=Causeway Performing Arts= GCSE Music AoS 2: Shared Music (Vol. 2) POP BALLAD in conjunction with www.musicdepartment.info while the strings fill out the harmony and intensify the mood of the song. from generation to generation. Since then the use of the term has not changed: today pop ballads are defined as slow songs that usually have sentimental or romantic lyrics. helping to sustain the listenerʼs interest throughout.musicdepartment. It is one of the Beatlesʼ most famous songs. On top of this. Although pop ballads are now often performed on stage to huge audiences. The music played by the strings also differs slightly in each verse. play a G followed by an F in the right hand. and how the singer wishes he could turn back the clock to a time before his girl friend left him. after which the singer enters with melody. verses together the voice is in the centre and the strings are in the left.POP BALLAD The earliest form of the popular ballad was a folk song with a simple story. some of which you may be familiar with. THE BEATLES: YESTERDAY Yesterday was written in 1965 by Paul McCartney. We will look at three different pop ballads. Listen to the separate parts by focusing on either the left A coda is the section that headphone or the right one. Notice that the acoustic ends a piece of music. Intro is short for introduction Things to do On a keyboard play a chord of F major in the left hand. These folk songs were passed down orally. sustained sound. they still manage to maintain the intimacy of a performer telling a moving story through music. The acoustic guitar gives a rhythmic drive to the accompaniment.info) you will section that links the notice that the acoustic guitar is heard in the right ear. The structure of Yesterday is as follows: Bridge 1 Bridge 2 Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Verse 4 The song begins with an introduction on acoustic guitar. The lyrics tell of a romantic break up. At the start of the second verse a string section is added to the accompaniment. A non-chord note (the G) that moved down by step to a chord note (the F) is called an appogiatura. By the 19th century the term ʻBalladʼ was being used for any sentimental popular song. Coda Intro . You hear an appogiatura everytime the word ʻyesterdayʼ is sung. guitar has a steady quaver rhythm while the strings are creating a more sorrowful. If you listen to the song in headphones A bridge is a contrasting (it is available on www. during the Middle Ages. Things to do Listen to Your Song and write down the instruments that you hear in each section. In contrast the string section has a more sustained sound. In Your Song the guitar and piano have a steady quaver movement that gives a strong rhythmic drive to the accompaniment. . which means that the melody can be simple and catchy. strings enter in the second verse and percussion in the third verse. As with Brahmsʼ Therese. but also uses piano along with other instruments. helping to give a warm. The texture expands and the accompaniment becomes increasingly busy. romantic feel to the song. The instrumentation slowly increases as the song progresses.ELTON JOHN: YOUR SONG Your Song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin in 1969. You might recognise it from the film Moulin Rouge. this song incorporates strings and acoustic guitar. The structure of the song is as follows: Intro Verse 1 Verse 2 Chorus 1 Bridge Verse 3 Verse 4 Chorus 2 Coda Can you hear any similarities between the accompaniment here and the accompaniment in Yesterday? You might have noticed that the guitar and strings have the same role in each piece. Each section adds something new. Another similarity with Yesterday is that in Your Song the accompaniment changes as the song progresses. the variation in the accompaniment sustains the musicʼs interest. Like Yesterday. For example. which is only eight bars long but has become more famous than the song itself. The first three phrases all end with a long note that lasts for a bar. He pulls the rhythm of the words around. sometimes veering towards speech rather than song. Notice how the strings become more prominent in the first chorus. A basic drum pattern and a few guitar chords provide Rafferty with rhythmic and harmonic support. The accompaniment becomes much simpler and quieter. as if to heighten the meaning of the words. falling guitar slide. These chords (played by keyboard and guitar) are heard at the ends of the first two phrases of the solo. This sudden pause in the rhythmic activity really helps to emphasis the importance of the words. You can hear this at the start of the first three phrases in the saxophone solo. but they also clearly allow his voice to be heard. During the solo. The song begins with an introduction that leads straight into the saxophone solo. when the saxophone is sustained on a long note. which carry the main message of the song. the power and drive in the accompaniment heighten the intensity of the saxophone solo. quiet nature of the accompaniment allows Raffertyʼs words to stand out. and only taken up by the saxophonist Raphael Ravenscroft when they were recording the song and discovered that the guitarist couldnʼt make it to the session. This is largely due to the saxophone solo it includes. The constant beat provided by the accompaniment gives Elton John the freedom to sing with rhythmic flexibility. One of the most distinctive sounds in this song is the strong. rhythmic baking that supports the powerful saxophone solo dies away as Rafferty begins to sing. This strong. Each phrase starts with an octave leap upwards followed by a descending pattern of notes. The guitar slide gives an extra weight and drive to the syncopated chords that it falls onto. The difference in the accompaniment between the saxophone solo and the first verse gives a clear example of how the accompaniment can change to support a soloistʼs needs. it is taken over by the accompaniment. Elton John has a relaxed improvised approach to the melody. allowing him to put as much expression as he wants into the lyrics.In contrast to the steady quaver movement in the accompaniment. . GERRY RAFFERTY: BAKER STREET Baker Street (released in 1978) is Gerry Raffertyʼs best known song. The solo was originally written for guitar. The solo is made up up of four two-bar phrases. The power that the chords have helps to drive the music forward: as the momentum is lost from the saxophone part (held on one note). During the verse the simple. The only place in the whole song where the quaver movement in the accompaniment stops for a moment is just before and during the last line of the chorus. Rubato is used in such a way by many ballad singers. Pop ballads donʼt just have to be about love though. The chorus should emphasise the main theme of the song. 3. 1. Write the lyrics for the first verse. use these steps below as a guide. as Raffertyʼs Baker Street shows. Write the lyrics for the chorus. As composing is a very personal activity you might want to follow these step in a completely different order. for example if you fell out of love in the first verse then you could find love again in the second verse. As you listen to this song you will hear that the orchestral backing keeps a steady pulse throughout. This is the most important part in writing a pop ballad. . See if you can include any rhymes at the ends of your sentences. Decide what you want your song to be about. Four to six lines is a good length for a verse. Other well-known pop ballads include: • • • • • • • Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston Unchained Melody by The Righteous Brothers You Donʼt Have To Say You Love Me by Dusty Springfield Alive by Jennifer Lopez Dangerously In Love by Beyonce Hero by Nickelback. to emphasise certain words and to achieve a more emotional performance. Write the lyrics for the second verse. 2. who is well known for her ballad singing. Here you might want to resolve any tensions created in the first verse. She sometimes draws a word out by singing one syllable to a number of notes (this is known as melisma). Paul McCartney wrote the melody for Yesterday a long time before he came up with the lyrics. a cheating partner. 4. For example. Composing ideas To compose your own pop ballad. although you can make it longer if you wish. You might like to start with the song Hero by Mariah Carey. You want your chorus to be catchy and heartfelt. apart from at the ends of certain phrases where there re subtle ritardandos (pulling back on the tempo) in the accompaniment that allows Mariah Carey to fit in her vocal acrobatics. Pop ballads often have a romantic theme: you might wan tot sing about a lost love.Listening ideas Listen to some more pop ballads and think about how the accompaniment supports the singer. a difficult break up or a happy relationship. Give an example of how a steady rhythm in an accompaniment can allow the singer to perform with rhythmic flexibility. Read through the whole song. if you want your song to nclude them. which instrument? Decide what key you want to start in. 9. 2. Donʼt be afraid to repeat the same note .the first five words of Your Song are sung to the note G. The bridge acts as a link between the verse and chorus. 4. 10.5. Then try to create a melody based on your chord progression. This could be another section for voice (as in Yesterday). 3. perhaps playing them to the same note or chord to start with. but still catchy? Decide on the structure of your song. What is a Pop Ballad? Name three famous singers of Pop Ballads. give your song a title! Test yourself 1. Write the lyrics for the bridge. Finally. 6. Create an instrumental introduction and/or bridge. 7. Does the story make sense? Have you managed to include any rhymes? Is your chorus short. 11. How does the accompaniment change from the saxophone solo to the verse in Baker Street. Make sure the strong syllables are also stressed rhythmically. or you might want to create an instrumental bridge instead. Do you want and intro? Are you going to include an instrumental solo? If so. and think about the chords you would like to use. Work on the rhythm of the words. Some of the best pop ballads have very simple melodies. 8. You might use one or two chords for each line. and why? . simple and to the point. Make sure all the different sections of your song flow into each other and fit together well.