Year 9 - Music
Using samples
Approaches to contemporary composition
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This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit pupils are introduced to contemporary compositional approaches and techniques. They learn about a range of current contemporary music and the differences in approach of how this is structured and put together from earlier classical style music and current popular music.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to create a composition based on samples.
Key Notes
- Composers have used recordings of sound in their music since recording technology was created.
- This ranges from abstract-sounding musique concrète, to using samples of sound and music in popular music styles.
- Sampling is the process of creating samples - clips of pre-existing sound or music that are used in a new way.
- To create samples, we isolate individual sounds.
- We can then combine them in a new way to create a musical pattern.
Vocabulary To Learn
- sample: a clip of pre-existing music or sound
- sampling: the process of creating and using a sample
- unpitched sound: sound that lacks a clear pitch (e.g. a clap)
- musique concrète: a style of music that is based on recorded sounds (e.g. cars, doors)
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Samples are always non-musical sounds.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
Composers have used recordings of sound in their music since recording technology was created. This ranges from abstract-sounding musique concrète, to using samples of sound and music in popular music styles.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'sample'
a clip of pre-existing music or sound.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: Samples are always non-musical sounds. Correction: This is not true - a sample is any pre-existing sound that is used in a new way. This could be traditionally non-musical sounds like machinery or speech, or it could be clips of pieces of music or individual notes.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 9 Music guide library.