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Release- Afro Celt Sound System (Texture (Layered texture using music…
Release- Afro Celt Sound System
Background
The Afro Celtic Sound System
is a
collaborative
band.
Different players may belong to the group and the membership can change, creating a very flexible and creative musical environment.
Release is a fusion of
Celtic
and
African
musical cultures underpinned by use of
musical technology
and elements of
western pop culture music
.
Instrumentation
CELTIC
Uileann Pipes:
("Elbow" pipes). Air is pumped into the bag using one's elbow. The "chanter" is recorder like pipe. Other pipes called "regulators" create harmony with DRONES (held,sustained notes).
Bodhran:
Irish frame drum played with a double headed stick. Pitch can be altered by pressing the skin.
Tin Whistle:
Six holed woodwind instrument, available in different keys.
Fiddle (Violin)
Accordion:
Squeeze box with bellows and a keyboard.
Gaelic Language
AFRICAN
Kora:
West African string instrument. Looks like a cross between a harp and a lute. Has 21 strings.
Talking Drum:
2 ended drum with strings which can be tightened to pull the drum's skin, to make a higher pitch.
Spoken African Vocals
EUROPEAN
Hurdy Gurdy:
String insrtument. Sound is produced when strings are rubbed by a wheel which is turned by a HAND CRANK.
INSTRUMENTAL SOLOS
Uileann Pipes
sound is produced by air being forced through the pipes.
some use of bending notes
Tin Whistle
soft sound
notes fade away gradually
pitch drop at the end
use of bending notes & trills (ornamentation)
improvisation
fast
Hurdy Gurdy
squat, pear shaped fiddle with strings.
The strings are sounded not by a bow but by the rosined rim of a wooden wheel turned by a handle at the instrument's end.
notes are made on the 1 or 2 melody strings by stopping them with short wooden keys.
Up to fourr unstopped strings, called bourdons, sound drones.
WESTERN POP MUSIC
Synth pads
Bass Guitar
Drum Kit
Samples
: a pre-recorded segment of sound, manipulated in some way.
Electric Piano
Tempo/Metre & Rhythm
Bodhran sets a regular beat.
1 bar
ostinato
with
syncopation
and a
dotted rhythm
Polyrhythmic
texture- many rhythmic ostinatos layered.
Talking drum does not have a regular beat.
Shaker loop sets the pace/pulse.
Semiquavers patterns with differently placed accents create complexity.
4/4 time signature.
Addition to the triplet semiquavers is influenced by Irish Folk Music.
Intro-no regular beat.
Structure
Intro-Verse 1-Break-Verse 2-Solos 1&2-Break-Solo 3-Verse 3-Build/Outro
8 bar phrases.
Texture determines the structure (instruments drop in and out).
Structure Breakdown.
Verse 2
- Gaelic verse, ascending chromatic line, bass drops out.
Solos 1&2
- Uileann pipes & tin whistle, low whistle.
Break
- Breath Sample.
Break
- Breath sample.
Verse 1
- Female vocals in English, 2 bar repeated phrases.
Solo 3
- Hurdy Gurdy.
Introduction
- Synth pad, drone, talking drum, no metre, African vocals, kora.
Verse 3
- O'Connor sings with solos on the Hurdy Gurd, Uileann pipes, accompanied by a rising chromatic bass line.
Build/Outro
- Drum loop, Electronic loops, Hurdy Gurdy and wordless vocals. Chromatic rising line, looped parts interweaving to fade.
Harmony/Tonality
Home note is C- used as a DRONE.
C D Eb F G Ab Bb C
Aeolian Mode, it is in C Aeolian.
Modes are often used in Folk Music
Loop 16- synth part has an A natural so it is in the DORIAN Mode (used by the Uilleann pipes, and its solo)
Melody
Two vocalist
Sinaed O connor- sings regular 2 bar phrases in English.
Aeolian Mode
- with an
interchangeable
in Bb/B natural.
O Lionaird's sings in Gaelic and has more irregular phrases.
Verse 1 melody- has a range of 6th.
Male vocals develop the female vocal line and extend the range higher over a tenth.
Instrumental melodies are based on folk melodies and mostly move in semiquavers.
Idiomatic
uileann pipes melody. Repetition of C.
Low whistle solo is more flowing and it misses out the Ab/A natural.
Hurdy Gurdy solo is in
C Dorian
to begin with, then goes to
C Aeolian.
Texture
Layered texture using music technology.
Multi-tracked & looped.
Gradually builds.
Sudden drop outs indicate new sections.
Intro- synth pad drone with sweep effect.
More synth pats added, to layer gradually.
Talking drum added
Shaker and African vocal added.
Bodhran takes over from talking drum with other percussion loops.
Verse 1- several layers drop out to make entry of the bass guitar more dramatic.(bar 7-8)
Chromatic rising line at the end of the verses creates anticipation.
This is making
space in the mix.
Verse 2- drop out before uilleann pipes
Musical Technology
Multi-tracking
Fading parts in and out.
Panning in verse 3.
Synthesisers- timbres, sustaining pads used for chords and drones.
Filter sweep effect
Loops- pre recorded then improvised over.
Reverb used to create a sense of space.
Samples.
Mixing used to draw attention to certain parts.