Last modified on August 4, 2023
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.
Table of Contents
Group work
- I have divided everyone into groups based on your general availability.
- Your groups should use Slack to collaborate. You can upload documents there. Each group has its own channel, named based on the date of the meeting.
- I can view your channel but I will not be receiving notifications from it, so ping me (using the @ symbol) if you have a question.
Individual analysis
Preparation
- Listen to the songs while looking at the lyric sheets.
- Split in half, and have each half analyze one of these songs.
- Do your best to figure out the chords, as you did for “Green Light.” If you cannot figure out the chords entirely, prioritize the bass line, and locating what you think is the tonic chord.
- Analyze your song in terms of vocal timbre, lyrics, and tonality.
- Use the lyrics as the central organizing force of your analysis, and determine how timbre and tonality relate to that.
- Each song uses either a fragile, absent, or emergent tonic.
Submission
- Distill your findings to the most important and interesting points. Create a one page outline that explains your analysis, and share it with your group on Slack. You may also want to send an annotated score.
- You have to complete your individual work early enough that your group members will have a chance to look at your stuff before the meeting! Arrange a due date for this amongst yourselves.
- In addition to sharing it with the group, please upload it on Blackboard. This will be your individual grade. View the rubric to see how you will be evaluated.
Meeting
Preparation
- Read through your peers’ analyses. Make sure you are also familiar with the movement you did not analyze.
- Prior to the meeting, make sure you are able to use Webex and that your camera and audio are set up.
Discussion
- On our meeting day, you will receive an email from Webex with a meeting number and code to join.
- In our discussion, I’ll lead with questions such as these:
- What did you notice that you had in common?
- Where did you differ (especially from the other person who analyzed the same movement as you)?
- What unity is there between these pieces?
- You should have coherent and thoughtful responses to these questions if you have read your peers’ work.
- You will be given a grade based on your participation in this meeting.
Optional: Revisions (due Sunday)
If you would like to revise your individual analysis in light of the group discussion, you may do so! I will accept your revision, grade it by the same rubric as before, and your final grade will be an average of both attempts. Upload your revision in the same place you submitted originally.