Kathy Smith – Page 2 – Analytical Techniques (MUSI 611)

Week 12 (Nov 8): Analysis Symposium #3 (F21)

For our final analysis symposium, we’ll be looking at two recent R&B/hip-hop hits that borrow elements from soul. Both “Same Drugs” and “Broken Clocks” are very interesting lyrically, timbrally, and tonally.

Week 11 (Nov 1): Tonality in Pop Music (F21)

A lot of pop songs have a very clear tonic, or even have very few chords besides a tonic chord. This is the norm in pop music. This week, you will read about the unique problems that pop music has with tonality and reflect on harmony in pop music vs classical music.

Week 10 (Oct 25): Lyrics (F21)

This week we’ll learn how to analyze the structure and poetry of lyrics. This goes beyond the kinds of meaning-based lyric analyses you see on sites like Genius.com and looks instead at how the lyrics are written and what kinds of subtle messages might be present there. We will learn through Lori Burns’s excellent approach and then you’ll do your own analysis.

Week 9 (Oct 18): Timbre (F21)

The final unit deals with pop music. You will need to familiarize yourself with pop form terminology if you are not already comfortable with terms like verse, chorus, prechorus, bridge, or refrain.

This week we’ll talk about my research specialty: timbre. (I won’t have you read my research, since I feel that might be awkward to respond to, but you can access my article outlining my methodology here if you are interested.) We will focus on Kate Heidemann’s excellent article on vocal timbre, and you will analyze a song a la Heidemann.

Week 8 (Oct 11): Analysis Symposium #2 (F21)

This week, everyone will analyze part of Franz Schubert’s “Tragic” Symphony, to review our techniques for tonal music.

Week 7 (Oct 4): Sonata Theory (F21)

This week, you’ll learn a new(ish) approach to sonata form. You’ll also do some practice analysis on your own to see how it differs from what you already knew.

Week 6 (Sep 27): Tonal Rhythm (F21)

This week you will learn how to approach the nuances of rhythm in tonal music. You’ll get introduced to the concepts through Edward Klorman’s excellent summary of popular approaches, listen to several pieces by Strauss, Mozart, Bach, Haydn, and others, and do your own analysis of a song by Clara Schumann.

Week 5 (Sep 20): Analysis Symposium #1 (F21)

For our first analysis symposium, we will focus on a classic piece by Anton Webern: his 5 Movements for String Quartet. We will be looking specifically at movements 2 and 3.

Note: This piece is not serial, so you do not need to incorporate this technique in your analysis.

Download the score from the readings folder.

Week 4 (Sep 13): Serialism (F21)

This week you will learn about 12-tone serial techniques and the variety of ways this can be implemented. You’ll learn how to identify row forms, do a row count, make a matrix, and interpret serial pieces. You will also do a guided analysis of a piece by Ruth Crawford Seeger, “Prayers of Steel” from Three Songs.

Week 3 (Sep 6): Set Theory (F21)

This week, you will learn about set theory and segmentation. You’ll analyze music using set theory, apply set theory terminology, and critique the usefulness of set theory.

Note: set theory ≠ serialism! We are learning serialism next week. Make sure you aren’t confusing these things!