Music is one of the fundamental ways humans express themselves, and, in many ways, despite regional variations in composing, deconstructing, and creating music, is a universal language.
While you may have analysed song lyrics in previous studies of poetry, you may not have stopped to consider the music itself, but considering what we've learned about the nature of visual and auditory media, music (sound) is worth analysing, as it affects our thinking and emotions on a more powerful, profound, and fundamental level than the written word.
Musical analysis involves:
Usually when we listen to music, we listen passively. In other words, we’re just letting the music soak in slowly the more often we hear it. We’re not listening for anything in particular, just enjoying it. In order to deconstruct the music, you need to listen actively. That means you need to know what you’re looking for before you begin listening.
A good method is to pick one musical element (pitch for instance) and listen to the entire song focusing on just that and the effect it's having. Questions you might ask are:
Make a list of everything you notice. Then, pick another element to focus on and take notes on that. By the time you’ve written notes on all the elements, you will have listened to the music heaps of times and will have hopefully started to form more complex opinions. These opinions will be the basis for your interpretations.
Since we will be listening to and analysing songs from Big Fish's soundtrack, it is worthwhile becoming familiar with some of the basics of music in film. There will be some overlap and discussion of the elements of music in greater detail, but the elements of music and prompt questions for note-taking are listed below.
Rhythm is the repeated movement of sounds through time. In songs, the words usually match the rhythm. Everything we sing or say has a rhythm. Beat, accent and tempo are all part of rhythm.
What is the tempo of the song? Does it change? What effect does it have?
Melody is the tune. The tune is made up of musical notes or pitches that make up a pattern. When you add words to a melody, it becomes a song.
Do certain pitches dominate this piece? Does it have depth? What words would you use to describe the melody or tune of this music?
Timbre is what makes one instrument or voice sound different from another. It is created through using different instruments, playing the instruments differently, or modifying the sound mechanically or digitally.
What instruments (including voice) do you recognize in this music? Why do you think these instruments were selected? Has the sound been modified to create a certain effect?
Dynamics refers to how loud or quiet the music is. It can help to tell you about the mood of the music. Words to describe dynamics are: pianissimo (very quiet), piano (quiet), mezzo piano (medium quiet), mezzo forte (medium loud), forte (loud), fortissimo (very loud).
Which of these words would you assign to the song? Do the dynamics change? What effect do they have?
Texture is the layering of instruments and/or voices to create a light or fuller sound. Melodies, rhythms, and timbres can be combined to create different textures. Music made by an orchestra is an example of a full texture.
What words come to mind regarding this song’s texture (how are melody, rhythm, timbre combined)?
Harmony is when you play two or more notes at the same time. Harmony can be pleasant or dissonant. Chords are made with 3 or more notes. A major chord sounds happy, a minor chord sounds sad, and an inversion sounds jazzy.
Is harmony used in this music? Chords? Major? Minor? What feelings or effects does the harmony have?
Genre or culture is the kind (or style) of music (jazz, rock, rap, classical, marches, lullabies, opera, pop, folk, etc.)
What genre or culture does this music fit into?
Ostinato is a recurring theme with melodic variations. This is very similar to a motif in literature (a recurring pattern of similar symbols, words, phrases, etc.). A leitmotif is a recurring musical theme associated with a particular person, idea, or situation in a film.
Can you identify and reproduce (sing, clap, hum) an ostinato in this song? Does this ostinato also appear to be a leitmotif? For what?