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Year 10 - Music

Vocals in pop ballads

Extending understanding of pop music: pop ballads and modern pop

Unit Summary

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Lesson Summary

You will learn to compose and develop an idiomatic vocal melody for a pop ballad.

Key Notes

  • Vocalists in pop ballads use many different techniques to add expression, including vibrato and rubato.
  • Many singers use a mixture of syllabic and melismatic singing to develop melodies and add expression.
  • When writing a vocal melody, we need to consider the pattern of syllables and words, as well as the phrase structure.
  • This ensures that there is balance of repetition and contrast.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • vibrato: vibrato is a technique in which the pitch fluctuates up and down slightly to add intensity and expression
  • rubato: rubato is when a performer slightly changes the tempo to add expression
  • melismatic / melisma: melismatic singing is when a singer sings more than one note (often many notes) during a syllable of a word; it is also called melisma
  • phrase structure: the phrase structure is the pattern of phrases in a melody; it should have a balance of repetition and contrast

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Writing a vocal melody is the same as writing an instrumental melody.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the lesson in two key points.

Vocalists in pop ballads use many different techniques to add expression, including vibrato and rubato. Many singers use a mixture of syllabic and melismatic singing to develop melodies and add expression.

2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'vibrato'

vibrato is a technique in which the pitch fluctuates up and down slightly to add intensity and expression.

3. Correct this common mistake.

Mistake: Writing a vocal melody is the same as writing an instrumental melody. Correction: Many of the same principles apply, such as phrase structure and using notes from the chords and the key. However, a vocal melody has to fit the natural rhythms and mood of the words well - we don't have to consider this with instrumental melodies.

More Lessons In This Unit

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