouldn't be playing. What musical preparation did you do? E.g. learning appropriate scales, riffs or rhythms; technical exercises to develop accuracy/speed; tone production; recording yourself and checking against original recordings. - When the parts got split up I just tried to remember my lines and the chorus, so trying to memorize when they come in and settling on how high and low I am singing. ...

 Musical characteristics of Folk Tonality   Folk uses major and minor tonality but especially modal scales Harmony    the harmonies in folk are described as simple and repetitive often using the tonic (I) and dominant (V) chords Extensions    Typically in folk music there are just simple open chords however if there is an extension it uses an open string in a chord, often when played in a finger picking style Scales    The most common scale used in folk is the major/minor pentatonic scales which are 5 note scales which often have major seconds and minor thirds Riffs    Folk music riffs are often played on the acoustic guitar, banjo or other acoustic instruments, typically just supporting the vocals and not being the main focus Rhythms    Folk rhythms can differ with regions but common patterns are 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4 often with emphasis on the back beat Melody    Folk music melody are often simple repeated patterns with ...