Report On Musical Elements

Styles analysis of Funk and Metal

Metal

Instrumentation

Generally, metal music consist of the use of two one or two electric guitars (using distortion) an electric bass guitarist, a drummer and a vocalist. Some funk music also incorporates piano/keyboard.

Structure

Basic verse, chorus, verse, bridge chorus, structure. Guitar solos are also often incorporated into the structure of metal songs. Some metal songs may have introductions and outros.

Rhythm

Emphatic beats with aggressive rhythm.

Melody

The melody of metal most metal music is similar to that of roots in blues rock and psychedelic rock but is often faster and more aggressive, with heavier distortion.

Lyrical Content

Many metal musicians have used their lyrics to challenge the media, especially for the large amount of censorship in it.

Metal lyrics, much like Funk lyrics, carry lots on anti-establishment themes.

Use of technology

Guitar distortion was discovered in the 1950's by blues musicians experimenting with broken amplifiers. This development of guitar distortion became part of Metal music, with almost all metal musicians ever using this technology in their music.

Rather than an upright double bass, metal musicians more often than not use the electric bass guitar, similarly to funk musicians who also opt for the electrified version of the bass rather than its acoustic counterpart.

Production

Many metal songs can be tricky to record and produce due to them involving extremely complicated guitar solos (For example see 2 minutes 23 seconds into the song ‘Psychosocial’ by Slipknot, up until 2 minutes 44 seconds) however this is not too much of an issue so long as the guitarist recording the solo can produce the solo multiple times in exactly the same way for multiple recordings/takes.

Lots of metal bands use 

Funk Music

Instrumentation

Drums, often just the one guitarist, prominent electric bass, vocals. Often funk artist will incorporate brass instruments such as trumpets into their songs, as well as choral backing vocals. In comparison to metal music, funk songs often incorporate more emphasis on the bass playing then in metal songs.

Structure

Often funk music uses repeated verses, with some choruses in between. In some cases middle eights are used in funk songs.

Funk music often has a polyphonic texture.

Rhythm

Strong rhythmic groove of a bass line played by an electric bassist and a drum part played by a drummer to the foreground.

Complex groove with rhythm instruments playing and interlocking.

Emphasized the first beat of every measure

Melody

Funk uses the same richly coloured extended chords found in bebop jazz, such as minor chords with added sevenths and elevenths, or dominant seventh chords with altered ninths.

Lyrical Content

Black Americans struggled for racial equality in the 1950's and 1960's and as a result, the civil rights movement came to be. Funk music is directly linked to this as it was created by the very black Americans that were being segregated. Funk soon became music of solidarity amongst the black Peoples.

Funk lyrics contain anti-establishment themes and represent black solidarity. Metal music also carries anti-establishment themes, like challenging ideas about religion and other societal norms.

Use of technology

Funk uses the technology of the electric bass guitar heavily. This sets the genre aside from slimier genres like early Blues music were an upright double bass is used instead.

This is slimier to metal music as the electric bass guitar is used in metal music as well.

Production

317 Interview

Health and safety risks of playing bass guitar.

Health and safety risks of playing bass guitar.


Repetitive strain injury

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) is a general term used to describe the pain felt in muscles, nerves and tendons caused by repetitive movement and overuse. It's also known as work-related upper limb disorder, or non-specific upper limb pain.

Repetitive strain injury is a risk as playing bass guitar, and any other form of guitar, involves repetitively stretching the players hands, fingers and wrists. The risk of repetitive strain injury is a more potent in bass guitar in comparison to usual guitar as the frets and on a bass are wider and the neck is longer which means the player is required to stretch their fingers over a larger distance. 

The risk of experiencing RSI can be significantly reduced if the player correctly stretches their hands and arms before practices and performance. This is best done though warm ups and exercises. 


Sore fingers

Bass guitar is a stringed instrument, amd it is played by plucking and strumming thease strings

317 Presentation

Unit 317

Assessment criteria	Research	Milestone Assessment
1.1 Critically compare the profiles of two chosen musical styles analyzing contrasts in: a) cultural and historical influences b) audience expectations and perceptions c) technological developments d) media representations	Choose two contrasting music styles that interest you. Investigate the era in terms of fashion, politics, art, social and economic factors, technology (in music production particularly) etc.	Presentation
1.2 Explain the main musical elements of each style identified in 1.1, illustrating the importance of the following, where appropriate: a) instrumentation (texture/timbre) b) structure c) rhythm d) melody e) lyrical content f) use of technology g) production You will make reference to at least four recorded examples	Elements of Music in Context blog or vlog with entries for a) to g) giving examples across a variety of styles Identify the common musical elements that give the styles their characteristic features making reference to at least four examples from each genre	Report
1.3 Evaluate personal response to each style identified in 1.1 in terms of, where applicable: a) relationship to own musical output b) relationship to own image/lifestyle c) relationship to personal music taste	What is my musical taste? What kind of music do I like to perform? How does the music I like reflect or inform my image/lifestyle? What links are there between this and the styles studied?	Teacher interview in which you will discuss your findings