Is change better or worse? Do you like change? Sometimes things change for the better and sometimes things change for the worse. This project will get you thinking about change with regards to music - more specifically, through analysing cover songs and the original version.
Have a listen to the following songs.
Same song… or is it? These might be an extreme example of change, but it may help to illustrate the point here. How do you feel about the cover version? What changed between the original and cover version? How are they similar? What specific elements of music have changed?
Elements of Music
The elements of music is kind of like a periodic table of elements in science. The periodic table of elements tries to outline the properties of elements such oxygen, hydrogen, etc… These elements are the building blocks used in combination to form other things such as gases and liquids.
In music, we can break down what it is that makes up music. Then, we use those elements in different ways to make different styles of music, etc…
So, what are the elements of music? They are: Pitch, Rhythm, Dynamics, Tempo, Timbre, Texture and Structure and a few others (depending who you ask). You may already be able to explain what these are. If not, here is a chart to help you.
Things you’ll notice on that list are the elements themselves, an explanation and in red, words that can be used to describe how those elements are used for specific music. So…. going back to the song “Jump” up above, here is how some of those elements can be described.
Jump by Van Halen has a fast tempo. The vocals move by steps and therefore the melody is smooth or sing-able. It does not leap a lot from note to note. The song is not very dynamic in terms of its volume. The instruments and the singer are often playing forte or loudly. However, it does achieve a greater sense of dynamics by inserting or stoping various instruments in order to create contrasts between some sections. The form of the song seems to follow a typical pop/rock format with intro, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, verse, pre-chorus, chorus, instrumental, etc…
Jump as performed by Paul Anka changes quite a bit about the song. For example, Paul Anka’s rhythm is “swung” which is typical of swing, jazz or big band music. Also, the timbre is brassy due to the change in instrumentation. This can have a more nasal sound when you introduce trumpets. Paul Anka uses a lot of brass instruments in a big band group to create the music versus rock instruments being used by Van Halen. In terms of pitch, the melody is changed several times by Paul Anka in order to make it fit the style he is going for. The original rock melody may not have worked in this version.
These would be good starts to describing the two versions.
What are you going to do?
Step 1 - Pick 1 original songs and a cover version. It can be a song that you originally loved and not like… less because of the cover version. OR it can be a song you not like more because of the cover version.
This may take you some time. Take time to reflect. Maybe you already have examples in your head. Maybe you don’t. You may just spend some time listening to songs today and a couple of days.
Step 2 - Start to find how you could describe each song (original and cover versions) using the elements of music. We are not looking for complete doctorate level of musical terms. However, see if you can speak intelligently about those elements. Try to stay away from saying “I like / dislike this”. Try to remember to answer the questions “How is it different?” or “Why do I like this more?”
Step 3 - FInd a format that you like to present this. This can vary from person to person. Some of you may prefer Google Slides, some may prefer to speak this out and others may want to create a video presentation. Or! You may prefer a written format as well.
Step 4 - Don’t forget to include the links to the original and the cover versions. If you chose to do an audio version or a video version, you can either include these in your recordings or send the links in a separate document
Step 5 - Using your chosen format, explain why you first liked or disliked that version and explain why you now like or dislike that song. This will be done using 2 paragraphs (not essay length).
How do I hand this in?
Regardless of your format, you are going to turn this into Google Classroom when the due date comes. You can submit any format of file: audio, video, slideshow, document.
Evaluation
Here are the criteria we are looking for:
Musical Terminology
-Are you using appropriate musical terminology in your writing or media?
-Are you accurately describing each song based on their musical elements?
Opinion
-Are you simply using words such as “I like” and “I do not like” or are you adding in rationale?
-Are you giving adequate reasons for your preference?
Comparisons
-When you are comparing both versions, are you contrasting your talking points?
Length (Only needs to be 1 page)
-We are looking for 4 paragraphs: Introduction, version 1 description and analysis, version 2 description and analysis and a conclusion paragraph.
Communication
-Are you making a slideshow to communicate your cover song project? Is the slideshow clear? Are the visuals distracting?
-Are you adding unnecessary words or graphics that take away from your project?
-Is your language clear? Are there mistakes left in your writing that cause distraction?