Afrocelt release question

• What music do afro celt sound system make?

  Fusion of African, Celtic and electronic dance music
• What African forces were used?

  Kora

  Talking drum
• What Celtic forces were used?

  Hurdy gurdy

  Uillean pipes

  Bodhran

  Whistle

  Fiddle

  accordion
• what western (dance) forces are used?

  Male and female vox

  Synthesisers

  Breath samples

  Drum machine

  Electric piano

  shaker

  tambourine
• what playing techniques are used

  glissando

  ornamentation

  double stopping

  open and closed hi hat
• what is the structure of release?

  intro

  verse 1

  verse 2

  solos

  verse 3

  build

  there are no choruses
• what does the intro start with?

  C on a drone noise by synth tones in free time with no modulation
• What happens to the layers in bar 19?

  Layers increase- talking drum, synth strings drone, vocal samples are added
• What happens in bar 50 to establish a steady tempo?

  Bodhran

  Shaker

  Drum machine
• When does female vocalisation enter?

  Bars 1 and 19 using heavy reverb and panning with synth and drum loops
• What happens in verse 1?

  Female singing voice enters
• What texture it at the start of verse 1?

  Homophonic as simple chords are playing
• What takes over the shaker in verse 1?

  Tambourine playing steady semi quavers
• What enters at the end of verse 1?

  Kora along with low synth strings playing ascending chromatic line
• What is before the breath sample at the end of verse 1?

  Bodhran solo then bass loop giving modal quality
• What vocals enter in verse 2?

  Male variating verse 1
• What happens to the instruments in verse 2?

  Drum patterns become more complicates and fiddle appears playing accompaniment
• What techniques does the fiddle use in verse 2?

  Double stopping

  Accents

  Triplets
• What enters towards the end of verse 2?

  Low chromatic synth strings
• What leads to the solos?

  Short drum and bass link
• How do the instruments in the solo sections start?

  Uilleann pipes – whistle (an octave higher)
• How does the whistle play during the solo section?

  Running semi quavers with occasional glissando
• What are the solos accompanied by?

  Accordion loop (playing accented chords) bodhran
• What instrument does the solo continue with?

  Whistle playing a more complicated version of the pipe solo.
• How is the whistle solo different from the pipes solo?

  More complicated

  increased rhythmic variety (demisemiquavers)
• what accompanies the low whistle?

  Synth strings and accordion

  (bass loop drops out)
• What enters the at the end of the solos?

  Male vocals (short phrases)

  Hurdy gurdy and bass

   
• What takes over in verse 3?

  Female voice
• What instruments play underneath the main vocals in verse 3?

  Hurdy gurdy and uilleann pipe (creating polyphonic texture)
• What does the synth sample play in verse 3?

  Static chords
• In verse 3 what instrument accompanies the male voice?

  Fiddle

  Low chromatic low synth strings
• What layers are in the build?

  Electric piano at the top

  Underneath- second electric piano
• What is the first electric piano playing in the build?

  Syncopates 2 note melody (F and G) over arpeggio semiquaver accompaniment
• What is the second piano electric playing in the build?

  Oscillating pattern of two notes (Eb and F)
• What happens in the build when the electric pianos drop out?

  Hurdy gurdy enters

  Female vocal samples interject as a new uilleann pipe solo loop
• What texture is created in the build?

  Heterophonic texture
• What happens to the instruments in the outro?

  Bass loop drops out and second fiddle re-enters

  2 electric piano loops enter as all the loops drop out

  Music fades out
• What melodic techniques are used?

  Use of vocables

  Main verse is syllabic

  Some spoken parts

  Short phrases

   Limited range for the female vocal (6th). The male has a more extended range of a 13th

  Vocal samples

  Repetitive

  Sense of improvisation from opening female vocals

  Use of glissando

  Use of ornamentation (acciaccatura)

  Use of reverb in the whole track.
• What textural devices are used?

  Constantly changing

  Use of layering

  Loops

  Mainly homophonic

  Heterophonic texture

   Polyphonic texture.
• What harmony and tonality were used?

  Diatonic

  Key of C minor

  Modal

  Chord sequences are repetitive

  Hint of chromaticism

  Use of extended chords (7th, 9th)

   Slow harmonic pulse

   Use of drone.