L4 - Music Technology and Instruments

Lesson Objectives:

To understand the different effects used in Killer Queen and where they are used
To understand what is meant by panning and overdubbing and know where they are used
To know the different guitar techniques used in Killer Queen
To understand some of the instrumental techniques employed by the bass, drums and voice throughout the song

Music Technology

In music that is recorded, the use of music technology affects many of the musical elements to the point when we can almost think of it as an element itself.

The use of different effects, overdubbing, mixing and panning of parts adds a whole new dimension to how we hear the music.

Effects:

Let's look at some of the effects added to the recording and where they are heard.

Flanger or Phase Shifter:

The effect is a swirling and swooshing sound, used as word -painting on the word ‘laser beam’ and also ‘wanna try’. The effect is produced by a Countryman

Phase Shifter, a new piece of kit in 1974. This is an example of how Queen made use of the latest technology available. Have a listen.

Distortion

Distortion is used to alter the sound on amplified instruments often increasing the volume. Brian May uses distortion on his guitar throughout the song, helping create the sustained and singing tone that he is famous for.

Wah-wah pedal

The ‘wah-wah’ pedal is called this because it sounds a little like a baby crying ‘wah-wah’! It can be heard at the beginning of the 3rd verse, just after ‘drop of a hat she’s as willing as’

Reverb

When reverb is put on a part, it makes the instrument sound as if it is playing in a big space, like a huge concert hall. There is a certain amount of reverb added to most parts (tracks) though this is not a big feature of this particular song.

Panning

This is when different sound levels are given in the left and right speakers so that it sounds as if they are coming from different directions.

This creates an antiphonal feel as if parts of the band are in different places. A great example of this is the backing vocals in the chorus. The ‘ba’ under ‘guaranteed to blow your mind’ comes from the left side only and ‘anytime’ from the right side. Listen with headphones on and it is really clear!

Overdubbing

This is when a instrument or voice records a part over something that has already been recorded. This allows them to build up the instrumental and vocal texture.

This is heard in the guitar solo when May overdubs 2 guitar

parts over his original. It is also used in the 3 and 4 part backing vocals with Mercury recording each part himself .

Overdubbing creates, in places, a ‘wall of sound’ which replaces the synth chords that many bands of the time were using.

Instrumental Techniques

As well as knowing the different instruments/voices in Killer Queen, it is important to understand the different techniques used that produced such a recognisable sound.

Guitar - Brian May

Brian May is regarded as one of the world's greatest guitarists and probably the only one with a degree in astrophysics!

He wanted ‘to be the first to put proper 3-part guitar harmonies onto a record’ which he does on ‘Killer Queen’

His guitar, known as the Red Special, was made by May and his father out of materials including wood from a fireplace

Instead of a pick, May preferred to use a coin, one of the many reasons his sound is so recognisable.

Most of his playing is based on single notes layered on top of each other, rather than strummed chords

There are some guitar chords but they are not strummed but instead played detached or more sustained

May makes use of bell chords which he described as ‘starting as a single guitar and then the other guitar parts come in-not in parallel or as an obvious harmony but as ‘bells’

Drums and Percussion - Roger Taylor

Roger Taylor also makes use of rolls, both on the hi-hat and the snare at the beginning of verse 2. A roll is a rapid succession of hits.

Most of the time Taylor keeps time with one hit on every beat, alternating between the bass and snare drums.

There are some added touches such as playing only the hi-hat to vary the texture, emphasising rhythmic ideas and some lovely fills that have more in common with a jazz than rock.

There is also a triangle at the end of the snare roll.

Bass - John Deacon

The bass part provides harmonic support throughout with a melodic bass line that is often doubled by the LH of the piano. It usually plays the root of the chord but there are scalic (moving by step) passages when the chords are in inversions. Decon’s bass guitar has a warm sound, helped by an amp which he especially customised.

Vocals - Freddie Mercury

When looking at instrumental techniques, we mustn’t forget that the voice is an instrument too and in the case of Freddie Mercury, one of the greatest instruments ever!

Mercury had a huge range and in this song covers well over an octave.

In the high parts ‘caviar and cigarettes, well versed in etiquette’ he uses his falsetto voice, which literally means—false voice. For many singers, their falsetto voice is quite weak and breathy but in Mercury’s case it sounds operatic!

You will hear a theatrical quality to his singing that seems to owe more to musical theatre or opera than rock music.

Piano - Freddie Mercury

There are no synthesisers or keyboards in Killer Queen but instead 2 pianos. One sounds like an old battered piano called a jangle piano.

This is achieved by small nails being knocked into the felt of the hammers so when they hit the strings it produces a tinny sound that can be heard at the beginning in the repeated 1 bar chords, which is known as vamping.

Texture

The texture is homophonic throughout, as is most music.

Homophonic simply means music that is made up of a melody with some sort of accompaniment.

We can go, though, into a little more detail on how the different musical lines fit together.

The texture at the beginning of the song is extremely thin with just 6 clicks of the fingers!

The voice then enters on an anacrusis before the piano comes in vamping between 2 chords. This is a perfect example of a homophonic texture with the melody in the vocal line and the chordal accompaniment in the piano.

Other small points on texture:

∙ The chordal texture of the backing vocals in 3 or 4-part harmony

∙ The guitar parts playing in parallel 3rds in the link after the 1st chorus

Review Questions:

1) What effect is added to the word laser beam?

2) Name three other effects used in Killer Queen?

3) Explain what panning is and how it affects the texture?

4) Name three guitar techniques employed by Brian May in his guitar solo?

5) What is the sign for vibrato?

6) Name one drumming technique used in Killer Queen?

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