PREPARE FOR LEARNING

The 2^nd verse is sung in Gaelic by Iarla O Linaird.

The first 4 bars of the melody are the same but it changes for the next 4 bars, ascending rather than descending. In the last 8 bars it gradually rises to a sustained top D, slipping down to C.

The range of his vocal melody is wider, compared to the 1^st verse sung by O’Connor, covering a 10th.

Under these last 8 bars is the ascending chromatic line and a very quiet, double-stopped (playing 2 notes at the same time) fiddle loop. The bass drops out as the voice soars.

At the end of the verse there is a bar where it breaks down to a return of the bass and bodhran

The uilleann pipe solo makes use of the Dorian mode, which has a slightly different sound to the Aeolian mode as it has a flattened 3rd and 7th but not 6th.

Solo 3: The third 8 bar solo features the hurdy-gurdy. The mix is very busy here with male vocal sample, talking drum, bodhran, accordion and synth pad loop = Thick texture

Verse 3: Male and female

∙ The first 8 bars are sung by Sinead O’Connor singing the 2nd stanza (Don’t argue amongst yourselves) The hurdy-gurdy solo continues in the background

∙ The next 8 bars are Sinead O’Connor singing the 3rd stanza (Reach out and you’ll touch me) with the uilleann pipes solo added.

∙ The next 8 bars are Irla O Lionaird singing the 3rd stanza again as he did in the 2nd verse with the sustained line and the bass dropping out. Under this, as before, is the ascending chromatic line and the percussive fiddle loop.

Perhaps the most exciting part of the song is the build up and outro where the texture builds with more and more layers being added to the mix before fading out to nothing.

∙ 4 bars—bass guitar + bodhran + drum loop

∙ 8 bars—electric piano loops added + more drum loops

∙ 8 bars—hurdy-gurdy solo with wordless vocals from Sinead O’Connor. Uilleann pipes double the hurdy-gurdy for the last 4 bars.

∙ 8 bars—this continues with the ascending chromatic line buried under all the layers of ostinatos.

∙ 8 bars—Sinead O’Connor sings the 3rd stanza with the ascending chromatic line more present. On the word ‘me’ (last bar) nearly everything drops out apart from the electric piano loop and shaker, which gradually fade out.

It would be almost impossible to create these changes in texture and sonority without the use of music technology.

Layering parts is easy when you use multi track recording techniques but has to be carefully balanced and mixed. For example, a solo part (hurdy-gurdy, uilleann pipes) needs to be at the front of the mix so it can be heard against the other layers.

Panning (where a layer is positioned between the left and right side) can help with this. It’s a bit like an actor taking centre stage, whilst other less important parts whisper from the sides! Listen carefully to the song and put yourself in the place of the producer. Ask yourself how they have chosen to mix the song.

There are 28 loops heard in ‘Release’ all 4 or 8 bars long. Many of these will have been recorded by musicians to improvise over. Solo parts are Sinead O Connor and Irla O Lionaird, hurdy-gurdy, uilleann pipes and low whistle.