Q: What is "vamping"?
Vamping is a term that refers to extended improvisation over a repeated chord change. One of the quintessential examples of vamping is last section, or 'outro,' to "Freebird" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, featuring a 5-minute epic guitar solo over some repeated chords.
Q: What is "syncopation"?
Syncopation is a rhythmic quality to music in which the emphasis is placed "off" the beat.
Most rock and roll music is syncopated in nature. Rather than emphasizing the more traditional 1 and 3 of the 1-2-3-4 count, the snare drum places emphasis on the 2 and 4 counts. Think of it this way: one-TWO-three-FOUR-one-TWO-three-FOUR.
Syncopation can also fall between the counts. Reggae music is an example of this type of a syncopated rhythm (one-AND-two-AND-three-AND-four). Latin music often features syncopated rhythms as well.
Q: What is "major/minor key tonality"?
Major key tonality means that the song's harmony is based on a major scale. The song's harmony will resolve and come to rest on a major chord, which is usually perceived as a brighter, happier sound than a minor chord, which generally is perceived to have a more somber, melancholy sound.
Technically speaking, the difference between a major chord and a minor chord is that the 3rd degree of a major chord is one half-step higher than the 3rd degree of a minor chord. A song with major key tonality may contain some minor chords in the progression, but it will always come to rest and feel 'at home' on a major chord. An example of a song with major key tonality is "Good Day Sunshine" by the Beatles. An example of minor key tonality is "House Of The Rising Sun" by the Animals.
Q: What is "chromatic harmony"?
Most songs utilize harmonies that are based on a specific key center with chords derived from a seven-note scale. This seven-note scale is called a "diatonic scale", and the chords derived from these notes are known as "diatonic harmony". Chromatic harmony refers to harmonies that are not limited to the seven notes of the diatonic scale. Songs using chromatic harmony may have chords that are built on any note of the twelve-tone chromatic scale.
Chromatic harmonies can occur in many styles of music and are commonly heard in avant-garde jazz, modern classical music, and even rap such as The Wu Tang Clan.
Q: What is "acoustic instrumentation"?
Acoustic instruments are musical instruments that can be played without additional amplification or use of electricity. Examples include the grand piano, the saxophone, the acoustic guitar, the violin, and the upright bass. These rely on the vibration and resonance of different components of the instrument to produce audible sound.
Most instruments in their original form were acoustic in nature, however modern pop and rock music styles often utilize their electrical equivalents.
Q: What is "electric instrumentation"?
Electric instruments are musical instruments that utilize electricity to generate audible sound. The electric guitar is probably the most widely known electric instrument. It is tuned and played like the acoustic guitar, but it uses magnetic "pickups" to sense the vibrations of the guitar strings. These vibrations are converted to an electrical signal, which is then amplified using a speaker. Most electric instruments aren't clearly audible without the use of amplification.
Many other acoustic instruments have electric equivalents: the piano is similar to the keyboard/synthesizer. The upright bass has commonly been replaced with the electric bass guitar in pop and rock music.
Electric instruments have been around for longer than you might think: one of the first electric instruments was the Denis d'or, which was invented in the 18th century!
Q: What are "experimental sounds"?
Occasionally songs employ sounds that are not ordinarily considered musical. A classic example is Pink Floyd's seminal album Dark Side Of The Moon. Clocks, cash registers and helicopters abound! Experimental sounds can also include noises generated from standard instruments. For example, a "prepared piano" is one that has foreign objects placed in the strings to create strange, unconventional sound effects.
Q: What is a "Basic rock song structure"?
Most pop songs, across a huge range of styles and eras, are structured according to common convention, from which we get "verse," "chorus" and "bridge" as terms for the sections of songs. For example, "Wrapped Around Your Finger" by The Police is structured as follows: intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse (variation), chorus, outro. Some rock/pop artists make an effort to buck these conventions by employing more elaborate structures. "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen is a good example of a rock song that does not rely on basic rock song structures.
Q: What is "meandering melodic phrasing"?
Meandering melodies generally cover a wide range of high and low notes without much repetition, lending a feeling of surprise or freshness to the melodic line. Examples of songs with meandering melodies are "Yesterday" by The Beatles, "Just The Two Of Us" by Bill Withers, or "Saint Simon" by The Shins.
Q: What is "orchestral arranging"?
From a Gloria Gaynor string section to a Smashing Pumpkins hit with timpani and chimes, some songs feature something more ambitious than the usual "combo"-style instrumentation. Orchestral arrangements often include large string and horn sections, along with orchestral percussion like timpani, vibraphone etc... A full Wagnerian orchestra with it's own zip code is not required for a song to merit this tag, but it helps.
Q: What are "east coast rap roots"?
"East Coast rap roots" refers to music that references East Coast style rap. East Coast rap may be characterized by the heavy use of samples (often R&B), occasional use of swung 16th notes, light or sparse bass lines, and a vocal aesthetic originating from New England and the Middle Atlantic USA. The lyrical delivery of East Coast rap is exemplified by a varied vocal delivery, highly developed rhyme structure, an East Coast urban accent, etc.
Q: What are "west coast rap roots"?
"West Coast rap roots" refers to music that references West Coast rap. West Coast rap may be exemplified by use of funk samples, heavy funk influence, prominent bass lines, beats made for dancing, and heavy backbeats. The lyrical delivery of West Coast rap is exemplified by traditional rhyme structures, simpler rhythms, prominent use of hype men [a performer responsible for backup rapping to emphasize certain parts of the rhyme] and backing vocalists, and a West Coast (L.A./Bay Area/Latino) accent.
Q: What are "old school roots"?
"Old-school roots" refers to rap music in its earliest form. In its infancy rap was a very diverse form of music. With influences ranging from electro to disco to doo-wop, the sound of old-school rap is not easily pigeonholed. However, for our purposes old-school rap may be exemplified by simple beats, rudimentary use of sampled music, poorer fidelity, verses with only an MC and a drumbeat, and a general aesthetic of the late 1970s and 80s. Old-school lyrical delivery may be exemplified by simple rhyme patterns and rhythms, vocal trading of 4 or 8 bars, and simple vocal punctuations (typically on beats 2 and 4).
Q: What are "southern rap roots"?
Southern rap roots refers to music that references southern style rap music. Southern rap may be exemplified by 16th and 32nd notes on hi-hat and snare drum, implied double-time, dominant bass lines which are often synthetic, beats made for dancing, and repetitive rhythm tracks. The lyrical delivery of southern rap may be exemplified by repetitive vocal chants, extremely fast or slow speed, the regular use of 3 or more MCs, aggressive rhythmic delivery, and a southern (often mislabeled as country) accent.
Q: What is "gangsta rap attitude"?
Gangsta rap is a type of rap music that focuses on, and typically promotes, the lifestyles of contemporary inner city gangsters. While the term gangsta rap is often used to refer to West Coast rap created in the 90s by artists like Dr. Dre and 2Pac, at Pandora we use it to define any type of rap that focuses on crime or other 'negative' social topics.
Q: What is "downtempo influence"?
Downtempo is an all-inclusive term for laid-back electronic music that falls between electronic dance music (house, trance, techno) and ambient music (Brian Eno, Steve Roach, etc.). Like electronic dance music, downtempo has a definite beat and structure. However, it is slower, and is more likely to use dub-like hypnotic effects a la ambient music.
Q: What are "trance roots"?
"Trance roots" refers to music that references the musical aspects of trance.
Trance is a form of electronic dance music that first surfaced in the 1990s. It is characterized by several factors including repetitive synth lines, quick tempos (125-160bpm), dramatic build-ups/breakdowns, and a musical form that morphs between sections.
Q: What are "trip-hop roots"?
Trip-hop in its broadest scope is any type of electronic music with enhanced texture over beats from rap music. Trip-hop was developed in England in the 1990s, and gained popularity through artists like Portishead, Massive Attack, and Tricky.
Musicologically, trip-hop is characterized by the heavy use of samples and breakbeats, mellow tempo (85-110 bpm), minor key tonality, swung 16th notes, and heavy emphasis on sung vocals. "Trip-hop roots" refers to music that utilizes the musical aspects of trip-hop.
Q: What is a "G-funk synth line"?
This is a high-pitched synthesizer sound that is typically constructed using a sine wave synthesizer signal with plenty of portamento, which makes the notes 'slide' between one another.
The use of this sound was popularized by g-funk music (the "g" being short for gangsta), a type of West Coast rap pioneered most notably by Dr. Dre. Most g-funk songs are based around slowed down funk samples (especially from the band Parliament), deep bass lines, and the g-funk synth.
Q: What is "chopped & screwed production"?
Chopped & screwed (also known as screwed & chopped) is a style of southern rap music pioneered by the late DJ Screw of Houston, TX, USA. Using a sensibility not far removed from dub remixers like King Tubby and Lee Perry, DJ Screw would take his favorite records/beats and remix them by slowing them down, applying DJ techniques such as scratching, stop time, stuttering, and adding external effects to create a "chopped & screwed" version of the original. Today, many southern rap albums are produced as double discs complete with an original version and a chopped & screwed version. Modern remixers carrying on Screw's legacy include Swishahouse Records, Michale "5000" Watts, OG Ron C, etc.
Q: What is "vinyl ambience"?
When a record is played using a turntable there are several artifacts added to the sound. These artifacts are caused by dust or other imperfections in the groove of a record and they are often described as 'crackles', 'hisses', and 'pops.' They create a background ambience that affects the songs' overall feel and perceived sound.
Q: What are "headnodic beats"?
What do you call beats that are too quick to slow-dance to, too slow to really get down, but still make you want to move your body? At Pandora we call these 'headnodic beats.' 'Headnodic beats' will cause most people to sway their bodies or nod their heads in time, but are not ferocious enough to compel them/you to jump up and dance. Headnodic beats are often found in rap and downtempo music.
Q: What is "use of sing-jaying"?
Sing-jaying is a technique popularized by reggae (typically Jamaican) vocalists who use a repetitive vocal melody, or riff, as a basis for their rap. What results is a rap that is sung, but still has room for exciting rhythmic improvisations. Sing-jaying is the dominant style of vocal delivery in dancehall music and can be observed by listening to such artists as Barrington Levy, Eek-A-Mouse, and Sean Paul.
Q: What is a "wet/dry recording sound"?
When a sound is produced, what a listener or microphone hears is not just the source of the sound. Rather, it is an aggregate of the source and its reflections off of surfaces around it (i.e., sound reflections or echoes). A space is considered to be 'wet' or reverberant when sound reflections are prominent. When reflections are muted or absent, a space is considered to be 'dry' or non-reverberant.
One example of a 'wet' sounding space is a tiled bathroom, or large cathedral. An example of a 'dry' sounding space is a closet filled with clothes.
For a Pandora Presents... episode on related recording techniques, see Recording Vocals.
Q: What are "house roots"?
House is a type of electronic dance music that began in Chicago in the 1980s. The name is derived from the club where it was first heard - The Warehouse Nightclub - and in its earliest stages may be understood as a melding of disco with electronic music.
House music is characterized by a prominent four-on-the floor drum beat (four quarter-note kick drums per measure, usually associated with an upbeat high-hat), repetitive basslines, traditional pop harmonic/melodic structure, heavy use of looping, and sounds that are electronic, synthetic or sampled in nature.
Q: What are "IDM influences"?
IDM is an acronym for "intelligent dance music." This term has been controversial, even among those artists best known for representing this genre. For one thing, the use of the adjective "intelligent" alienates other musicians by implying that their music is not intelligent. For another, while the word "dance" is in the title, at best dancing to IDM is difficult, and in some cases almost impossible. Despite these faults, the acronym 'IDM' has persisted as a commonly used descriptor.
IDM came about in the early 1990s as an umbrella term for experimental music being created by electronic music producers. IDM is so diverse that it is not easily defined. From a very broad perspective, IDM typically features intricate editing, dense sample texturing, heavy use of synthetic effects, complicated and often confusing rhythms, and a general aesthetic of eclecticism and stretching of traditional musical boundaries.
Q: What is "Odd Meter"?
In music notation, a piece of music is broken up into small units of fixed length called 'measures.' Unless otherwise indicated, every measure is the same duration. The meter of a piece of music describes the number of beats contained in each measure. A majority of popular music is written with 4 beats per measure. Occasionally, writers employ unusual, or odd numbers of beats per measure to create a more unpredictable, off-beat rhythmic feel. For example, the bass riff of Pink Floyd's "Money" is written with 7 beats per measure. Other examples of odd meters include Peter Gabriel's "Solsbury Hill" (7), Dave Brubeck's "Take 5" (5), Radiohead's "Morning Bell (Kid A Version)" (5), Foo Fighters' "Times Like These" (7), and COB's "Eleven Willows" (11).
Q: What is "12-Bar Blues"?
The 12-Bar Blues is a musical form that evolved from the work songs of 19th century African-American plantation workers. By the 20th century, a standard 12-bar form developed that became the foundation for most Rock N' Roll and R&B music of the 20th Century, and is still ubiquitous today in American popular music. This form repeats every 12 measures (a.k.a. bars) and features a very simple and standardized chord progression. Over the years, musicians have elaborated the chord progression, but generally maintain the 12-bar length. In its most basic form, the 12-bar blues contains just 3 different chords, and this simplicity makes it perfect for instrumental improvisation and impromptu "jam sessions". In addition to countless songs by classic blues artists such as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, & John Lee Hooker, a great many Pop and R&B songs over the years have been based on the 12-bar blues form. Examples include "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley, "What'd I Say" by Ray Charles, "One Way Out" by the Allman Brothers Band, and "Why Don't We Do It In The Road" by the Beatles.
Q: How can I find out more about music theory and structure?
We're creating an audio and video series called Pandora Presents... that explores in more detail some widely used musical features. To listen, check out: http://blog.pandora.com/podcast
