Musical description
Structure
The overall structure of the song is as follows:
- introduction
- verse 1
- pre-chorus
- chorus
- verse 2
- pre-chorus
- chorus 2
- guitar solo
- chorus 3
- outro
Instrumentation and timbre
Smooth combines both rock and Music that originates from Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries, in particular, those in the Caribbean and United States. Strongly influenced by dance styles, rhythmic grooves and loud brass accompaniments. instruments. The song includes lead vocals, lead guitar, bass, drums, percussion - The term is used to describe the ensembles of Cuban musicians and performers. , timbales, guiro and cowbell - keyboards/Hammond organ, two trombones and two trumpets. An electrified setting that can create a more fuzzy or gritty tone. has been applied to the guitar and vocal line.
Harmony and tonality
The key of the song is A minor (Am) and uses a harmonic structure typical of African and Cuban dance music. It is largely based on three chords - Am (I), F (VI) and E (V). The chords Dm (IV) and Bm (II) are heard in passing, eg on the line with the lyrics 'reason for reason'. Some chords also have added sevenths, for example an E7 contains the notes E, G鈾, B and D.
The Hammond organ enters in the pre-chorus playing inverted chords. Playing inverted chords allows the player to move smoothly around the progression. The chords played are Am/C, E/B and Dm/A.
An inverted chord simply has a different note at the bottom instead of the root. Here is an example using the chord of Am:
Although the song is played in 4/4 and is a moderate 114 beats per minute, it features lots of Rhythm patterns where stressed notes are placed off the beat. rhythms throughout. The opening drum fill uses a A group of three equal length notes played in the space of two, eg three quavers played in the space of two quavers. measure and the bass guitar plays a syncopated A recurring pattern, often on guitar. from when it enters at bar 2.
The opening three notes played by the guitar are triplet quavers. The horns play a syncopated A secondary melody. in the intro and a A musical style from Brazil which originates from samba music. It is syncopated, but slow and lyrical in style. rhythm is played by the percussion. A Music that originates from Spanish or Portuguese speaking countries, in particular, those in the Caribbean and United States. Strongly influenced by dance styles, rhythmic grooves and loud brass accompaniments. inspired piano groove is introduced during the verse. Every other bar contains offbeat quaver chords.
The audio of the piano part
Dynamics
The intro begins Shortened to f when written in the score. It means to play the music loud. (f) before dropping down to A dynamic level meaning to play moderately loud - can be shortened to mf. (mf) in the verse. The pre-chorus A gradual increase in volume. into the chorus, which then returns to forte. The song fades out at the end.
Texture
There is a three-part Interweaving melodic parts, also known as polyphonic. texture in the introduction between the horns, guitar and bass. The horn writing is typical of the Latin style in the intro, with the trumpets and trombones playing in Two parts with matching rhythms and pitch or played in octaves. - an octave apart - for three bars before playing one bar in close harmony. The outro is polyphonic, with the band playing independent parts.
Melody
There are additional improvised responses from Santana in choruses 2 and 3. At the end of chorus 2 there is an extra bar, which features a rising Chromatic harmony uses notes from outside the key to colour the chords. horn phrase leading to a guitar solo.
The guitar solo is improvisatory and showcases a full pitch range. It follows the same chord structure as the verse. There is extensive use of guitar techniques during the solo, which includes vibrato on long notes, A slide between two notes., A technique used in performance where the player pushes the guitar strings. As a result, the pitch increases. and rapid A trembling sound created by fast repetition of the same note.. The final chorus is followed by another guitar improvisation. It is now accompanied by vocal responses and fills played by drums and percussion.
The lyrics are about love and are in English.