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- Coolsville - Laurie Anderson Wed, 2011-06-08 14:02
- Farewell - Apocalyptica Wed, 2011-06-08 13:57
- Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2 by Franz Liszt Wed, 2011-06-08 13:51
- Ride of the Valkyries - Richard Wagner Wed, 2011-06-08 13:44
- Bubblehouse - Medeski, Martin and Wood Wed, 2011-06-08 13:42
Bubblehouse - Medeski, Martin and Wood
Lesson 1: Sound
Listen to this track and write down every different instrument you can identify. If there's something you can hear but you don't know what it is, try to describe the sound of it. Of all the sounds in this particular track, which one do you find the most interesting?
Lesson 2: Rhythm
Listen to this track and find the pulse. What do you notice about the pulse? Try and measure the two extremes of the pulse... what is the fastest and slowest tempo? Why doesn't more music do this? Why does the pulse in this track seem unique or almost a novelty? What rhythmic element do you find most interesting in this track?
Lesson 3: Melody
Which instruments have the melody? Is there even a melody in this song? What is the shape of the melody in different parts of the song? Do you hear any motifs or melodic patterns? If so, how are they changing or developing?
Lesson 4: Harmony
Listen for the harmonic rhythm? How often does it change? Does it ever change? Are there any significant harmonic changes that stand out to you? Try to describe the emotional color that the harmony provides in different places of the song.
Instruments:
Organ
Bass guitar
Drum kit
I find the drum kit the most interesting for the unique rhythm.
organ, drums, a wacky something else-synthetic? liked the organ-kinda played a drum role as in keeping the beat.. and then went into a blue brothers soul church thing, etc.
B3 Organ - This is played by John Medeski, who's probably the most widely hailed organist these days in the jazz/groove improv scene. He's definitely known for his exploratory sound creations with organs and keyboards. The organ has so many possibilities for changing it's sound using what are called "stops", basically sliders that they pull out that add overtones or double notes at the octave so it's like they can control an entire orchestra of sound through their keyboard.
Electric Bass - It's hard for me to tell. Chris Wood usually plays upright with these guys, certainly leading up to this record, but it really sounds like an electric bass on this track. Who knows what kind of effects pedals he has running on this. I love how thick and fat the sound is.
Drum Set - Mostly hi-hat, bass drum and snare drum. Listen to the hi-hat, how he plays it slightly open and "sloppy" sounding at the beginning when it's slower, then gradually tightens it up as the music gets faster and he needs a cleaner sound to play the faster notes, which he alternates with an open hi-hat in that sort of disco style. Also listen to the two different sounds he gets out of his snare drum. One is a softer tap and the other is a louder crack.
I recognized drum, bass. amazing blues riffs on the song and rhythm of the cymbal & hi-hat.
I listened a B3 organ for the very first time, wicked.
Super heavy groove. But even so, they wait to bring in the bass and drums, leaving only the organ at the beginning to establish the tempo and meter. It's not without pulse, but it still has that same feeling as many of the other tracks with a sort of gentle introduction that then leads into a more established groove.
The meter is in 4 and is pretty easy to hear thanks to the organ pattern at the beginning.
The tempo, however, is all over the place. They start out at about 90 bpm and accelerate up to about 137 bpm, then they slow it down again. This track is kind of similar to the Hungarian Rhapsody in that playing with the tempo is a lot of what keeps you interested as a listener.
Listen to the drums at 3:29. Billy martin is so good at this, I just love the way he pulls back on the time. The organ and bass are laying it down, and his hi-hat is playing smaller notes inside of that tempo which he then slows down against that bass and organ groove. It's like stretching on a rubber band. You hear this a lot in afro-cuban music. Love it!