The elements of music to consider
Instrumentation and timbre
As well as the usual rock band instruments and individual timbres, Killer Queen included a number of studio recording techniques. The instruments and sounds to be aware of are:
- the band includes vocals, piano, electric six-string and bass guitars, and drums
- a falsetto vocal rangeThe distance between the highest and lowest played notes. of two octaves and a minor third
- overdubbingA process where new sounds/ music are added to an existing recording. is used for four part vocals and three part guitar passages
- reverberationAdding multiple echoes to make a sound appear to be coming from different spaces. and stereo panningThe positioning of sound in a stereo field. were added to the vocals in the recording studio
- pitch bendWhen the pitch played slightly rises or falls but returns to original pitch., slide guitarA guitar technique often used in blues music. A glissando effect is achieved by sliding an object across the strings., palm mutingDamping the guitar strings while playing. and light distortion An electrified setting that can create a more fuzzy or gritty tone. feature in the guitar part
Form and Structure
Killer Queen follows a standard popular music structure:
- verse 1
- chorus 1
- instrumental link
- verse 2
- chorus 2
- verse 3
- chorus 3
- outro Concluding section of music.
Dynamics and melody
dynamicsRefers to the softness or loudness of a piece of music. state how loud or quiet a piece of music is and a melodyThe arrangement of notes into a musical sequence - the main tune. is a significant phrase of pitched notes with a given rhythm. Queen have taken many features from different genres to write an incredibly melodic song, such as:
- the song is performed at a comfortable mezzo forteA dynamic level meaning to play moderately loud - can be shortened to mf. (mf), although this is not written on the score
- each verse and chorus begins with an anacrusisAn upbeat.
- the melodic phrasing is not always symmetrical
- stepwise melodic movement
- sequenceA pattern of musical notes that are repeated moving up or down the scale. feature in bars 12 to 13 and 20 to 21
- the text setting is syllabicSinging one note per syllable.
- melismaSeveral notes sung to one syllable.are used for ornamentation, for example in bars 34 to 35 on the lyric 鈥榠nclined鈥
Texture
These techniques contribute to the texture in Killer Queen, they are:
- melody-dominated homophonyA musical texture which features a melody with accompaniment.
- imitationWhere one musical part copies another. in bar 62 between the guitar and vocal
Metre, tempo and rhythm
The time signatures, tempo and rhythmic devices are:
- Killer Queen is in a 12/8 compound time that creates a swingA jazz style in which notes are always syncopated rather than played evenly. feel
- there are bars where the metre changes to 6/8, such as in bars 10 and 11
- a tempo set at 112 bpmBeats per minute.
- the syncopationRhythm patterns where stressed notes are placed off the beat. helps the melody reflect the theatrical energy of the piece
Harmony and tonality
The score includes many rich and complex chords and progressions, but the key devices to note are:
- a circle of fifthsWhen the chord sequence moves by an interval of a fifth, 聽eg C major - G major, D major - A major.聽 chord progression starting on A major
- extended chordA chord that adds additional notes to a triad, such as the seventh, ninth or eleventh note of the scale. and pedalHeld or repeating note on the same pitch, while the chords change above it.
- the tonicThe first degree of a scale and the central key of music. In Roman numerals this is I. key is E鈾 major
- the verse briefly begins in the relative minorThe minor key that has the same key signature as a major key. of C and the choruses are in B鈾 major