Melodic Construction: Pitch and Contour
Melody is so central to much of the music we love. This week, singer and composer Melody Parker stops by to describe how pitches can be strung together to form a melody, and the ways in which a melody can quickly burst out, slowly develop, or gradually expand over the course of a whole section. There's a delicate art at play in the placement of pitches, from the use of motives in a sequence to the deployment of broad leaps and arpeggi. (10 mins.)
On the next page, check out clips from brilliantly composed songs that employ different melodic techniques, and hear for yourself how scalar motion can increase catchiness, how a line can be monotonous without being boring, and how simple motives can sound rich and full.
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Word Choice In Lyrics
Why do those specific words in the song move you so much? What is it about that turn of phrase or that one vivid image that speaks directly to you? Pandora music curator Michael Zapruder and host Kevin Seal talk about touch, smell, and taste imagery in songs -- there's more out there than just "Savoy Truffle," "Incense and Peppermints," and "Lips Like Sugar." They also get into the idea of timeless language vs. time-specific language, and look at the ways in which new and modern words can alter a song's feel.On the next page, hear the songs themselves.
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Singing Intervals
More about singing! Picture this: you're sitting on a plane, and a melody pops into your head. You want to remember this melody, but you have no instrument on which to pluck out the pitches. Your piano, unfortunately, exceeded the size limitations for carry-on luggage. What do you do? How do you keep from forgetting the melody? If you know your intervals, then you can write melodies anywhere, spilling those lovely songs directly from your brain to the cocktail napkin. Pandora music analyst and songwriter Melody Parker joins host Kevin Seal to sing intervals for you, and they give you a cheat sheet of well-known songs that use those intervals. (10 mins.)
On the next page, see a list of the intervals, with handy song references to help you remember those spans. We've also drawn on a photo of a piano keyboard, to show you how far these intervals range from a C.
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Mixing Vocals
Host Kevin Seal welcomes back soul singer and songwriter Ariah Firefly, and she demonstrates some of the techniques she uses in the mixing studio after her voice is recorded. We look at de-essing, self-doubling, robotic track-cloning, and the vocoder, and talk about their appearances in the works of different recording artists. Ariah also delves into the various reverb settings at her disposal, which can place her voice in a small room or a huge theater (10 mins.)Click the "Continue reading" button below to hear how these effects are used in songs by Madonna, Liz Phair, 2Pac and Bjork, and to see the musical terms we discuss in the episode.
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Song Lyrics
Many listeners have requested a show about lyrics, and in Episode Ten, we step up to the plate. Pandora's music curator, Michael Zapruder, talks with host Kevin Seal about ways that words intersect with melodies. They play examples showing how complex music often calls for simpler language, and vice versa. After touching on devices that writers like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen have used in their literary lyrics, they explore how character studies and personae have appeared in the songs of Randy Newman, the Kinks and Ice-T. (10 min.) Click the "Continue reading" button below to hear examples of great songs with words, and to chat with Michael and Kevin about your favorite or least-favorite lyrics.
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Recording Vocals
Neo-soul chanteuse Ariah Firefly appears for the fourth episode in Pandora's podcast series, and she and host Kevin Seal explore the recording of vocals. They talk about natural reverb, plosives, and background vocalizing, and compare condenser and dynamic microphones. They also discuss proper mic technique, and the different pattern settings that change a microphone's sound. (8 mins.)
On the next page, see a list of the musical terms defined in this podcast, check out pictures of Ariah recording her vocals, and listen to examples from famous singers that demonstrate the ways they use the studio to their advantage.
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The Basics of Vocal Harmony
In the first installment of our podcast, Pandora music analyst Kevin Seal (of Griddle) works with Greg and Kelly from the San Francisco band 20 Minute Loop to lead you through the basics of vocal harmony: tutti harmony, unison singing, parallel and contrary motion, call and response and more. Take a peek under the hood with us and listen to the Basics of Vocal Harmony (9 mins.)
Once you've listened to the podcast, you might want to check out the vocal harmony examples on the next page to further hone your expertise.
